Revelation 19:18

18 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."

Revelation 19:18 Meaning and Commentary

Revelation 19:18

That ye may eat the flesh of kings
Of the earth, and of the whole world, who will fall in the battle at Armageddon; see ( Revelation 16:14 ) ( 19:19 ) and design either those antichristian kings and states, which have drunk of the wine of Rome's fornication, and will bewail the downfall of Babylon, ( Revelation 18:3 Revelation 18:9 ) or those Pagan kings which will be drawn in by the pope and Turk, to aid and assist in this war, or both, when, upon the defeat of them, the Christian princes will seize upon, possess, and enjoy their kingdoms and dominions, which is meant by eating their flesh; (See Gill on Revelation 17:16).

And the flesh of captains;
of their generals, and officers under them:

and the flesh of mighty men;
the common soldiers, who are so called, ( Jeremiah 46:5 ) who will be rifled and plundered:

and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them;
whose rich trappings and clothes will be taken away from them:

and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great;
that is, the substance of all the inhabitants of the antichristian empire, both eastern and western, of whatsoever rank, state, and condition they be, ( Revelation 13:16 ) . The metaphors are taken from, and there is a manifest allusion to, ( Ezekiel 39:17-20 ) and the whole denotes the entire slaughter and utter ruin of the whole antichristian army, and the certainty of Christ's victory over it before hand; and also the destruction of all that are the followers of antichrist, throughout his dominions, which will now wholly fall into the hands of the saints, and be enjoyed by them.

Revelation 19:18 In-Context

16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,
18 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."
19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Footnotes 1

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.