ARMAGEDDON All bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise indicated.
Introduction Many people in Christian circles hear the word "Armageddon", yet don't know exactly what that means. Some believe it will be a nuclear holocaust, others believe it will be a sever natural disaster (meteor impact, pandemic, etc.), and yet others believe it will be a war involving Heaven and Earth. The purpose of this essay is to show what the bible says regarding Armageddon.
Scriptural Reference The word "Armageddon" is used only once in the bible at Revelation 16:16: Some versions use the term "Har-Magedon" instead: (American Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version, etc. ). What does the bible say concerning this Armageddon?
Description of Armageddon Since vs. 14 speaks of these "kings" as being assembled to the "battle of the great day of God", and vs. 16 says they're gathered to a place called Armageddon, it stands to reason that Armageddon is the battleground on which the universal revolution is fought. A few pages later, Revelation continues the description of Armageddon: These verses confirm Armageddon is a war between God's Government and all earthly governments.
The White Horse Rider The one seated on the white horse mentioned in verse 11 is Jesus Christ, a.k.a. Yeshua, leading God's army, as supported in Revelation 17:14 shows: These will make war against the Lamb but the Lamb will conquer them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those with him are called the elect and faithful.
Putting It All Together Essentially, the scriptures are saying that Armageddon is the location of a revolution of universal proportions: God's Kingdom overthrows all human governments and becomes the sole government, reigning in love and kindness forever. Yahweh's disposal of all human government and establishing His own government is a theme that ties the entire bible together. Some scriptures showing this are: 2 Samuel 7:12-13, Isaiah 9:7, Romans 14:17, 1 Corinthians 15:24-26, James 2:5, Revelation 11:15. This is supported in other scriptures, such as: Daniel 2:44 In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever. Zephaniah 3:8-9 Therefore, wait for me -- the Lord's Declaration -- until the day I rise up for plunder, for my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, in order to pour out my indignation on them, all my burning anger; for the whole earth will be consumed by the fire of My jealousy. For I will then restore pure speech to the peoples so that all of them may call on the name of Yahweh and serve Him with a single purpose.
Can we know when Armageddon will happen? The only clues we have are in scripture, as several scriptures speak of a cluster of unusual, dramatic events that will happen just before this time of revolution: The sun turning black, the moon turning to blood, and the stars falling from heaven (Joel 2:30-31, Matthew 24:29, Revelation 6:12-13). Angels will be holding back the four winds until the final sealing of the Holy Ones is finished (Matthew 24:31, Revelation 7:1), and the angels will be pouring out the seven bowls of God's anger into the earth (Revelation 16:1-21). These events follow close on the heels of the Last Days, a.k.a. End Times, a.k.a. Tribulation. For more information on the topic of the Last Days, please click here.
Conclusion Reading through these symbol-rich passages, though we don't fully understand them yet, it shows that great, dramatic events are yet to come. It will be an exciting, yet terrifying time in universal history. When this time comes, may we all remember to stay loyal to our God, and remember to "Pray constantly."-- 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
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