What Is the Battle of Armageddon?
Bible Study Guide
The Battle of Armageddon is the most popular battle not yet fought. There are people who have no knowledge of the Bible and God’s word but have heard of the Battle of Armageddon. It’s a far cry from Hollywood’s use of the word in some of its popular movies.
Making a Path for War
(Verse 12) John watches the sixth angel pour out his bowl of God’s wrath. This bowl has a very specific purpose. It’s targeted directly at the Euphrates River. We’ve seen mention of the Euphrates River during the study of the trumpet judgments.
“It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.” (Revelation 9:14-16)
No one gives John any details about how the Euphrates River is going to dry up. Will it be a drought or the result of it turning to blood? We don’t know. What we do know is the it will dry up for a specific reason. Their will be a visit from several kings from the east. From what we can see in Revelation 9, these kings will not be alone.
In the first century, people used a number of methods to cross over bodies of water.
The Romans had mastered the building of stone and wood bridges. However, according to what John is receiving, no amount of bridges will support the number of troops coming from the east of the Euphrates River.
In fact, Revelation 9 states that the number will be “twice ten thousand times ten thousand.” This equates to 200 million troops. With the Euphrates gone, this task of getting all these troops to their destination in the west is much more doable.
But where are they headed and what is there purpose?
Who Are the Demons of Armageddon?
(Verses 13-14) Then John sees what must’ve been a very strange image. Again, John is looking at symbolic imagery that represents literal events that will take place at this particular time.
John sees Satan, the Antichrist and the false prophet acting in unison with one resounding message. It’s a demon possessed message. It’s a message the goes forth from their mouth to gather the kings of the whole world to “battle on the great day of God Almighty.”
These demonic spirits will perform signs to deceive. They’ll go out and put in the minds of kings across the globe that they must come for the final epic battle of Armageddon so they can finally defeat God and His people.
From the words of Christ Himself during His Olivet Discourse and watching Him open the second seal of judgment, it’s clear that the world will be at war throughout the seven year Tribulation. It’ll be wars between nations and among peoples. It’ll all culminate up to this final epic battle of Armageddon.
Satan has successfully established his One World Order during the first half of the Tribulation. He has now established Himself as the leader of his global One World Religion. Now, he’ll attempt to come against and destroy Israel.
A Mini Interlude and Last Warning
(Verse 15) We have not heard Jesus speak since He invited John to come up to heaven to see the things that would occur in the last days of the Tribulation. This was back in Revelation 4.
The earth and it’s current age is in it’s last days and hours. The Second Coming of Christ is only moments away. The reader has seen destruction and chaos across the globe that the mind is hardly able to comprehend. If the reader, at this point has not given his life to Christ, they’re about to get a big nudge.
Christ gives a last warning. In God’s incomprehensible love and grace, He wishes none to perish. He makes salvation available to all even in the midst of His wrath of the Tribulation. But this terrible seven year period is about to end. The offer of salvation will end with it.
Heed the Lord’s warning! Give your life to Christ! Don’t wait! He loves you and wants you to return to Him. His arms are open wide. He created you and He loves you. Repent of your sins. Ask Him for forgiveness. Put all of your hope, faith, and trust in Him. He’ll never leave you nor forsake you.
Where’s the Location of the Battle of Armageddon?
(Verse 16) Then John sees that Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet gathered kings from the whole world together to the place called Armageddon. This name has influenced our culture in many different ways. The truth rests in God’s word. Only the Bible will give you the real answers to this famous coming battle.
In Hebrew, it’s called Har-Megiddo. Har means “mount.” Megiddo is a city on a hill on the western side of the Jezreel Valley.
The city sits on a hill of cities. Many ancient cities lie buried below it. People say that this city was rebuilt upon the old more than a dozen times. According to some sources, the first cities date back to the time of Noah after the flood.
People refer to Armageddon as both the city on the hill of ancient ruins and the valley in which it sits. The valley strategically stretches through Israel from the Mediterranean Sea at the city of Haifa. It travels southeast on the northern side of Megiddo to the northern side of Mt. Gilboa to the Jordan River.
