Ch 19: Hallelujah
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Hallelujah (19:1).
19:1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
"Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for true and just are his judgements. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants."
3 And again they shouted:
"Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever."
4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:
"Amen, Hallelujah!"
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
"Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!"
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
"Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear."
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
The prostitute has been destroyed and in contrast to the mourning of the earthlings those in heaven rejoice. In response to the exhortation in 18:20 the saints in heaven rejoice because:
- God has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth and avenged on her the blood of the saints (v2).
- God Almighty reigns and the wedding of the Lamb has come (v7).
In contrast to the prostitute the bride is introduced.
v1 - After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, - In contrast to the mourning of the world over the destruction of Babylon we now have rejoicing over her destruction by those in heaven. This burst of praise is in response to the invitation for the saints, apostles and prophets in heaven to rejoice because God has judged the great city for the way she has treated them, 18:20. There is a description of her destruction given by the angel and then comes this burst of praise that continues through to verse 7 as all of heaven join in, in a glorious cacophony of praise. In Jer 51:48 there is joy in heaven and earth over the destruction of the actual city Babylon. The great multitude shown here are in heaven, and are probably the martyrs, see next verse, they could be the same group as in verse 6 which is all the saints. A great multitude that no one could count standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb are also seen in 7:9, they also ascribe salvation to God and to the Lamb (7:10). This is the only place in the NT where Hallelujah (Praise the Lord) occurs (see v 3, 4, 6) it is a popular expression in the Psalms (Note: the uses of 'Praise the Lord' in the psalms).
v2 - for true and just are his judgements. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants." - His judgements of the great prostitute are quite fair because she corrupted the world and shed the blood of God's servants. God has answered the cry of the martyrs to God in Rev 6:10 to avenge their blood (cf. Deu 32:43, 2 King 9:7 and Psa 79:10). The woman was found drunk with the blood of the saints, Rev 17:6.
v3 - And again they shouted: "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever." - Note that they shout Hallelujah. She shares the same fate as those who worship the beast (Rev 14:11), the devil, the beast and the false prophet (Rev 20:10) the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever. She meets the same fate as those two cities Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:28) and Edom (Isa 34:10).
v4 - The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!" - The twenty four elders as representative of the church cry Amen (so be it). In 7:11-12 the elders and four living creatures also fell down in worship. This is the last time we hear the living creatures and elders.
v5 - Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!" 6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. - There is a glorious sound as a great multitude of all God's people join in praise, shouting (note, they were not singing), 'Hallelujah! For the Lord God Almighty reigns'. John describes their sound as the roar of rushing waters and like peals of thunder, their numbers are so many. In chapter 4 we found God reigning over the universe but to the saints on earth it seems that the political powers reign instead, but now God has demonstrated his reign by destroying the great harlot; the destruction of the beast, false prophet and dragon occur later.
v7 - Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. - The wedding supper of the Lamb is alluded to in the last supper (Mat 26:26-29), when we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes when we shall drink it anew in his Father's kingdom (1 Cor 11:23-26). They give God the glory, the new Jerusalem comes down from heaven it was God's idea and God who brought his plan of salvation to fruition through the Lamb and the Spirit. The idea of the bride and bridegroom is alluded to in Isa 62:5, in Mat 9:15 Jesus calls himself the bridegroom, it is used in the parable of the ten virgins in Mat 25:1, and John the Baptist refers to himself as a friend of the bridegroom (John 3:29), the bride is the disciples. When Jesus comes again it will be to collect his bride to be with him forever (1 Thess 4:16-17). The wedding of the Lamb is in contrast to the destruction of the whore in which the voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in her again (18:23). The bride, that is the church, has made herself ready for the wedding, for the wedding supper of the Lamb, see 19:9. The bride was previously described in 14:4-5 as pure virgins and blameless, see also Eph 5:25-26. The bride is described later in Rev 21:2 and 21:9 ff.
