Revelation 19:14

And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure.

And the armies which are in heaven followed him ... Any literalism here, as in most of the prophecy, is impossible. We agree with Pieters that this does not symbolize Christians. "It is an idea alien to the Scriptures to speak of Christians going forth again to wage war on evil, after attaining a heavenly rest."[44] The Lord never depicted his sheep as organized in a campaign of destruction directed against the wolves! "The armies which are in heaven must be angelic armies."[45] This also corresponds to the oft-repeated mention of a host of holy angels participating in the final judgment (Matt. 13:41,49,2 Thessalonians 1:7). The undeniable identification of the last part of this chapter with the final judgment is inherent in the makeup of this vast army. Caird thought these were Christians,[46] and Rist identified them as "the martyrs";[47] but such views impose great difficulty in fitting them logically into the entire vision.

[44] Albertus Pieters, op. cit., p. 204.

[45] Ibid.

[46] G. B. Caird, op. cit., p. 265.

[47] Martin Rist, The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. XII (New York-Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1950), p. 514.