Revelation 16: 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. 17 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.
Armageddon, (probably Hebrew: “Hill of Megiddo”), in the New Testament, place where the kings of the earth under demonic leadership will wage war on the forces of God at the end of history. Armageddon is mentioned in the Bible only once, in the Revelation to John, or the Apocalypse of St. John (16:16).
The Palestinian city of Megiddo, located on a pass commanding a road connecting Egypt and Syria, is the scene of many military encounters.
The terrifying image of a war of apocalyptic proportions is taken from this passage in Revelation: “They gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” Revelation 16:16. Armageddon means, “mountain of Megiddo.”* There is a plateau in northern Israel that goes by the name of Megiddo. Mount Carmel rises above this plateau. And Mount Carmel is the place where Elijah faced off against the four hundred prophets of Baal.
Ahab, king of Israel, and Jezebel, the queen, had led the Israelites into the worship of Baal, one of the Canaanite gods. So, Elijah proposed a contest to reveal who was the true God.
1 Kings 18:20 So, Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.
So, the prophets of Baal built their altar and called on their god all morning dancing, singing, shouting, and slashing themselves with knives. They bled all over the altar, but their god did not respond. Elijah ridiculed them. “Shout louder,” he suggested. “Maybe your god is sleeping, or traveling, or deep in thought.” The priests of Baal continued their frenzied appeal throughout the day until the time of the evening sacrifice, when they finally collapsed.
Elijah calmly prepared a simple stone altar and placed wood and a sacrifice on it. He had the altar and sacrifice drenched with water. Then he knelt down and prayed a brief prayer. God heard his prayer and sent fire that consumed not only the wood and the sacrifice, but also the water and even the stone altar.
REVELATION 13 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them.
11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people.
Just as there was a conflict between true and false worship in Elijah’s day, so, there will be in the last days. While it was God who brought fire down from heaven to consume Elijah’s sacrifice on Mount Carmel, in the last days it will be the evil beast of Revelation 13 that causes “fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men” Revelation 13:13.
The battle of Armageddon will put the nations of the world against the armies of heaven. The “spirits of demons performing miraculous signs [will] go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty” Revelation 16:14.
Revelation 19 describes the same battle, picturing Christ as the Supreme Commander of heaven’s forces, riding on a white horse. Christ “is called Faithful and True and with justice he judges and makes war.” Revelation 19:11. And “the armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses” Revelation 19:14.
REVELATION 19:19 “I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.” It will be a battle between true and false worship at the time of Christ’s return.
Christ didn’t show John the battle of Armageddon to terrify us. He showed it because He wants us to understand how the conflict of the ages between Christ and Satan will end.
Elijah’s message to Israel resounds with us today. We must choose whom we will serve. If the Lord is God, serve Him; if Baal (the beast and its image), serve him. Everyone in the world will have to choose between worshiping the beast and worshiping God. Because God is love, He does not force anyone to be saved, but gives us a choice. “The beast kills those who do not worship its way. Revelation 13:15. Forced worship is false worship.
The battle of Armageddon could be imminent. We don’t know. However, Armageddon finds the nations of the world assemble to make war against Christ, not against each other. No matter how terrifying a world war in the Middle East may be, if the nations of the earth are fighting each other, that war is not the biblical Armageddon.
Again, we find war between nations heating up in the Middle East. Fear not! The Battle Belongs to the Lord. In heavenly armour we’ll enter the land
The battle belongs to the Lord
No weapon that’s fashioned against us shall stand
The battle belongs to the Lord We sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the Lord
We sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the Lord When the power of darkness comes in like a flood
The battle belongs to the Lord
He’s raised up a standard, the power of His blood
The battle belongs to the Lord We sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the lord
We sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the lord
To the Lord When your enemy presses in hard do not fear
The battle belongs to the Lord
Take courage my friend, your redemption is near
The battle belongs to the Lord And we sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the lord
We sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the lord
And we sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the lord
We sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the lord
Songwriters: Collins Jamie Sue, Owens Jamie