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 The seven-headed, ten-horned wild beast out of the sea, representing Satan's political organization, is tumbled into oblivion, and along with it goes the false prophet, the seventh world power. (Revelation 13:1, 11-13; 16:13) While still "alive" or still functioning in their united opposition to God's people on earth, they are cast into "the lake of fire." Is this a literal lake of fire? No, not any more than the wild beast and the false prophet are literal animals. Rather, it is a symbol of complete final destruction, a place of no return. Here is where, later, death and Hades as well as the Devil himself, will be hurled. (Revelation 20:10, 14) It is certainly not an inferno of eternal torture for the wicked, since the very idea if such a place is detestable to Jehovah. - JEREMIAH 19:5; 32:35; 1 JOHN 4:8, 16. 

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 After the pouring out of the sixth bowl of Jehovah's wrath, John reported that "the kings of the earth and of the whole world" were gathered by democratic propaganda "to "the battle of that great day of God Almighty." This is fought at Armageddon-not a literal location, but the global situation that calls for execution of Jehovah's judgment. (Revelation 16:12, 14, 16, King James Version) Now John sees the battle lines. There, ranged against, are all "the kings of the earth and their armies." They have stubbornly refused to submit themselves to Jehovah's King. He gave them fair warning in the inspired message: "Kiss the son, that [Jehovah] may not become incensed and you may not perish from the way." Not having submitted to Christ's rule, they must die. - PSALM 2:12. 

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The angel is "standing in the sun," a commanding position for attracting the attention of the birds. He invites them to gorge themselves on the flesh of those about to be slain by the Warrior-King and his heavenly armies. The fact that the dead are to be left on the surface of the ground indicated that they will die in public shame. Like Jezebel of old, they will not have an honorable burial. (2 Kings 9:36, 37) The list of those whose corpses would be left dying there shows the range of the destruction: kings, military commanders, strong men, free men, and slaves. No exceptions. Every last trace of the rebellious world in opposition to Jehovah will be eliminated. After this, there will be no more be a restless sea of confused humans. (Revelation 21:1) This is "the great evening meal of God," since it is Jehovah who invites the birds to share therein. 

John summarizes the course of the final war: "And I saw the wild beast and the kings f the earth and their armies gathered together to wage the war with the one seated on the horse and with his army. And the wild beast was caught, and along with it the false prophet that performed in front of it the signs which he misled those who render worship to its image. While still alive, they both were killed off with the long sword of the one seated on the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth. And all the birds were filled from the fleshy parts of them." -REVELATION 19:19-21. 

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 In Ezekiel's vision, after the destruction of Gog's crowd, the birds and the wild animals are invited to a feast! They rid the landscape of carcasses by eating the dead bodies of Jehovah's enemies. (Ezekiel 39:11, 17-20) John's next words bring that earlier prophecy vividly to mind: "I saw also an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice and said to all the birds that fly in the midheaven: 'Come here, be gathered together to the evening meal of God, that you may eat the fleshly parts of the kings and the fleshly parts of military commanders and the fleshly parts of strong men and the fleshly parts of  horses and of those seated upon them, and the fleshly parts of all, of freemen as well as slaves of small ones and great.' " -REVELATION 19:17, 18. 

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That will be day of doom, indeed, for disobedient nations and   humans but a day of relief for all who have made Jehovah and his Warrior-King their refuge! (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9) The judgment that started with the house of God in 1918 will have run through to its climax, answering the question at 4:17: "What will the end be to those who are not obedient to the good news of God?" The glorious Victor will have trodden the winepress to finish, demonstrating that he is the exalted One of whom John says: "And upon his outer garment, even upon his thigh, he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords." (Revelation 19:16) He has proved to be far mightier than earthly ruler, any human king or lord. His dignity and splendor are transcendent. He had ridden "in the cause of truth and humility and righteousness" and has triumphed for all time! (Psalm 45:4) Upon his blood-sprinkled garments is written the name bestowed on him by the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, whose vindicator he is! 

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This mighty Warrior-King appears again in the next scene of the vision: "He treads too the winepress of the anger of the wrath of God the Almighty." (Revelation 19:15b) In a previous vision, John had already seen the treading of the "winepress of the anger of God. (Revelation 14:18-20) Isaiah also describes an executional winepress, and other prophets tell how calamitous the day the day of God's anger will be for all the nations. - ISAIAH24:1-6; 63:1-4; JEREMIAH 25:30-33; DANIEL 2:44; ZEPHANIAH 3:8; ZECHARIAH 14:3, 12, 13; REVELATION 6:15-17. 

