Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
Comment: Two questions which I frequently hear asked when war is being discussed are – ‘Is there anything which is correctly called a just war?’ and ‘Does war ever achieve anything?’ The beginning sounds a bit ghoulish! Calling birds to eat the flesh of the listed people. I have seen great masses of vultures around slaughter houses in Africa but this sounds a thousand times more stomach turning! The picture drawn makes WWII, nasty as it was, but a small skirmish!. On one side Jesus and the armies of heaven, on the other the combined forces of anti-God armies and the evil powers of the ‘other’ world experienced but visually unseen by us – Satan and his cohorts. But it is a JUST war? God is dealing with what has ruined life on earth ever since Adam introduced rebellion to his Creator! The false prophet and the beast, previously discussed and Satan are bound and cast into ‘the bottomless bit, the entrance is sealed and there is no other exit! The birds enjoy their feast but what does ‘until the thousand years are ended’ mean?
Prayer: Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the hope of evil eventually going!
As I read it! 