It’s approximately 14 miles at its widest point and 67 miles in length.
This battlefield is well known throughout the Old Testament, where warriors fought many great battles on this vast strategic plain. Battles that included both victories and defeats (Judges 4:1-16, Judges 7, 1 Samuel 31:1-2, 2 Kings 23:29 and 2 Chronicles 35:22-24).
Even Napoleon declared it the greatest natural battlefield he had ever seen after defeating the Ottoman Turks on this valley.
This battlefield continued to see wars after biblical times going all the way up to 1973. Now it’s about to become the most famous battle in biblical history.
Details of the Battle of Armageddon
God chose the two prophets, Joel and Zechariah to give more details around this upcoming battle. In the book of Joel, you’ll find more information on the Battle of Armageddon in Joel 3:1-2,9-21.
The book of Zechariah offers additional descriptions of events in Zechariah 14:2-12.
One thing is clear in this verse. Satan, the Antichrist and the false prophet will succeed through lies and deception in gathering the nations together on this battlefield. The world will assume that all hope is lost for the nation of Israel. What they don’t know is who they’ll truly have to battle against and what their ultimate outcome will be.
The Seventh Bowl of God’s Wrath
(Verse 17) John sees the last of seven bowls of God’s wrath being poured out upon those who remain on God’s forsaken earth. At the same time, he hears a voice coming from the throne, “It is done!”
If you’re familiar with John’s gospel account of Jesus’ death on the cross, you likely recognize this phrase.
“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. (John 19:30)
Jesus’ work of doing what God had sent Him to earth to accomplish was finished. He came to offer a sinful world God’s free gift of salvation. His death on the cross completed that work.
Now, in this Revelation account, John hears God say from the throne, “It is done!” God has fulfilled His promise of wrath upon an unbelieving world in the last days. The seventh angel has completed the final act of wrath by pouring out the seventh bowl.
(Verse 18) Then after hearing these words, the last bowl judgment unleashes a catastrophic geological event the likes of which the earth has never experienced. This would normally seem hard to believe considering the wrath that has already been poured out on the planet in the past seven years of the Tribulation.
This cataclysmic event is foretold of by Christ in His Olivet Discourse on the Mount of Olives. This teaching was given during His last days on earth.
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21-22)
The Collapse of the World and Babylon the Great
(Verses 19-20) It’s likely there is no seismograph in the world that will register the intensity of this earthquake. It’ll be so large that every nation on the planet will feel its devastating impact. Not a building will probably be left standing. Even the islands will suffer from its deadly shaking.
Many have debated that the great city could be New York City. Scripture doesn’t make clear to us what city this is. We’ll leave it at that. There is no useful attempt at trying to find out what city this is. We will know one day soon.
Babylon the Great is referring to the pagan, anti God spirit that has been promoted by Satan that we spoke of in previous chapters.
It’s hard to imagine anything being left alive after the greatest earthquake to ever hit the planet levels every building, mountain and island. What more havoc could be brought upon the earth after all this?
Scared Straight Into the Arms of God?
(Verse 21) We can all agree, there has been significant change in weather patterns and anomalies across the globe. This has resulted in ever increasing geological destruction.
If you believe that this is because of man made global warming, you’re listening to the wrong voices and are being deceived. If you believe this is global changes from an earth groaning from the curse of sin in the Garden of Eden, than you’re listening to the correct voices.
One weather anomaly that has been noticeable is the size and frequency of very large hail falling during storms. It’s often being reported that the hail is as large as a softball. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think anyone wants to be hit with one of these.
A softball size hailstone can weigh approximately one pound depending upon density. Imagine for a moment, 100 hailstones frozen together as one, falling to earth. Then, make it a storm of them. Need I say anymore.
Can you believe it? People will be cursing God while these hailstones are falling upon them.
My mind continues to wonder off to what I’ve mentioned before. And it bears repeating. Someone once said, “If I can’t convince you to follow Christ, maybe I can scare you into following Christ.”
Don’t wait! Make Jesus your Lord and Savior today!