Apocalypse 19-20: Christ's Victory and Satan's Defeat
Bishop Williamson deciphers Revelation’s prophecies of Christ’s victory over evil and offers timeless guidance for navigating spiritual battles in the modern age.
Bishop Williamson explains that Apocalypse Chapter 19 reveals Christ’s judgment on the Antichrist, where His Word is a two-edged sword. He says Christians should beware material prosperity, recalling Deuteronomy, and understand Christ’s kingship through both divine inheritance and conquest by the Cross. Bishop Williamson further describes the „great supper of God‟ as the eternal wedding feast, symbolizing the conversion of nations.
Turning to Chapter 20, he shows that the devil’s binding for a „thousand years‟ signifies the period from Christ’s Passion until the Antichrist, a time when salvation is accessible. He notes Leo XIII’s vision of Satan’s increased power in modern times and imparts Archbishop Lefebvre’s counsel on spiritual warfare: emphasizing caution, the supreme power of the Mass, and the importance of confession and prayer against demonic influence.
Interpreting Apocalypse Chapter 19: Condemnation of the Antichrist
(Transcript starts): We are looking at Apocalypse chapter 19, verse 15. Chapter 18 was the condemnation of the damned. Chapter 19 is the condemnation of the Antichrist. Chapter 20, the condemnation of the devil. And then chapters 21 and 22 are the upbeat conclusion: the celestial vision, the glorification of the saints, and the splendors of Heavenly Jerusalem.
Verse 15: „And from his mouth proceeds a sword sharp on both sides, in order with it to strike the nations. And he will rule them with an iron rod, and he himself treads the wine press of the fury of the anger of Almighty God.‟
The Two-Edged Sword and the Rod of Iron
The sword is the Word of God issuing from the Savior’s mouth, two-edged to prune the good and to cut off the wicked. Material prosperity is sometimes a curse, and material affliction is sometimes a blessing. It all depends upon who is on the receiving end and why. Material affliction can be a blessing if it prunes, if it cuts somebody off from pride, temptation, or corruption. On the other hand, material prosperity can be a curse if it exposes people to those things, as it does for many people today.
I am fond of quoting Deuteronomy, chapter 8. Moses says to the Jews, „Watch out for material prosperity.‟ Verse 8 reads: „For the Lord thy God will bring thee into a good land of brooks, and of waters, and of fountains, in the plains of which and the hills deep rivers break out, a land of wheat and barley and vineyards, wherein fig trees and pomegranates and olive yards grow, a land of oil and honey. Where without any want thou shalt eat thy bread and enjoy abundance of all things, where the stones are iron and out of hills are dug mines of brass, that when thou hast eaten and art full, thou mayest bless the Lord thy God for the excellent land which He has given thee. Take heed and beware lest at any time thou forget the Lord thy God, and neglect His commands and judgments and ceremonies which I command thee this day. Lest after thou hast eaten and art filled, has built goodly houses and dwelt in them, and you have plenty of gold, plenty of oxen, plenty of all these things, lest thy heart be lifted up, and thou remember not the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, and who led you through it and fed thee in the wilderness. Lest thou should say in thine heart,‟ verse 17, „’My own might and the strength of my own hand have achieved all these things for me.’ But remember the Lord thy God, that He hath given thee strength. If thou forget the Lord thy God and follow strange gods and serve them, behold now, I foretell thee, that thou shalt utterly perish. As the nations which the Lord destroyed at their entrance, so shall you also perish if you be disobedient to the voice of the Lord your God.‟
So, watch out for prosperity, as Deuteronomy Chapter 8 warns, because it can be dangerous. A lot has happened in today’s world since the Second World War. The Second World War was material affliction that did a lot of people a lot of good, spiritually speaking. But then people got away from the post-war years and into prosperity, and that prosperity has done a lot of people a lot of damage. So, the sword is two-edged, to prune the good as well as cut off the wicked.
