In my article What is The Great Tribulation, I only touched on a few points concerning Armageddon and as to what it is without going into much detail.
Yet, I would recommend reading that article because it ties in nicely with this one in providing the timing of Armageddon in relation to The Great Tribulation.
Many today believe that Armageddon as mentioned in The Book of Revelation is man's final war; a World War Three – if you will – where man blows himself up along with the earth. Or, something else – such as space objects impacting the earth destroying the planet. This is how the Motion Picture industry portrays it as well.
A recent movie (2009) called “2012” portrayed the end of the world as occuring on that date. In that movie, a massive solar flare triggers a chain of devastating natural disasters on earth.
Back in 1998 a movie entitled “Armageddon” starring Bruce Willis, has the earth being threatened by a global killer asteroid the size of Texas.
In both of these movies, the only thing that has the semblance of any accuracy is that they portray Armageddon not as a war between the nations where they blow each other up.
Almost all Bible-based religious organizations teach Armageddon as a final war between the fighting nations. One religious organization – The Watch Tower Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses – teach that Armageddon is God's war against the nations.
Based on my study of Scripture they are all in error.
Learning From King Josiah
To understand what Armageddon really is we must go to the places in Scripture where it is first mentioned. Most of us naturally turn to The Book of Revelation, Chapter 16 to read about Armageddon. There is nothing wrong with that, but we must go to the only other place in Scripture – 2 Chronicles Chapter 35 – and gain an understanding of how it is mentioned there before we look at the other occurrence of it in The Book of Revelation.
At 2 Chronicles Chapter 35, the anointed Judean King Josiah – that is, a chosen king by Jehovah – was initially a good, righteous, and faithful king who feared the Most High God, set out on a campaign against idolatry. Altars used for false worship of other gods were torn down as well as graven images and molten statues.
King Josiah even extended his campaign against idolatry and false worship into the Northern territory of the ten-tribe kingdom but he found that it has already been desolated by the invading Assyrian army. So he focused on cleansing his kingdom in Judea.
After he had cleansed his kingdom, he began repairing God temple. While doing this, his High Priest Hilkiah found “The Book of Gods Law” written by Moses own hand within the temple rumble. Shaphan, the Secretary and person who reported back to King Josiah on the progress of the temple repair work, read “The Book of Gods Law” to King Josiah. When King Josiah heard God word read to him, he would rip apart his garments and commissioned a five-man delegation to inquire on his behalf and on the behalf of the people.
This delegation went to the Prophetess Huldah (who was living in Jerusalem) and brought back to Josiah the following words:
She said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me,'This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people—all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all that their hands have made, my anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.' Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard. Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. Now I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here.' " So they took her answer back to the king. “ (2 Chronicles 34:23-29)
King Josiah even assembled all in his kingdom and read God's law to them. He even went on a second campaign to rid his kingdom of idolaters and false worship.
All of this is provided to show the reader that the Judean King Josiah was an anointed king of Jehovah and was not a political king or ruler and that we was associated with Armageddon as you will now see.
Later in reading within 2 Chronicles Chapter 35, Josiah was told by the Most High God not to go into a placed called Megiddo – a fertile valley plain of the Jezreel Valley. King Josiah ignored the voice of God and decided to go to Mediddo to intercept the Egyptian Pharaoh Nechoh who was on his way to assist the Assyrians (enemies of Judah). Josiah was determined to prevent Pharaoh Nechoh from helping the Assyrians on his Northern flank.
King Josiah went to Megiddo and there was first and wounded and as a result of those wounds, lost his life. Had he listened to God, and not entered into Megiddo, we would have lived.
Armageddon Is a Place, Not a War
So how does Megiddo relate to Armageddon?
The Hebrew spelling of Megiddo is Meghid·dohn. A similar form of this Hebrew word his found at Revelation 16:16 where it reads:
Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.” [or Meghiddohn]
Now we can established some parallels that will help us to determine what Armageddon really is and what it is not.
First, the King (Josiah) involved was a Judean King who feared and worshiped the Most High God. He was not a political king or king who worship a different God. King Josiah had Jehovah's favor. King Josiah was a King of the Land of Judea.
Second, the place that King Josiah went to was Megiddo or in Hebrew, Meghiddohn. So Meghiddohn was a place.
Thirdly, King Josiah displayed a lack of faith in God by not listening to him. King Josiah felt in his heart that God was not willing or had the ability to fight against the Assyrian and Eygptian enemies so he took matters into his own hand. Thus, King Josiah became and unfaithful King.
