Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God

Rev 19:17-18

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.

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Explanations

The Rider on the White Horse

Revelation 19:11–21 — The Rider on the White Horse

Session 45 | Heaven opens and the Rider called Faithful and True appears — followed by the great supper of God and the final defeat of the beast and false prophet. Source: A2K Online Church Archive — Revelation 19:11-21

Structure: Three Sections

The teacher breaks the passage into three sections, each beginning with the phrase “And I saw” or “Then I saw”:

vv. 11–16 — The Rider on the White Horse
vv. 17–18 — The Angel’s Invitation to the Great Supper of God
vv. 19–21 — The Defeat of the Beast and False Prophet

Section 1: The Rider on the White Horse (vv. 11–16)

*“I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True.””

The Rider’s Identity

This is Jesus Christ — depicted in his role as conquering King and righteous Judge. He is described with a series of titles:

Title	Meaning
Faithful and True	His character — everything he does is reliable and genuine
The Word of God	He is God’s final revelation (John 1:1)
King of Kings and Lord of Lords	His supreme authority over all rulers

The Rider’s Appearance

Eyes like a flame of fire — all-seeing judgment
Many diadems (crowns) — he is the true ruler, not Caesar
A name no one knows except Himself — divine mystery
Clothed in a robe dipped in blood — his own sacrificial blood (contrast with the blood-soaked winepress)
Sharp sword from His mouth — judgment by his word (not a literal weapon)
Rod of iron to shepherd the nations — kingly authority (Psalm 2:9)

The Armies of Heaven

*“The armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.””

These are not armed soldiers — they wear fine linen (priestly garments), not armor. They follow the Rider not to fight but to share in his victory. This is the same fine linen as the bride’s clothing (19:8) — the righteous acts of the saints.

The battle is won by the Rider alone — his sword (his word) defeats the enemy. The army’s role is to witness and participate in the victory, not to fight.

He Treads the Winepress

*“He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty.””

This recalls the grape harvest of 14:17–20 and Isaiah 63:1–6. Jesus is the one who executes God’s final judgment.

Section 2: The Great Supper of God (vv. 17–18)

*“Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men.””

An angel calls the birds of the air to a gruesome feast. This is a macabre contrast to the marriage supper of the Lamb (19:9). One is a celebration; the other is judgment.

The “guests” at this supper are the enemies of God — all who opposed the Lamb:

Kings and commanders
Mighty men
Horses and their riders
All people, free and slave, small and great

This is universal in scope — no one who opposed God escapes.

Section 3: The Defeat of the Beast and False Prophet (vv. 19–21)

*“The beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence.””

The Beast and False Prophet

These are the same two figures from Revelation 13:

The beast from the sea = the Roman Empire
The false prophet = the beast from the land (Imperial cult promoters)

They are thrown alive into the lake of fire — the first time this phrase appears in Revelation. Their judgment is immediate and personal.

The Rest Killed

The rest of their armies are killed by the sword from the Rider’s mouth — judgment by the word of Christ. The birds gorge on their flesh.

Key Interpretive Points

The Army Doesn’t Fight

The armies of heaven follow the Rider but do not engage in battle. The victory is accomplished by Jesus alone through his word. This is consistent with Revelation’s message: conquering is done through faithful witness, not violence.

This Is Not a Literal Battle

The teacher emphasizes that this is symbolic language — a sword from the mouth, birds eating flesh, a winepress of wrath. The point is the certainty and totality of God’s judgment, not a prediction of a literal military engagement.

Summary

Element	Meaning
Rider on white horse	Jesus as conquering King and Judge
Faithful and True	His character
Name written: King of Kings	His supreme authority
Sword from His mouth	Judgment by His word
Armies in fine linen	The saints sharing in victory, not fighting
Great supper of God	Judgment feast for God’s enemies
Beast and false prophet	Thrown into the lake of fire
Rest killed by the sword	Universal judgment

“This is probably not a passage you’ve crocheted on a pillow or put on your refrigerator. But it’s Scripture — and if it makes us uncomfortable, maybe we should be uncomfortable.”

The Tale of Two Cities

Revelation 17–22 Introduction — The Tale of Two Cities

Session 40 | An introduction to the contrasting visions of Babylon (the harlot) and New Jerusalem (the bride). Revelation presents two cities and two women — each demanding the reader’s allegiance. Source: A2K Online Church Archive — Babylon & New Jerusalem - An Introduction to Revelation’s Two Cities

The Structure of Revelation’s Final Section

From chapter 17 through chapter 22, Revelation presents two contrasting cities personified as women:

Babylon (Chs. 17–19)	New Jerusalem (Chs. 21–22)
A harlot / prostitute	The bride of Christ
Drunk on the blood of saints	Pure, prepared for her husband
Clothed in purple and scarlet	Clothed with the glory of God
Holds a golden cup of abominations	Holds the water of life
Rides a scarlet beast	Descends from heaven
Destined for destruction	Eternal and enduring

These are not merely literal cities — they represent two realities, two value systems, two ways of life:

Fallen Babylon = the world system organized in opposition to God; the culture of empire, self-glorification, and violence
New Jerusalem = the people of God living under his reign; the community of the faithful, pure and prepared for Christ

Why This Introduction Is Necessary

The teacher devotes this session to orienting readers to the “two cities” framework because the details of both visions are dense and easily misunderstood. Before diving into the specifics:

Babylon = Rome for the first readers, but Babylon is a recurring reality in every age
New Jerusalem = the church as the bride of Christ, already descending from heaven as a present spiritual reality
The reader must choose which city to be a citizen of

How the Two Cities Function

Revelation does not present these two cities as mere information. They are rhetorical — designed to persuade and motivate:

Babylon

Unmasks evil — shows Rome for what it truly is rather than its propaganda
Discourages compromise — associating with Babylon brings judgment
Shows the end of evil — Babylon’s destruction is certain

New Jerusalem

Gives hope — God’s people have a glorious future
Encourages faithfulness — the reward is worth the suffering
Defines identity — believers are citizens of heaven, not of earthly empires

The Practical Application

“This really challenged me into how I view the church today.”

The two cities call the reader to:

Discern which “city” they are building their life in
Reject the values of Babylon (greed, violence, self-glorification, idolatry)
Embrace the values of New Jerusalem (faithfulness, purity, worship, love)
Recognize that every generation has its own “Babylon” — and its own call to “come out of her”

Summary

Babylon	New Jerusalem
Harlot	Bride
Drunk on blood	Clothed in righteousness
Worldly wealth	Divine glory
Destined for destruction	Eternal
Demands allegiance to Caesar	Calls for allegiance to the Lamb
Built by human empire	Built by God

“Revelation puts two cities in front of you and says: choose. You can be a citizen of Babylon or a citizen of New Jerusalem — but you cannot be both.”

Lenses

The rider on the white horse

Four Lenses on Revelation — Preterist

The branch-point. Partial preterism keeps this as the bodily return, still ahead. Full preterism reads it as the judgment-coming against Jerusalem in AD 70.