Armageddon

And He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. Revelation 16:6

Today more than ever before we see an interest in the subject of the war of all wars... Armageddon. Books and movies with varying theories and ideas are finding there way into the minds of the curious and the concerned, those who are beginning to feel a sense of impending crisis. Is there such a battle? Where and when will it take place? Who will be involved in this conflict that will change life as we now know it? We can find the answers to all our questions in the pages of Holy Scripture and truly understand what lies ahead?

The great tribulation looms ominously on the horizon with mighty judgments that will rock the very foundation of a stubborn and godless world. It will sorely test the faith and endurance of God’s people as they cling with unyielding faith to their Creator. Today, as in ages past, a careless and complacent society slumbers on in darkness, oblivious to the forces now at work that will destroy all that we hold dear. The mighty angels of Revelation 14 sound their clarion call to a world held hostage by the prince of evil. Their three-fold message is the most solemn in all scripture... give glory to God as creator of heaven and earth for God’s judgment has come, flee the bondage and errors of spiritual Babylon, and lastly they warn of the fearful results of receiving the mark of the beast. This message will circle the globe with powerful results. Oh what a time of judgment! The hour has come, the cup of iniquity is full, and God must now perform His strange act and remove sin and sinner from His presence. Again, as in the days of Noah, when men’s hearts were evil continually, He must cleanse the world of all that defiles. His final act of love is to free mankind from the ravages of sin. It is sin He will finally destroy, and all who cling to it and refuse His pleas to return to Him in faith and obedience, must suffer the fires of destruction. With pain and a broken heart He will give them the desire of their heart.

Our decision to render obedience to God or the mighty workings of Satan through deceived and deluded civil and religious powers, will bring into play the great battle of Armageddon. It will be the Seal of God versus the mark of the beast. It will be the final battle of truth against error, of God’s law versus man’s indignant and obstinate desire to have his own way. All must choose, there is no middle ground. Our destiny hangs in the balance... eternal life or eternal death. The midnight hour approaches and the hour glass of earth's history is fast running out. The time of preparation grows short. In mercy God delays His return, not willing that any should perish but that all, all of His precious creation, can hear the Gospel and come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). But unfortunately there will come a time when He can delay no longer. That day will come as a thief in the night to many who have failed to prepare, to watch, to pray, to study, to listen to the warnings of His nearness. The signs of the times go unnoticed, unheard, unheeded as many follow that broad path that leads to destruction. Are we prepared to understand the fulfillment of the prophecies of Revelation as they unfold in this final generation? Or has Satan deceived and blinded us to the truth? Satan understands the scripture and the plan of salvation. How urgent our need to know and understand these issues that we may be prepared to endure the trial of our faith.

Who is the beast, its image and its mark? Who is the false prophet, the anti-Christ, the great whore and mighty Babylon? Important issues as we face the coming time of trouble!! The trumpets, the plagues and the battle of Armageddon will usher in the second coming of Christ. Do we understand these events? The book of Revelation is a powerful tool that will prepare the earnest in heart for what lies ahead. Only those who have fortified themselves with the great truths locked therein can stand firm against some of the greatest deceptions that have ever faced mankind. Are all these deceptions setting us up for a counterfeit Armageddon, a counterfeit second coming, a miscomprehension of the beast and his mark? Have we deluded ourselves into a coming reign of peace when there is no peace? Has Satan so weakened our faith in the truth that we can no longer discern error? Most of all, has he twisted our attitude about God, His justice, His mercy and His love?