Now to understand what Armageddon really is, all we have to do is read within Revelation Chapter 16 beginning at verse 13 down to verse 16. There John writes:
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon (Meghiddohn).
Satan dispatches unclean and deceptive messages that come out of his mouth, the mouth of the Beast (his world order at that time) and the out of the mouth of the false prophet. All directed to these Kings of the Earth and no one else.
In my other article discussions, I attempted to establish – from Scripture – that these Kings of the Earth mentioned through out the Book of Revelation are not politcal kings, but those God chose (Chosen Ones) who would rule with the authority of Kings with Jesus for 1000 years. (Rev 20:6) At this point, it is important that I explain to you who these Kings of the Earth are before proceeding with the discussion "What Is Armageddon?"
Who Are The Kings of The Earth?
The expression Kings of the Earth is mentioned ten times in The Book of Revelation. (Revelation 1:5, 5:10, 6:15, 16:14, 17:2, 17:18, 18:3, 18:9, 19:19, 21:24). Many religious organizations teach that these Kings of the earth are the political rulers or kings existing today and into the time period of the fulfillment of the things written in The Book of Revelation.
If you have read the articles on this blog, then you know that I believe them all to be in error; and that the fulfillment of the things written in The Book of Revelation have not have had a start in being fulfilled. That the things written in The Book of Revelation was given to Jesus by His Father and Jesus gave it to his angel and the angel presented it to the Apostle John, were things that Jesus was warning would happen after his future 1000 year kingdom had come and gone and Satan ascends out of the abyss to mislead that future world after his kingdom ends. (Revelation 20:6-8)
Give that, then there will be no political kings on earth at that time because when Jesus' 1000 year kingdom begins as they will all have been destroyed and he himself earth's only King and his the only kingdom on earth.
So, the Kings of the Earth mentioned in The Book of Revelation would be a different type of king. What? These would be those that Jesus promised would have a kingdom. What many who read from Scripture miss is that Jesus says two things to those who would be Kings: (1) That they would have a ruler over them, (2) That they would rule with him as kings for 1000 years, and (3) That they would inherit the earth.
It is important to understand what Jesus is saying here with reference to these persons who are called Kings of the Earth. To understand it, lets first look at what is written at Revelation 1:5.
and from Jesus Christ, “the Faithful Witness,” “The firstborn from the dead,” and “The Ruler of the kings of the earth.” To him that loves us and that loosed us from our sins by means of his own blood.
This Scripture shows that the kings of the earth will have a ruler over them! That ruler being Jesus himself. If these persons have a ruler or King over them, how can they be kings themselves. No king ever anywhere has ever had a another king ruling alongside of him. A king may grant others authority to act in his behalf as kings, but they themselves are not kings. So will these persons be co-kings with Jesus? Well, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society seems to think so. I once believe that was true also but now believe that these Kings of the Earth will rule as kings – with the authority of a king – with Jesus for the 1000 year reign of Christ over the earth. In other words, Jesus is the only King, but he gives them the authority to act in his behalf as kings for the 1000 years. These persons do not receive actual kingdoms during that 1000 year reign of Christ, but they will receive their kingdom after it ends. Notice how Revelation 20:6 reads:
Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him for the thousand years.
And the ten horns that you saw mean ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they do receive authority as kings one hour with the wild beast.
Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.
And YOU will be objects of hatred by all people on account of my name; but he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved.
And the nations will walk by means of its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
And I did not see a temple in it, for Jehovah God the Almighty is its temple, also the Lamb.
The wall of the city also had twelve foundation stones, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Also, if I go my way and prepare a place for YOU, I am coming again and will receive YOU home to myself, that where I am YOU also may be.
Now as soon as the thousand years have been ended, Satan will be let loose out of his prison, and he will go out to mislead those nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Ma′gog, to gather them together for the war. The number of these is as the sand of the sea.
Half of these Kings become unfaithful King Josiah-class Kings for one hour after Jesus' 1000 year reign over the earth ends. (Rev 17:12;Rev 20:7)
They – like King Josiah – will have a zeal for true worship and a love and respect for the Most High God. They will have been faithful. Like King Josiah – who was not a political King – these Kings of the Earth in The Book of Revelation are not politcal kings, but anointed Kings of the Most High God who will rule with The Son of God within his future 1000 year kingdom.