Hendriksen reviews the marriage customs of the Hebrews. 'First comes the betrothal. This is considered more binding than our 'engagement'. The terms of the marriage are accepted in the presence of witnesses and God's blessing pronounced upon the union. From this day groom and bride are legally husband and wife (2 Cor 11:2). Next comes the interval between betrothal and the wedding-feast. During this interval the groom pays the dowry to the father of the bride if this has not yet been done (Gen 34:12). Sometimes the dowry is in the form of service rendered (Gen 29:20). Then comes the procession at the close of the interval. The bride prepares and adorns herself. The groom, arrayed in his best attire and accompanied by his friends, who sing and bear torches, proceeds to the home of the betrothed. He receives the bride and conveys her, with a returning procession, to his own home or to the home of his parents (Mat 9:15; cf. also Mat 25:1 ff.). When the groom had to come from afar, the feast was at times spread at the home of the bride. Finally there is the wedding-feast, which includes the marriage supper. The usual festivities last seven, or even more, days.'
The bride is the church and Christ the bridegroom. The church is betrothed to Christ and Christ has paid the dowry for her with his own blood. The interval of separation is the current dispensation during which the bride makes herself ready. At the end of this dispensation the Bridegroom accompanied by his angels comes to receive his bride and the wedding feast begins. It does not last a few weeks but throughout eternity. In Christ the bride was chosen from eternity. Throughout the OT dispensation the wedding was announced. When Christ assumed our flesh and blood; the betrothal took place. The price, the dowry was paid on Calvary and now after an interval, the Bridegroom returns and the wedding supper of the Lamb begins (abridged from Hendriksen). Even now Jesus is preparing a place for his bride who he will come back for and who will be with him forever (John 14:2-3, 1 Thess 4:17).
v8 (KJV) - And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. - The king James version is the best rendition, 'sentence of justification' is nearer the true meaning than 'righteous acts of', Isa 61:10. It is also more in line with other references in Rev 3:4 (Sardis - dressed in white); 3:18 (Laodicea - I counsel you to buy white cloths to wear); 6:11 (those out of the great tribulation wearing white robes); 7:9 (the great multitude wearing white robes); 7:14 (they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb). It was granted her or it was given her, meaning that it is not her own righteousness, it comes from the Lord.
Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb! (19:9)
Rev 19:9 Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God."
10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
v9 - "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God." -
John is told to write, so the blessing that follows is important (cf. 14:13, 21:5), it is one of seven blessings in Revelation. God has decreed that His Son should have a wedding and that the wedding hall should be full of invited guests (Mat 22:9-10, Lk 14:23). Those who are invited are the church now ('effectually called' - Hendriksen). The image of the wedding supper is found in two of Jesus parables, the king who gave a marriage feast for his son and the ten virgins (Mat 22:2, 25:10, Luke 14:16), the church as the bride of Christ is found earlier, see v7. Jesus refers to drinking the fruit of the vine when he drinks it anew with his disciples in his Father's kingdom (Mat 26:29, Mark 14:25, Luke 22:18, see also Isa 25:6-9, Luke 13:29). This is really the introduction to the next section, the Great Supper of God. The bliss of the wedding supper of the Lamb should be contrasted with the Great Supper of God (v17).
v10 - At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." - John falls down to worship the angel when the angel says in the previous verse "These are the true words of God"and after he had seen the great multitude of the saints in heaven joined by the host of heaven shouting praise to God. There are places in OT where men pay homage to angels but the Col 2:18 passage disapproves of worshipping angels. John is emphatically told by the angel to worship God, the angel is a servant of God also. John tries to worship an angel again in 22:8 and he is again told to worship God. A little earlier the angel told John 'these words are trustworthy and true....' John falls down at the feet of the angel when he had heard and seen all these things, the vision he had been seeing was that of the New Jerusalem and the river of life. The reason in both cases for his worship of the angel who had been showing him these things is firstly the grandeur of his visions but secondly their truth, if his visions were only grand he would not have attempted to worship the angel but it is their truth that so overcame him so that he worshipped the angel for showing them to him. The angel is a fellow servant with John and his brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. That is the testimony of Jesus given by his life, teaching, death and resurrection. This passage emphasises that only God is to be worshipped, which is part of the message of the book, cf. 14:7, 9. The lesson is doubly taught that only God is to be worshipped, the message to John's hearers is that if angels are not to be worshipped then man is certainly not to be worshipped which is one of the chief sins of the Roman Emperors and what John is guarding against.
