Armageddon: What? Where? When?

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Scripture references are from the King James Version Bible.
(This message is also included in the hardback book, J. Vernon McGee On Prophecy,
Copyright 1993 by Thru the Bible Radio.)

Armageddon has caught the imagination of man. Every great war or threat of war always raises the awesome image of Armageddon. Again and again that word occurs in the literature of the world. After World War I, for instance, a motion picture was made called "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," which depicted World War I as being the final war of mankind. Then, when World War II took place, the world was shocked by the blitz of Britain and then the release of the atomic bomb. Many folk said, "This is it – this is Armageddon."

From that day down to the present hour there has been a real uneasiness in the hearts of men about the future. A great number of books have been written by outstanding scholars in this connection. Armageddon is an event that has captured the imagination of every student of Scripture and, of course, a great many sensational things have been said about it.

To bring our subject into focus, let us consider two key passages of Scripture referring to Armageddon:

And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown.… (Daniel 11:36-41)

I shall break off the reading at this particular juncture and turn to the Book of Revelation:

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

And brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. (Revelation 9:13-21)

These are two rather unusual passages of Scripture dealing with our subject, the time of Armageddon.

The Word of God depicts a war in the dimensions of a real global conflict. Actually, World War I and World War II do not meet those specifications. Though they were the largest wars that have taken place in the world, they should not be called "world wars" because in World War I most of South America and most of the Orient were excluded. In World War II a few more nations were involved, especially in the Orient, but by no stretch of the imagination could it be called a global conflict. However, the war that is depicted in the Word of God beggars description as to its vastness, the number of nations that are engaged, the size of the armies that participate, the intensity of the conflict, and the issues that are involved in it.

The general public has a rather hazy conception of Armageddon as it is presented in the Word of God. To begin with, a world war in Europe is not Armageddon because that is not to be the location of it. There is a hazy conception and different interpretations as to the place, the time, the forces involved, and the purpose of it.

Place of Armageddon

One commentator made this statement: "It is some place of a spiritual nature." Now that, my friend, is not exegesis! It doesn’t tell you one thing – "some place of a spiritual nature" is even self-contradictory. The Scripture is much more definite than that.

It seems, however, that all commentators agree that Armageddon is the ultimate and final victory of God over the opposing forces of evil. Or, to put it in good old Americana, it is when our side wins. That is the way a great many folk look at Armageddon.

Now let’s see what the Scriptures have to say. You may be shocked, if you don’t already know, that Armageddon is mentioned only one time by name. There are many references to it, as we shall see, but the only time it is given a name is in Revelation 16:16: "And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."

Let us go back and begin at verse 12 in this very interesting section:

And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 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. (Revelation 16:12-16)

Note the phrase in verse 14: "the battle of that great day of God Almighty." The word battle, according to Dr. M. R. Vincent, an outstanding Greek scholar, means more than a single battle; it means war. If you want a more accurate scriptural term, it is the War of Armageddon. It is a conflict that cannot be put in a single battle context.

The word Armageddon itself means "hill of Megiddo." The Scriptures refer to the hill of Megiddo and to the valley of Megiddo and to the town of Megiddo. This very famous area is the place where Josiah was slain, the place where Saul was slain, and the place where Ahaziah was slain. In the Book of Joshua, Megiddo is listed among the towns taken by Israel when they came to the Promised Land. Deborah and Barak fought at Megiddo, and Gideon fought the Midianites in this particular area.

The Valley of Megiddo is part of the Plain of Esdraelon. The Plain of Esdraelon is about twenty miles long and fourteen miles wide. I have pictures that I took of it, and you can easily see across it. Also, I visited the very interesting ruins of Solomon’s stables at Megiddo. He reconstructed Megiddo as one of his chariot towns, and that is where he stabled his horses. They were extensive stables!

The geographical location of this area is quite interesting, for out of Lebanon there extends what is known as the Great Rift, beginning at the Dog River and then turning south. In that Great Rift is the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan Valley, the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea. Then the Rift continues on down through that area and even extends into Africa. The armies of the great nations of the past have marched there. At the entrance of the Dog River is what is called "the calling cards of the nations."

Carved in a rock cliff are the inscriptions of the great rulers who have marched through there and left a record of their exploits. I spent an entire morning at that remarkable place. Nebuchadnezzar came through there, the Assyrian forces came through there, the armies of Egypt came through there, as did all of the other great nations and great generals. Alexander the Great penetrated the land there, which enabled him to take Asia.

Napoleon came through there and declared that great plain to be the finest battlefield in the world. General Allenby came through that valley, and by knowing the topography of the land he was able, without firing a shot, to take Jerusalem from the thousand-year rule of the Turks.

The final conflict, however, is not confined or localized to Megiddo or the Plain of Esdraelon. The Word of God has a great deal to say about it.

For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (Zechariah 14:2, 3)

It is very important to see that the culmination of the War of Armageddon will be when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to the earth.

And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. (Zechariah 14:4)

Remember that there is that Great Rift that runs north and south through that whole area. Now God says that when the Lord Jesus comes, the entire topography of the land will change. Instead of the valley running north and south, it will run east and west from the Mediterranean Sea on into the Dead Sea. This will be a tremendous transformation of the topography of that land!

