And
they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. Then the
seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of
the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” Revelation 16:16-17 NKJV
I
think it’s fair to say that the events of Daniel's Seventieth Week, and
especially the last half which the Bible refers to as the Great Tribulation,
grow in frequency and intensity until the world arrives at the point in time
where God decides to put an end to it in a rather forceful, if not spectacular
way. He does this by gathering together
all of the worlds’ armies at a place called Armageddon where He will exercise
His power and glory by sending His Son, Jesus Christ to not only soundly defeat, but also judge the
nations and banish the antichrist and his false prophet into the lake of fire.
Now I
saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and
True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of
fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no
one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe
dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven,
clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out
of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And
He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress
of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His
thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Then I saw an angel
standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds
that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of
the great God, “that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the
flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the
flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” And I
saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to
make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast
was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence,
by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who
worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning
with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from
the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their
flesh. Revelation 19:11-21 NKJV
I
can’t help but notice the fate of these who chose not only to follow the
antichrist, but to fight against God at this place of His judgment. Did you notice we are told that after the
beast and his false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire “the
rest were killed with the sword”?
This is what we could accurately call a “one sided” fight because no one
opposing God will survive. One thing I
have never been able to understand after so many years of studying this passage
is just what is going through the minds of these men that they can look at
Jesus Christ Himself coming down from Heaven and actually believe they can make
war against Him?
Why do
the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the
earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD
and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast
away Their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall
hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress
them in His deep displeasure: “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of
Zion.” “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You
are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations
for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. Psalm 2:1-8
NKJV
Is
it any wonder that God laughs? His
created beings actually believe they can throw off their “bonds” and free
themselves from God’s authority. You can
call it arrogance or just plain stupidity, but whatever it is the result is
foreordained. Rebellion against God has
only one result and that is the expectation of His righteous judgment.
I will
also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And
I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage
Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up
My land. Joel 3:2 NKJV
The
event most often called the Battle of Armageddon is in truth no battle at all,
but more accurately called a campaign because while all the armies gather and
prepare for a fight, in the end they are simply all killed where they
stand. The name Armageddon comes from
the name of a mountain which overlooks the valley of Jezreel, and it is here
where many scholars believe these events will take place. Although the location of the Valley of
Jehoshaphat is uncertain due to a lack of historical references, because of the
description of what will take place there, most scholars believe it refers to
the Jezreel valley. Yet before Jesus
deals with the antichrist and his armies at Armageddon, He first needs to save
the remnant of Israel which have been pursued to their refuge in Jordan.
“Therefore
when you see the ‘abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),
“then let those who
are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Matthew 24:15-16 NKJV
When
the remnant of Israel flees the persecution of the antichrist and his armies, many
scholars believe they find refuge to the southeast in the country of Jordan,
specifically the ancient city of Petra which was part of the ancient nation of
Edom. It is located in a large basin
within Mount Seir and is surrounded by large cliffs and sheer walls of
rock. It is only accessible by
navigating a narrow passageway which is about a mile long and is only wide
enough for horses to walk in single file.
In biblical times, a sheepfold always had a narrow opening so the
shepherd could protect his flock, and in Hebrew, the word for sheepfold is
bozrah. Micah tells us that the remnant
of Israel will be gathered and protected in a sheepfold.
“I will
surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of
Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold, Like a flock in the
midst of their pasture; They shall make a loud noise because of so many people.
The one
who breaks open will come up before them; They will break out, Pass through the
gate, And go out by it; Their king will pass before them, With the LORD at
their head.” Micah 2:12-13 NKJV
With
the nation of Israel saved, Jesus now turns His attention to the armies
gathered at the Valley of Jezreel for the final conflict most often referred to
as Armageddon.
Who is
this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is
glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?— “I who
speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments
like one who treads in the winepress? “I have trodden the winepress alone, And from
the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, And
trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have
stained all My robes. For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of
My redeemed has come. Isaiah 63:1-4 NKJV
With
the remnant of Israel saved, the armies of the antichrist defeated and judged, there
is only one more thing left for God to do, and it is something the world has
looked forward to since the Garden of Eden.
Then I
saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and
a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is
the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into
the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should
deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after
these things he must be released for a little while. Revelation 20:1-3 NKJV
For
the next one thousand years there will be peace on earth during a time we know
as the Millennium. Next week we will
look closer at these one thousand years and just what we might be doing during
that time.
Keep
watching.
