Revelation 19:17-21 The Last Battle

Revelation 19:17-19 An angel summoning birds to eat the carrion that will result from this cataclysmic battle seems almost for dramatic effect. The emphasis appears to be on the all-inclusiveness of the participants in the war against God. Everyone at all levels and in all walks of life assemble for battle. It appears that the insanity of the devil in thinking he can defeat God has been transmitted to those who live on the earth, folie a deux.

Revelation 19:20-21 We don't know how long the battle lasts; it sounds rather quick, and the outcome is certain. The wildbeast and the false prophet are thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. That this is metaphorical fire seems implied because they are not consumed, but rather condemned to unending torment. The rest of the army are killed and their bodies consumed by the birds as the angel had summoned them. What is the significance of burning sulfur (here and in Genesis 19:24)? The acrid odor of sulfur dioxide evokes volcanic activity, the lake of fire being compared to a cauldron of active, hot lava. The scene near the end of the Lord of the Rings, in which the ring that rules all others is undone only by being cast into the volcanic river of fire, probably should invoke the same reaction. Most of us only know sulfur dioxide in dilute quantities from industrial smokestacks, such as power plants or paper mills. But the stench of active volcanos is hideous. Such is the stench of man's sin before God and in His presence.