What Is the Battle of Armageddon?

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The place called “Armageddon” is mentioned only once in the Bible. John explains that demonic spirits assembled the kings of the world for battle on the great day of the Lord “to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (Rev. 16:16 NIV). The outcome of this battle between the forces of evil and the almighty God is described in Revelation 17:14 and 19:11–21 (and, some argue, in 20:7–10). Although not explicitly connected with the name Armageddon, a final battle between the assembled wicked nations and Israel’s God is mentioned repeatedly in the Old Testament.

The battle of Armageddon brings the final defeat of the evil forces that rebel against God and resist Jesus Christ. It is not an actual military battle in Israel. A literal fulfillment would have been theoretically possible in the first century when armies fought on horses with swords and spears and arrows. However, even then it would have been impossible to picture all the people of the earth assembled at Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley in order to wage war against God’s people, not to mention that Old Testament prophecies expected the final battle to take place in Jerusalem and on Mount Zion. The final battle of history is the destruction of the political, cultural, and religious systems of the world (the Beast and the false prophet) that opposed God and the defeat of the ungodly who refuse to follow Jesus (the Lamb). This last battle takes place when Jesus returns for the final judgment. Jesus wins the final victory of human history—not with military might, but with the word of God.

Schnabel, E. J. (2011). 40 Questions about the End Times. (B. L. Merkle, Ed.) (p. 237). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic & Professional.

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