he Battle of Armageddon
Gather armies from around the globe
So, all these armies come to Israel, and the city of Jerusalem. Nahum describes it.
Nahum 2: Israel, For the emptiers have emptied them out And ruined their vine branches. 3 The shields of his mighty men are made red, The valiant men are in scarlet. The chariots come with flaming torches In the day of his preparation, And [b]the spears are brandished. 4 The chariots rage in the streets, They jostle one another in the broad roads; They seem like torches, They run like lightning.
Now, some of the things that are described seem a little old fashioned. For example, who goes to war in a chariot anymore? But remember that the prophets are describing what they see in visions, and they are describing them in terms that they understand.
So, Nahum describes the armies getting into the city of Jerusalem, and Zechariah describes what those armies do once they get into the city.
Zechariah 14: Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your [a]spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses [b]rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
So, the invasion of Israel and Jerusalem takes place and the armies take what they want. This is not an orderly transfer of power. This is the hatred of Satan expressed against anyone that gets in his way. And at this moment, it looks as though Satan will finally accomplish what he has tried to do throughout history; to wipe out God’s people. Jews and Christians in Jerusalem will be cowering in their houses. The Jews who fled to the wilderness cannot hope to survive the onslaught of this massive army. Christians around the globe are in hiding. It is a very dark hour, in more ways than one. Death and darkness are everywhere. Many of the plagues affected the brightness of the sun, moon, and stars. So, the days are darker in brightness and in length.
Then, as the armies continue their pillaging, something further happens to the lights of our solar system. Then comes this frequently described occurrence; Sun darkened, moon becomes red like blood.
Luke 2: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
There’s further destruction that comes.
2 Peter 3: 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Joel 2:30 I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes. 32 It will happen that whoever will call on Yahweh’s name shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as Yahweh has said, and among the remnant, those whom Yahweh calls.
One thing we know, it will be dark.
The Second Coming of Christ
And in all that conflagration, and pitch darkness, there appears a light in the eastern sky. It first appears like a faint star, but then it gets closer and closer to the earth. If you can imagine it, as that light approaches, the people of the earth may think it’s another death star falling from the sky. But as it gets closer, and as He gets closer, and encircles the globe, its brilliance becomes brighter than the noon day sun, driving away shadow from the entire world. And with Him are the angelic hosts.
Matthew 24: 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet.
2 Thessalonians 1: 7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
Revelation 1:7 Behold,[b] he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him,
Revelation 19:11-12 I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself.
Jesus returns with the armies of heaven behind Him.
Reaction to the 2nd Coming
And as Christ appears in the sky, the earth will react to His return.
There are three kinds of reactions.
Fear
Isaiah 2: 9 Man is brought low, and mankind is humbled; therefore don’t
forgive them. 10 Enter into the rock, and hide in the
dust, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the glory of his majesty. 11 The
lofty looks of man will be brought low, the arrogance of men will be bowed
down, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. 12 For
there will be a day of the LORD of Armies for all that is proud and arrogant,
and for all that is lifted up; and it shall be brought low: 13 for
all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, for all the oaks of
Bashan, 14 for all the high mountains, for all the hills
that are lifted up, 15 for every lofty tower, for
every fortified wall, 16 for all the ships of
Tarshish,
and for all pleasant imagery. 17 The
loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the arrogance of men shall be brought
low; and Yahweh alone shall be exalted in that day. 18 The
idols shall utterly pass away. 19 Men shall go into the
caves of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth, from before the terror of the
LORD, and from the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake the earth
mightily. 20 In that day, men shall cast away their
idols of silver and their idols of gold, which have been made for
themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, 21 to go into the caverns of the
rocks, and into the clefts of the ragged rocks, from before the terror of the
LORD, and from the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake the earth
mightily.
Revelation 6: 12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Fear is the first reaction. But some will fear and flee, while others fear and repent.
Repentance
Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of [c]Megiddo. Listen to what Jesus said 2000 years ago;
Matthew 23: 37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
I always read that negatively. With a negative message. Jesus was saying that the Jews of His day, for the most part, rejected Him. But there are two positive messages. First, He is coming back; “You will not see me again until…, and when He does return, He will be received by a massive group of Jews who see Him and say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
And it won’t just be Jews who see Him and repent;
Revelation 1: 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.
I mentioned earlier that I believe that there will be a time when many come to Christ during the Tribulation. This is that moment. One response to His coming will be terror. Another will be repentance.
I think this passage tells us about Jewish and Gentile people who see Jesus returning, the nail piercings still in His hands and feet, and they realize that they rejected their Messiah. And they grieve over that fact with a great grief. Do they get saved? I think that they do. I believe that in that moment, at Christ’s return, there will be an opportunity to be saved.
