Under the driving force of the unclean inspired expressions the “kings of the entire inhabited earth” are gathered, not against one another in international war, but together, all on the one side of the battlefield of Har–Magedon.

7. (a) Who are on the other side of the battlefield of Har–Magedon? (b) How do we determine what the issue is over which the oncoming war is to be fought?

⁷ Who, then, are on the other side of that battleground? It is plainly stated that the ousted, debased “dragon” expressed his anger and wrath against God’s womanlike organization that had given birth to the heavenly Messianic kingdom. At Revelation 12:17 we read: “The dragon grew wrathful at the woman, and went off to wage war with the remaining ones of her seed, who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness to Jesus.” Since the birth of the Messianic kingdom in the heavens at the end of the Gentile Times in 1914, that Jesus is the reigning Messianic King. So it is not to a newborn baby Jesus that these witness-bearers offer testimony, but it is to the reigning King Jesus the Messiah. So what then? These facts put God’s reigning King Jesus Christ and the womanlike heavenly organization that gave birth to the Kingdom on the other side of the battlefield of Har–Magedon, facing the yet-reigning “kings of the entire inhabited earth.” It is evident that the issue over which the forthcoming war is to be fought is kingdom power over the earth!

8. (a) How is it determined when the war over the Kingdom issue is to take place? (b) How is it shown whether earth’s kings are pro-God or otherwise?

⁸ In order to signify just when the war is to be fought over the Kingdom issue, it is said that the “kings of the entire inhabited earth” are gathered for “the war of the great day of God the Almighty.” In spite of all the prayers that the clergymen of Christendom may offer for those gathered kings, Almighty God is not with those political rulers. Those “kings” are not pro-God; they are pro-Devil. They are anti-Christ, for they are against the newborn kingdom of Christ. It cannot be otherwise but that God the Almighty is implicated in this war at Har–Magedon, for He is the Father of the newborn kingdom of his Christ. He is determined that his Messianic kingdom shall stay in power since the close of the Gentile Times in 1914, and that this heavenly kingdom shall rule over all the earth and its inhabitants. The “kings of the entire inhabited earth” refuse to acknowledge the existence of this established Messianic kingdom. They refuse to take off their crowns and step down from their earthly thrones and yield over their kingdom power to God’s Messianic kingdom.

10. (a) After noting the battle lineup of the earthly forces at Har–Magedon, what else do we want to know? (b) Whom does Revelation definitely show to be the one against whom the earthly forces are lined up?

¹⁰ The last book of the Holy Bible does not leave us merely with a prophetic vision of the lineup of the war-minded “kings of the entire inhabited earth” at Har–Magedon, and with the outcome of the impending “war” in doubt. The Revelation describes how the war turns out. It tells us what happens to that symbolic “wild beast” and the “false prophet” out of whose mouths come forth those unclean inspired expressions like frogs. It tells us what befalls those “kings of the entire inhabited earth” and their armies and their backers and supporters. Yes, the book of Revelation definitely tells us against whom these kings and their armies and the “wild beast” and the “false prophet” are now lined up to fight, at the world situation called Har–Magedon. They are lined up against the crowned, reigning King Jesus Christ and his heavenly armies.

11. How does Revelation 19:11-16 present the heavenly lineup at Har–Magedon?

¹¹ Under inspiration, the Christian apostle John tells us: “I saw the heaven opened, and, look! a white horse. And the one seated upon it is called Faithful and True, and he judges and carries on war in righteousness . . . and the name he is called is The Word of God. Also, the armies that were in heaven were following him on white horses, and they were clothed in white, clean, fine linen. . . . He treads too the winepress of the anger of the wrath of God the Almighty. And upon his outer garment, even upon his thigh, he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”​—Rev. 19:11-16.

12, 13. (a) Why do we have to be either on the one side or on the other as respects this war? (b) How is it shown whether a difference is made because some rulers are of Christendom, and, by belonging to one side or the other, what do we know?

¹² On whose side, then, are we determined to take our stand, on the side of this King of kings or on the side of the “kings of the entire inhabited earth”? There is no neutral ground at the world situation called Har–Magedon! It is over the issue of the ownership and rulership of the whole earth that this now-near war is to be fought to a settlement for all time.

¹³ It makes no difference that some of the “kings” or political rulers rule over nations that make up religious Christendom; these “kings” too are determined to keep their sovereignty over their parts of the earth rather than let Jesus Christ the King of kings govern the whole earth from heaven. The book of Revelation makes no distinction between the kings and presidents of Christendom and those of the non-Christian world. The apostle John lumps all the kings of the earth together and says: “And I saw the wild beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage the war with the one seated on the horse and with his army.” (Rev. 19:19) The kings of Christendom as well as those of heathendom have followed the lead of the inspired expression that came out of this political “wild beast” as well as that out of the mouth of the political “false prophet.” Hence, we know against just whom we are lined up if we belong to the “armies” and supporters of those “kings of the earth.” If we choose to be on their side, then the outcome of the “war” at Har–Magedon we ought to consider.

14. What decision do we have to make as to whom we will listen on the outcome of the war, and what does the apostle John write about it?

¹⁴ On the outcome of this universal war, are we going to listen to what the political “false prophet” has to say, or what the inspired apostle John said? As a forewarning to us today, John wrote: “And the wild beast was caught, and along with it the false prophet that performed in front of it the signs with which he misled those who received the mark of the wild beast and those who render worship to its image. While still alive, they both were hurled into the fiery lake that burns with sulphur. But the rest 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.”​—Rev. 19:20, 21.

15. Whose victory would we call that as described in Revelation, and with what words of the psalmist are we moved to cry out?

¹⁵ At this inspired advance vision of the outcome of the “war of the great day of God the Almighty” at Har–Magedon, what shall we say? Does it mean a divine victory? Although the apostle John himself in the record does not express his exultation over the war’s outcome, we who love the rightful rule of the earth cannot refrain from calling it indeed a victory of God the Almighty. In faith we are moved to take up the words of the inspired psalmist and cry out: “Sing a new song to the LORD, for he has done marvellous deeds; his right hand and holy arm have won him victory. The LORD has made his victory known; he has displayed his righteousness to all the nations. . . . All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.”​—Ps. 98:1-3, NE; AV; An American Translation; Moffatt; The New American Bible.