Rev 19:14  "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."

The following verses speak of the army of heaven:

1. Dan. 4:35 "And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

2. Rev. 19:14 "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."

3. Job 25:3 "Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?"

4. Joel 2:11 "And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?"

Just as the captain rode on a white horse, so do the armies, which follow him. However, the Captain was righteous in his own right, the armies which followed him were righteous through the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. Since the horse is associated with warfare and in Righteousness Jesus, does judge and make war, so the armies, which follow, judge according to the judgment that God has given them and make war according to the directions of their Captain.

In modern day warfare, the Generals send the men out to do battle and hazard their lives while the Generals stay behind to strategize the war in a much safer environment. Our Captain has gone before us into the very forefront of the battle and we follow him.

The warfare and the armies referred to above are engaged in a timely warfare here on earth. There will be no warfare in the glory world even as there will be no armies in the glory world. The armies in heaven spoken of in the scriptures are the armies in the kingdom of heaven here on earth. There are numerous verses of scripture, which speak to the fact that the church comprises the armies of heaven:

1. 2 Tim. 2:3 "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."

2. 2 Cor. 10:3 "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

3. 1 Tim. 1:18 "This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare."

4. Rev. 12:17 "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

5. Rom. 13:12 "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light."

6. 2 Cor. 6:7 "By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left."

7. Eph. 6:11 "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."

8. 1 Tim. 6:12 "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."

9. 2 Tim. 4:7 "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:"

10. 1 Cor. 9:7 "Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?"

The armies are clothed in fine line, clean and white. Verse 8 tells us, "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 Lord has made us righteous through his shed blood and now we are to go forth and fight the good fight of faith.

Rev 19:15 "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."

Verse 21 tells us that the sword proceeded out of the Lord's mouth. Even though most people do not realize it, God's word rules over all people. God is just and he rules in judgment according to his word.

Heb. 2:2 "For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him." God's word is like unto a sharp sword. It pierces the heart of his people, causes them to realize they are sinners, and then causes them to realize that He has saved them from their sins. It also pierces the non-elect to bring them to eternal judgment for sins.

With his word, he smites the nations and all that dwell within the nations. We see that God with his word judged the world before the flood, he judged Sodom and Gomorrah, he judged the nations in the land of Canaan, he judged Babylon, he judged Jerusalem, and many nations that have forgotten God he has judged to destruction.

Next, God rules them with a rod of iron. The rod represents the authority of God as God commanded Moses to stretch forth the rod of God and then God wrought many judgments and many miracles.

Iron represents bondage in the scriptures:

1. Deu. 4:20 "But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day."

2. Deu. 28:48 "Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee."

3. Josh. 17:16 "And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Bethshean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel."

4. 2 Sam. 23:7 "But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place."

5. Ps. 105:18 "Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron."

6. Ps. 107:10 "Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron."

7. Ps. 107:16 "For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder."

8. Ps. 149:8 "To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron."

9. Jere. 28:13 "Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. 14 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also."

God rules the nations according to his law and the breaking of his law brings forth bondage. When Adam broke his law in the Garden of Eden he brought himself and all his posterity under the bondage of the law of sin and death. Thus the nations of people are judged according to his laws and by his authority.

The Lord not only executed God's wrathful judgment for the sins of His people at the cross, when he was made to be sin for us, but he also executes the wrath of God in a timely manner upon the nations of the earth and upon the people of the earth. Furthermore, he executes the wrathful judgment of God upon the non-elect in eternal judgment.