THE GRAND WAR

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Revelation 19:15-20:
“And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.“

The Holy Scripture, in Revelation 19:15-20, speaks of an ultimate and cataclysmic war, a final, decisive battle for the very possession of the Earth. It is a war where our Lord Jesus Christ Himself will descend and definitively claim His rightful dominion over all the Earth. This momentous, prophesied event will mark the absolute end of Satan’s dark reign, the utter collapse of his beastly system, and the glorious, eternal triumph of the Kingdom of God. Let us now delve into this “Grand War,” looking closely at these key verses and what they reveal about this pivotal and decisive moment in all of human history.

Rev. 19:15 “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.“

In this coming, climactic battle, the saints of God, His Bride, will not need to lift a single finger in terms of physical warfare. The victory will not come by human effort, nor by the might of armies, but by the sheer, unadulterated authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. His power is so immense, so absolute, that by His spoken Word alone, all the massed forces of darkness will be utterly defeated and scattered. This divine power was foreshadowed in John 18:6 when, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus simply spoke, “I am he,” and His armed enemies “went backward, and fell to the ground.”

The scriptures speak elsewhere of a massive earthly army—some 200 million troops (as per Revelation 9:16, often associated with kings of the East) or even 500 million as some interpretations suggest—yet they will be no match whatsoever for the Lord of Glory. He will rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15), meaning His divine ways and His perfect will shall be implemented across the entire Earth, and there will be absolutely no space left for the ways of Satan or his ungodly system to continue.

Rod of Iron: Christ’s reign will be absolute and unyielding. There will be no compromises, no half-measures with evil. His divine authority will be the final, unappealable say in all matters. Every chain of demonic bondage, every form of oppression and injustice, will be shattered under His righteous rule.

No More Grace: The age of God’s longsuffering grace, as we know it, will have passed. The Lord will not come this time as the meek, suffering Servant, but as the righteous King and Judge, full of holy fierceness and divine judgment against sin. Many will perish under His just wrath, for it will be like a great winepress crushing the grapes of wickedness, and blood will flow like a terrible flood (Revelation 14:19-20).

Rev. 19:16 “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

This powerful, majestic title—King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16)—declares Jesus Christ’s supreme, unparalleled authority over every earthly king, president, ruler, system, and nation. It signifies that there is no higher power above Him in heaven or on earth. All other authorities, whether they acknowledge it now or not, must and will bow before Him, and He alone will reign victorious.

Conqueror of All: This divine title assures us, His Bride, that Christ will win this final battle without any question or doubt. There is no other god, no other power, no demonic entity that can possibly stand against Him. The victory is inevitable and preordained, and His dominion will be established forever and ever.

Unchallenged Authority: There is no one, and nothing, that can compete with His rule or challenge His throne. When He speaks, all creation must listen, and all humanity must ultimately obey. His reign will be uncontested, absolute, and eternal.

Rev. 19:17 “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God.”

In a gruesome yet just scene depicted in Revelation 19:17-18 (which parallels the judgment themes here in Revelation 14), angels will call upon the birds of the air to gather for a great and terrible feast. Just as in the days of Noah, when the wicked earth was judged by a global flood, the end times will bring swift and severe judgment upon all those who have stubbornly rebelled against God and rejected His Christ.

The carnage from this final battle will be so immense that birds will be supernaturally summoned to devour the flesh of the fallen armies of the beast. It is a stark reminder of God’s ultimate control over all of His creation—even the animals of the field and the birds of the air will play their designated part in the unfolding of His righteous plan of judgment. The imagery of the winepress in Revelation 14:19-20, where “blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles,” paints a terrifying picture of the scale of this judgment.

Rev. 19:18 “That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.”

The fowls, as described in the parallel passage of Revelation 19, will feast on the bodies of kings, mighty men, captains, and all who stood in defiant opposition to God. Revelation 14 speaks of the “vine of the earth” whose “grapes are fully ripe” for judgment, signifying all ungodly people and systems. These verses illustrate the total and utter defeat of the world’s highest and most vaunted authorities. No position of earthly power, no accumulated wealth, no military might will protect anyone from the righteous judgment of Almighty God.

Enemies of God: Anyone, great or small, who fights against God or persecutes His people will inevitably fall. No matter how high their earthly status, no matter how great their influence or perceived power, they will not escape the coming judgment.

