Revelation 16:14 - Exposition

For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles. This explains the account given in Revelation 16:13 . In the plague of the frogs, the Egyptian magicians imitated the plague of Moses; the second beast (the false prophet) is represented as leading men astray by his miracles ( Revelation 13:13 ). After the sixth trumpet came the digression, in which an account was given of the two witnesses of God, who worked miracles ( Revelation 12:1-17 .); here, after the sixth vial, we have a short digression, in which an account is given of the three witnesses of Satan, who endeavour rework on his behalf, by exhibiting miracles. (For the meaning of this working of miracles, see on Revelation 13:13 .) Which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world; the kings of the whole world— omitting "of the earth" (Revised Version). The kings of the world are those whose aim and delight is the possession of the pleasures of this world; those who have their treasure in this world, and whose hearts are therefore also there; those who exercise their influence and power in regard only to the things of this world; in short, the worldly. To gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty; God, the Almighty. This battle is described in Revelation 19:11-21 , which see. The great day is the last great judgment day. The battle referred to here, and described in Revelation 19:1-21 ., and again in Revelation 20:1-10 , is apparently the battle which is being waged against God by the forces of evil all through the history of the world, from the fall of Adam until the last judgment day. This seems certain from the description given in Revelation 19:1-21 . and 20. How, then, can it be described as the "battle of the great day"? Probably because on that day will occur the crisis, as it were, of the conflict; on that day will the issue be plainly determined, and the struggle terminated. Though the battle is proceeding daily, there is little to remind us of it; the very existence of, and necessity for, such warfare is sometimes forgotten in the daily round of life: at the last day will be plainly exhibited the nature of the incessant hostility between God and the devil, and the power of the latter will be manifested only to be visibly shattered and finally destroyed.