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Armageddon

January 20, 2023

For other uses, see Armageddon (disambiguation).
"Battle of Armageddon" redirects here. For the 1949 hymn, see The Battle of Armageddon (Hank Williams song).

According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (/ˌɑːrməˈɡɛdən/, from Ancient Greek: Ἁρμαγεδών Harmagedōn,[1][2] Late Latin: Armagedōn,[3] from Hebrew: הַר מְגִדּוֹ‎ Har Məgīddō) is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, which is variously interpreted as either a literal or a symbolic location. The term is also used in a generic sense to refer to any end of the world scenario. In Islamic theology, Armageddon is also mentioned in Hadith as the Greatest Armageddon or Al-Malhama Al-Kubra (the great battle).[4]

Tel Megiddo with archaeological remains from the Bronze and Iron Ages
Ruins atop Tel Megiddo

The "mount" of Megiddo in northern Israel is not actually a mountain, but a tell (a mound or hill created by many generations of people living and rebuilding on the same spot)[5] on which ancient forts were built to guard the Via Maris, an ancient trade route linking Egypt with the northern empires of Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia. Megiddo was the location of various ancient battles, including one in the 15th century BC and one in 609 BC. The nearby modern Megiddo is a kibbutz in the Kishon River area.[6]

Etymology

The word Armageddon appears only once in the Greek New Testament, in Revelation 16:16. The word is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew har məgiddô (הר מגידו). Har means "a mountain or range of hills". This is a shortened form of harar meaning "to loom up; a mountain". Megiddo refers to a fortification made by King Ahab that dominated the Plain of Jezreel. Its name means "place of crowds".[7][8]

Adam Clarke wrote in his Bible commentary (1817) on Revelation 16:16:

Armageddon - The original of this word has been variously formed, and variously translated. It is הר־מגדון har-megiddon, "the mount of the assembly;" or חרמה גדהון chormah gedehon, "the destruction of their army;" or it is הר־מגדו har-megiddo, "Mount Megiddo," [9]

Christianity

See also: Christian eschatology
 
Saint John the Evangelist on Patmos. Painting by Hieronymus Bosch (1505).

Megiddo is mentioned twelve times in the Old Testament, ten times in reference to the ancient city of Megiddo, and twice with reference to "the plain of Megiddo", most probably simply meaning "the plain next to the city".[10] None of these Old Testament passages describes the city of Megiddo as being associated with any particular prophetic beliefs. The one New Testament reference to the city of Armageddon found in Revelation 16:16 makes no specific mention of any armies being predicted to one day gather in this city, either, but instead seems to predict only that "they (will gather) the kings together to ... Armageddon".[11] The text does however seem to imply, based on the text from the earlier passage of Revelation 16:14, that the purpose of this gathering of kings in the "place called Armageddon" is "for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty". Because of the seemingly highly symbolic and even cryptic language of this one New Testament passage, some Christian scholars conclude that Mount Armageddon must be an idealized location.[12] R. J. Rushdoony says, "There are no mountains of Megiddo, only the Plains of Megiddo. This is a deliberate destruction of the vision of any literal reference to the place."[13] Other scholars, including C. C. Torrey, Kline and Jordan, argue that the word is derived from the Hebrew moed (מועד), meaning "assembly". Thus, "Armageddon" would mean "Mountain of Assembly", which Jordan says is "a reference to the assembly at Mount Sinai, and to its replacement, Mount Zion".[12]

Most traditions interpret this Bible prophecy to be symbolic of the progression of the world toward the "great day of God, the Almighty" in which God pours out his just and holy wrath against unrepentant sinners, led by Satan, in a literal end-of-the-world final confrontation.[14] 'Armageddon' is the symbolic name given to this event based on scripture references regarding divine obliteration of God's enemies. The hermeneutical method supports this position by referencing Judges 4 and 5 where God miraculously destroys the enemy of their elect, Israel, at Megiddo.[15]

Christian scholar William Hendriksen writes:

