The battle of Armageddon
will bring the Day of Atonement (The Time of Jacob’s Trouble/The Great Tribulation) to an end with the physical and
visible, return of Jesus Christ (2 John 7, Matthew 24:27-31, Revelation
19:11-21, Isaiah 66:15-16).
The world, at this
point, will be devastated by drought, famine, disease, war, violence, sorcery, greed and sensuality (Matthew 24:4-7, Revelation 6:2-8, 2 Timothy 3:1-4, Daniel 7:23-24, Isaiah 47:8-13, Revelation
18:12-13).
For seven years the
followers of Jesus Christ have been suffering persecution. The last 3 ½ years of which, the Jewish people were included as
the persecution escalated into the most brutal persecution in the history of the world (Matthew 24:9-22, Zephaniah 1:14-15, Joel 2:2-6, Amos 5:18-20, Daniel 7:21-22,25, Revelation 13:7,15, Revelation 12:5,13).
The world economy, at this
point, will be intricately linked to one city—Babylon The Great.
Early on this day,
the most momentous day in the history of the world, an event will take place that is so catastrophic the shock waves will
be felt worldwide (after the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fell, September 11, 2001—911—can we doubt
that one event can rock the entire world?—Isaiah 30:25).
By a divine judgment,
Babylon The Great, the capital city of the world, will be suddenly, violently, catastrophically, and completely annihilated—just
as the prophets predicted (Revelation 18:1-24, Jeremiah 50:46, 51:1-64,
Isaiah 14:4-9,19-22).
On that same day (the
day Christ returns), an army consisting of every nation on earth will advance on Jerusalem—very possibly in response
to a worldwide market crash caused by the supernatural destruction of Babylon the Great. Is it a farfetched notion that Israel
will be blamed for that catastrophe and global retaliation will result (Zechariah
12:3,14:1-2, Joel 3:2, revelation 16:16)?
The fighting will be
fierce. It will be the bloodiest battle in history. The mountains around Jerusalem will be literally soaked in blood (Isaiah 34:3 [1-8], Revelation 14:20, Ezekiel 39:17-20).
One half of the city
of Jerusalem will be captured. Rape and pillage will be taking place, and Israel will be losing the battle. At this point
(dusk Jerusalem time), the sky will be lit up with an indescribable brilliance. A dazzling sight will appear on the eastern
horizon as Jesus Christ sweeps on the scene followed by the armies of Heaven (Matthew 24:27, 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Isaiah 66:15-16, Zechariah 14:2,5-B).
The Armies of Heaven
The armies of Heaven will
consist of the Children of the Resurrection (all the resurrected and caught out saints from down through the ages) and the
angel armies, which include the chariots and horses of fire the Prophet Elisha witnessed.
Scripture references:
· Saints:
Revelation 19:14(11-21), Jude 14-15, Colossians 3:4, 1 Thessalonians
3:13, Zechariah 14:5
· Angel
armies: Isaiah 66:15, 2 Kings 6:17, 2 Kings 2:11
There is no way to adequately
describe the brilliance of this event. But the effect this spectacle will have upon the Jewish people will be to open the
eyes God blinded 2000 years before, and the people of Israel will fall on their faces in soul wrenching repentance for their
rejection of Jesus Christ as the true Messiah.
The entire nation will
be saved in one day, and the prophecies concerning Israel’s restoration back to her God will see their complete
fulfillment on the day Jesus Christ physically returns to this earth (Romans
11:25-27, Zechariah 12:9-11,13:9[6-9], Isaiah 66:8).
Touchdown Jesus
Jesus will not simply
come in the air when he returns for the 2nd time, but his feet will actually touch down on the Mount of Olives
causing a massive earthquake which will split the mountain in half creating an escape route for those trapped in Jerusalem
(Zechariah 14:3-5[1-5]).
Every eye shall see
him. Again, after September 11, 2001, can we doubt the entire world can watch as an event actually takes place? (Revelation 1:7, Isaiah 40:5, Zechariah 12:10).
The man, the only
Christ—Jesus—the physical descendent of King David—who was born in the flesh, died in the flesh,
and raised in the flesh, will return in the flesh (2 John 7).
**If anyone belongs to a group or organization that denies the physical/visible
return of the man Christ Jesus (Matthew 25:31)—do not fear them or their false doctrine or threats of excommunication.