The prophet Joel associates a winepress with Jehovah's coming to "judge all the nations round about." And it is Jehovah who issues the command, no doubt to His associate Judge, Jesus and his heavenly armies: "Thrust in a sickle, for harvest has grown ripe. Come, descend for the winepress is full. The press vats actually overflow; for their badness has become abundant. Crowd, crowds are in the low plain of the decision, for the day of Jehovah is near in the low plain of the decision. Sun and moon themselves will certainly become dark, and the very stars will actually withdraw their brightness. And out of Zion Jehovah himself will roar, and out of Jerusalem he will give forth his voice. And heaven and earth certainly will rock; but Jehovah will a refuge for his people, ad fortress for the sons of Israel. And you people will have to know that I am Jehovah your God." - JOEL 3:12-17. 

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 The Warrior-King, as Jehovah's appointee, will make a distinction between those who survive and those who will die. Jehovah, speaking prophetically to this Son of God, says: "You will break them [earth's rulers] with an iron scepter, as though a potter's vessel you will dash them to pieces." And Jeremiah addresses such corrupt governmental leaders and they hackeys, saying: "Howl,you shepherds, and cry out! And wallow about, you majestic ones of the flock, because your days for slaughtering and your scatterings have been fulfilled, and you must fall like desirable vessel!" However desirable those rulers  may have appeared to a wicked world, one blow from the King's iron scepter will shatter them, as if smashing and an attractive vessel. It will be just as David prophesied concerning the Lord Jesus: "The rod of your strength Jehovah will send out of Zion, saying: 'Go subduing in the midst of your enemies.' Jehovah himself at your right hand will certainly break kings to pieces on the day of his anger. He will execute judgment among the nations; he will cause a fulness of dead bodies." - PSALM2:9,12; 83:17, 18;110:1. 2. 5, 6; JEREMIAH 25:34.

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At this point in time, Jesus will already have acted in fulfillment of Paul's words: "Then, indeed, the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will do away with the spirit of his mouth and bring to nothing to nothing by the manifestation of is presence." Yes, Jesus' presence. (Greek, pa-rou-si' a) has been demonstrated from 1914 onward by the exposing and judging of the man of lawlessness, the clergy of the Christendom. That presence will be strikingly manifested when the ten horns of the scarlet-colored beast execute that judgment and ravage Christendom, along with the rest of Babylon the Great. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, 8) That will be the start of the great tribulation! After that, Jesus turns his attention to what remains of Satan's organization, in line with the prophecy: "He must strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the spirit of his lips he will put the wicked one to death." - ISAIAH 11:4. 

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 By what authority does Jesus complete his conquest? John informs us: "And out of his mouth there protrudes a sharp long sword, that he may strike the nation with it, and he will shepherd them with a rod of iron." (Revelation 19:15a) That "sharp long sword" represents Jesus' God-given authority to issue orders for the execution of all who refuse to support God's new Kingdom. (Revelation 1:16; 2:16) This vivid symbolism parallels Isaiah's words: "He [Jehovah] proceeded to make my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of his hand he has hidden me. And he gradually made me polish and arrow." (Isaiah 49:2) Here, Isaiah foreshadowed Jesus, who proclaims God's judgments and executes them, as with an unerring arrow.

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 Does this mean that Jehovah's Witnesses are against all governments? Far from it!  They obey the apostle Paull's counsel: "Let ever soul be subjection to the superior authorities. They realize that as long as the present system lasts, those "superior authorities" exist by God's permission for maintain a measure of order in human society. Thus, Jehovah's Witnesses pay their taxes, obey the laws, respect traffic ordinances, comply with registrations, and so forth. (Romans 13:1, 6, 7) Further, they follow Bible principles in being truthful and honest; showing love of neighbor, building a strong, moral family unite; and training their children to be exemplary citizens. In this way they pay back not only "Caesar's things to Caesar and God's things to God. (Luke 20:25; 1 Peter 2:13-17) Since God's Word shows that the governmental powers of this world are temporary, Jehovah's Witnesses prepare now for the fuller life, the real life, soon to be enjoyed under Christ's Kingdom rule. (1 Timothy 6:17-19) Though they will have no part in overturning the powers of this world, the Witnesses experience reverential awe at what God's inspired Word, the Holy Bible, says regarding the judgment Jehovah is about to execute at Armageddon. - ISAIAH 26:20, 21; HEBREWS 12:28, 29.

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