Revelation 19:18
That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
The heaven in which the birds are summoned to fly is the atmosphere surrounding the earth.
The verse belongs to the closing scenes of this earth's history at Christ's return, the soon-coming battle of Armageddon and the end of Satan's rebellion when Christ comes in brightness to take rule as the rightful King. It stands within the prophetic judgment picture of Revelation 19, before His final triumph and reign on earth. That chapter contains messages describing those closing scenes which watchmen and ministers must discern and give now with a certain trumpet sound, because to pass them by without warning quiets souls to sleep unto eternal loss.
Heaven is opened and Christ comes on a white horse as Faithful and True and the Word of God, with eyes like a flame of fire and many crowns. He is clothed in a vesture dipped in blood and marked King of kings and Lord of lords. He is followed by the armies of heaven on white horses clothed in fine linen clean and white. He strikes the nations with the sword of His mouth, rules them with a rod of iron, and treads the winepress of the wrath of Almighty God.
An angel standing in the sun calls the birds to gather together for the supper of the great God to eat the flesh of the defeated of every rank, kings and captains and mighty men and horses and riders and all people both free and bond and small and great. The beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gather together to make war against Christ and His army and are overthrown. The beast and the false prophet who deceived those who received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image are cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. The rest are slain by the sword proceeding from Christ's mouth and left as dead bodies for the birds.
The destruction is God's vengeance on the beast's supporters and on persecutors of Christians and of His chosen ones. They bore false witness against them, bruised them with fetters and burned them at the stake, compelled people to transgress the law God commanded all to obey, and carried out the spirit and purposes of Satan in causing pain, so they suffer and perish. It follows the uniting of church and state to compel conscience, enforce worship of the image of the beast by keeping the spurious Sabbath, and persecute those who keep God's commandments, with the whole confederacy of evil in human and superhuman power overthrown.
What the image of the birds eating the flesh of the defeated signifies is not explained.
The verse belongs to the truths of Revelation 18 and 19 that are testing truths for this time and form the last call of mercy and message of warning to be sounded more fully to the world. God's mercy is shown by long forbearance in holding back His judgments until all have heard. It is connected with approaching divine judgments including destructive calamities and the final crisis. All should read and understand these truths, and watchmen and ministers must discern and give them now with a certain trumpet sound, because to pass them by without warning quiets souls to sleep unto eternal loss.