ON THE “LAST DAY”, HOW and WHERE WILL GOD DESTROY HIS ENEMIES
(Please folks – Let’s get this right)
There is the understanding that Jesus, at the battle of Armageddon in the “Last Day”, will come back to earth and stand on the Mount of Olives. This is found in Zechariah 14:3: “Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives.” Therefore, some Christians, theologians, and Bible teachers think and will say that this is the Second Advent and Jesus will physically lead His armies into the battle of Armageddon. First of all, citing just verse 13 does not give the entire picture and leads many to an incorrect conclusion.
(That is prooftexting—using a single Bible verse taken without proper context to support a doctrine. This can happen when a verse is treated as though it alone answers what it actually means in its surrounding passage and setting. It may not matter a great deal to Christian’s salvation, walk with God, or their ultimate destination. But it is important to exegete scriptures correctly.)
Let’s begin with 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10:
This is one of the clearest descriptions of Christ’s return in judgment.
“The Lord Jesus 
will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel.”
Key points
- Jesus is revealed from heaven.
- He comes with mighty angels.
- He judges unbelievers.
- The destruction occurs as He is revealed from heaven.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:8
“Then that lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will eliminate with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming.”
This verse describes Christ destroying the Antichrist merely by His appearance and His word.
- Revelation 19:11–21
The Book of the Revelation records Christ descending from heaven on a white horse.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns, and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies, which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.“
And:
“The rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse.”
This is the most detailed account of Christ’s defeat of His enemies.
- Matthew 24:30–31
“They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
Although the emphasis is on gathering His elect, the broader context includes judgment on the nations.
- Revelation 1:7
“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him…”
His visible return precedes the judgments described later in Revelation.
- Zechariah 14:3–5
Book of Zechariah prophesies:
“Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations…”
Verse 4 says:
“His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives.”
This indicates Christ first arrives from heaven and then stands upon the earth, but this verse must be kept in context of the rest of scriptures. He will stand on the Mount of Olives, but their destruction comes from His breath and from His mouth. In fact, here is Zechariah 14 in full:
“Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoils taken from you will be divided among you. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be taken, the houses plundered, the women raped, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be eliminated from the city
3 Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, (Jesus will undoubtedly descend to the earth at this point.) which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split [b]in its middle from east to west forming a very large valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and the other half toward the south. 5 And you will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with [c]Him!
6 On that day there will be no light; the luminaries will die out. 7 For it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at the time of evening there will be light. (A reference also found in Matthew 24:29-31).
8 And on that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter. (A reference to the cataclysmic astronomical, atmospheric, and geological conditions described in Matthew 24:29-31).
God Will Be King over All
9 And the Lord will be King over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.
10 All the land will change into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem, but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. 11 People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will live in security.
12 Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. 13 And it will come about on that day that a great panic from the Lord will fall on them; and they will seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will be raised against the hand of another. (This is decidedly not a war of physical weaponry). 14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. 15 And just like this plague, there will be a plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey, and all the cattle that will be in those camps.
16 Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of armies, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 17 And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of armies, there will be no rain on them. 18 And if the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 19 This will be the [h]punishment of Egypt, and the [i]punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.
20 On that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the Lord.” And the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord of armies, and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. And there will no longer be a [j]Canaanite in the house of the Lord of armies on that day.
- Isaiah 66:15–16
“For behold, the LORD will come in fire…
For the LORD will execute judgment by fire and by His sword on all flesh.”
This Old Testament prophecy points to the Lord’s coming in judgment. Staying in context with the rest of the scriptures, FIRE and SWORD are metaphors.
Fire symbolizes God’s righteous judgment.
The immediate context defines the meaning.
Notice the progression:
- The LORD comes.
- He comes in fire.
- He brings anger.
- He rebukes with flames.
- He executes judgment.
- Many are slain.
The fire is not described as cleansing or refining; it is an instrument of divine justice against those who persist in rebellion.
This same imagery appears throughout Scripture:
- Deuteronomy 4:24 – “The LORD your God is a consuming fire.”
- Psalm 97:3 – “Fire goes before Him and burns up His adversaries.”
- 2 Thessalonians 1:7–8—Christ is revealed “from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution…”
- Hebrews 12:29 – “Our God is a consuming fire.”
The consistent theme is that God’s holiness consumes evil.