Why do I think that? Because when Jesus returns, those who are living Christians will be raptured, and receive new immortal bodies. But there will be those around the world who go into the Millennial kingdom of Christ as believers.
Malachi 4: “For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the Lord of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings;
Zechariah 8:23 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” ’ ”
I think there will be Jews and Gentiles alike who enter the Millennial kingdom as new Christians. So, many people are saved at the moment of their repentance at seeing Jesus’ return.
But there is a third reaction to the return of Christ; anger, a readiness to fight Him.
Isaiah 66: 15 For behold, the Lord will come with fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. 16 For by fire and by His sword The Lord will judge all flesh; And the slain of the Lord shall be many.
So, at this moment, Jesus has appeared in the sky, and the world has reacted with either terror, repentance or fury. But before Jesus descends all the way to the surface of the earth, He will call His own to Himself by resurrection and rapture.
Resurrection and Rapture
Resurrection
So, Jesus and His angels are in the atmosphere around the earth, and with them are the spirits of departed saints.
Jude 14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
First comes the resurrection of the righteous dead.
The Old Testament has descriptions of that moment.
Isaiah 26: 19 Your dead shall live. My dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast out the departed spirits..
Ezekial 37: The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” 4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”
” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and [b]breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ”
This describes the resurrection of the righteous dead who rise to meet Christ in the air, to return with Him to reign for 1000 years.
The New Testament describes it this way.
1 Corinthians 15: 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.
1 Thessalonians 4: 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
So, as Jesus descends, He cries out to the dead bodies of saints to rise. And this rising will be different than the rising of Lazarus. Lazarus was raised and restored to his mortal body. His body would die again someday. But the dead bodies of saints will rise, and put on immortality, to never die again. These bodies will be reunited with the spirits of those saints which have accompanied Christ back to earth.
So, in the skies around the earth we have the returned Christ, the angels of heaven, the departed saints reunited with their resurrected bodies, and now comes the…
Rapture
Matthew 24: 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
1 Corinthians 15: 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
Now all the saints of all the ages, past and present are congregated together in the air. After all the saints are gathered together in the air, Our Lord continues His descent down to the surface of the earth.
Can you imagine that sight? Christ, the Light of the World, millions of angels of light, all the saints of all the ages transformed into beings of light, and Christ and His angels descend on down to the surface of the earth.
Where’s He going to land? It tells us in Revelation 14.
Revelation 14:1-20 I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him a number, one hundred forty-four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads.
So, all of them land, what do they do next?
2 I heard a sound from heaven, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of a great thunder. The sound which I heard was like that of harpists playing on their harps. 3 They sing a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the one hundred forty-four thousand, those who had been redeemed out of the earth.
Christ sets foot on the Mount of Olives along with the angels and the resurrected and raptured saints and the first thing they do is sing a new song. And you know what? I think the whole world will be able to hear that song. With the power of the returned Christ, their voices will carry around the globe, a further call to repentance in the midst of the gloom.
I think this is the last call to repentance before the battle begins.
Revelation 19:11-16 I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself. 13 He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called “The Word of God.” 14 The armies which are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in white, pure, fine linen. 15 Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod.
Where is the Mount of Zion?
The valley of Megiddo is about 80 miles from Jerusalem. That’s no distance at all when you consider that we talking about the Lord, and the armies of heaven. But before Jesus moves toward the Valley of Megiddo, He has a rescue mission to perform at Jerusalem.
Zechariah 14:3-7 3 Then Yahweh will go out and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in two, from east to west, making a very great valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
I said that this is a rescue mission.
Those living in Jerusalem, who were cowering in their houses, who saw His return and who have repented, run to meet the Lord.
These are the Jews and Christians who were cowering in their houses, suffering at the hands of the antichrist’s invading armies. They see the Lord, and now they run to Him through the valley created when He set foot on the Mount of Olives.
Joel 3:15 The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness. 16 The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel. 17 “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain.
Isaiah 28: 5 In that day, Yahweh of Armies will become a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the residue of his people, 6 and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
Zechariah 14:5 5 You shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel; yes, you shall flee, just like you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. The LORD God will come, and all the holy ones with you.[a
Malachi 3: 2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And [a]purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness.
Finally, the Jewish people will say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” Like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, Christ gathers the remnant of Israel.
After this rescue of the repentant, the Lord turns His face to fight the world’s armies in the Valley of Megiddo.
As He proceeds downward from Jerusalem, the innumerable armies of the world will be encamped all along His path.
And it is a slaughter all the way.
This slaughter is described in a number of places in the Bible.
Psalm 2:9 He treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Isaiah 29: 5 But the multitude of your foes will be like fine dust, and the multitude of the ruthless ones like chaff that blows away. Yes, it will be in an instant, suddenly. 6 She will be visited by the LORD of Armies with thunder, with earthquake, with great noise, with whirlwind and storm, and with the flame of a devouring fire. 7 The multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all who fight against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, will be like a dream, a vision of the night.
