A Closer Examination of the Coming Mega War – Armageddon

There has always been a fascination with the concept of Armageddon.  Books have been written about it, movies produced, and messages from pulpits preached.

But what exactly is “Armageddon” and who are the players?

The word is often used with reference to nuclear war, natural disasters, impact from a comet or an asteroid, and any number of other creatively conjured existential threats. Yet, the Bible doesn't connect a single one of these events with Armageddon.

Many bible students correctly view Armageddon as the gathering place of the Antichrist and his armies prior to the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ, but they misinterpret the motive of this gathering. A commonly held belief is that these armies gather at or near Armageddon in order to do battle with each other, or to annihilate the Jewish people. Then, only through the physical intervention of Jesus Christ is humanity saved from either destroying all life or the Jewish people.

But again, neither of these motives is correct. The Bible clearly states why these armies gather at Armageddon. It is not what we have often been led to believe.

So What Does the Bible Teach about Armageddon?

The biblical concept of Armageddon is first introduced by name in the book of Revelation:

"And they gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place called Armageddon in Hebrew" (Revelation 16:16, NLT).

"Armageddon" is the Hebrew name of a geographical location in Israel known as "Megiddo." Megiddo is a hill that overlooks the Jezreel valley. It is here where, in the last days, Satan and the Antichrist will gather the world's rulers for battle.     But be careful, the battle that occurs is not against other nations. It is not here that the Antichrist does a final blow to the nations that oppose him.

To be certain, in the last days, the Antichrist will be the ruler over the entire globe:

"And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation" (Revelation 13:7, NLT).

The Antichrist will also be a popular ruler, worshipped for his awesome power:

"They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they worshiped the beast. ‘Is there anyone as great as the beast?' they exclaimed. ‘Who is able to fight against him?'" (Revelation 13:4, NLT).

In addition, the Antichrist will have total control over the purchase and sale of all goods:

"He required everyone great and small, rich and poor, slave and free to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name" (Revelation 13:16-17, NLT).

Therefore, with complete political, religious, and economic power, what army could or would gather for war against the Antichrist? None! Revelation 13:4 poses this very question: "Who is able to fight against him?" The Bible is clear that the armies at Armageddon do not meet to fight each other. Instead, they are united against ONE common enemy.

Who is this “one” common enemy?

The Scriptures are clear when it comes to the purpose of Armageddon: The human race will gather its armies at Armageddon in order to do battle with God Almighty:

"These miracle-working demons caused all the rulers of the world to gather for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God Almighty" (Revelation 16:14, NLT).

Three chapters later, we learn more about this gathering:

"Then I saw the beast gathering the kings of the earth and their armies in order to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army" (Revelation 19:19, NLT).

The gathering at Armageddon is preparation for a war, a war the kings of the earth are plotting against "the one sitting on the horse and his army." Who is the "one sitting on the horse"? Jesus Christ.

The armies of the world do not gather to fight each other or to destroy the Jews (although destruction of the Jews is a primary aim of Satan and the Antichrist). Rather, the ultimate purpose of Armageddon is to emancipate the human race from God's authority.

Over in Psalm 2, the global conspiracy is described further:

"Why do the nations rage? Why do the people waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. ‘Let us break their chains,' they cry. ‘And free ourselves from this slavery.' But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them" (Psalm 2:1-4, NLT).

Notice whom the rulers plot against. They don't plot against each other or Israel. They plot against "the Lord and His Anointed One." Who is "His Anointed One"? Jesus Christ.

In describing the Antichrist, the book of Daniel confirms this plot:

"From one of the prominent horns came a small horn whose power grew very great. It extended toward the south and east and toward the glorious land of Israel. His power reached to the heavens where it attacked the heavenly armies, throwing some of the heavenly beings and stars to the ground and trampling them. He even challenged the Commander of heaven's armies by canceling the daily sacrifices offered to him and by destroying his Temple" (Daniel 8:9-11, NLT).

Jesus Christ is the commander of Heaven's armies, and the Antichrist will have the brazen audacity to challenge Him. This concept is reiterated later in the same chapter:

"At the end of their rule, when their sin is at its height, a fierce king, a master of intrigue, will rise to power. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause a shocking amount of destruction and succeed in everything he does. He will destroy powerful leaders and devastate the holy people. He will be a master of deception, defeating many by catching them off guard. Without warning he will destroy them. He will even take on the Prince of princes in battle, but he will be broken, though not by human power" (Daniel 8:23-25, NLT).

This master of intrigue, the Antichrist, will take on the Prince of Princes in battle.  Like the Tower of Babel generation (Gen. 11), his arrogance will extend all the way into the heavens, where he will attempt to usurp the glory and authority of God Himself.

Note that the last verse of this passage states that the power of the Antichrist will not be broken by humans. This illustrates once again that the Antichrist will be the undisputed world power of his time. No one will be able to make war against him. At least no human will be able to make war against him. It is only when the Antichrist engages the Lord Jesus Christ in battle, he will be utterly destroyed.

We even find more prophecy about this over in the Book of Joel.

When the armies of the world will assemble to make war with Christ. The human race will severely overestimate its own power, while Jesus Christ treads the winepress of His fierce wrath:

"Say to the nations far and wide: ‘Get ready for war! Call out your best warriors! Let all your fighting men advance for the attack! Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors. Come quickly, all you nations everywhere! Gather together in the valley.' And now, O Lord, call out your warriors! Let the nations be called to arms. Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I, the Lord, will sit to pronounce judgment on them all. Now let the sickle do its work, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread the winepress because it is full. The storage vats are overflowing with the wickedness of these people'" (Joel 3:9-13, NLT).

The end of Armageddon is not quite what the Antichrist and the nations have in mind. The book of Revelation describes their total destruction at the Word of Jesus Christ.  The beast and the false prophet are captured, and both are thrown into the lake of fire, where they will experience everlasting torment:

"Then I saw the beast gathering the kings of the earth and their armies in order to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast, miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshipped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came out of the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And all the vultures of the sky gorged themselves on the dead bodies" (Revelation 19:19-21, NLT).

How will Jesus defeat the devil and the antichrist?  Watch this:  By a sharp sword that came out of His mouth. In other words, Jesus merely speaks a word or command and the battle is done!

The victory of Christ during the campaign of Armageddon will usher in the millennial kingdom, a time of unprecedented peace and tranquility on earth with God dwelling among men. Jesus Christ Himself will rule the nations, and those who have placed their trust in Him will experience all the blessings God has reserved for them.

So keep in mind, this great campaign against God by Satan, the Antichrist, the false prophet and the nations of the world will end in utter defeat by a mere spoken word out of the mouth of Jesus Himself.

Never forget this: Armageddon is a reminder of what the human race is like without Christ. Burdened and bruised by our sinful nature, God gave to the world the free gift of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. All we have to do is accept this gift. But those who reject it will become slaves to sin, and their degeneracy will one day culminate in outright physical rebellion against God Himself. 

Which side will you be on?