Chapter 14 The Armies of Heaven At the Second Advent, Christ will be accompanied by the Armies of Heaven. Who are the Armies of Heaven? Are they the angels that helped Michael drive Satan and his angels out of heaven? The text that gives us this information is Rev 19:14: 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. An interesting clue provided in this text is that the Armies of Heaven are clothed in fine linen, white and clean. The only other text in the whole of Revelation that uses that phrase is 6 verses earlier, also defining the meaning of fine linen, white and clean: Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. It is speaking here about the bride of Christ, dressed in fine linen, clean and white. It also defines the fine linen as the righteousness of the saints. Now, would angels be wearing the righteousness of saints? It would be like a young soldier on parade, wearing his grandfather’s Second World War medals. That is just not done. The angels will not be clothed in the righteousness of the saints. It must be the saints that are the Armies of Heaven. Which saints are the Armies of Heaven? Rev 19:7, 8: 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. The bride of Christ is given the fine linen, clean and white. We saw in chapter 9 that the woman of Revelation clothed with the sun is the church of God at the End of Time – the 144 000. We also saw in the previous chapter that the Two Witnesses, the 144 000, are resurrected and taken up to heaven. Clearly this ascension is not just symbolic, but literal. They literally ascend to heaven and bear witness before the Father that the impenitent and persecutors are worthy of death. At the Second Advent then, they return to Earth with Jesus on white horses as the Armies of Heaven. This then implies a rapture of the 144 000, just before the Close of Probation. Not a secret rapture, because the whole world will be gazing upon this event: Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. This “premature” going to heaven has a precedent, not surprisingly, Moses and Elijah. Both of them went to heaven long before the Second Advent. Again, they are a type of the 144 000 who will also go to heaven not long before the Second Advent. Another type to this event comes from Noah and the flood. After 120 years of warning, the last warning sign the antediluvians had was the pairs of animals spontaneously gathering together and entering into the ark. The people watched in amazement, but still would not go over to Noah and enter into the ark. Likewise the people on Earth will see the 144 000 resurrected and then ascending into heaven. They acknowledge that the 144 000 were right in serving God, but they do not go over to Christ at this late hour. They give glory to God, but do not go over: Rev 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The remnant who are not slain in the earthquake in Babylon are those that did not come out of her. The 10th part that fell and were slain to Babylon are those that were converted to Christ. Are you committing your life and your all to Christ? He needs 144 000 saints to be His Two Witnesses, His bride, His Army from heaven.