“These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”
My Notes
What Does Revelation 17:14 Mean?
The armies aligned with the beast make war with the Lamb — and the Lamb overcomes them. The outcome is not in doubt. The Lamb wins because he is Lord of lords and King of kings.
The paradox is deliberate: a lamb defeating armies. The most vulnerable animal in the agricultural world — gentle, harmless, sacrificial — is the one who conquers the mightiest military forces in the universe. Power through weakness. Victory through sacrifice.
"They that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful" describes the Lamb's companions with three qualities: called (invited by God), chosen (selected by God), and faithful (proven through endurance). The victory belongs to the Lamb, but his people share in it.
Lord of lords and King of kings — the superlative titles establish absolute supremacy. No lord outranks him. No king overrules him. He is the ultimate authority in every category.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does the Lamb overcoming armies reveal about the nature of divine power?
- 2.How do 'called, chosen, and faithful' describe your own position with the Lamb?
- 3.What opposition in your life feels like armies — and how does this verse reframe it?
- 4.How does the paradox of a conquering Lamb challenge worldly definitions of strength?
Devotional
The Lamb shall overcome them. Armies against a Lamb. The mightiest military coalition in human history against the most vulnerable animal in the farmyard. And the Lamb wins.
That is the scandal of Christian theology: power through weakness. Victory through sacrifice. The one who conquered death did not do it by fighting. He did it by dying. And the pattern holds: the Lamb overcomes not by force but by being who he is.
For he is Lord of lords, and King of kings. The Lamb is not just gentle. He is supreme. Every lord answers to him. Every king bows before him. The vulnerability and the authority belong to the same person.
They that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. If you are with the Lamb — called by God, chosen by God, faithful through endurance — you share the victory. The overcome is not just his. It is yours.
Whatever forces are arrayed against you — however powerful the opposition seems — it is making war with a Lamb who is also the King of kings. And the Lamb has never lost.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
These shall make war with the Lamb,.... The Lord Jesus Christ, so often spoken of in this book under this character, Rev…
These shall make war with the Lamb - The Lamb of God - the Lord Jesus (See the notes at Rev 5:6); that is, they would…
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and…
Here we have some account of the downfall of Babylon, to be more fully described in the following chapter.
I. Here is a…
These shall make war with the Lamb See the same passages.
Lord of lords, and King of kings Rev 19:16; Dan 2:47.
they…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture