Introduction
We have covered a LOT of topics pertaining to the End Times. We are now nearing the end of the 7 year Great Tribulation. This culminates with the cataclysmic battle of the ages, good vs. evil. It is called the Battle of Armageddon and is the final event prior to Jesus Christ returning from heaven with the angelic host and the saints of all the ages. Let’s look at this terrifying final event.
What is the Battle of Armageddon; why is it important, and how will it end?
Armageddon literally means “Mount of Megiddo” and refers to the site of a major conflict during the Great Tribulation. It is also a general term for the end times world war, which will center in Judea. It features skirmishes on a number of fronts from the borders of Galilee in the north to the borders of Edom in the south, a distance of 200 miles. The battle in the north centers on the Plains of Esdraelon (Jezreel) beneath the mountains of Megiddo. In the central area of Palestine, the conflict is in the Valley of Johoshaphat with Jerusalem being the focal point. In the south, the war is waged at two principal cities, Bozrah and Petra (ancient capital of the Edomite Empire). Concerning Megiddo, every major military campaign in Palestine has included these Plains – from Napoleon Bonaparte to the Crusaders to the Turks – all have fought on the Plain of Megiddo.
In addition, the Old Testament recounts that Megiddo was the site of Deborah and Barak defeating the Canaanites, Gideon defeating the Midianites, Philistines defeating King Saul, David slaying Goliath, and King Josiah’s death at the hands of an Egyptian archer.
- Armageddon is important because it: Brings the Great Tribulation to an end. Like a boil that needs lancing, so the Battle of Armageddon is a massive lancing of that infected period of time called The Great Tribulation.
- Cleanses the earth from the Anti-Christ and False Prophet and the wicked armies of the nations
- Brings in the Kingdom. It is because Armageddon threatens to consume all human life that Christ returns. After 1/3 of mankind is annihilated, Jesus comes back to put an end to the blood bath.
How will Armageddon end?
The Battle of Armageddon culminates the terror and turmoil of the Great Tribulation and apart from Christ’s return; all the earth would be destroyed in it. When Jesus returns with His armies, He comes not as a suffering servant (meek and mild) but as a conquering king. Dramatic signs in the heavens and upon the earth mark his return. He ushers in the Millennium from His throne in the temple in Jerusalem. We will look at Christ’s Return to establish His Kingdom in our next newsletter