Hundreds of years before the revelation of the end time was given to John the Divine on the lonely Island of Patmos, God had intimated the world of His plan to deal with the sinful inhabitants of the earth. True to His promise, the Lord will fulfill His word according to today's passage. The church will be raptured in keeping with the faithfulness of God not to appoint His people to wrath. The great tribulation will be the order of the day. The left behind will be the target of untold suffering with nowhere to seek shelter or comfort. Disobedience, pride, neglect of sound scriptural doctrines and worldiness led them to the broad way of no return.

While there is a feast for the righteous of the Lord in heaven, on earth there is another to mark the destruction of the armies of the devil and his followers. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Captain of the heavenly hosts ready to rout Satan's forces. It will be total victory for our Lord as an angel calls on the fowls to get set to feed on the vanquished flesh of the enemies of God. Time has run out for them, as they have wasted the opportunity to repent and make peace with the impartial judge of the whole earth. Both the antichrist (the beast) and the false prophet cannot escape captivity for their final destination, the Lake of fire.

Those who are ensnared by sin and satanic practices have a similar fate awaiting them if they do not turn away from their ways. The door of mercy is still wide open to admit those who will swallow their pride and meekly fall before the risen Christ and plead for pardon. The apocalyptic scenes forseen by John are better read about or imagined that witnessed. They are a shadow compared to the everlasting torment prepared for Satan and his fellow fallen angels.