Revelation 19:17
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
Study Note
Study Note
The angel standing in the sun summoning all birds to 'the supper of the great God' parodies the great marriage supper of the Lamb (v. 9), contrasting the two eschatological banquets — the redeemed feast with Christ while the defeated are feasted upon by birds of prey. The image draws directly on Ezekiel 39:17–20 where God summons birds and beasts to consume the armies of Gog, embedding Revelation's eschatological battle within the Gog-Magog typology that governs chapters 19–20. The ironic reversal — those who 'ate and drank' with the whore of Babylon now become food — enacts the apocalyptic justice principle that exploitative power is ultimately consumed by its own logic. The scene has influenced Christian iconography of the Last Judgment, where birds devouring the condemned appear in Romanesque and medieval manuscript illumination.
Other Translations
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid heaven, Come and be gathered together unto the great supper of God;
And I saw one messenger standing in the sun, and he cried, a great voice, saying to all the birds that are flying in mid-heaven, `Come and be gathered together to the supper of the great God,
And I saw an angel taking his place in the sun; and he was crying with a loud voice, saying to all the birds in flight in the heavens, Come together to the great feast of God;
Cross References
All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.
For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.
Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the …
Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all …
Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of …
And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of …
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of …
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that …
And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, …