We conclude Chapter 19 today and our look at the final battle on earth.
John told us earlier in the week, "Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the Rider on the horse and His army." (Revelation 19:19) You may recall that John's vision of the beast was highly symbolic. He had ten horns on his head which John was told represented "ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast". (Revelation 17:12)
Many scholars interpret Revelation 17:12 as a coalition of ten major world powers who, in the last days, give their allegiance to the Antichrist. These ten great world powers didn't yet exist in John's day, so he was told their leaders "have not yet received a kingdom". Compared to long-enduring ancient empires, these kingdoms will exist for a relatively short time or will be at their peak of power for only a short time, symbolized by the term "one hour".
The prophet Daniel said that this coalition would be fragile and fraught with discord. "This will be a divided kingdom." (Daniel 2:41a) By the time the day of Armageddon arrives, the nations who have joined with the Antichrist will have become disillusioned by him. But they will feel they've come too far to turn back. They've put everything they have at his disposal. They are going to be from such diverse backgrounds that they aren't always going to agree with his decisions and they are likely going to disagree with each other as well. But as the day of battle approaches they throw all their support behind the Antichrist one final time, amassing their armies together to fight against the Lamb of God. They may not especially care for the Antichrist any longer, and they may prefer not to be ruled over by him, but they still prefer him to Jesus Christ.
Earlier in Revelation John saw the armies of heaven following Christ into battle. It is generally believed that these soldiers in the Lord's army, dressed in white clean linen, symbolize the church. Jude, the brother of Jesus Christ, foresaw the day when the Lord returns with His faithful ones to wage war against wickedness: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." (Jude 1:14-15) We---the church and bride of Christ---will return with Him and will witness His absolute victory. He doesn't bring us into the battle with Him because He needs our help. I think He brings us with Him so we can witness the fulfillment of His promises to judge wickedness and to avenge every evil act that has been perpetrated against those who belong to Him. The Lord wants His faithful ones to witness the downfall of our enemies. King David knew he could trust the Lord to both judge his enemies and allow him to witness their judgment, so he gave praise to the Lord for it in Psalm 59:10 and Psalm 92:11.
The armies who have placed themselves at the Antichrist's disposal are standing in battle array to meet the Lord and the armies of heaven. They plan to give this battle all they've got, but all they've got isn't enough. "But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur." (Revelation 19:19-20) We are given no details about the battle and I believe that's because it's not much of a battle. The Word of God, who spoke all things into existence and by whose power all things are held together, can by one word defeat, judge, and sentence all who oppose Him. The holy word of God is powerful enough to completely overwhelm this vast army before one of its soldiers can fire a single shot.
The Antichrist and the False Prophet are thrown into a fiery chasm. This may be a chasm created by an event foreseen by the prophet Zechariah who described what would happen when the Lord sets foot on the earth on the day of the battle: "The Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south." (Zechariah 14:4) A great cataclysm occurs, perhaps an enormous earthquake. A severe enough earthquake could open up a chasm in the ground or cause dormant volcanoes to erupt. Whatever the exact nature of the fiery lake of sulfur is, the Lord tosses the Antichrist and False Prophet into it as easily as a person might toss a crumpled piece of paper into a garbage can.
After these two have been dealt with, "The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the Rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh." (Revelation 19:21) The Lord judges them by His word. It's His word they have violated and it's by His word they are judged and found guilty. The prophet Joel compared this battle to one that occurred during the days of King Jehoshaphat of Judah when the Lord fought on behalf of the people. Jehoshaphat knew he didn't have an army large enough to successfully defend his nation against the coalition formed against it, so he prayed to the Lord, "Lord, the God of our ancestors, are You not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You...We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You." (2 Chronicles 20:6,12b) The Lord Himself supernaturally fought the battle on Judah's behalf; the people didn't have to lift a hand. I think the final battle will be fought in the same way. There will be no hand-to-hand combat. No advanced weaponry will be put to use. The Lord will speak the word that judges and condemns His enemies. As King Jehoshaphat stated in his declaration of faith, no one will be able to withstand the Lord.
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