Rev 19:17-21 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Rev 19:17-19: 19:17-19 Gather together for the great banquet: This feast upon the flesh of the armies gathered together to fight against Christ is contrasted with “the wedding feast of the Lamb” (19:7 ). The enemies that form for battle are quickly destroyed (19:20-21 ; see also 14:17-20 ; 16:16-21 ). Two feasts—the marriage supper of the Lamb (19:7-8 ) and the “great supper” of God’s judgment (19:17-18 , 21 )—provide two perspectives on the end of time. They illustrate the two sides of the Good News: grace and judgment, reward and punishment (cp. John 3:16-18 ).

Summary for Rev 19:17-19: 19:17-19 ^a Gather together for the great banquet: This feast upon the flesh of the armies gathered together to fight against Christ is contrasted with “the wedding feast of the Lamb” (19:7 ^b). The enemies that form for battle are quickly destroyed (19:20-21 ^c; see also 14:17-20 ^d; 16:16-21 ^e). Two feasts—the marriage supper of the Lamb (19:7-8 ^f) and the “great supper” of God’s judgment (19:17-18 ^g, 21 ^h)—provide two perspectives on the end of time. They illustrate the two sides of the Good News: grace and judgment, reward and punishment (cp. John 3:16-18 ⁱ).
19:20 ^j beast ... false prophet See 13:1-10 ^k.

• The fiery lake of burning sulfur provides a picture of eternal punishment (see 20:10 ^l, 14-15 ^m; 21:8 ⁿ; see also Isa 66:24 ^o; Matt 13:41 ^p, 49-50 ^q; Mark 9:43 ^r, 48 ^s).

• God’s enemies are thrown into the fiery lake. The two beasts (Rev 19:20 ^t) are followed by the dragon (20:10 ^u) and then by death (20:14 ^v) and unsaved humans (20:15 ^w).
19:21 ^x The entire army of enemies is dispatched by the sword from Christ’s mouth (see 1:16 ^y; 2:12 ^z, 16 ^aa; see also Isa 11:4 ^ab; 49:2 ^ac; 2 Thes 2:8 ^ad). While one side of God’s word (grace) leads to repentance, the other side (judgment) carries out the death sentence.