The Christ in Prophecy Journal

The Mighty Angels of Revelation 19 Stand in the Sun

MP3: The Mighty Angels of Revelation 19
Hosts: Nathan Jones & Vic Batista

The Angel Standing in the Sun

Nathan Jones: The return of Christ is the event Christians have been waiting for nearly 2,000 years. There are some 500 verses in the Old Testament and one in every 25 verses in the New Testament prophesy about the return of Jesus Christ. The return of the Messiah is one of the most discussed subjects in all of Bible prophecy, and here in Revelation 19 the event climaxes.

After seven years of the world suffering under the brutal and immoral reign of Satan through the Antichrist, Jesus Christ returns to put an end to this evil. Satan, the Antichrist, and his False Prophet are finally going to meet justice!

In Revelation 19:17 we are introduced to yet another of God’s mighty angels: “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun.” Is he really standing in the sun, or is he standing in front of the sun so that he appears that way? I don’t know, but wherever this mighty angel is, he must be a pretty powerful angel.

The Angels Standing in the Sun is yet another messenger of God. He proclaims with a loud voice in verses 17-18:

“…saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.'”

Vic Batista: This passage ties together a lot of other passages from Matthew and Isaiah.

Nathan Jones: Yes, we have another angel declaring yet another feast. Earlier in Revelation 19 we read about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, that great celebratory feast in Heaven for the reunification of Jesus Christ to His Church. Now we are going to see a feast held on the earth. The comparison can be made to looking at a coin where you see one side and then flip it over and see something totally different. On one side there’s great rejoicing in Heaven, but on the other side there’s great suffering on earth, yet they’re the same coin.

The suffering on earth is due to the sin of mankind rebelling against God. And now it’s time for God to finally judge evil. We’ve reached the end of the Tribulation after seven years and 21 judgments. There’s been suffering beyond belief during these dreadful years, yet still the Battle of Armageddon remains.

Armageddon is the final battle which begins when the Antichrist and his armies attempt in putting down a rebellion from the east. The Kings of the East have marched to the Valley of Jezreel located in northern Israel in order to overthrow the failed government of the Antichrist. The Prophet Zechariah prophesied that the Antichrist, in his manic obsession with killing the Jews, on his way to fight the Kings of the East uses the conflagration to attack and finally destroy Jerusalem. Israel and the Jewish people are on their last leg and are about to be utterly annihilated. There is no hope that the Jewish people can survive such a massive onslaught.

When all hope seems lost, that’s when Jesus Christ returns — at the very last second! It’s rather like watching an exciting TV drama. The bomb is about to blow up, but the hero cuts the wires at the one second mark. Likewise, Jesus will be returning at the one second mark to save the Jewish remnant.

#Jesus will be returning at the one second mark to save the #Jewish remnant! Click To Tweet

In proclaiming the return of the Messiah, the Angel Standing in the Sun calls out to all the birds of the earth to gather for a great feast. What are they feasting on? They are feasting on the kings, captains, mighty men, horses, people who are free, and those who are slaves who comprise the Antichrist’s armies. So, what the angel is saying is that the armies of the Antichrist are going to be destroyed, and God has invited the carrion birds to prepare to eat their flesh. This is God’s statement of contempt against His enemies.

Vic Batista: I’m reminded when driving down the road of seeing a dead carcass and the vultures are all hanging about, or waiting for another poor animal to get run over. With the calling of the carrion, we’re learning about the impending defeat of Christ’s enemies, and one of the most gruesome stories in the Revelation narrative.

Nathan Jones: Right, carrion birds are very commonly found on the battlefield after a battle due to all the dead bodies lying all about the place. Having birds pick your carcass clean is a great desecration of the dead, that is unless you’re a Zoroastrian. They believe that when you die your body should be placed out on the rooftop in order to have the birds eat you. But, most other cultures see this as a desecration of the body.

How interesting that both kings and peasants are equal on this Armageddon battlefield — they all die equally at Jesus’ word and are eaten by the birds.

The Antichrist will have gathered all his armies from across the world, and combined with the armies of the Kings of the East, we may be talking about everybody in his kingdom coming together for one last ditch battle. The factions unite to order to try and destroy Jerusalem, and as Satan knows is coming, a misguided attempt to prevent Jesus Christ from returning.

Before Jesus even sets foot on the earth, the battle begins with the Angel Standing in the Sun calling the birds. The conclusion is a given. Come and prepare to eat, because all of Jesus’ enemies are about to be killed.

Greater Is He

Vic Batista: That is very encouraging, because greater is He who is in us then he who is in the world. We don’t necessarily need to fear the Enemy. We just need to recognize and call on the name of Jesus.

Nathan Jones: We see Satan winning battle after battle after battle, especially in these end times. It just seems like Satan is winning all of the time, and Christians are losing every cultural battle. This chapter is a reminder that the battles might be lost in the here and now, but the war will inevitably be won by Jesus Christ.

Vic Batista: Praise the Lord! How can people who haven’t yet accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior start a relationship right now with Him, and so they won’t have to worry or fear in these dark times?

Nathan Jones: John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” That verse teaches us that we all need to do is in repentance place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and accept His free gift of salvation. That salvation was paid for by Jesus by dying on the cross.

Pray from your heart, “Dear, Jesus, please forgive me of my sins and be my Savior.” And Jesus promises to do just that. He will forgive you of your sins. Your guilt will be washed away and you will have a new life. Then you can grab hold of the promises that Jesus gave concerning eternal life.

Once saved, you too can become a member of God’s army and follow Him back to earth in victory. Ask yourself, “Do I want to be following Jesus back in victory, or be facing Jesus in inevitable defeat?”

In the fifty-seventh segment of our series “The Mighty Angels of Revelation,” we will rejoice over Christ’s victory at the Battle of Armageddon!

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ABOUT AUTHOR View all posts Author Website

Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

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