Revelation 19:11-17; Armageddon (2)
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; (Rev. 19:11-17 KJV)
Armageddon is the place where the kings of the earth and of the whole world will gather to battle against God Almighty (Revelation 16:14-16). It is the culmination of man’s rebellion against the rule of their Creator God (Revelation 16:17) and God’s emphatic intervention to restore His sovereignty over His created earth through His Son Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:11-21; Daniel 2:44-45; Zechariah 12-14; Joel 2:11; 3:2). It is history’s final war!
The objective of the world’s army (Revelation 9:13-16; 16:13-16) against Israel in this final war is to occupy Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:2- 11; 14:2), the capital of the world. This will complete man’s ambition to be the master of God’s vineyard. The evil one behind man’s rebellion is none other than Satan himself, energizing the Antichrist and the false prophet, exerting control over the kings of the earth (Revelation 16:13-14). The first rebellion against God occurred in heaven by the archangel Lucifer who is Satan himself (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:14-19). The first rebellion on earth was by Adam and Eve who fell at Satan’s temptation (Genesis 3:1-7),plunging mankind into total depravity. The depraved nature in man, motivated by the prince of this world – Satan, will be dealt a fatal blow in this final battle.
The word “Armageddon” in Revelation 16:16 is the Greek word “harmageddon”, which in Hebrew “Har Megiddo” is literally translated “Mount of Megiddo” which means “the Hill of Slaughter”. Megiddo is located on the southern edge of the plain of Jezreel where the Way of the Sea (via Maris) leaves the plain and passes through a long and narrow passage into the plain of Sharon by the coast (adapted from The Holy Land by Sami Awwad, The Mount Scopus Hotel, Jerusalem).
Megiddo is a strategic point at the opening of this passage because it is the great highway connecting the land of Egypt and the south, with Syria and the north. It is the place where many historic battles took place throughout Israel’s history. Coming from the north, armies marching past Megiddo will directly reach Jerusalem.
For this last battle of Armageddon, the great river Euphrates will be dried up to make way for the kings of the east to march through – down the plain of Megiddo and finally to Jerusalem (Revelation 16:12). Their purpose is to destroy Israel, God’s chosen people.
This final rebellion gathers momentum at the 6th vial judgment (Revelation 16:12). It is towards the end of the second half of the tribulation period and will culminate at the 7th vial judgment (Revelation 16:17) where “a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne” declares, “It is done”. This completes the series of God’s judgment (7 seals, 7 trumpets and lastly 7 vials) that began at the beginning of the 7-year great tribulation period recorded in Revelation 6. The church was already taken up to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Matthew 24:36- 41; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 17:26-30, 34-36). Now Christ will return with His raptured saints (Jude 1:14) and the heavenly hosts (Matthew 25:31; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9) to quell man’s rebellion (Revelation 19:11-21) and to establish His earthly rule from Jerusalem. Jesus Christ will return physically on the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem will be topographically transformed. The great city, Jerusalem, will be “divided into three parts” (Revelation 16:19; Acts 1:11; Zechariah 14:4-5).
Since 14 May 1948, Israel has once again become a nation and has been occupying Jerusalem. Long before that, ancient Israel was destroyed and scattered by the Roman army in AD 70. Modern Israel has, since her independence, fought many wars against surrounding Arab nations. In this final war, it will be between Israel and the rest of the world!
It will be Israel and the people of God on the one side versus the nations of the world on the other. The armies of the world are led by Satan (dragon), the Antichrist (beast) and the false prophet (Revelation 16:13-14). Israel will be no match for the power of theAntichrist and the armies of the world. But at the moment of their great distress, Israel’s Messiah, Jesus Christ, will come down from heaven to save a distraught Israel.
Just before Armageddon, regardless of special Gospel efforts, there will be great unbelief. The Gospel will be preached by the 144,000 sealed Jewish witnesses from the twelve revived tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:4-8) between the 6th and 7th seal judgment. There will also be two witnesses from God to declare the Gospel to the whole world during the second half of the great tribulation (Revelation 11:3-12). Finally, the Lord will send an angel to preach the Gospel to all the inhabitants on earth so that men will have no excuse for not knowing the truth. Revelation 14:6-7 says, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Man will be without excuse for not acknowledging and worshipping their Creator God!
The Triumph of Christ
At the end of the tribulation, during the Armageddon conflict, the Lord shall return to earth in order to deliver Israel, His chosen people, from the invading army of the Antichrist. This is described in Revelation 19:11-14: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” And in Revelation 1:7: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”
In Revelation 19:15, we read of the Lord’s weapon of triumph, “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”
What is this sharp sword? It is the spoken word of Christ unleashed to destroy the advancing armies of the world. The destruction is described vividly in Zechariah 14:12: “And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.”
The longsuffering of God has reached its limit. The judgment of God is swift and complete. For the unrepentant, there is no escape from the carnage to come.
Revelation 19:19-21, “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” All physical and spiritual forces fighting against the sovereign rule of God their Creator will be dealt with, and utterly defeated.
Revelation 16:18-20 describes: “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great… and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.” Singapore, as well as the rest of the world, will not be spared in this great earthquake. May we realize the futility of building an earthly kingdom that will ultimately be destroyed.
Man once again will fail in their rebellion against God. At the climax of the battle of Armageddon, Israel will repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah, when Jesus will visibly return to defeat the nations of the world (Revelation19:11-21). The end of Armageddon will see the beginning of Christ’s golden reign on earth from Jerusalem for 1,000 years (Revelation 20).