They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
In Revelation 17, ten kings hand their power to the beast. Together they turn that power against Christ. Verse 14 gives the outcome of that war before it describes the war, and it names who stands with Him.
The verdict given before the battle
The angel does not report a battle here. He announces its outcome, and the detailed account comes later in the book.
Walter ScottHere we have the final public act of the beast and his allies. Revelation 19:19-21 describes the conflict in full. The angel here simply notes the fact, passing over many intervening events. The war has not yet begun, but it is looked at in advance. Its outcome is not in doubt at all: "The Lamb will conquer them." Victory is certain before the fighting starts. The mighty Conqueror is King of all who reign, and Lord of all who exercise authority. He is supreme.
The Lamb they once despised
The Conqueror keeps the name "the Lamb" — the name He carries all through the book, from the seals to the last war.
Hamilton SmithAs He had redeemed His saints by blood, so now He redeems the inheritance by power. It is the Lamb who opens the seals, and at once judgment takes its course (Rev. 6:1). It is before the wrath of the Lamb that the nations cry out in terror (Rev. 6:16). And it is against the Lamb that the nations make war, under the leadership of the beast, only to be overcome. They then discover that the Lamb of God — the One they had despised and nailed to a cross, and crowned with a crown of thorns — is the Lord of lords and King of kings.
Two ways of joining a leader
The chapter sets two companies side by side. The kings pool their power and give it away; the Lamb's companions carry the titles God gave them.
J. N. DarbyThey give their kingdom and power to the beast; they have one mind about this... They will make war on the Lamb: this will be their conduct and their end... Then we see His companions, the church and the armies of heaven, brought forward ahead of time. He is not alone: those with Him are "called, and chosen, and faithful."... The allied kings gave their power to the beast, and it was man's will that did it. The Lamb's companions, by contrast, were called, and chosen, and faithful.
Why these companions are not angels
Some take the ones with Him to be angels. One word in the verse points elsewhere.
T. B. BainesAngels are faithful, and one passage calls them "chosen." But we never hear of angels being "called." "Calling," however, is a special mark of believers... So the companions of Christ in this victory over the beast and the false prophet — the armies of heaven that come out with Him — are not angels. They are saints: believers called by God's grace, whom God had already taken before this time to be "always with the Lord."
Commentators differ on how wide that company is. Darby names the church; Walter Scott includes every redeemed person then in heaven.
Walter ScottThe fighting forces, the armies of heaven, are made up of all the redeemed who are then in heaven. There will be other companies of saved persons in heaven besides the Church (Heb. 12:23). The whole body of heavenly saints go with their Lord through the opened heaven. They come down to crush the united opposition to the rights of the Lamb.
With Him before the fighting starts
The wording also settles a question of timing.
William KellySo it is evident from this, that the heavenly saints are already gone to the Lord. It is not that the Lord receives them now; they are with Him in the conflict, and before the conflict begins. Revelation 19:14 confirms this... Christ is coming to attack the great enemy on earth whom Satan uses. But it is heaven that opens. From there comes not only Christ, but also "those with Him, called and chosen and faithful."
Three words, three timeframes
The three descriptions are not repetition. Each looks at a different point.
Walter ScottEveryone who takes part in this conflict, under such a famous Leader, is described as "called and chosen and faithful." Called in time (2 Tim. 1:9); chosen in eternity (Eph. 1:4); and proved faithful in every relationship of life, even to death (Matt. 25:21-23; Rev. 2:10).
Summary
- War — the kings unite, give their power to the beast, and turn it on Christ. The verse records their last public act before it happens.
- Won — the outcome is settled in advance. The One they attack is King of all who reign and Lord of all who hold authority.
- Lamb — the Conqueror keeps the name Lamb. The One they nailed to a cross now redeems the inheritance by power.
- Company — those with Him are saints, not angels, because "called" marks believers; they come with Him out of heaven, already His before the war starts.
- Credentials — called in time, chosen in eternity, faithful to death. The kings gave their power away by their own will; these belong to Christ by God's calling and choice.