The rod of iron represents the inflexibility of the law of God, unbending even for good men. The very least failings must be repented or purged in purgatory. Our Lord may rule with a rod of iron because He Himself took the full anger of God upon Himself. He Himself will rule the nations with a rod of iron, almost because He Himself has trod the wine press of the fury of the anger of Almighty God. Our Lord will rule with a rod of iron, the unbending law of God, because He Himself has faced the full anger of God. And He has upon His clothing and on His thigh inscribed „King of Kings and Lord of Lords.‟
Christ's Double Title to Kingship
He also may rule with a rod of iron because His divine right is hypostatically stamped upon His human nature. Psalm 71:10-11 says: „The kings of Tharsis, and the islands shall offer presents. The kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring gifts: and all kings of the earth shall adore him: all nations shall serve him.‟ So again, it is the double title of Our Lord. One, He has all rights because He is God. Two, He has all rights because He earned them by dying upon the cross as man. So, He is Christ the King by a double title: a title of inheritance from God the Father, and a title of conquest by the cross. Kings can become kings by inheritance or by conquest. Our Lord, in His divine nature, is king by inheritance, King of Kings. And by His cross, He is King of Kings by conquest over the devil. He conquered the devil who had empire over the earth, and therefore Our Lord has empire over the earth as having conquered the devil.
The Hypostatic Union
The divine right of Our Lord is hypostatically stamped. What does that mean, hypostatically? The hypostatic union is a technical term from the Greek word hypostasis, which means first substance. The divine nature and the human nature are united in the one substance, or one reality. It is like two coats hanging on one peg; the two coats are united by hanging on the same peg. The two natures are united by hanging on the same person or being. So, the hypostatic union is the union of the divine and human natures, wrought at the very moment of Our Lord’s conception in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Hypostatically stamped means it is stamped upon His human nature by its union with the divine nature in the one person of the Word of God.
The Angel in the Sun and the Great Supper
Verse 17: „And I saw an angel standing in the sun and cried out, he cried out with a loud voice saying to all the birds which were flying through the middle of the heaven, ‚Come and gather together to the great supper of God.’‟ An angel standing in the sun represents preachers of the gospel flooded in the light of Christ. Remember, angelos means messenger in Greek. In the Book of the Apocalypse, anyone who has a message is an angelos – it may be Our Lord Himself, a human being, or what we would call an angel.
The birds are true Christians flying above the earth, trusting in God, flying above earthly things and materialism. Consider Matthew 6:26: „Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor do they reap nor gather into barns: and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much more value than they?‟ And further on, regarding lilies: „Consider the lilies of the field how they grow: they labour not neither do they spin. But I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these.‟ So, the birds do not sow or reap, yet the Heavenly Father looks after them. Therefore, the birds are those flying above material things, trusting in God. Flying through the middle of the heaven, they fly towards God, neither to the left nor to the right.
„Come and gather together for the great supper of God.‟ The great supper is the eternal wedding feast, the heavenly celebration Our Lord often speaks of, especially in His parables. Heaven is compared to a wedding feast because a wedding is most men’s idea of a happy occasion. Classically, comedies end in a wedding; it represents future, hope, and happiness. In any sane society, a wedding is an occasion of rejoicing for everyone, not just the couple. Today, of course, it is different, often a quick affair with few attendees because people do not want to be tied down. So, nothing is right today.
Converting the Nations
Verse 18: „In order that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of the tribunes and the flesh of the strong and the flesh of the horses and those sitting on them and the flesh of all freedmen and of slaves of little and of great.‟ „Eat‟ here means to convert. Compare this to Saint Peter, who received a vision in Acts 11 and was told to eat impure animals. The animals were declared no longer impure, and he could eat them. This represented his converting the Gentiles. So, to „eat‟ can mean to convert. True Christians come to the eternal wedding feast to convert others.
