The Expositor's Bible: The Book of RevelationMilligan, William
Philosophy
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Revelation
Milligan, William
Bible. Revelation -- Commentaries
Nor is this all. In the fate of these foes a striking incident of Old
Testament history is repeated, in order that they may be led to the
destruction which awaits them. When Micaiah warned Ahab of his
approaching fate, and told him of the lying spirit by which his own
prophets were urging him to the battle, he said, "I saw the Lord
sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on
His right hand and on His left. And the Lord said, Who shall entice
Ahab that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this
manner; and another said on that manner. And there came forth a
spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will entice him. And
the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and
be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And He said, Thou
shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also; go forth and do so."[437] In
that incident of Ahab's reign is found the type of the three lying
spirits or demons which, like frogs, unclean, noisy, and loquacious,
go forth from the three great enemies of the Church, the dragon, the
first beast, and the second beast, now first called _the false
prophet_, that they may entice the "kings of the whole inhabited
earth" to their overthrow. And they succeed. All unknowing of what is
before them, proud of their strength, and flushed with hope of
victory, these kings listen to the demons and gather themselves
together _unto the war of the great day of God, the Almighty_. It is a
supreme moment in the history of the Church and of the world; and,
before he names the battlefield which shall, in its very name, be
prophetic of the fate of the wicked, the Seer pauses to behold the
assembled armies. Upon the one side is a little flock, but they are
all "kings," and before them is He by whom, like David before the host
of Israel and over against the Philistines, the battle shall be fought
and the victory won. On the other side are the hosts of earth in all
their multitudes, gathered together by the deceitful promise of
success. The Seer hears the voice of the Captain of salvation, _Behold
I come as a thief_, to break up and to destroy. He hears further the
promise of blessing to all who are faithful to the Redeemer's cause:
and then, with mind at rest as to the result, he names the place where
the final battle is to be fought, _Har-Magedon_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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