THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON
The word "Armageddon" has been the term that flashes through people's minds when any war of serious consequence hits the headlines.' More recent events such as the Arab-Israeli conflicts of 1967 and 1973 have set many more people to wondering what is to happen next. Are we headed for another World War, and is the end of this age imminent? After all, the very area that constitutes the plains of Esdraelon and Armageddon (an area in Palestine) is an area of controversy right now. In the Bible, "Armageddon" is used to describe the location in which the armies of the nations of the entire world are gathered in one last great conflict. This most destructive of all wars will signal the end of this age and the beginning of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Where Will the Battle of Armageddon be Fought?
In Revelation 16 we are told of seven plagues that will fall at the
culmination of the Gospel Age. The sixth plague is described in verses 12-16:
And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and
the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be
prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs (It was used many times
to describe World Wars I and 11 as people wondered if this age would culminate
in one of these conflicts.) come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of
the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are
the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto 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 come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and
keepeth his garments lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered
them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
This last great war is usually referred to as the Battle of Armageddon, receiving its name from the location where the battle will be fought. The Biblical name for it is "the battle of that great day of God Almighty." The place known as Armageddon is famous for two great victories: one of Barak over the Canaanites, and the other of Gideon over the Midianites. It is also identified with two great disasters: the deaths of Saul and of Josiah. It is located on the great plains of Esdraelon, not far from Jerusalem. The name Armageddon is from the Hebrew name Megiddo. Megiddo occupied a very marked position on the southern rim of the plain of Esdraelon. Many great battles have been fought there.
Compare the prophecy of Zechariah with that of the Revelator concerning this
last great battle and notice the similarity of the two prophecies:
Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the
midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle
(Zechariah 14:1, 2).
It would seem strange for the nations of the world to be gathered at Armageddon if it were not for two factors to consider. First, the Lord said He would gather all nations there as we read in Zechariah 14:1, 2.
The second factor is that the Lord is to permit the unclean spirits,
mentioned in Revelation 16,
to "go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world,
to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty." When Will
It be Fought? The Battle of Armageddon will take place just prior to the second
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy
spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 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. Then shall the
Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of
battle (Zechariah 14:1-3).
And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth (Revelation 11:18).
It is true that the world is sick of war, and even the very mention of it makes us feel apprehensive and fearful. Eminent statesmen, scientists, and high-ranking military men gravely assert that if there is another world war it may mean the destruction of man from the face of the earth. If men of the world are cognizant of such pending conditions rapidly coming on the earth, surely students of the Bible also can see them in the prophecies of God's Word.
The prophet Ezekiel in the 38th chapter describes a tremendous war and speaks of certain great powers rushing madly into mortal combat. From the prophet's apt description of the conflict, it is easily discerned that Ezekiel must be speaking of the same war described by John and Zechariah.
Ezekiel places this great war at a time after Israel has been restored as a
nation, and he terms this time as "the latter years" and "the
latter days" :
And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages;
I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safety, all of them dwelling
without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, to take a spoil, and to take a
prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and
upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle
and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land (Ezekiel 38:11, 12)..
There are those who teach that this line of thinking is detrimental, for they
believe that the Bible prophecies of the latter days are ones of peace and not
of war. But does the Word of God affirm these assertions and predictions? Does
the Bible speak of a peaceful era embracing the en- tire earth prior to the
coming of Jesus, or the exact opposite? Does prophecy foretell of the last days
preceding the return of Christ as days of peace or war? Will there be days of
darkness or light? Will there be days of trouble or tranquility? Will there be
days of clouds or days of sunshine? Note this Biblical account:
The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the
voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty men shall cry there bitterly. That day
is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and
desolation, a day of dark- ness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick
darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against
the high towers (Zephaniah 1:14-16).
Throughout Matthew 24 and Luke 21 the Saviour speaks of the end of the age being filled with wars, international conflicts, famines, pestilences, persecutions, false prophets, and false pretenders of the Messiah.