For this cause, Har Magedon is the symbol of every battle in which, when the need is greatest and believers are oppressed, the Lord suddenly reveals His power in the interest of His distressed people and defeats the enemy. When Sennacherib's 185,000 are slain by the Angel of Jehovah, that is a shadow of the final Har-Magedon. When God grants a little handful of Maccabees a glorious victory over an enemy which far outnumbers it, that is a type of Har-Magedon. But the real, the great, the final Har Magedon coincides with the time of Satan’s little season. Then the world, under the leadership of Satan, anti-Christian government, and anti-Christian religion – the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet – is gathered against the Church for the final battle, and the need is greatest; when God's children, oppressed on every side, cry for help; then suddenly, Christ will appear on the clouds of glory to deliver his people; that is Har-Magedon.[16]

Dispensationalism

See also: Dispensationalism

In his discussion of Armageddon, J. Dwight Pentecost has devoted a chapter to the subject, "The Campaign of Armageddon", in which he discusses it as a campaign and not a specific battle, which will be fought in the Middle East. Pentecost writes:

It has been held commonly that the battle of Armageddon is an isolated event transpiring just prior to the second advent of Christ to the earth. The extent of this great movement in which God deals with "the kings of the earth and of the whole world"[17] will not be seen unless it is realized that the "battle of that great day of God Almighty"[18] is not an isolated battle, but rather a campaign that extends over the last half of the tribulation period. The Greek word "polemo", translated "battle" in Revelation 16:14, signifies a war or campaign, while "machē" signifies a battle, and sometimes even single combat. This distinction is observed by Trench (see Richard C. Trench, New Testament Synonyms, pp.301-2) and is followed by Thayer (see Joseph Henry Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 528) and Vincent (see Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, II, 541). The use of the word polemos (campaign) in Revelation 16:14 signifies that God views the events culminating in the gathering at Armageddon at the second advent as one connected campaign.

— Pentecost, p. 340

Pentecost then discusses the location of this campaign, and mentions the "hill of Megiddo" and other geographic locations such as "the valley of Jehoshaphat"[19] and "the valley of the passengers",[20] "Lord coming from Edom or Idumea, south of Jerusalem, when he returns from the judgment"; and Jerusalem itself.[21][22]

Pentecost further describes the area involved:

This wide area would cover the entire land of Israel and this campaign, with all its parts, would confirm what Ezekiel pictures when he says the invaders will 'cover the land'.[23] This area would conform to the extent pictured by John in Revelation 14:20.[24]

Pentecost then outlines the biblical time period for this campaign to occur and with further arguments concludes that it must take place with the 70th week of Daniel. The invasion of Israel by the Northern Confederacy "will bring the Beast and his armies to the defense of Israel as her protector". He then uses Daniel to further clarify his thinking.[25]

Again, events are listed by Pentecost in his book:

  1. "The movement of the campaign begins when the King of the South moves against the Beast–False Prophet coalition, which takes place 'at the time of the end'."[26]
  2. The King of the South gets in battle with the North King and the Northern Confederacy.[27] Jerusalem is destroyed as a result of this attack,[28] and, in turn, the armies of the Northern Confederacy are destroyed.[29]
  3. "The full armies of the Beast move into Israel[30] and shall conquer all that territory.[31] Edom, Moab, and Ammon alone escape."
  4. "... a report that causes alarm is brought to the Beast"[32]
  5. "The Beast moves his headquarters into the land of Israel and assembles his armies there."[33]
  6. "It is there that his destruction will come."[34][35]

After the destruction of the Beast at the Second Coming of Jesus, the promised Kingdom is set up, in which Jesus and the saints will rule for a thousand years. Satan is then loosed "for a season" and goes out to deceive the nations, specifically Gog and Magog.[36] The army mentioned attacks the saints in the New Jerusalem, they are defeated by a judgment of fire coming down from heaven, and then comes the Great White Throne judgment, which includes all of those through the ages[37] and these are cast into the Lake of Fire, which event is also known as the "second death" and Gehenna, not to be confused with Hell, which is Satan's domain. Pentecost describes this as follows:

The destiny of the lost is a place in the lake of fire.[38] This lake of fire is described as everlasting fire[39][40] and as unquenchable fire,[41][42] emphasizing the eternal character of retribution of the lost.

