TUESDAY
Yesterday we saw John’s vision of the exalted Christ upon his return. He is like a conquering king riding to earth to liberate his good creation from evil. Today we see this judgment from two other angles. These are taken from Ezekiel 38-39.
Revelation 19:17-21 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”
The angel is standing in the sun! This implies his glory. He is splendid because he comes from the presence of God. Calling to the birds to come and eat is from Ezekiel 39:4. This is said to be a “supper.” This picture of judgment is contrasted with the marriage supper of the Lamb in 19:6-10. The experience of the people of God at the final judgment will be vastly different than the experience of the wicked. Verse 18 makes obvious that no one will be spared from the judgment of God in regards to social status or power.
And… we have yet another depiction of this final judgment.
Revelation 19:19-21 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.
Here we revisit the beast (i.e., Babylon, Rome, any evil governing power). The false prophet of verse 20 is the second beast of chapter 13, which we said was likely the religious system of the imperial cult in the Roman world. These two are finally defeated as they are thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. They are thrown in alive. This emphasizes the severity of the punishment. This is no joke for the evil empire and false prophet. The lake of fire is a depiction of Gehenna. This is where the people of Israel offered their children as human sacrifices in Jeremiah’s day (Jer. 7:31). Because of this Gehenna became the symbol of future judgment and eternal punishment (cf. Matt. 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28). It could also be a merging of the Greek underworld lake with the Jewish picture of judgment. The lake of fire would also evoke memories of Sodom, which was destroyed with fire and sulfur (Gn. 19:24; Lk. 17:29). Daniel envisions a river of fire flowing from God’s presence that destroys the beast (Dan. 7:10-11). In any case, the idea is readily understood—a fiery lake destroys.
“The rest” in verse 21 likely refers to the ungodly, earth dwellers who took the mark of the beast and worshipped the beast rather than God. Again, these are the unbelievers. They are slain by the words of God. Again, the word of God is described as a sword. Again, this is not a literal bloodbath. This is a metaphorical vision of the final judgment.
Now all of these images of judgment can be rather unsettling. Allow me to make a few comments on it:
- As I’ve been highlighting all along, this is likely not a literal massacre. John is following the longstanding tradition from the prophets of describing the day of judgment, when God finally and effectively judges evil, as a battlefield. The prophets employ this language, but it is clear, especially through the image of a sword from the mouth, that these are to be interpreted figuratively.
- God’s wrath against evil is a consistent theme throughout Scripture. It may be unsettling, but when we think it through, it can also be a great comfort. Those who have been the victims of terrible evil can take comfort in knowing that God is angry at that evil. When justice isn’t meted out in this life, we can take comfort in knowing that God will deliver justice perfectly and completely in the end. God has provided us a way of escape from his wrath—faith in Jesus Christ, the crucified lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
- God’s wrath is not like a toddler’s temper tantrum. He is the creator God and evil is a violation of his purpose for creation. He is the only one who is perfectly holy. Therefore, he is justified in his wrath against evil. His wrath is just, in that it is only against evil. He doesn’t make mistakes and get wrathful about something that isn’t actually evil.
- This judgment is what we all deserve. God doesn’t owe us anything. We have all sinned and violated God’s holiness and his holy requirements. Therefore, we are all deserving of judgment. It would be just of God to judge and destroy all of his creation. However, in his love and mercy (a different category than justice) God has given us a way of escape. For believers in Jesus, the wrath of God against our sin was poured out upon Jesus on the cross. He has taken the just punishment that we deserve so that we might be made righteous.
Allow me to make a few other broad comments on this text before we move on:
- Jesus is the one who carries out God’s judgment. There is no distinction, as some would suggest, that the Father is wrathful and Jesus is full of grace and mercy. They are both wrathful against evil and full of grace and mercy. Jesus is both the Lion and the Lamb. He is powerful and able to conquer as the Word of God.
- It isn’t really a battle at all. This is where Revelation departs from Lord of the Rings and Narnia. This isn’t a contest. There is no description of the enemy taking ground and then the army of God pushing back. This isn’t a contest of great powers. This is a judgment sent down from the great power—God Almighty.
- The armies that follow Jesus don’t participate in the battle. They just follow Jesus with their cool robes and awesome horses. Again, this counters the idea that Armageddon will be a real battle between Israel and foreign armies. It also counters the idea of the church fighting evil, oppressive governments, as this has been interpreted in the historical church (check out the story of Thomas Müntzer in the time of the Reformation). This isn’t, then, a call for Christians to take up arms against the government. This is a call to wait patiently on the Lord who will judge evil and vindicate his people upon his return. This is a call to remain faithful, prophetic witnesses to Jesus, and waiting patiently for the return of the King (to borrow Tolkein’s book title).
Reflection
Be encouraged, Christian, the marriage supper of the Lamb is where you will be at the final judgment if your name has been written in the book of life. If it isn’t, the wrath and judgment of God still hangs over you. Repent and put your faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sin. Then you will not face the judgment of God because Jesus has paid the penalty that your sins deserve. Confess that God is justified in punishing you for your sin. Then thank him for his unfathomable grace and mercy that rescues you from this punishment because of Jesus.