Paul spoke of the last days as being perilous, and gives the reasons for this
condition in 11 Timothy 3:1-5:
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men
shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection,
trucebreakers, false ac- cusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that
are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of
God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn
away.
These conditions are not descriptive of Utopia, but they do fully set forth the time in which we are living. The end of this age is not far away.
The nations of the world have not gathered at Jerusalem to battle since the days of the prophecies of Ezekiel, Zechariah, and John. These prophets always have spoken the truth, for all of their prophecies thus far have been fulfilled accurately. Evidence of the coming fulfillment of the prophecy of Armageddon easily may be seen today. The great powers of the world have their eyes on the middle east. The United States, Great Britain, Russia and others are committed to one or more nations in the surrounding area of Armageddon. These commitments presently include arms, money and advice just short of all out involvement in their recurrent conflicts. It doesn't seem that much would be required to draw the armies of these and other great powers into an open conflict.
Most Bible students agree that the main character in this grim world drama is Russia, called Gog in this prophecy. Gog and his descendants settled originally in the general area and territory now known as Russia.
What Nations Will be Concerned?
Naturally we are concerned about what nations will be engaged in this great conflict, for we are intrigued as we watch the various maneuvers of the nations of the world leading to Armageddon. This is a remarkable age, and we should be thankful to be able to witness the final fulfillments of Bible prophecy. In Ezekiel 38 is a detailed prophecy concerning the actions of certain great powers of Europe, Asia, and Africa as they prepare to march to Armageddon:
Son of man, set thy face against God, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, 0 Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: and I will turn thee back, and put hooks in thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomar, and 'all his bands, the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee (Ezekiel 38:2-6).
The allies of Russia are named in verses 5 and 6 as Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer and all his bands, the house of Togarmah and all his bands, and many other people.
Gog is the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. The names of Meshech and Tubal have been identified with the Russians and other Slavic peoples. The leader of this northern group of people is called "Gog."
Now notice the action they will take as recorded in the 8th, 15th, and 16th
verses:
After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come
back into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of
many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but
it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people
with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
and thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the
land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land,
that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, 0 Gog, before
their eyes.
Some have opposed the placing of Ezekiel's prophecy in these latter days, because the description of the armor does not coincide with modern-day equipment. But if we would place ourselves in the time of Ezekiel, without knowledge of modern warfare, how would we describe the armor and movement of the troops? It is true that the prophet speaks of horses and horsemen, shields, helmets, and swords, but Ezekiel also gives us the thought that they would be clothed with all sorts of armor.
We should not overlook the possibility of Ezekiel seeing in vision the great
air-coverage provided for warring troops in this age. Study carefully verse 9:
Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover
the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
As Russia and her allied nations march toward Palestine to meet their doom on
the battlefields of Armageddon, other great powers will come from the east to
take an active part in this last great conflict:
And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;
and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might
be prepared (Revelation 16:12).
Water represents peoples, multitudes, and nations (Revelation 17:15), so the people in the vicinity of the Euphrates would be submissive, or at least nonresistant, to the marching of the armies of the kings of the east, or of "the sun-rising," as they come to "the battle of the great day of God Almighty." China and Japan generally are recognized as kings of the east, or the kings of the rising-sun.
This will result in a great conflict, for Ezekiel 38:13 speaks of nations or
powers who will challenge the spoiling of Israel:
Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions
thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou
gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away
cattle and goods, to take a great spoil ?
Sheba and Dedan anciently referred to southern Arabia. However, the term "Sheba" also refers in general to "the south" (see Matthew 12:42). The land which Ezekiel refers to evidently is represented by the lion, and it had colonies or "young lions." The nation which uses the lion as its symbol is England, and all the British colonies are evidently the "young lions." They are lands of the "south," including South Africa, Australia, and the South Sea islands.