The testimony of Jesus is mentioned three times earlier in the book. In 1:2 the vision John saw is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, (the revelation was given by God and testified to by Christ, Mounce) in verse 1:1 the book is the revelation (unveiling) of Jesus Christ which God gave him. In 1:9 John was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. In 12:17 the dragon 'went off to make war against the rest of the woman's offspring-- those who obey God's commands and hold to the testimony of Jesus'. In the latter two cases and in the current verse the testimony of Jesus refers his testimony about himself rather than our testimony about him. His testimony is summarised by 1 Tim 2:5-6 "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, {6} who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time."
Then after rebuking John the angel says Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Hughes notes that the conjunction 'for' connects what has just been said with the previous statement. Prophecy here is the declaration of the message entrusted by God to his servant. It is a function of servant hood as the angel just said. The ministry of the servant is to bear witness to Jesus not to oneself and so worship of the angel is entirely incongruous with the ministry of prophecy. The ministry of the OT prophets also bears witness to Jesus as he told his disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:25-27 see also John 5:39). Note: the angels worship the Lamb in 5:11. Jack Deere comments 'Prophecy is meant to testify to the awesomeness of Jesus, not to the prophetic ministry. The greatest prophets want people to behold the glory of Jesus. They care little about how they are viewed. John the Baptist was one of the greatest of all prophets because he said, and meant, "He must become greater; I must become less" (John 3:30). People who feel like John the Baptist can be entrusted with great revelations.'
The rider on the white horse (19:11)
Rev 19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.
"He will rule them with an iron sceptre."
He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Rev 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in mid-air, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great."
In 4:1 there was a door opened in heaven and John was invited up to heaven; in 11:19 God's temple in heaven was opened; in 15:5 the tabernacle was opened and out came the seven angels with seven bowls; here heaven itself is opened and Jesus is revealed coming in wrath upon the earth. We see here a fuller account of the second coming of Jesus Christ together with his army of saints in wrath against the world. The passage shows the heavens opened and Christ revealed as King of kings and Lord of lords. The world led by the antichrist (the beast), the false prophet and the kings of the earth with their armies fight against Him and his army, but he slays them with the word of his mouth. The beast and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire. Then Satan is bound for a thousand years, and there is the millennial reign of Christ. At the end of the thousand years Satan is let loose again and there is a final battle, in which Satan is defeated and cast into the lake of fire. This is followed by the general resurrection and the Judgement day and anyone whose name is not in the book of life is also cast into the lake of fire.
v11 - I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. - 'I saw heaven standing open', this introduces a new section (cf. Ezek 1:1, Rev 4:1). At the second coming of Christ to the earth, heaven and the earth are joined together for a brief period of time as Christ reveals himself to an unbelieving mankind in all his great glory and majesty (xxxx). In 4:1 John saw a door in heaven through which only he entered but now the whole of heaven is open so that all may see Christ. The rider is clearly Christ, he is clearly identified in verse 13; his name is the Word of God and again in verse 16 where he is called King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The rider whose name is Faithful and True is a reference to Christ since He designates himself as 'the faithful and true witness' in the letter to the church in Laodicea, see Rev 3:14. This title contrasts Him with those who deceive mankind (v20), the beast and the false prophet. He is the faithful witness (1:5), here he vindicates his followers by destroying His and the churches' enemies. This event is commonly taken to be the second coming for another interpretation see Sweet & Hailey.
v11 - With justice he judges and makes war. - God is just in everything he does: Isa 11:4, 'but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked'. Psa 96:13 'they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth'. His description in (1:14) shows him with white hair indicating wisdom. In 16:7 there is the response from the altar 'true and just are your judgements'.
