Armageddon – The Battle of all Ages
“Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.”
Revelation 16:12-16
This is Armageddon – and it will be biblical. The battle of all ages will be the culmination of mankind’s corporate rebellion against God and the focal point of His covenant: Israel. The kings of the earth will be gathered together for this great confrontation, directed by divine providence through demonic manipulation. Coming at the end of the great tribulation, Armageddon represents the climax of Satan’s wrath (Revelation 12:12), the fateful consequence of mankind’s unrepentant hearts, and the revelation of the power, glory, and authority of God in Christ Jesus. It will be the righteous judgement of all peoples, nations, tribes, and tongues. It will be the terror of God’s vengeance, and the establishment of God’s rule and dominion on Earth.
“For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.”
Joel 3:1-2
In the popular understanding, Armageddon signifies an apocalyptic battle. But the sole occurrence of the word in Scripture (Revelation 16:16) actually denotes a geographical location in Israel, approximately 100 km due north of Jerusalem. Locally it is known as Har-Megiddo or the Hill of Megiddo, overlooking the Plain of Esdraelon – Jezreel Valley to the Jews. Scripture indicates this location will be a marshalling area or the site of an initial confrontation where the armies of the world will “gather” with the intent to occupy and subdue Israel. However, the battle will proceed to and culminate in the city of Jerusalem itself (Zechariah 12:1-3).
“Behold, the day of Jehovah comes, and your spoil shall be divided in your midst. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.”
Zechariah 14:1-2
The nation of Israel will face overwhelming odds and unrelenting force as a global military federation marches southward from Armageddon towards the capital. Jerusalem will be captured but not completely occupied, because the Scriptures speak of a remnant of defending Jewish forces holding on for dear life to the only hope they have left: that their Messiah will finally appear and rescue them from extinction. And so it shall be.
“Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle.”
Zechariah 14:3
Return of the Christ – The Culmination of the Age
The united armies of the earth will strive forward with satanic commitment, empowered by the beast to destroy the nation of Israel. They are determined to finally eradicate the People of the Book from existence, who stand as a perpetual reminder of God’s covenant and coming kingdom. Israeli and any supporting forces will crumble under the enormous pressure of the global coalition united against them. The armies are gathered for the final battle and climax of this age: a proxy war for the clash between the current satanic principalities and Creation’s true King, Jesus the Christ. But when humanity has united against you, and your remaining hope is in God alone – then the God of all gods will stand with you in your time of need.
“It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”
Zechariah 12:9
There will never again be a supernatural event quite like this. As the lightning coming from the east is visible in the west, so shall be the appearance of the Son of Man, the creator of all things, Jesus – Return of the Christ.
“He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”
Revelation 19:15
On that day, the day of the Lord, “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29) – on the great and dreadful day of God’s wrath. It will be a day of thick darkness, distress, and terror among the nations, as the author of existence unveils His absolute authority and divine judgement. The return of Jesus Christ will be the culmination of the age. It will be a day like no other.
“The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; the sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness. The LORD gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?”
Joel 2:10-11
On that day, at the last trumpet, God’s wrath will be poured out without mixture against the nations gathered against Jerusalem, and the world’s armies will be decimated by supernatural power. Humanity will finally see Jesus for who He truly is, as the interdimensional cosmic veil is pulled back like a scroll to reveal the mystery of godliness, with heaven’s gates opened and made visible to the realm of men.
“And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.”
Revelation 16:21
“And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.”
Zechariah 14:12
“The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries.”
Psalms 110:5-6
The peoples of the earth will mourn because, regrettably, they have rejected God’s plan of redemption, God’s Messiah, the one true saviour. It will be a day of fire, destruction and retribution, but also of redemption.
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
Matthew 24:29-30
Redemption of Israel
At His return as King, Jesus’ feet will stand once again on the very location from which He ascended into Heaven more than 2,000 years prior (Acts 1:9–12). The Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem will physically crumble at the presence of God Almighty as the earth trembles, shaken by the most severe earthquake since men were on Earth (Revelation 16:18).
“Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.”
Zechariah 14:3-4
The remnant in Jerusalem, destined to survive these terrible times, will receive the Spirit of grace and supplication (Zechariah 12:10) in such measure that their hearts will be moved to perceive their one true Lord and prophesied Messiah. Their eyes will be opened; He was born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) by a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), descended from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through the tribe of Judah, and He will sit on the throne of David (Isaiah 9:7). The blindness of Israel will be lifted, and those who once rejected Him will receive the full measure of His incomparable love and grace. Finally, the Jewish people are to be reunited with their Lord, the one true God of Israel – “And they shall be My people, and I will be their God.” It is one of the most anticipated moments in Scripture, when God’s grace is poured out in the long-awaited redemption of the Jewish people.
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo”
Zechariah 12:10-11
“For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, lest you should be wise within yourselves; that blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the nations has comes in. And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written,
“There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is My covenant with them, when I have taken away their sins.””
Romans 11:25-26
“And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the remnant whom the LORD calls.”
Joel 2:32
“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”
Revelation 1:7
Judgement of the Harlot, Beast, and Dragon
At the culmination of the age, when Jesus Christ returns to earth, the political, religious, and economic superstructure established over mankind in Revelation chapter 13 will be judged and found wanting by the One who was found worthy. All corrupt human dominion will be cast down, and the reign of righteousness in Christ will begin. The primary “ten-horned beast” will be completely destroyed along with its leader, the “little horn” or Antichrist. However, the rest of the national system “beasts”, with their rulership taken away, will be allowed to remain under the kingdom of God for a “season and a time” (Daniel 7:12). Not so the religious system and its false prophet, who will receive severe reprisal on judgement day.
“Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.”
Revelation 19:20
Great attention is given in Scripture to the debauched harlot’s destruction. We see God’s utter disdain for the world religious system, set up and imposed on mankind to exploit the misguided faith of the masses. From now until Armageddon, the prostitute’s sins will only become more profound, bringing upon herself swift judgement. She boasts in her heart that she “sits as queen” and “will not see sorrow”. However, the Scriptures document that she traffics in the “bodies and souls of men” and lusts after the riches and luxuries of this age, which are destined to rot and decay. She has exchanged temporary glory for eternal damnation. Throughout the generations, this brutal system persecuted those who stayed true to God’s Word, and the woman is portrayed “drunk with the blood of the saints”. Consequently, Revelation 18 speaks of a double portion of God’s punishment; she will be consumed by God’s holy fire.
“… And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.”
Revelation 16:19
“Therefore her plagues will come in one day, death and mourning and famine. And she will be consumed with fire, for the Lord God who judges her is strong.”
Revelation 18:8
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from Heaven, having great authority. And the earth was lighted up from his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great has fallen, has fallen! And it has become the dwelling-place of demons, and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a cage of every unclean bird which has been hated, because of the wine of the anger of her fornication which all the nations have drunk. And the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her. And the merchants of the earth became rich from the power of her luxury.”
Revelation 18:1-3
“And after these things I heard a great sound of a numerous crowd in Heaven, saying, Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and honor and the power to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments. For He has judged the great harlot who defiled the earth with her fornication, and He has avenged the blood of His servants out of her hand. And secondly they said, Hallelujah! And her smoke rose up forever and ever.”
Revelation 19:1-3
Finally, the god of this age, who has deceived mankind since the beginning, will be removed from the earth, losing his ability to influence its inhabitants for a time. This is the devil who has wrought immeasurable devastation throughout history, blinding and deceiving humanity in an attempt to establish his own kingdom and to see as many as possible cut off from God forever. But he also, with all of creation, will bow down at the presence of God Almighty. At the cross of Christ, Satan was defeated – at the return of Christ, Satan will be judged.
“And I saw an angel come down from Heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. And he cast him into the abyss and shut him up and set a seal on him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years should be fulfilled. And after that he must be loosed a little time.”
Revelation 20:1-3
As it is written, so shall it be done.