April 4 - King of Kings and Lord of Lords

April 4 – King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Revelation 19:16-21

“On his robe and on his thigh he has the name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, ‘Come gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.’” (Rev. 19:16-18)

The kingdom of the Lord will be ruled by the Lamb.

While the wedding feast of the Lamb will be a great and glorious affair, this supper is not one we want to be invited to. The angel invites the carrion birds to a great feast. These birds are facing an enormous feast at the final battle.

Jesus warns about this in Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37 as He teaches the end times. He knows what we all know – vultures gather wherever there is death. The angel calls the vultures to be prepared.

“Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh." (Rev. 19:19-21)

The battle that is no battle! All of the preparation for this seems to be wasted. It is actually quite anticlimactic. The beast and the kings of the earth gather to make war against the Lamb and his army. The beast and false prophet are captured and thrown into the fiery lake and everyone else is killed with the sword.

There is no Battle of Armageddon. There is great bloodshed, but the battle never happens. The war never materializes. When we declare that the battle is won and we know who wins it, we are making an amazing declaration. Within seconds after the actual battle begins, it is over and the rider on the white horse with his heavenly army is still standing. The horses are still white, the riders in the army are still dressed in their fine linen, white and clean.

Jeremiah 46:10, “That day belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty – a day of vengeance, for vengeance on his foes. The sword will devour till it is satisfied, till it has quenched its thirst with blood.”

Isaiah 11:4, “He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.”

Paul says, “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.” (2 Thess. 2:8)

The Lord is coming back. He promised all through the gospels, that though He was leaving, He would return. It is not a matter of if, but when. And when He does return we need to be prepared.