Does the battle of Armageddon revolve around Israel and the Middle East? Many today feel that Jerusalem will be restored and the sacrifices reinstituted before the second coming. What does the Bible mean by predicting the return of the Jews to Jerusalem? Question?... Where did God’s people come out of when they returned to Israel? They come out of Babylon! Perhaps this is an important key to understanding Revelation’s final warning..... “Babylon the great is fallen.....come out of her my people” Revelation 18:2-4. Since the literal city of Babylon no longer exits this must have a spiritual application. So what does Babylon represent? Reformers looked upon Babylon as the church that had lost its pure faith.... a corrupt Christianity which forfeits truth or virtue for the sake of false teachings or worldly ideas. Does coming out of Babylon perhaps represent forsaking anything that denies God’s Covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ? Having faith in Him only as our Savior, our Redeemer, our High Priest, the Lord of Lord and King of Kings, and trusting implicitly in His Word as our guide. Returning to Jerusalem today means waiting by faith “for the city whose builder and maker is God”.........the New Jerusalem (Hebrews 11:10).

With this all in mind, lets try to understand the scenes of this great battle of Armageddon mentioned in Revelation 16 where we find the vials of wrath that hold the seven last plagues that fall without mercy upon the unrepentant world. These seven last plagues show the anger of a merciful God who has born long with a sinful world and now rains down His mighty judgment. As the plagues that fell upon ancient Egypt served to liberate Israel from bondage, so the plagues that fall upon spiritual Babylon will free God’s people from her tyranny.....the final exodus of mankind from this sinful and sorrowful world.

The battle of Armageddon , the sixth plague of Revelation 16 is not, as many think, in the plain of Megiddo, but represents a global battle of spiritual proportions. The dramatic outcome of the mortal combat between the enemies of God and Christ is called “Armageddon”. Armageddon parallels that mighty showdown on Mt. Carmel between Elijah and the enemies of God (1 Kings 8:20-40). The prophet Elijah summoned the nation to appear on the mountain to judge between true and false worship, between God and Baal. God won a great victory that day at Carmel. He defeated the enemies of His covenant, as He will again at Armageddon.

What causes this final battle? What causes God to pour out His wrath without mercy on His creation? A study of the seven first plagues (Revelation 8,9) which opens the door for the time of tribulation, the workings of the beast, his image and His mark as revealed in Revelation 13 and the persecution of God’s faithful remnant, will lay the foundation for understanding the final battle of Armageddon, the doom of Babylon and the second coming. The world under Satan's leadership reaches the height of rebellion against God, His truth and those whose chose to remain faithful to His commandments. The enemies of God suffering the pain of the first seven plagues are driven on by Satan (the anti-Christ) to call for the destruction of those who refuse to bow to his demands and worship him and his false system of worship (the beast) and accept its authority or mark. The wrath of God now knows no bounds. His saints are about to be destroyed. Rebellion has finally brought mankind to the “mountain of God”, their “Armageddon”, their decision for or against God. The world will now experience the wrath of God, and must now face Him whom they have scorned. Revelation 16:17-21 tells the end of earth’s rebellion and ushers in the second coming of Christ in the clouds of glory. “The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne saying, “It is done.” Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth , so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of His wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible. The battle is over! The plagues complete. Those who have remained faithful can lift their voices in joy as they see the clouds depart and know their redemption has come! John’s vision of Armageddon in Rev 19 most extensively unfolds God’s response to the satanic plot against His children. Christ, the celestial warrior, appears to deliver His church and to execute judgment on the wicked. He is faithful to His covenant promises and will fulfill them with His glorious appearance in the Eastern sky!!

The vials of wrath need to be studied and understood in their intensity. The powers of evil will not relinquish their hold on mankind without a fierce struggle. For this we must be prepared! Every form of evil will come against the saints of God to deceive and to destroy. All the world will be on one side or the other. Those who are loyal to God and those who stand under the banner of the prince of darkness. What a time of ultimate decision. The battle of Armageddon will come, and the trial will be fierce for those who chose to follow God. Will this hour of preparation find us sleeping, unprepared and without oil in our lamps? The power of the Holy Spirit must guide us with the Lord at the helm of our hearts to direct our path. Critical times are upon us, trumpet after trumpet will sound, vial after vial will be poured out, until the will of the God has been accomplished. Many are sleeping, and this Satan uses to his advantage. Its time to awake and be prepared for the battle of the ages! The hour grows desperately short !!!!!