v12 - His eyes are like blazing fire and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. - Eyes like blazing fire fits the description of Jesus in Rev 1:14, cf. 2 Thess 1:7, with them he sees the wickedness of the wicked, which he hates. He has many crowns (Gr. diadema) to indicate his royal authority, he is King of Kings (v16), the dragon wore seven royal crowns (12:3) while the beast wore ten royal crowns both of whom he now goes on to defeat (19:20, 20:10). He has a name written on him that only he knows, for 'only the Son of God can understand the mystery of his own being' (quoted by Wilson). There is more to Christ than we can know and only he can understand (xxxx).
v13 - He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. - His robe is dipped in blood because he is coming in wrath against the people world (Isa 13:9, 63:1-6). He has trod the winepress of God's wrath, see v15 (Isa 63:1, Rev 14:19) compare with Jacob's blessing over Judah 'he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes', Gen 49:11. His name is the Word of God, that is Jesus (John 1:1) cf. v15 and v21, He is God's last word to the world.
v14 - The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. - The army of heaven refers to the saints, a parallel passage calls them his 'called, chosen and faithful followers' (17:14). They are dressed in fine linen, white and clean (cf. 3:5, 6:11, 17:14, especially 19:8), the bride of the Lamb, this does not refer to angels because they wore shining linen (15:6), there is no reference to angels in white (although the same Greek word lampros meaning bright is used of angels raiment in 15:6 and the saints in 19:8, in general white is used for the saints throughout Rev). See the army of the Lord in Joel 2:11, 'mighty are those who obey his command'. In 14:4 the 144,000 also follow the Lamb wherever he goes, the saints are followers of Jesus. These are in contrast to those in 13:3 who followed after the beast. Note that the army also rides white horses as does their leader. The armies of heaven are mentioned here because they, that is the church, share in our Lord's victory. They are referred to again in 19:19 when the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gather to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.
v15 - Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. - The sharp sword is the word of God (Heb 4:12), he is called the Word of God (v13), it is His word which condemns people at the last day (John 12:48). It says in Isa 11:4 that 'with the breath of his mouth he will slay the wicked', see also v21 in which the kings of the earth and their armies are 'killed by the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse'. In the same way he overthrows the antichrist with the breath of his mouth, and destroys him by the splendour of his coming (2 Thess 2:8). In 2:16 he will fight against those at Pergamum who hold to the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolations with the sword of his mouth. We should not be surprised at Christ using the word of God to fight against his enemies since the universe was made at God's command (Heb 11:3).
v15 - "He will rule them with an iron sceptre." - This is another reference to the Messianic psalm 2:9, 'You will rule them with an iron sceptre ; you will dash them to pieces like pottery'. This could be a reference to the millennial reign of Christ and his saints who will also rule with him as a reward given to those who overcome in the letter to the church at Thyatira (2:26). However Mounce maintains that to rule with an iron sceptre means to destroy rather than govern in a stern fashion, this makes sense in the light of the many scriptures on the day of God's wrath which indicate destruction, see especially Isa 11:4 and Psa 2:9b and also see Isa 13:9, Zep 1:15-18, 3:8.
v15 - He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. - Winepress is a common metaphor for God's wrath (Isa 63:1-6, Joel 3:13), he squeezes until there is no blood left, there is so much blood that it forms a lake, see 14:19 for the great winepress of God's wrath. In verse 13 his robe is dipped in blood. In the sixth seal it is called the great day of their wrath (5:17).
v16 - On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. This contrasts to the title of the harlot, who is BABYLON THE GREAT MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH, Rev 17:5. Compare with the same description of the Lamb in (17:14) and 'I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill' in the Messianic psalm, Psa 2:5. The kings of the earth gather against the Lord, but he over powers them because he is the King of Kings. He has the same title 'Lord of lords and King of kings' in the description of the battle against the ten kings and the beast in 17:14, he also has with him his called, chosen and faithful followers. In 1:5 he is described as the ruler of the kings of the earth, in this passage he openly demonstrates this in a final victory at his second coming. His title is on his robe so that it is visible to all. It is also a divine title used of God in 1 Tim 6:15 'the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords'.
