Battle of Armageddo n | Bible Study Notes

I. Introduction : The battle of Armageddon is one of the focal points of millennial literature . It is th e

grand battle between good and evil on a scale that has never been seen . The following statement s
represent some of the views as to how this battle will unfold .
Topping even these disasters will come a world war of unprecedented proportions . Hundred 3
of millions of men will be involved in a gigantic world po wer struggle centered in the Middle East . Th e
area will become the scene of the greatest war of history . Great armies from the south, representing th e
millions of Africa, will pour into the battle arena . Othergreat armies from the north, representin g
Russia and Europe, will descend on Palestine . Climaxing the struggle will be millions of men from th e
Orient, led by Red China, who will cross the Euphrates River and join the fray . Lathed in this deadl y
struggle, millions of men will perish in the greatest war of all history . This is what the Bible describe s
as Armageddon . Before the war is tinally resolved and the victor determined, Jesus Christ will com e
bath in power and glory from heaven . His coming, accompanied by millions of angels and saints, i s
described in graphic terms in Revelation 19 . Coming as the King of Dings and judge of the world, H e
will destroy the contending armies and bring in His own kingdom ofpeace and righteousness on earth .
(John F . and John E . Walvoord, Armageddon . Oil and the Middle East Crisis, p .21 VIASeeking th e
Truth About Premillenialism, David Padfield and Gene Taylor )
Note also this chart from Hal Lindsey’s teaching (from Rodney Miller) :
SOVIET BLOC: (Can. 11:40) Initial Attack. (Alsoca a
og in Ezk. 38 d 3g)
For centuries this power has longed to conquer Israel because of its tremendous wealth inchemical deposits in Dead Sea (Illustrated Ezk.38:10-12),also because Of strategic militaryvalue which has been established by centuriesof fighting. The time for attack comes from
the Capital of the Ten-Nation Federation (Rev.13:1-70), which is Rome (Rev. 17:9), ” Enveloped in Carkness” as divinely imposed (Rev. 16;30).
~ ee(g1-
% W j
Ilariel 174ca &_44;
” And the Land of Egypt shall
not escape…And the Libyansand the Ethiopians shall be
at his steps, but tidfngsout Of the East and out of
the North [ref. to Amphi-
bious Landing in Israel by
Yes tern Forces and Asiatic
Powers caning across Euph-
rates River] shall troublehim.”
KIN&S OF EASTpAN-ORIENTAL BLOC(Rev . 16 :12 )
anie ut tidings ou t
from the east … Shall troubl ehim .”
KING OF SOUTH
PAN-ARANTC BLOC (Oar. 11:40);
United Arabic Forces attacking
Israel simultaneously with
Russia’s initiaiattack, As Godhas said {Gen. 16:12), the Arabs
have always been Namads; but at
Time of End, they will become one United Sphere Of Paver.
Text: Revelation 16 :12-16; 19:11-21
In any study in the book of Revelation we must remember the symbolic nature of the book .
The failure that millenialists make is to take what is symbolic and make it literal . From thes e
passages they deduce that there will be a physical battle in a place near the physical city of Meggid o
and that there will be great loss of life . Yet, there are aspects of this symbolic prophesy that . even
they do not take literally . For example, they do not believe that there will be literal frogs going t o
gather the armies together . One cannot be arbitrary and say “‘Phis is symbolic” and ” This is no t
symbolic” for someone can and declare the opposite . We must realize, as Revelation 1 :1 says, that th e
book of Revelation is in signs. We must understand the battle to be symbolic as well and not a litera l
battle being portrayed .
What Is Armageddon ?
The word Armageddon, the Hebrew Har-Magedon, literally means the hill or city of Megiddo .
Although there is no ” Mount Megiddo” there is a city of Megiddo at the edge of the great valley o f
Esdraelon . It was a scene of many battles, both in the Bible and from historical sources . In the Bibl e
we can read of the battles Barak and Gideon waged on this battlefield and the defeat of Saul an d
Josiah . The significance of the name Armageddon is not the place but, what it represents : A great ,
decisive battle. We sometimes use the names of great battles to signify great victories or defeats .
When someone meets defeat we say he ” had his Waterloo .” So Armageddon represents the grea t
decisive battle between good and evil .
The battle was begun with Jesus and Satan ( .Matthew 4:1-11; Revelation 12:1-6 but has
involved Christ’s followers as well (S. Leonard Tyler, A Study of Premillenialism, p.67). When Sata n
tried to defeat the early church with the powers of the Jewish nation and the Roman Empire he wa s
soundly defeated and the church continued to grow . Satan was bound so that he could not use th e
nations against the church again until the last time when he would be loosed for a little season .
Daniel 11
The text of Daniel 11 is often used to show what will happen in the battle of Armageddon .
This starts with the time of the Persian empire and if one continues with the text and studies histor y
he can see the whole prophesy being fulfilled before the destruction of Jerusalem . Some will mak e
much of the prophesy follow history then take the last part and throw it into the future . This is a n
arbitrary decision and is poor exegesis . The text can be shown as fulfilled harmoniously with th e
events of history, only by having to prop up a doctrine does one have to cut and divide the text ,
putting a 2,000+ year period between events . See the appendix for an abbreviated commentary o n
Daniel 11.
The Current Battl e
While the great battle was fought in thE : first century, there: is still a fight going on toda y
between the forces of good and evil. We are to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 6) fighting wit h
spiritual weapons, not the physical weapons of the world (Ephesians 6 :10-20). Let us fight wit h
diligence and boldness for there is victory to all who stand and fight with Jesus .