The tribunes are those powerful by authority, like the constitutional officials of the Roman Republic. The mighty are those powerful by wealth. The horses are men, generous and impetuous, but who can be manipulated by riders. The free men are libertarians, or what we would call Liberals today. And the slaves are servants of sin.
The Fate of the Beast and the Pseudo-Prophet
Verse 19: „And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war with him, who sat upon the horse and with his army.‟ The beast and the kings are the Antichrist and his lieutenants. „And the beast was laid hold on, was taken, the beast was captured, and with him, the pseudo-prophet.‟ The pseudo-prophet is the false lamb of the second beast. There is the dragon (Satan), the first beast (Antichrist), and the second beast (the false church, the false lamb). The pseudo-prophet encompasses the false lamb, the false church, and false churchmen. „Who wrought signs before him, before the beast, wherewith he seduced them, who received the character of the beast and who adored his image. These two were cast alive into the pool of fire, burning with brimstone.‟ With the pseudo-prophet who wrought signs in his presence, he seduced those who accepted the character of the beast and adored his image. The two were cast alive into the pool of fire burning with sulfur. The pond of fire is the violent punishment for the greatest criminals.
„And the rest were slain by the sword of him that sitteth upon the horse.‟ The followers of the two beasts, the Antichrist and the false church, are also punished by Christ’s judgment, the sword proceeding from His mouth. „And all the birds were filled with their flesh.‟ This means the followers of Christ applauded Christ’s judgment; they were satisfied. „Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied‟ (Matthew 5:6).
Questions on Chapter 19
Any questions on chapter 19?
Birdie: In verse 15, „his thigh,‟ what does it mean? Is there any particular significance to the thigh?
Bishop Williamson: I don’t know of any particular significance in the thigh beyond it perhaps standing for strength, as it houses some of the strongest muscles in the body.
Jenkins: When he made the sign, He took the Scepter from… [Jacob blessing Judah] Genesis 49:10: „The Scepter shall not be taken away from Judah, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he cometh that is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of nations.‟
Bishop Williamson: Yes, there may be a reference there. „Nor a ruler from his thigh‟ I would think refers to physical descendants, which is not quite the same thing here, as Our Lord had no physical descendants. It is stamped upon His human nature. What was your other reference about thigh? Something about Jacob being held in place with the angel’s thigh? I think that might be a euphemism.
Darby: When Jacob wrestled with the angel, the angel touched his thigh, and he limped from then onwards.
Bishop Williamson: Yes. I don’t know if there is any connection there. I think it just represents a strong part of the human frame.
Lester: Is the harlot of chapter 17 Babylon of chapter 18? It seems to be saying at the end of chapter 17, „And the woman which thou sawest, is the great city…‟ and then it goes on to talk about the Great City of Babylon.
Bishop Williamson: I would have to think about that. The harlot is basically sensuality. Babylon stands for the world. „The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have been made rich by the power of her delicacies.‟ Babylon is the world, and the woman is sensuality. They are closely connected. To say whether they are exactly the same, I am not sure. They are both symbols and might overlap to some extent, but they are different symbols. The woman is more the flesh, and Babylon is more the world. The world, the flesh, and the devil. A city is not identical with a woman riding on a beast; one is the image of a city, and the other is an image of a human being.
Interpreting Apocalypse Chapter 20: The Punishment of the Devil
Chapter 20 deals with the punishment of the devil. It describes the double defeat of the devil. Verses 1 to 6 describe his defeat in AD 33 by the cross, and verses 7 to 14 describe his defeat at the end of the world.
The Devil Bound for a Thousand Years
Verse 1: „And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.‟ The angel is Christ, descending in His incarnation. Holding the key of the abyss is the cross of Christ. Isaiah 22:22 says: „And I will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulder: and he shall open, and none shall shut: and he shall shut, and none shall open.‟ The key is the cross of Christ. The great chain is the power of Christ to fix men in heaven or in hell. „In his hand‟ means this power is at the disposal of His sacred humanity.