v17, 18 - And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in mid-air, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great." - This is from Ezekiel's prophecy about Gog, Ezek 39:4, 17 see also David and Goliath, 1 Sam 17:46, 'Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel', see also the description of the judgement upon Pharaoh, Ezek 32:3-10. The great supper of God should be contrasted with the wedding supper of the Lamb (19:9). For birds flying in mid-air see 8:13, 14:6. Also contrast the gathering of the kings of the earth (19:19) with the birds gathering together to eat the flesh of kings (v17, 18). Notice that it deals with all classes of people from kings to slaves, small and great, see also 6:15, in which there is the similar description of those classes of people who hide from the wrath of the Lamb in the sixth seal. This same battle is also described in Rev 17:14 when the beast and ten kings wage war against the Lamb, he has the same title King of kings and Lord of Lords, and in 20:8 when Satan and the nations of the earth (Gog and Magog) surround the camp of God's people.
The end of the beast and the false prophet (19:19)
19:19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshipped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
v19 - then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army - Here we see the conflict of two armies, one is an earthly one the other a heavenly one. This is a last attack on the people of God, see Ezek 38, 39 especially 38:15-16. Jesus is ruler over the kings of the earth (Rev 1:5) this is fulfilled in v21. This is the battle of Armageddon mentioned in the sixth bowl (16:14) this clearly takes place at the second coming (16:15). The beast and the kings of the earth are mentioned in (17:12), as 'ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast'. His army are the saints and not angels, see v14, they are dressed in 'fine linen, white and clean' which refers to the saints. Compare this scene with 12:17 when the dragon makes war on the saints and 13:7 when the beast makes war on the saints and overcomes them.
v20 - But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshipped his image. - There is no mention of a fight, just the capture of the beast and false prophet. The false prophet first appears in the sixth bowl (16:13) and is clearly identical with the beast out of the earth in Rev 13:11 who made the earth and its inhabitants worship the beast. He works by delusion and deceived the world by his miraculous signs (13:14), the miraculous signs are demonic (16:14). Signs and miracles do not always come from God, we should beware of signs and wonders we should be discerning to see if they come from false prophets, Mat 24:24. We should note that the beast and false prophet are captured together because they act together as in Rev 13 where the beast out of the earth supports the beast out of the sea (Milligan).
v20 - The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur - The beast at last goes to his destruction, 17:8, 11. This is the end of the antichrist and the false prophet, the devil joins them later followed by those who worship the beast or receive his mark (14:9, 20:15). The second of His enemies are destroyed before he hands the kingdom to his Father (1 Cor 15:23-26), the first enemy was Babylon (17:16 ff.) who was also destroyed by fire. They will be tormented day and night for ever (20:10) in the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Mat 25:41 see also Isa 30:33).
v21 - The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, - The rest of them should be contrasted with the rest of the woman's offspring, namely the church of 12:17, these are the kings, generals, all people, i.e. the unsaved world, v18, who join with the beast and false prophet to fight against Christ and his followers. The sword is the word of God (see v13, 14) which pronounces judgement (John 12:48). His word destroyed them, (2 Thess 2:8, Isa 11:4). This is also referred to in 17:12-14 in which the ten kings and the beast will make war against the Lamb but He will overcome them.
v21 - and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. - The invitation given by the angel in v17, 18 to the birds flying in mid-air is now realised. This is imagery for final disaster, and is taken from Ezek 39:4, 17-20, see also 32:4. This is the final indignity for men, they were not buried but the birds ate their flesh, just as the dogs ate Jezebel's flesh and there was nothing to be found of her when it came time to bury her, 2 King 9:33-37, this should be compared to the two witnesses who were also refused burial. Their punishment is not described here but later, 20:15. Compare the end here of the kings and their armies with the end of the prostitute whose flesh was also eaten (17:16) by the beast and ten kings.