The beast: the first beast, the one that came out of the sea (13.1-10; 17.11-14).

The kings of the earth with their armies: they are referred to in 16.14.

Gathered: this passive form reflects the account in 16.14, 16, where the three foul spirits bring the kings together for the final battle.

Against him who sits upon the horse: as in the frequent description of God as “the one who sits on the throne” (see 4.2-3, 9, 10; 5.1, 7, 13; 6.16; 7.15), so here the conquering Messiah is referred to by the phrase used to describe him in verse 11.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Then I saw the beast and all the kings (or, high chiefs) of the world, along with their soldiers (or, fighting men), gathering together to fight against the one who was riding on the horse and against his soldiers.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .