Question: Please explain Revelation 19:19 and Revelation 20:9.
Answer (part 2): It is clear that the double symbol we have here (the beast and the woman riding on it) identifies a political/religious system and indicates that they are intertwined in each other. It identifies Rome as the seat of government and the Roman Empire as the vehicle and support of the religious system. Then the beast with its woman rider could represent no other than the Roman Catholic Church with its hierarchical government.
The beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies would signify the whole combine of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy, with the kings of the earth that gave their strength to the beast with all the votaries of the religious system and even the support of the military arm of the empire which was sometimes used in enforcing the edicts of the Pope, the supreme head of the church. These all came together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.
In Revelation 19:11-16, we have a description of the rider on the white horse. He was called FAITHFUL AND TRUE (verse 11). He judged and made war in righteousness (verse 11). He had many crowns on His head and His eyes were as a flame of fire (verse 12). He was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood and His name was called THE WORD OF GOD (verse 13). The name written on Him was KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (verse 16). It would be impossible for anyone to fulfill all this description except the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. His army would be the great company of the redeemed, born again, blood-washed souls who followed the Lamb whithersoever He went. To get an idea of the bitter conflict that raged between the followers of Jesus Christ and this great false and apostate system in which many millions of the saints lost their lives in the most gruesome and hideous ways that the devil himself could conceive of at the hands of the beast power of Rome, read Fox’s Book of Martyrs. This went on for 1260 years which was the time allotted to the beast to rule. (Revelation 13:5.) The 42 months in this text would amount to 1260 days (30 days to the month) and according to the prophetic rule of calculating time (a day for a year) this would amount to 1260 years.
Revelation 20:9 says, “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Now who are “THEY”? Verse 8 says that Gog and Magog gathered themselves together to battle. Gog and Magog represent the entire combine of the false religions of the world. There have been three major systems of false religions in the world through the Christian era Paganism, Papalism (The Beast), and Protestantism (The Second Beast or The False Prophet). These have succeeded one another in the order given above. These have all been on the stage of action one at a time. However, in the final windup we see them all coming together in one mighty combine and all operating together at the same time to stamp out the Church of the living God (the beloved city) and to destroy the truth and the true saints from the earth.
Revelation 20:10 speaks of the devil that deceived them being cast into the lake of fire where the beast and false prophet are. The devil in this text refers to paganism which was represented by a great red dragon in Revelation 12 and in Revelation 20:2 was called the devil and Satan. This godless religion was concocted by the devil himself and permeated by him and through it he deceived the nations of the earth. However, this was put down by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the light of truth and is said in this verse to be bound, but down in the time of the end he is said to be loosed to go forth to deceive the nations again. (Revelation 20:7.) Verse 10 tells of his end in the lake of fire with the beast and false prophet to be tormented for ever and ever.
Both of these texts (Revelation 19:19 and Revelation 20:9) are related and refer to the same operation but in different stages of it. It is all contained in the battle of that great day of God Almighty also known as the Battle of Armageddon. This is a great spiritual conflict between the saints of God and the votaries of every false religion in the world, between truth and error, between light and darkness. Revelation 19:19 describes the mustering of these forces for the battle. We are in the very vortex of it now. Revelation 20:9 describes the battle as it comes to its roaring climax with the coming of the Lord who appears in flaming fire to rescue His saints who are hemmed in on every side and accomplish the complete overthrow and eternal destruction of the entire combine of false religions.