Isaiah 63: Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is [a]glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?— “I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” 2 Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? 3 “I have trodden the winepress alone, And from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes. 4 For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come. 6 I have trodden down the peoples in My anger, Made them drunk in My fury, And brought down their strength to the earth.”
Maybe initially these armies might presume to fight the Lord. But they will be fighting the supernatural power of God. He commands the elements, and is Himself indestructible. In a very short moment, they see their doom, and choose to flee to the mountains.
Ezekial 39: “And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, [a]the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; 2 and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. 3 Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand. 4 You shall [b]fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. 5 You shall [c]fall on [d]the open field; for I have spoken,” says the Lord God. 6 “And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live [e]in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the Lord. 7 So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Surely it is coming, and it shall be done,” says the Lord God. “This is the day of which I have spoken.
Zechariah 12: 2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of [b]drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. 4 In that day,” says the Lord, “I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.’ 6 In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem. 7 “The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. 8 In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. 9 It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
So how does this battle proceed? Do you remember the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, when the Nazi’s opened the Ark of the Covenant, and all these spirits came out of the Ark? And the Nazi’s bodies and faces are dissolved before the presence of God.
Zechariah
14:12 And this shall be the plague
with which the Lord will strike all the
people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall [h]dissolve while they stand on their feet,
Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues
shall dissolve in their mouths. 13 It shall come to pass
in that day That a great panic from the Lord will
be among them.
Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, And raise his
hand against his neighbor’s hand; 14 Judah also will
fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations Shall be
gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance. 15 Such
also shall be the plague On the horse and the mule, On the
camel and the donkey, And on all the cattle that will be in those camps.
So shall this plague be.
2 Thessalonians 1: 7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Revelation 14:17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. 19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. (200 miles)
(There is some question as to what it means that the blood from the battle was as deep as the horse’s bridle for 200 miles. It is a picture of just how many armies were involved in this final battle. There were said to be 200 million at least that converged on the plain of Megiddo. And from the description we get of the battle, the Lord’s presence may have literally dissolved them down to masses of gore. That could be an explanation. It could be describing the flow of blood through one of the river basins being filled with blood, to the horse’s bridle for 200 miles.)
It is a slaughter, and it is over very quickly.
After the slaughter, come the birds.
Birds descend on the slain of the Battle of Armageddon
Revelation 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; 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.
So, the question that I am often asked is, “Where will we be in all of this?” I see nothing that indicates that we participate in the Battle. We are not needed.
Christ Himself is more than capable. Christ and His angels are, over the top, invincible. You might remember back in the Old Testament, one angel went through the army camp of Sennacharib during a night and slew close to 200,000 soldiers while they slept.
2 Kings 19:35 And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.
So, we’re not needed.
We observe from afar. The Scripture doesn’t even say that we’ve set foot on earth yet. Christ set foot on the Mount of Olives, a mass of people fled to Him out of Jerusalem, then He steps forward to meet the armies of the world.
It is over very quickly. And now the victorious Christ deals with the commander of earth’s armies.
Revelation 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. 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. 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.
After the victory.
The antichrist is destroyed
Daniel 7: 11 “I watched then because of the sound of the [f]pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.
He is cast into the lake of fire.
12 As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
The rest of the beasts are the other world powers that Daniel spoke of in his vision. It is saying here that all world powers and empires lose their dominion for a time. It is for the 1,000-year reign of Christ. The evil rulers are brought down and judged. For 1000 years they will be replaced with righteous rulers who will bow to the Lord.
13 “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
So, the antichrist and false prophet are removed, the world leaders are set aside. And now the power behind the power is dealt with.
Satan is bound for 1000 years.
Revelation 20: And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
And all of this is going to be a very public, very open display. We will see Satan devastated.
Isaiah 14:12-17 How you have fallen from heaven, shining one, son of the dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, who laid the nations low! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend into heaven! I will exalt my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mountain of assembly, in the far north! 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will make myself like the Most High!” 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,[l] to the depths of the pit. 16 Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, “Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms, 17 who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities, who didn’t release his prisoners to their home?”
The world will look on Satan and wonder, “is this the one that we feared for these millenia?” And then Satan is cast into the pit for 1000 years. Notice, it says that he is cast into “the pit,” or Sheol. He is not yet cast into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the place of eternal punishment. If you go there, you don’t return. But “the pit” was the place that God bound fallen angels, demons, until the time of their release during the Tribulation. Satan will be held until he is released again for a brief time after the millennium.
So, we’ve dealt with all the leaders. Now we see Christ dealing with the people of the world.