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These Perilous Times

Vol. 9 No. 21 Nov. 7, 2018

“Armageddon-Spiritual or Literal?”

(Part I)

What is this mysterious battle called Armageddon that everyone seems to fear so much? Could it be a nuclear holocaust? Is the battle literal, spiritual, figurative, or all of the above? Is there more than one segment to the battle?

The next few issues of TPT will focus on these important questions, and provide you with a Biblical perspective-not merely speculation.

“And he gathered then together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.” Revelation 16:16, 17 KJV (Emphasis supplied)

According to Revelation 16 the Battle of Armageddon culminates during the seventh, of the seven last plagues. When our Savior speaks those final words; “It is done” probation is forever closed! Good News for those who chose Jesus! Bad News for those who didn’t! We will look at this in more detail in other issues of TPT.

If one enters the name Armageddon into their favorite search engine the internet lists about thirteen million sites that are associated with the name Armageddon-yet it is mentioned only once in the entire Bible. As a matter of fact, the majority of people living in the world today haven’t got a clue, when, and where the battle will take place, or what it entails.

As we prayerfully, and systematically let God’s Word interpret itself, it will become quite evident what the Battle of Armageddon indeed is.

Revelation 20:7-10, states that the final battle on Earth takes place after the

Millennium, and after God’s people have already made their choice to follow Christ, and after “New Jerusalem descends to earth.”

What does this mean for us?

Obvious Signs Do Tell The Season

“When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.” And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God and devoured them.” Rev. 20:7-9 KJV (Emphasis supplied)

When God gave the prophecies of Revelation (the revealing of Jesus Christ) to His servant John, they were to be understood, and a special “blessing is pronounced on those who read, hear, and keep those things the prophecy

declares which are written in the book! “[1]

Before we consider what the Battle of Armageddon is or is not, let’s consider some of the names and Biblical locations “applied” to Armageddon by various Bible theologians and commentators.

• Har-moed “Mount of the Congregation”

• Har-Megiddo - “Mountain of Megiddo”

• Har-Moedeth –“Mountain of God’s Throne/Dwelling Place” (See Ps. 48:1, 2)

• Har-Migdo – “His Fruitful Mountain,” or Mount Zion

• “The Valley of Jehoshaphat” (See Joel 3:2, 12)

• “The Valley of Jezreel,” (See Joshua 17:17; Judges 6:33)

• “The Plain-Valley of Migeddon/Esdraelon” (See Zachariah 12:11)

• “The Valley of Megiddo-from moed, place of assembly” (See II Chron. 35:22; II Kings 23: 29, 30)

Migiddon/Migiddo: “A strong Canaanite fortress mentioned first in the cuneiform (wedge-shaped strokes used in ancient writings imprinted on soft clay, which became readable hard tablets when baked dried) texts of Ebla in the patriarchal period. It was situated at the foot of the Carmel ridge on the northeastern side. Along with the fortress cities of Taanach and Beth-shean to the southeast, Migiddo was able to control the whole “Plain of Esdraelon, and thus also the trunk roads from Egypt to Syria, and Babylonia. The geographical size of Megiddo is approximately 18 x 20 miles, hardly large enough to contain the population of one of America’s average cities, let alone marshal in all the armed-forces and the people of the world in one small piece of real estate for a final battle.” Therefore the Battle of Armageddon cannot be a conventional one as many conjecture.

Armageddon: “(Greek Harmagedon)… a composite transliteration from the Hebrew. Opinions differ as to what Hebrew words the Greek transliteration represents. The first component, Har, means “mountain” or if it is a transliteration of the Hebrew “ar or ir” it would mean “city.” The second component “Megedon,” may be from the Hebrew, “Megiddo” or “Megiddon” (I Kings 9:15), the city of “Megiddo, “or possibly, though improbably, from “moed,” the word commonly used throughout the O.T. for “congregation” (EX. 27:21, etc.), or “place of assembly” (Lam. 1:15; 2:6). In Isaiah 14:13 “Har-moed” is translated “mount of the congregation” or “mount of assembly,” and designates the hill on which the “king of Babylon,” “king of Tyre/Tyrus Satan aspires to sit…”

List of Works Consulted

Anderson, Roy Allan, The Triumph of the Church and the Seven Last Plagues,

“Unfolding The Revelation,” Mountain View, Ca, Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1953,

pp. 159-169.

Crews, Joe. Armageddon, “Library of Sermons #1,” Hagerstown, Md., Roseville, Ca. 2003, Amazing Facts Inc., 1980.

Finley, Mark. Armageddon and the Seven Last Plagues, “Good News For

Today” (Updated and revised) Keen, Texas, Seminars Unlimited.

Haskell, Steven N. The Story of the SEER of PATMOS, South Lancaster, Mass., (Bible Training School), South Lancaster Publishing Assn., 1905, pp. 283-288.

Maxwell, Mervyn C. The Seven Last Plagues-God Cares “The Message of Revelation for You and Your Family, God Cares,” Boise, Idaho, Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1985, pp. 421-451.

More, Marvin, (editor) The Last War ARMAGEDDON and the Middle East Crisis, “Signs of The Times,” February 7, 2007, pp. 8-12.

Melashenko, Lonnie, Armageddon: Cosmic Battle of the Ages, (Message No. 1), “The Voice of Prophecy Speaks,” Los Angeles, Ca. The Voice of Prophecy.

SDA Bible Commentary, Vol 7, Armageddon, Washington D.C., R&H

Pub. Assn., 1957, p. 846.

SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 7-A, Washington D.C., R&H Pub. Assn., 1953, pp. 982 – 984.

SDA Bible Dictionary, Vol. 8, Armageddon, Washington, D.C. R&H Pub. Assn., 1979, pp. 75, 76.

SDA Bible Commentary (Dictionary) Vol. 10, Armageddon, Washington D. C. R&H Publishing assn., 1976, pp. 76-80

Smith, Uriah, Seven Plagues Devastate the Earth, “Daniel and the Revelation,” Nashville Tn., Southern Pub. Assn., 1944, pp. 685-705.

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Nashville, Atlanta, London,

Vancouver, Thomas Nelson Pub. 1990.

The Holy Bible, (King James Version), Super Giant Print, Korea, Broadman & Holman Pub., 1996.

The Holy Bible, (The New International Version), Grand Rapids, Michigan,

Zondervan Bible Publishing assn., 1978.

The Holy Bible, (New American Standard Version), London, New York,

Melbourne, Cambridge University Press, 1960.

The Little & Ives Webster Dictionary, and Home Reference Library,

(International Ed.), New York, J. J. Little & Ives Co. Inc., 1957, p. 79.

The Seven Plagues of Revelation,” (Lesson No. 22), Seminars Unlimited, Keen, Texas. R&H Publishing Assn. and Revelation Seminars, 1983.

Vandeman, George E. Counterfeiting Armageddon, “Showdown at ARMAGEDDON,” Boise ID, Pacific Press Publishing Assn., 1987, pp. 83-93

White, Ellen, G., Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6, Mountain View Ca, Pacific Press Publishing Assn., 1948, pp. 14, 406.

More to come in future issues

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[1] Revelation 1:3

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