Armageddon

 

The battle of Armageddon is a major component of Revelation, although only once is it called by that name (Rev 16:16). It is also mentioned repeatedly in the Old Testament, but the prophets refer to it as the Day of the Lord, a day of judgment and destruction. Armageddon, you might say is the threshold, or gateway, between the Church age and the Millennial kingdom. It is the event that triggers the second coming of Christ, the Messiah, to judge the nations and rescue Israel, as well as gather up the saints in the rapture.

The battle of Armageddon is sometimes likened to World War 3. World War 2, which pitted the Axis powers against the Allied powers, took seventy million lives. Armageddon could be worse, even though it will be more localized.

The armies of Armageddon are well identified in Biblical prophecy, and they are worth noting. Particularly because history is unfolding precisely how God predicted. The great battle will pit an alliance of Arab nations against Israel. Jerusalem will be overrun by the massive invasion (Zech 14:1-2), and will not have anyone come to its aid, not even the USA. Not until the return of Messiah, with his army of saints, will Israel be rescued – those who survive. The blood shed will be horrendous, both for the Arabs (Rev 14:20) and for Israel. (Zech 13:8).

Let’s take a look at the Arab army. But, first, we need to put to rest the prevailing interpretations that the invading army will be Russia (Rosh and Meshach, i.e., Russia and Moscow), or China (the only nation capable of staging an army of 200 million soldiers). The alliance of Arab nations is delineated, in part, in Ezekeil 38:5-6 and further identified in Revelation 17 -- the eighth beast, which will “rule” for just one hour. The alliance is pictured by the ten horns on the beast. And the identification of the ten nations as Arab nations is indicated by the phrase, “once was, now is not, yet will come again” (Rev 17:8, 11). The Arabs were an enemy of Israel from the earliest days of the patriarchs. At the time of John’s writing, though, the Arabs were not a factor in oppressing Israel. But the oppression and hatred arose again with the rise of the Islamic state (ca, 600 AD). The leader of the end-time Arab alliance will be the man of lawlessness (II Thes 2; aka Gog, Ezekiel 38). He will be an Islamic Mahdi, who claims to be God, and will lead the great “rebellion”, a Jihadist assault on Israel. The pro-Palestinian chant we hear today, “from the river to the sea”, will be their battle cry. They will want to destroy Israel and reclaim Palestine as their own.

The army that defeats the eighth beast is a mix of the Jews in Jerusalem, along with the saints who will return with Christ (Zech 14:5; Rev 17:14). They are led by Jesus Himself, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings (Joel 2:11; Rev 17:14). It seems that the artillery will include not only typical “swords”, but also supernatural judgment – earthquakes, hailstones, brimstone, confusion and blindness brought upon the enemy (Zech 12:4; 14:19-23).

The build-up to Armageddon is prophesied in the sixth trumpet and the sixth bowl. The first five trumpets have already occurred. The sixth is beginning to take shape. Three things need to happen, though, to really launch the great invasion and battle. The Islamic Mahdi must be revealed, the man of lawlessness (II Thes 2:3). The restrainer must be removed (2 Thes 2:6; Rev 11:15). And America must be destroyed (Rev 17:16), which will eliminate the greatest single deterrent to an Arab invasion of Israel.