The Mediterranean Sea is called by two names on old maps: the Great Sea and the Sea of Tarshish. England always has been recognized as a great sea power, conducting her trade throughout the world by means of a tremendous fleet of ships. By her possession of the Rock of Gibralter, England has controlled the world trade of the Mediterranean Sea. England would fit the description of the Merchants of Tarshish.
It should be noted further that Great Britain has shown a strong interest in Israel for many years. It was a British leader, General Allenby, who marched his troops into Jerusalem in 1917 after the Turks had fled the city, thus opening the way eventually for the Jewish people to return to their homeland in great numbers. It was a British Jew, Sir Herberf Samuel, appointed in 1921, who was the first governor of Palestine under British mandate.
Three great forces soon will be marching toward Armageddon, which will
fulfill the following prophecies:
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom . . .
(Matthew 24:7). For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle . . .
(Zechariah 14:2); And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the
time of the dead that they should be judged ... (Revelation 11:18); and he
gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon
(Revelation 16:16).
What Will Bring an End to This Conflict?
When this battle is raging, and it seems as though the world itself will be destroyed, there will be something taking place that the world has never seen. Those who are unprepared to meet their God will cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them and hide them "from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of His wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:16, 17).
Notice how closely the prophets of the Old Scriptures agree on this point:
And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the
land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face. For
in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day
there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; so that the fishes of the
sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping
things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the
earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and
the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will
call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God:
every man's sword shall be against his brother (Ezekiel 38:18-21).
Now notice the next two verses especially, for they are so similar to some
found in the New Scriptures:
And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain
upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an
over- flowing rain, and great haiI stones, lire, and brimstone. Thus will I
magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many
nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord (Ezekiel 38:22, 23).
Compare this prophecy with the one found in Revelation 16:17-21:
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a
great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great
earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an
earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and
the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon come in remembrance before
God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And
every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon
men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and
men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague was
exceeding great.
This prophecy has to do with the falling of the seventh and last plague, and it will be fulfilled when the Battle of Armageddon is at its height.
Summary
A brief review of the references we have studied will help to establish them in a proper order in our minds.
At the falling of the sixth plague, the nations of the earth will gather for Armageddon. Israel, which has been re-established as a self-governing nation, will by that time have enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity. During this period, the great events leading directly to Armageddon begin to occur.
Russia and her satellite countries will begin the march toward Palestine, as the three unclean spirits go to the kings of the earth and deceive them into believing that the lot has fallen on them to rule the world. The kings of the East will find easy-going on the way to the battlefields of Armageddon as they march to their doom in this last great conflict. The other great nations of the earth pictured to us as the merchants of Tarshish and her young lions, and Sheba and Dedan, will resist the rape and pillage of Israel. They will engage in mortal combat, and thousands will fail in battle in that troublous time. Half of the city of Jerusalem will go into captivity; then the Lord, who has been so patient, will declare it to be enough, and the seventh plague will be poured out upon the earth.
At that time will be brought to pass the prophecy found in Psalm 110:5, 6;
The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his
wrath. He shall judge the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead
bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
Notice how Ezekiel describes the second coming of Christ at the height
of the great battle:
And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land
of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my
jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there
shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea,
and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping
things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the
earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and
the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will
call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God:
every man's sword shall be against his brother (Ezekiel 38:18-21).
Then shall appear the Lord Jesus Christ coming in all the glory of heaven and all the holy angels with Him.
Listen to the Psalmist as he continues the description of this great event: Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people (Psalm 50:3, 4).
Christ will put a quick end to the struggle. He then will become King over all the earth as He sets up His kingdom. For further study of these events see our tract, "The Thousand-Year Reign of Christ."
It is our hope that this study in prophecy has served to increase your faith. If you have not already made preparations to meet the Lord your God, we hope that those preparations will be made quickly.
It is good to study prophecy and to know of the things which are coming to pass on the earth. But unless we begin quickly to make preparations to meet our God, this knowledge will be in vain. If you are not ready to meet your Master in peace, now is the acceptable time. TODAY is the time to acknowledge your need of Him and of your desire to live for Him!
