What is the Battle of Armageddon all about? Where is it mentioned in the Bible? What is the meaning of this end-time battle?
The Word Armageddon
The word Armageddon is a compound word. The word may come from the Hebrew “har Megiddo” which means “mountain of Megiddo.” Megiddo is not really a mountain but a large hill that was created by people long ago where ancient forts were built as a defense against other nations. Megiddo is located to the east of the Plains of Jezreel, which is just south of Galilee in what was originally Judea. Archeologists and Bible scholars can not completely agree on its precise location. It may have been where Josiah was killed by Pharaoh Necho which is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 35:22. The exact location of the mountain of Megiddo is not as important as the belief that a final, titanic battle between end-time forces will take place. Napoleon once commented that it’s the perfect place for a battle to take place.
Armageddon in the Bible
Armageddon is only mentioned once by name in Revelation 16:14-16, “They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.” Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.” Exactly when this end-time battle will take place can only be speculated upon. What is known is that the head of these kings are under the rule of demonic spirits and the head of this army must be Satan himself. It is nothing for Satan to take over the human armies because “Satan, who leads the whole world astray” (Revelation 12:9) and has “deceived the inhabitants of the earth” (Revelation 13:14). This battle will be like no other battle that has ever taken place because Satan has the power to “go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth–Gog and Magog–to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore” (Revelation 20:8).
It’s important to realize that the Book of Revelation is not written in exact chronological order. That is, it is not written in exact time order or in a sequence of events. What we do know is that Satan is “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (1 Corinthians 4:4).
What is Armageddon?
What is the Battle of Armageddon all about?
Not all scholars believe in the end-time battle of Armageddon. For example, there are many trustworthy scholars that do not believe in the rapture and that the Great Tribulation had already occurred in AD 70 when the Roman commander Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. They see this as the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy that “not one stone would be left upon another” (Matthew 24:2). This was fulfilled in AD 70 when the temple was destroyed and ransacked and as Jesus precisely prophesied, not one stone was left on another. Jesus said this during His famous Olivet Prophecy when the disciples asked Him about the signs of the end of the age and of His second coming (Matthew 24:3).
Other Bible scholars believe this battle is yet to occur and will be the culmination of the forces of evil, behind the sway of Satan and his demons, against Christ Himself and all His holy angels. Satan will have deceived the world so much that they actually believe that they can fight God and win! That is the height of folly to believe that humans can defeat God. Sadly, people who are deceived don’t know that they are, otherwise they wouldn’t be deceived. Is this what God was referring to when He inspired Joel to write, “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land” (Joel 3:2)? The Valley of Jehoshaphat is believed to be the valley that lies just below Mount Megiddo. What is interesting is that the name Jehoshaphat means “the judgments of Yah (God).”
Armageddon is not so much a place as it is an event just as heaven is more than a place but it is a Person – and that is God. Will this great battle be the reason that the “sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31)? The prophet Zachariah mentions an event very similar to that of Joel: “A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness. [reminiscent of Joel 2:31] It will be a unique day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light.” (Zachariah 14:1-7)
Conclusion
Bible prophecy peaks our curiosity and it makes us spend much time in watching world events and trying to tie them into what the prophecies say. The problem with getting too entangled into prophecy is that it takes our eyes off of Christ. It makes us more a student of prophecy than a disciple of Christ. Jesus wants us to keep our eyes on Him and keep looking up. There is nothing for anyone to be concerned about in the world news or in Bible prophecy if they have placed their trust in Christ. Who can separate us from our Saving God? Short answer: No one or no thing! As Paul wrote, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:35, 37). Paul was “convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). That about covers it all! If you haven’t put your trust in Christ, you will be separated from God for all eternity. My prayer for all of those who are reading this is that they will trust in Christ. Then nothing “will able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Amen!
How do you keep your eyes upon Jesus? Read what He says and meditate upon His words:
Resource – New International Version Bible, The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblca, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide, YouTube “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” by Alan Jackson
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