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Studies in the Book of the Revelation.
#56.
Judgment on High Ones, etc. (19: 17 - 20: 3).
pp. 27 - 30
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will punish the host of the high
ones on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth" (Isa. 24: 21).
For the purpose of redemption the Lord Jesus Christ became a man of "sorrows"; "He
was crucified through weakness." He knew what it was to be despised, to suffer hunger,
to thirst, to be the butt of His enemies, "as a lamb before his shearers is dumb". That
phase, praise God, is over. The humiliation, the weakness, the cross, with their fruit of
grace and peace, are finished. He has ascended to the right hand of God, there to wait
until iniquity reaches its full measure.
"The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at my right hand, until I make Thine enemies
Thy footstool. The Lord at Thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His
wrath. He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with the dead bodies;
He shall shatter the head over a land far extended" (Psa. 110:).
When the Lord comes again the second time it will be for a dual purpose. This dual
purpose is expressed in Isa. 63: 4:--
(1) The day of vengeance is in My heart.
(2) The year of My redeemed is come.
The coming of the Lord will bring about the restitution of all things that have been
spoken by the prophets, and will also bring about the destruction of every opposing force,
that the purpose of the ages may be brought to a glorious conclusion. In the passage
before us we have these two elements together. He comes not to redeem, but to claim the
fruit of redemption and to punish the high ones that are on high. No gospel is preached to
the gathered armies of the beast, the Rider on the white horse rides forth to judge and to
make war. Under the sixth seal this second coming is spoken of as:--
"The wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of His wrath is come" (Rev. 6: 16, 17).
Under the sixth vial this awful period is said to be:--
"The battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Rev. 16: 14).
The angel who stands in the sun calls upon the fowls of heaven to participate in:--
The great supper of God" (Rev. 19: 17).
We are not told in Rev. 19: how the beast and false prophet gather this huge army
together, nor where the gathering ground will be. This has been explained in earlier
chapters. We learn from chapter 16: 13, 14 that there go forth from the mouth of the
dragon, the beast and the false prophet three unclean spirits of demons, who have the