Justice for the Oppressed: This divine judgment ensures that all who have led nations astray, oppressed the poor and needy, or pursued power for wicked and selfish purposes will face their rightful and just end.

Rev. 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

This is, at its core, a battle of authorities. The earthly, demonic kingdom of Satan, led by the Antichrist (the beast) and fueled by the deceptions of the false prophet, will face off against the heavenly host of our Lord Jesus Christ. The ultimate weapon of choice in this spiritual and authoritative battle is not swords or guns, missiles or bombs, but the living, powerful Word of God.

Our Weapon: The Word of God: Just as our Lord Jesus Christ defeated Satan during His temptation in the wilderness by quoting Scripture (Matthew 4:1-11), we, His followers, are to wield the Word of God as our ultimate spiritual weapon. It is powerful, precise, sharper than any two-edged sword, and unbreakable.

Be Anchored in the Word: If the Word of God is your absolute foundation, your unshakeable truth, you cannot be chained or deceived by anything the enemy throws at you. The Word sets us free from falsehood, from the pervasive lies of Satan. We must be ever vigilant, because Satan himself may also attempt to use Scripture, but always twisted, out of context, and for the purpose of deception—just as he tried with Jesus in the wilderness. To avoid such deception, we must cling tenaciously to the whole counsel and pure truth of God’s Word.

Rev. 19:20 “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

After the rapture of the Church, the Antichrist and the false prophet will rise to deceive many on the Earth, precisely because those who are left behind will have already rejected the love of the Truth. They will be tragically susceptible to grand delusions and powerful lies because they did not cherish the Truth of God’s Word enough to be saved (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). The “vine of the earth” (Revelation 14:18-19) represents all these who are allied with Satan’s system, and they will be cast into “the great winepress of the wrath of God.”

The Beast as the System: The beast in Revelation represents more than just a single individual; it is a demonic system of global governance, economic control, and godless ideology, powered by satanic deception and worldly, materialistic principles. It is the ultimate earthly extension of Satan’s authority.

False Prophets: These are individuals, ideologies, religious movements, or even nationalistic philosophies that align with and promote the beastly system. For instance, some see aspects of “Americanism,” with its potential for materialism and secular humanism, as having characteristics that can, if unchecked, function like a false prophet, leading many away from the simplicity and truth of the Gospel. They will deceive many, leading them away from the pure truth of Jesus Christ.

Final Destination – The Lake of Fire: Ultimately, the beast and the false prophet, along with all who follow them, will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20, Revelation 20:10,15). This is their final, eternal end. Their influence, their power, and their lies will be no more. Anything cast into the lake of fire is utterly consumed and ceases to effectively exist in opposition to God, signaling the complete and irreversible end of Satan’s rebellion and his corrupting system forever.

Rev.19:21 “And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”

In this final, decisive act of judgment, the people who remain on Earth and persist in their opposition to God will be “slain,” not by conventional, man-made weapons, but by the Word of God that proceeds from the mouth of Christ (Revelation 19:21). The same omnipotent Word that spoke all things into creation has the inherent power to unmake and to destroy all that stands against its Creator.

Creation and Destruction by the Word: Just as the Word of God spoke the universe into existence from nothing, it can also dismantle and destroy all opposition. Physical things, earthly kingdoms, and rebellious hearts came into being by the power of the Word, and they can be undone by that same irresistible force.

The Word’s Limitless Power: The Word of God possesses limitless, divine power. It can create unimaginable abundance, multiply blessings beyond measure, and, when necessary for divine justice, bring swift and total destruction. This is why the Word of God is our ultimate weapon and our only true security—it has the inherent power to accomplish everything according to God’s perfect, sovereign will.

The Grand War described in Revelation is not just a physical battle fought with carnal weapons; it is a profound spiritual and authoritative confrontation. Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, will claim His rightful, undisputed place as the sovereign Ruler over all creation. His Word, a sharp two-edged sword, will be the ultimate force, destroying all who oppose Him and bringing an eternal end to Satan’s destructive influence on Earth.

As believers, as the Bride of Christ, our absolute must be the pure, unadulterated Word of God. It is our spiritual weapon, our infallible guide, and our unshakeable anchor in these perilous last days. Stay firm in the Truth, for the time will surely and swiftly come when the Word of God will prove completely victorious over all darkness, and the glorious, eternal Kingdom of God will reign forever and ever. Amen.