Verse 2: „And he laid hold on the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for 1,000 years.‟ The dragon represents the strength of Satan, and the serpent his cunning. The devil, from the Greek diabolein, means to turn upside down, to throw apart; he is the introducer of duality and discord. Satan is an Aramaic or Hebrew word meaning adversary, the essential enemy of all good.
Christ bound Satan for a thousand years. By His passion, Christ prevented the devil from doing all he wants and enabled all who wish to be saved. Verse 3: „And cast him into the abyss and closed it and sealed it so that he should no longer seduce the peoples until the 1,000 years are over, and after this, it is appointed to him to be released for a little time.‟
The Symbolic Meaning of the Thousand Years
The 1,000 years is not an exact figure but is symbolic of perfection, a perfect length of time. It means here until the end of the world, when the Antichrist and the devil will again be given great power. It took the Church about 500 years, until about 500 AD, to, in a manner of speaking, tie down the Roman Empire and the heretics, making Christendom possible. Christendom lasted about a thousand years, perhaps from 500 to 1500. Then Luther was let loose, and the Modern Age began, increasing its momentum all the way to today, preparing for the Antichrist. So, one possible application of the thousand years is the period from 500 to 1500. But the literal meaning here is more general: the duration of time from Christ to the Antichrist, during which anyone who wishes can be saved because the devil is essentially tied up. But at the end, he will be given special power again.
The Devil Unleashed in Modern Times
He has already been given a great deal of power in the modern world. Leo XIII saw it in a vision in the 1880s. After Mass, he turned white as a sheet and said he heard a dialogue between Satan and Christ, where Satan asked for more power, and Christ granted him power for a hundred years. There is no question that Satan has been especially let loose in the modern world, as a punishment for men’s faults. And he is doing as he likes today. Serious exorcists say his power is getting greater and greater; he walks around as though the universe is his domain. Of course, with most men he can do as he likes because they do not even believe he exists—his masterstroke.
Even today, very few dioceses probably have an exorcist. In the old days, every Catholic diocese would have a professional exorcist, which was very wise because it is a specialized and dangerous role, tangling with the devil.
The Role of the Exorcist
An exorcist needs experience. If a diocese has an exorcist, priests have someone to send possessed souls to. The expert can first work out whether they are really possessed, because some people, especially women, might think they are or want to be possessed. Then the exorcist will deal with it. This is how it should be, so the diocese has someone accustomed to dealing directly with the devil.
Archbishop Lefebvre on Dealing with the Demonic
Archbishop Lefebvre advised priests to be very careful about getting into exorcisms. First, because the devil is so cunning, it takes someone with experience, wisdom, and sanctity to tangle with him. Secondly, the devil takes his revenge. In the famous Iowa case in Earling in 1928, the parish priest who allowed an exorcism in his parish nearly got run off the road; the devil took over his car and smashed it into a bridge. This is detailed in the Tan book, Begone Satan!. He was targeted simply for allowing the exorcism. You are tangling with major forces if the devil is really involved.
The Mass as the Greatest Exorcism
Archbishop Lefebvre used to say that if you are dealing with the devil, celebrate the Mass. The greatest exorcism is the Mass. If a soul comes to you, the first question is, „When did you last go to confession?‟ Confession drives out a lot of devils because many accompany mortal sin. Also, how much does the soul pray? Are they saying their prayers, especially the Rosary? Are they using holy water? If they are doing all these things and still show symptoms, then it might be possession. A sign of real possession is that they cannot stand holy water. If they jump like a scalded cat when sprinkled, you may well have someone possessed.
The Archbishop taught that the Mass is, in this respect, completely safe and very powerful. You say it for the person’s intentions. It gets Our Lord involved, so you do not run into the inconveniences of direct confrontation. There were young priests spoiling for a fight, longing to mix it with the devil. Very unwise. He is very smart, with an angelic intelligence, so you have got to be very careful.