They are preaching another Jesus. Simply turn to the real Jesus. The Jesus who was Christ
at his birth, who physically died, physically rose and who is physically returning for those who belong to him. Call on the
Almighty to forgive your sins and save you by faith in his resurrected son (Romans 10:9-10,13). If you do this, you will be
safe in God’s hands, and no one will be able to pluck you out of them (John10:27-29). Only those who belong to Christ
will inherit eternal life.
Armageddon
The armies of the tribe
of Judah will be charged up at the sight of the Lord’s return. The scriptures say there will be some heroic fighting
taking place from those who belong to the tribe of Judah. God intends to honor the tribe Christ sprang from—especially
the house of David—and God always keeps his promises (Zechariah
10:6-7,12:6-8[3-9], 14:14, Isaiah 65:8-9).
The enemies of God
will be destroyed in a variety of ways on the day Christ returns. Christ and his Heavenly armies will cause supernatural destruction.
Cavalry troops will be prominent in this war (some believe this indicates a severe fuel shortage), and God will literally
blind the horses the enemy will be riding. He will confuse the attacking armies so much they will turn on each other and begin
destroying themselves (Isaiah 66:15-16, 11:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:8,
Revelation 19:15, Zechariah 12:4, 14:13, Revelation 9:16, 14:20, 19:18).
It will be a gruesome
battle. The scriptures indicate the fighting may last through the night (remember Christ returns at dusk Jerusalem time).
In any case, the battle will be over by morning—with Christ the indisputable victor (Isaiah 17:14, Zechariah 14:7).
Will there be a nuclear
explosion? Some believe so. It is believed by many that the following verses accurately describe the effects of a nuclear
explosion on the human body and environment (Zechariah 14:12-15,
Isaiah 24:20 [17-23, 34:4]).
Further scriptural
evidence of a nuclear explosion is indicated in passages that describe some sort of contamination (of bodies) that requires
special handling for quite some time after the battle (Ezekiel 39:11
[1-22]).
Part of the clean up
will be accomplished by a massive influx of birds. This won't be a normal gathering of scavengers, instead it will be a supernatural
gathering of birds called by Christ especially to accomplish his purpose (Revelation 19:17-18,21, Matthew 24:28, Luke 17:37, Ezekiel 39:4).
When the slaughter
is almost over, the antichrist and his false prophet will be captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire. Then, what is
left of his army will be wiped out. Finally, Satan will be captured and imprisoned in the bottomless pit for 1000 years (Revelation 19:20-21, 20:1-2).
**The book of Revelation is written in three kinds of
language—literal, figurative and symbolic. The literal passages are self-explanatory. Do not be discouraged by the figurative
and symbolic passages. The figurative passages are
explained by the context, and the keys to interpreting the symbolic passages are found elsewhere in the scriptures.
The Bible is a complete book.
The Word of God defines itself. Outside sources are rarely (if ever) needed to unlock the secrets of any symbolism contained
within the scriptures. That is why it is vitally important to read the Bible not only daily but systematically.
What is meant by systematically?
Read your Bible
in such a way that the entire volume is being read and re-read on a regular, ongoing basis. That is the only way to gain in-depth
knowledge of its contents. Prayerfully read the Word of God every day—always picking up today where you left off yesterday. A King James Bible with no chapter headings or footnotes is recommended.
Using that method, over time,
a generalized knowledge of Bible content is gained that no other method of bible study can give, and an ability is developed
to match up companion scriptures (i.e., scriptures found in different parts of the Word of God that go together or describe,
possibly from a slightly different aspect, the same thing or event).
The imagery and symbolism
contained within the scriptures become less confusing as this discipline is practiced, and our piecemeal understanding becomes
more complete as we become more intimately acquainted with the Word of God as a whole.
The ability to rightly
divide the Word of God must be prayerfully developed (2 Timothy 2:15).
It does not happen over night, and there is no substitute for daily Bible reading. The effort is worth it, worth it, worth
it!
**Note on the Book
of Revelation: The orientation of the Book of Revelation is future.
It was a future prophecy when John wrote it. And it is still future as of the date of this writing. It deals with the time
of Great Tribulation in which approximately 75 to 80% of the human population (world wide) will die. That has not happened
yet. The Revelation is completely composed of prophecy—not flashbacks of previous events (Revelation 1:1-13, Matthew 24:21-22)
Since
many of the events described in the Revelation occur simultaneously, there is, of necessity, an overlapping of the described
events (which may cause confusion to some readers concerning the chronology of the book).
But the Revelation is a description of progressive events, and it is written in chronological order.