This is the first resurrection. Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him for the thousand years. (Revelation 20:5-6)
Apparently, at the time of Armageddon – after Lord's Day – Satan sees these visible Kings as the only real threat to the establishment of his beastly world order. This makes sense because they are the ones chosen to be Kings with Jesus. Satan knows this. So he mounts an intensive campaign to go after them in order to mislead them.
Apparently, these Kings of the Earth will act as King Josiah did who disobeyed God and went to the place in Hebrew called Armageddon. They will not exercise restraint and patience and faith in their God to deal with this enemy – the Great Dragon – in their behalf.
It is also apparent that these future Kings of the Earth will develop an attitude that perhaps God is delaying in dealing with Satan and his beastly system and will move to take action under their own initiative. Whatever, that action is, it is what will make them disobedient and unfaithful kings.
Like King Josiah, the unfaithful Kings will enter into the place in Hebrew call Armageddon and their lose their lives and go down with the one who enlisted their service: Satan the Devil
In The Book of Revelation we can see that Armageddon is not a war, it is a place. These Kings of the Earth will have intense pressure placed upon them by Satan's peaceful but beastly world order, to join it and even have a share in being rulers in it. The place, then, is Satan's Beastly World Order at that time. In other words, Armageddon (the place) is Satan's Theocratic Order that he will establish and have control over the entire world in future days after Jesus' 1000 year rule ends.
It is to that place the Most High God will warn these Kings of the Earth and all servants of God to stay out of. For good reason:
These Kings of the Earth belong to Christ Jesus. He is their true ruler as it says at Revelation 1:5:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
These kings have been betrothed to Jesus. In other words, they are his bride and he is their bridegroom. They are to be married to each other in the sense that they will be with him as kings for 1000 years.
Rev 20:6 reads:
Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
Of these Kings of the Earth a supporting Scripture at Revelation 5:10 says:
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.
Notice who it is that these future kings will serve when they finally receive their inheritance: God Himself. Not Jesus.
So those Kings of the Earth, by giving into the Dragons smooth words via is Beastly system, become unfaithful to their groom (Jesus), weaken and prostitute themselves and commit fornication with Satan's beastly world order. In other words, they give themselves over to it to be kings under Satan system instead. Notice how The Book of Revelation at Chapter 17:12 describes their unfaithfulness:
The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast.
These Kings of the Earth forfiet their future inheritance of the earth in exchange for having authority as kings under Satans World Order.
This also indicates how alluring and attractive Satan's world order will be. It will not appear as an evil or authoritarian system of rule at all. But something good.
No wonder Jesus inspires Apostle John to write at Revelation 16:15:
Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.
It is to his slaves (The Kings of the Earth) that Jesus writes in The Book of Revelation here to stay awake. Why them? Because they will be Satan's primary targets for deception.
Unfortunately, many of them will go into a slumber, let their guards down and fornicate with Satan's Beastly system. Satan offers them the same thing he offered Jesus at his temptation: All of the Kingdoms of the World in exchange for an act of worship.
Unfortunately, the majority these Kings of the Earth (50 percent of them) will give to the Dragon and the Beast their full support. This marks them.
These kings, then joining Satan's beastly system in which they are kings within it, now find themselves on the opposing side of God.
Revelation 16:14 speaks of these kings being gathered to the war of the Great Day of God the Almighty.
That phrase is key. Look at it again. I will use the Kings James Version of it:
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty”
This shows that the war or battle itself is a battle not between the nations, but a war where the Kings of the Earth are assembled at a place (united) to battle with God in that great day or time period.
This implies these Kings of the Earth – which are actually the controlling head on Satan's beast – engaged in a war with the Most High God!
Since any literal physical war against God would be futile, this war must of a different sort. One where carnal and physical weapons are not used.
The Apostle Paul at 2 Cor 10:4-6 tells us of the kind of war followers of Christ will engage in:
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
Did you see that?
Faithful servants of God will stand and fight through God. These unfaithful Josiah-like kings do not fight through God, they actually fight against God through something Satan establishes on earth.
This war is a silent war. A war of quiet contention of being faithful and loyal to God and his coming kingdom or to the maintenance of Satan's kingdom.
The place that this war of the Great Day of God Almighty – the battle field in which it will be waged – is within Satan's Beastly Theocratic World System that will have the entire earth under its control.
The place in Hebrew [Meghid·dohn] called Armageddon is Satan's Theocratic World Order.