- Fire reveals God’s holiness
Fire often accompanies God’s visible presence.
Examples include:
- The burning bush (Exodus 3)
- Mount Sinai (Exodus 19)
- The pillar of fire in the wilderness
- Ezekiel’s vision of God’s glory
- Daniel’s vision of God’s throne
- Pentecost (Acts 2), where tongues “as of fire” symbolize the Holy Spirit’s presence
Because God is perfectly holy, His presence brings different outcomes depending on the person’s relationship to Him:
- To believers, His presence refines and purifies.
- To the unrepentant, His holiness brings judgment.
The same holy God is experienced differently.
- Fire is paired with the sword
Isaiah 66:16 says,
“The LORD will execute judgment by fire and by His sword.”
The sword represents God’s authority and His decisive word of judgment.
This parallels Revelation 19, where Christ returns:
- in glory,
- accompanied by heaven’s armies,
- and a sharp sword proceeds from His mouth with which He strikes the nations.
Both Isaiah 66 and Revelation 19 portray the Messiah returning in judgment.
- Fire in prophetic literature is often symbolic
Prophets frequently used vivid imagery to communicate theological realities.
The point is not necessarily that God is limited to literal flames, but that His judgment is:
- irresistible,
- consuming,
- holy,
- and complete.
Some interpreters understand aspects of the imagery literally, while others see it as symbolic language describing the overwhelming power of God’s judgment. Either way, the theological meaning is the same.
- The context of Isaiah 66
The final chapter of Isaiah contrasts two groups:
The faithful
- humble
- trembling at God’s word (66:2)
- ultimately comforted and vindicated
The rebellious
- hypocritical worshipers
- idolaters
- those rejecting God’s ways
Verses 15–16 announce God’s judgment on the second group before the chapter concludes with the establishment of God’s universal kingdom.
Biblical pattern of fire
Throughout Scripture, fire carries several related meanings:
| Fire Represents | Example |
| God’s holy presence | Exodus 3; Exodus 19 |
| Judgment | Isaiah 66:15–16; 2 Thessalonians 1:7–8 |
| Purification | Malachi 3:2–3 |
| Testing faith | 1 Peter 1:7 |
| The Holy Spirit | Acts 2:3 |
The context determines which meaning is intended.
Conclusion
In Isaiah 66:15–16, fire most clearly represents God’s holy and righteous judgment. The Lord comes in power to judge those who reject Him, and the fire vividly portrays the irresistible, consuming nature of His justice. This passage also anticipates New Testament descriptions of Christ’s return in judgment, particularly 2 Thessalonians 1:7–8 and Revelation 19, where the Messiah comes from heaven to defeat His enemies. Isaiah 66 is one of the strongest Old Testament passages connecting the Lord’s final coming with His judgment of the nations.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
- Jude 14–15
“Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all…”
- Psalm 110:5–6
A Messianic psalm quoted frequently in the New Testament.
“The Lord (God the Father) is at Your (God the Son) right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath.
He will judge among the nations.”
But, let’s not expect that Jesus will return to earth and join an earthly (human) army and go into battle. Please see Revelation 19:12-19, and get the context for the above referenced scenarios and scriptures.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies, which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great feast of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, both free and slaves, and small and great.”
19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse, and against His army (in the heavens).
Either way…
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
The practice of focusing on a scripture verse without considering its context and using it to support a doctrine is known as prooftexting.
Characteristics of Prooftexting
- Isolation of Verses: A single verse is taken out of its surrounding passage, ignoring the broader narrative or message.
- Misinterpretation Risk: This approach can lead to misinterpretations, as the verse may not convey the intended meaning when separated from its context.
- Doctrinal Support: Prooftexting is often used to justify specific beliefs or doctrines, regardless of whether the verse aligns with the overall teachings of the Bible.
Consequences of Prooftexting
- Loss of Meaning: The original intent of the scripture can be lost, leading to a distorted understanding of biblical teachings.
- Divisiveness: This method can create divisions within Christian communities, as differing interpretations arise from the same isolated verses.
- Ignoring Context: Important factors such as historical, cultural, and theological contexts are overlooked, which are crucial for accurate interpretation.
Understanding prooftexting is essential for responsible biblical interpretation and ensuring that scripture is applied correctly in faith and practice.
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