There is more information given in the twelfth chapter of Zechariah in which Jerusalem is mentioned twelve times and the expression "in that day" is used seven times. Let me remind you that the expression "that day" in the Old Testament is a reference to the Great Tribulation and the Millennium which is to follow it.

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. (Zechariah 12:2, 3)

Now let me call your attention to something that is exceedingly strange. Although the fulfillment of this prophecy will not be until the end times, we have noted something that has been going on for years. Every nation in the history of the world that has attempted to control Jerusalem has been destroyed or has gone into decline.

The day that Great Britain took the sphere of influence over the land of Israel and began to control Jerusalem – from that day to this – we have seen the decline of Great Britain from the first-rate nation of the world to the third-rate nation it is today.

Personally, I do not think this is an accident. God said through Zechariah that He would "make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people." and I think that God wants us to keep our hands off that nation. I hope my nation will do that, by the way. A great many people think we ought to intrude in the affairs of Israel on one side or the other, but Israel is a sensitive spot on this earth as far as God is concerned.

In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God. (Zechariah 12:4, 5)

I’ll not be tedious by quoting the rest of that prophecy, but it will pay you to read the entire chapter. Not only is it fascinating, but it is a picture of a great day that is yet to come.
Another prophet, Isaiah, sheds more light on the War of Armageddon by telling us that it will extend down into the land of Edom:

Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.
Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winevat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. (Isaiah 63:1-3)

Bozrah is a city of Edom, and the old interpretation of the "dyed garments" is that it pictured Christ in His crucifixion. However, it has nothing to do with His first coming because it is the blood of His enemies that has stained His garments, not His own blood. He is coming from the War of Armageddon, as He is the One who will end it.

In the prophecy of Joel we find that the War of Armageddon will also extend to the Valley of Jehoshaphat which is east of Jerusalem:

For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. (Joel 3:1, 2)

This reveals the fact that the War of Armageddon is not confined to one local spot but is spread over the entire Near East. Not only that, but in Ezekiel 38:9 we are told that when Russia comes down they will come down like a cloud to cover the land; so the entire land is involved:

Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. (Ezekiel 38:9)

Time of Armageddon

Into what time frame does the War of Armageddon fit? I say this very cautiously because this is a subject about which many Bible expositors disagree. I believe that we have to put the War of Armageddon into the context of the Great Tribulation period. There are fine expositors who say that it takes place before the Tribulation; others say it takes place after the Tribulation; but I can’t see that it could take place any time except during the Great Tribulation period, and for me the Book of Revelation makes that very clear:

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. (Revelation 16:14)

Now "that great day of God Almighty" begins with the Great Tribulation period. This corresponds with the Hebrew way of reckoning days, by the way. Remember that at the creation of the earth, God marked off the creative days by saying, "The evening and the morning were the first day.… The evening and the morning were the second day," etc. While you and I begin a new day when the sun comes up, God begins it when the sun goes down. And the "great day of the Lord" begins in darkness, the darkness of the Great Tribulation. The prophet Joel confirms this by saying that the Day of the Lord is "a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness" (Joel 2:2). Several other prophets express that same concept because they consider it rather important.

Many of us believe that in the middle of the Great Tribulation period Russia will come down into the land of Israel, and that triggers the conflict described in Ezekiel 38 and 39.
The Antichrist will come to power on the program of peace. Even in our day the world wants peace desperately, and it will accept anyone who would be able to bring global peace – I don’t think it would care if the man came from heaven or hell. The United States has spent billions of dollars throughout the nations to try to bring peace in the world.

A great many folk hang onto the United Nations with one faint hope that maybe it will bring peace. As I interpret the Scripture, for the first three and one-half years of the Tribulation the Antichrist will succeed in establishing global peace. But out of the north Russia will trigger the War of Armageddon by coming down and invading the land of Israel, according to Ezekiel 38. God will intervene on behalf of His people and will destroy the invaders:

And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. (Ezekiel 38:22)

This naturally stirs up a turmoil throughout the world. The peace that Antichrist had settled down on the world was a false peace. In the summary of these prophetic events (see Revelation 6) the rider on the white horse of peace is followed by the rider on the red horse of war.

Forces Involved in Armageddon

A great many forces are involved. All nations are going to march against Jerusalem. Let me quote Revelation 16:14 again:

For they are the spirits of demons, 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. (Revelation 16:14)

The armed forces of every nation of the world will march against Jerusalem. There will be no help for the people of Israel in that day. In our day we have seen them look to Russia and get no help there, and they have looked to other nations and have been turned down. May I say to you that in that future day they will look to the north, the east, the south, the west and find no help in any direction. Then they will have to look up for the first time.

The thing that makes the War of Armageddon brand new, different from anything yet that has happened on this earth, are the forces that come out of the East. This is new. The Orient has not been involved except in World War II, and we did not fight them in the West – we fought them in the Pacific. Japan did not move out of the East into the West at all; she made no motion in that direction.

The thing that makes this extremely interesting is that the Book of Revelation says that this is something that will take place in that day. Notice the ninth chapter of Revelation again:

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. (Revelation 9:13, 14)

Next Part 2.