How long this war will be silently waged within Satan's Theocratic Order is unknown. But we do know that it is a span of time because because God's war is said to be a great day of God Almighty. Day, not in the sense of a 24-hour day, but day as in a length of time. Such as when one says “In my grandfathers day” we know that one is not referring to a 24 hour day but an unspecified span of time.
Keep in mind that the earth will not be in turmoil under Satans system. It will be a peaceful place until Jesus' coming upsets it. It is at God's Kingdoms approach that Satan turns up the heat and goes after those who have will have not yet supported his beastly rule.
Our personal involvement in Armageddon will be that we will be throughly deceived by Satan. Scripture say that this will happen. God know this as well else He would not have had it written down. (Read 1 John 5:19 and Rev 12:9)
So, it will be the future and inspired preaching of the Good News of the Kingdom by those Chosen Ones coming out of the Great Tribulation, that will begin to expose Satan's system for what it is: a blasphemous enemy of God and Christ.
That powerful message will cause many to wake up and “see the light” of truth. Satans system will lose strength. Like I always say, “Truth has the strength to confront error.”
But this beast will not go down without a fight. It will do all it can to show that it is good and wonderful and beneficial for the inhabitants of the earth. But the preaching of the Good News of the Kingdom at that time (whatever that message proves to be) will sap the life from the Beast (seen as Scarlet colored at that time). It's life – the people within her and who supported her – will withdraw their support and respond to the most powerful message the world will have ever heard.
The beast will perish, that is, go into nonexistence (The Lake of Fire) . Satan's World Order gone. The battle over. The battle field (Satan's Word Order- the place Armageddon) devastated and gone. The beast forever slain.
So What Is Armageddon?
So, what is Armageddon? It is a place, not a war according to Revelation 16:16.
That place is actually the entire world in the future where Satan the Dragon's beast will have total control.
That place is the Scarlet-Colored Beast – that is, Satan's Theocratic Order powered by the womanly head that sits on top. (Rev 17:3)
The war is God's war. Not Man's war. Armageddon will not be a physical engagment using physical weapons. Rather, it will be a spiritual engagement waged within Satan's Theocratic Order (the Beast): which is the place Armageddon.
The place Armageddon is a world of all mankind misled by Satan and under his control via his Beastly Theocratic Order that will have the entire world conditioned to resist and oppose that which is coming: God's Kingdom.
Establishment and administration of that kingdom by Christ means that Satan's Theocratic World Order (Beast) has to go. Since contained within that Theocratic World Order are the entire world, the world will have been conditioned to be loyal to that World Order and will not wish to see it changed or taken away. Besides, Satan's Theocratic World Order will be a peaceful and safe place to live in.
So the inhabitants of the earth at that time will resist anything that will change their peaceful and safe way of life under Satan's order.
Armageddon, that it is waged within the belly of this beastly world order, is a matter of believing the truth spoken by those faithful Kings of the Earth or believing the lie of the unfaithful Kings of the Earth Satan has enlisted into his service as a false prophet to misled the entire earth in those days.
It will be the exact approach Satan used to mislead the woman Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Satan's presentation to Eve was a beautiful one. So beautiful and convincing that she disobyed God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.
Satan did not use physical force or weapons. He used smooth words. Those words sounded good, but they were poisonous lies. It was God who spoke the truth. Adam and Eve grew old and died just as God said that they would if they ate from the tree.
Armageddon is the same thing. Satan's beastly system will present to mankind a safe and secure and peaceful world. He will get the world to worship the beast and its image. This is comparable to God saying that we will have and worship no other Gods before him. It is comparable to what God told Adam. That the world under Satan's control will worship this beast and its image and receive it's mark or the number of its name, is in itself, and act of blasphemy and disobedience to God.
Satan's techniques worked on Eve and they work today and they will work in the future under Satan's Theocratic World Order.
So Armageddon is simply believing and living the lie under Satan's World Order, believing that it will bring us life and prosperity; as opposed to believing the Truth – Jesus Christ – in what he brings God kingdom to the earth that will provide the real and true life.
This would mean that there will be strong arguments and teachings on both sides contending for the inhabitants of the earth. There will be the voices of men – both the faithful of God and the faithful of Satan's World Order – who will speak grandiose and powerful words to the inhabitants of the earth.
But God's word of truth will win out and cut them down. That is why it is Gods war because it will be God's truth that will prevail.
Armageddon is a battle that will be waged at the place Armageddon (Satan's Beastly Theocratic World Order).
