Most of the world is not biblically literate, but nearly everyone has heard of Armageddon, which pop culture has leveraged into books and blockbuster movies. Armageddon sells well, but unfortunately, most people have little appreciation for the true nature of this stupendous biblical event.
Of course, the popular image of Armageddon is a secular battle, but the Bible is not about secular history; it is a book about religious history—a book that follows God’s people and His relationship with them. So it refers to nations only as they negatively and positively interact with God’s people. Rather than a secular battle, Armageddon is the culmination of a spiritual battle between God’s people and those who follow Satan.
The book of Revelation also highlights the global nature of the battle of Armageddon. In Revelation 16:12–16, describing preparation for the battle, we read that the spirits of devils go t “the kings of the whole world” (verse 14), gathering the masses to their side. On God’s part, three angels go to “those who live on the earth” (Revelation 14:6–11), calling people to join Christ’s side in the battle. Verses 14–20 refer to “the earth” several times.
The stage is set for global war: the three spirits of devils and their followers are pitted against the three angels and those who respond to their messages. The battle lines are drawn, and the whole world is on either one side or the other in this end-time showdown. Armageddon is much more than fodder for thrilling movies. It is a global, winner-take-all, zero-sum struggle between good and evil.
clues about Armageddon in the Old Testament
The book of Revelation is a beautiful mosaic of Old Testament allusions and references—some five hundred of them. The signs and symbols used in Revelation are rooted in Israel’s salvation history, and a careful study of the Old Testament illuminates their meaning. Understanding such a challenging subject as Armageddon is possible only within the broader context of Old Testament narratives and recognizing their prophetic significance. The primary tool for accomplishing this task is one that the Reformers made good use of—the principle of letting the Bible interpret itself. It’s tempting to jump right to the latest political headline to seek enlightenment, but Scripture, particularly Revelation, requires a careful analysis of the entire biblical record.
Following this approach, a review of the Old Testament literature shows that Judges 4 and 5 contain the first mention of Megiddo (the root meaning of Armageddon; har-megiddo in the Old Testament language of Hebrew means “mountain of Megiddo”). Israel had been oppressed by Jabin, the king of Canaan, for twenty years (Judges 4:1–4), and the captain of Jabin’s army was Sisera. At this time, the Israelites didn’t even have a shield or a spear (Judges 5:8). Deborah, a prophetess, told Barak, the man God appointed to free Israel, “Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?” (Judges 4:14). Of special interest are the facts that the battle took place near “the waters of Megiddo” (Judges 5:19) and God “routed Sisera” (Judges 4:15), leaving no surviving enemy soldiers (verse 16).
The second Old Testament reference linked to Armageddon is the prophet Elijah’s encounter with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:16–40). Outnumbered, Elijah faced 850 false prophets on Mount Carmel. The showdown teetered on one issue: worship. Who was the true God, and who was worthy of worship—Baal or the Lord?
In order to prove that the Lord is the only true God, Elijah proposed a challenge to the prophets of Baal. The priests would offer a sacrifice to Baal, and Elijah would offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Whichever god set the sacrifice on fire was the true God. All day, the Baal worshipers frantically begged their god to accept their sacrifice. They “slashed themselves with swords and spears . . . until their blood flowed” (verse 28). But no fire fell from heaven to consume their sacrifice. There was no response from Baal. In stark contrast was Elijah’s simple entreaty that his Lord would show everyone that He was God (verses 36, 37). Instantly, fire fell, consuming not only the sacrifice but also the entire stone altar.
The false prophets were subsequently slaughtered by the Kishon River (verse 40; cf. Judges 4:7; 5:19–21), emphatically showing God’s displeasure with pagan worship. The Kishon River, fed by the springs of Megiddo, flows by the north side of Mount Carmel, linking the mountain and Megiddo—har-megiddo, or Armageddon.
God fights for His people
Much like Elijah, God’s end-time followers will be true to Him while the rest of the world will be occupied with false worship. God will bring deliverance to th “Elijah people”—“Those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17, NKJV). Like Elijah, they will be outnumbered, but they will be miraculously delivered, and the enemy will be totally destroyed.
In addition to Barak and Deborah’s defeat of Sisera’s forces and Elijah’s victory on Mount Carmel, there are other stories that illustrate God’s power to defeat evil (see Judges 7:19–22; 1 Samuel 14:15–20; Isaiah 19:2; Ezekiel 38:14–23; Haggai 2:22). Miraculous deliverance is a recurring theme in salvation history, and these Old Testament stories confirm a marvelous truth about God: He loves to deliver His people when they face overwhelming odds.
the Exodus and the plagues
No review of God’s deliverance would be complete without remembering the exodus of His people from Egypt and His protection of them while plagues fell on the Egyptians. God drowned every Egyptian soldier in the Red Sea but opened a path for His people to cross safely. What a deliverance! This miracle foreshadows the rescue of God’s people—spiritual Israel—at the battle of Armageddon.
In the Exodus story, ten plagues fell on Egypt (Exodus 7:14–12:30). Drawing on that story, Revelation describes seven plagues that are poured out on the earth (Revelation 16:1–21), which are strikingly similar to the ten plagues that preceded the Exodus. The plagues described in Revelation come in response to the global false worship of Satan and his counterfeit religious system (Revelation 12 and 13). They will fall o “the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image” (Revelation 16:2), “on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom” (verse 10), and on those who will kill God’s people (verses 5, 6).
An important point to make here is that the sixth plague of Revelation 16 is not Armageddon. Rather, it describes the two sides readying themselves for the battle of Armageddon (verses 12–21). A few chapters later, the King of kings rides forth on a white horse (Revelation 19:1–16). Flanked by the armies of heaven, God defeats the forces of evil for eternity.
When the Bible has something important to say, it repeats the point, expanding on previous explanations to clarify the message. In the verses on preparing for Armageddon in Revelation 16, we read: “Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed” (verse 15).
This is a repetition of the message given to warn the Laodicean church (Revelation 3:18)—God’s appeal to His end-time professed followers to wear Christ’s robe of righteousness. This generous gift of spiritual deliverance is clearly linked to physical deliverance from the destructive forces of Satan.
Armageddon is the ultimate victory of the Cross
God’s incredible deliverance of His people and the promise of victory hinge on the most significant event in human history—Calvary. When Jesus stumbled to Calvary and there, bearing the sins of the world, died on the cross for all human beings (1 John 2:2), that was Judgment Day for Satan. Could there be a better, more concrete revelation of God’s utter compassion and concern for the human race?
We live in the victory of that event. Humankind does not move toward an uncertain future and a vague eternal destiny. On the contrary, every person can live with joy, knowing that Jesus will triumphantly return because He prevailed at Calvary. Because He died and rose again, He will return. He came to His end so that we could enjoy a new beginning.
The book of Revelation describes several scenes connecting Jesus’ return to earth with the victory won at the Cross (Revelation 6:12–17; 14:14–20; 19:11–21). In Revelation 14, Christ (referred to as “one like a son of man”) comes on a white cloud, wearing a crown, to deliver His people (verse 14). In chapter 19, Christ is referred to as “Faithful and True” (verse 11) and “the Word of God” (verse 13), and He rides a white horse as “KING OF KINGS” (verse 16), with an army riding on white horses ready to destroy the enemy (verses 11–21).
The second coming of Jesus is the climactic moment of the battle of Armageddon. It will be a glorious sight—Jesus charging through the heavens on a final rescue mission. What a day that will be!
Scott Cady is an editor and the marketing director for Signs of the Times®.
