Revelation 19:17; He Cried With a Loud Voice

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Revelation 19:17 (KJV)  And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 

The angel’s proclamation that shows the greatness and universality of the coming slaughter builds around two words that comprise this summons of the birds (cf. 1 Samuel 17:46; Isaiah 18:6; Jeremiah 7:33; 12:9). (Alford Lee)

1 Samuel 17:46 (KJV)  This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 

Isaiah 18:6 (KJV)  They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them. 

Jeremiah 7:33 (KJV)  And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away. 

Jeremiah 12:9 (KJV)  Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour. 

“Come” (Deute – Greek) is the adverb “hither” when addressing two or more just (deuro – Greek) serves the same purpose for one person (Revelation 17:1; 21:9).

Revelation 17:1 (KJV)  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 

Revelation 21:9 (KJV)  And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. 

The word “gather” is a command describing action not begun.

The metaphor for gathering the birds of prey is from Ezekiel 39:17, with John sometimes following Ezekiel’s wording and other times using his source with the freedom that characterises his other Old Testament allusions.

Ezekiel 39:17 (KJV)  And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. 

The anticipated feast for the birds bears the name “the greater supper of God”. This is stunning language describing the battle field after the Lamb’s victory, a great supper given by God. It will be a veritable feast for the vultures. Christ comments on the habits of vultures and how carrion attracts them (Matthew 224:28; Luke 17:37).

Even one dead body has a magnetic attraction for the creatures, but multiplied dead will clutter this field of battle. It is a horrible picture of human carnage designed to accentuate the greatness of Christ’s victory. This kind of supper is a radical contrast to the wedding supper of the Lamb seen earlier (Revelation 19:9). (Mounce, Kiddle)

[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 393-394]