— Pentecost, p. 555

Jehovah's Witnesses

See also: Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Armageddon is the means by which God will fulfill his purpose for the Earth to be populated with happy healthy humans who will be free from sin and death.[43] They teach that the armies of heaven will eradicate all who oppose the Kingdom of God, wiping out all wicked humans on Earth, only leaving righteous mankind.[44]

They believe that the gathering of all of the nations of the earth refers to the uniting of the world's political powers, as a gradual process which began in 1914 and was later seen in manifestations such as the League of Nations and the United Nations following the First and Second World Wars.[45][full citation needed] These political powers are said to be influenced by Satan and his demons in opposition to God's kingdom.[43] Babylon the Great is interpreted as being the world empire of false religions, and it will be destroyed by the beast just prior to Armageddon.[46][47][full citation needed] Witnesses believe that after all other religions have been destroyed, the governments of the world will begin persecuting Witnesses, and God will then intervene, precipitating Armageddon.[48]

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the armies of heaven, led by Jesus, will then destroy all forms of human government and then Jesus, along with a selected 144,000 humans, will rule Earth for 1,000 years.[49] They believe that Satan and his demons will be bound for that period, unable to influence mankind. After the 1,000 years are ended, and the second resurrection has taken place, Satan is released and allowed to tempt the perfect human race one last time. Those who follow Satan will be destroyed, along with him, leaving the earth, and humankind at peace with God forever, free from sin and death.[50]

The religion's current teaching on Armageddon originated in 1925 with former Watch Tower Society president J. F. Rutherford, who based his interpretations on passages that are found in the books of Exodus, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Psalms as well as additional passages that are found in the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles. The doctrine marked a further break from the teachings of the Watch Tower Society's founder Charles Taze Russell, who for decades had taught that the final war would be an anarchistic struggle for domination on earth.[51] Tony Wills, the author of a historical study of Jehovah's Witnesses, wrote that Rutherford seemed to relish his descriptions of how completely the wicked would be destroyed at Armageddon, dwelling at great length on prophecies of destruction. He stated that towards the close of his ministry, Rutherford allocated about half the space that was available in The Watchtower magazines to discussions about Armageddon.[52]

Seventh-day Adventist

Main article: Seventh-day Adventist eschatology § Armageddon
 
Seventh-day Adventist understanding of Revelation 13–22

The teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church state that the terms "Armageddon", "Day of the Lord" and "The Second Coming of Christ" all describe the same event.[53][verification needed] Seventh-day Adventists further teach that the current religious movements taking place in the world are setting the stage for Armageddon, and they are concerned by an anticipated unity between spiritualism, American Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. A further significant difference in Seventh-day Adventist theology is the teaching that the events of Armageddon will leave the earth desolate for the duration of the millennium.[54][full citation needed] They teach that the righteous will be taken to heaven while the rest of humanity will be destroyed, leaving Satan with no one to tempt and effectively "bound".[55] The final re-creation of a "new heaven and a new earth";[56] then follows the millennium.

Christadelphians

For Christadelphians, Armageddon marks the "great climax of history when the nations would be gathered together 'into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon', and the judgment on them would herald the setting up of the Kingdom of God."[57]

Baháʼí Faith

See also: Battle of Megiddo (1918)

From Baháʼí literature, a number of interpretations of the expectations surrounding the Battle of Armageddon may be inferred, three of them being associated with events surrounding the World Wars.[58]

The first interpretation deals with a series of tablets written by Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Baháʼí Faith, to be sent to various kings and rulers.[58] The second, and best-known one, relates to events near the end of World War I involving General Allenby and the Battle of Megiddo (1918) wherein World Powers are said to have drawn soldiers from many parts of the world to engage in battle at Megiddo. In winning this battle Allenby also prevented the Ottomans from killing 'Abdu'l-Baha, then head of the Baháʼí Faith, whom they had intended to crucify.[59][60] A third interpretation reviews the overall progress of the World Wars, and the situation in the world before and after.[58]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bibletranslation.ws" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
  2. ^ "Revelation 16:16 And they assembled the kings in the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon". biblehub.com. from the original on 2012-10-27. Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  3. ^ Collins English Dictionary, HarperCollins, 3rd ed., p. 81
  4. ^ "Hadith - Book of Tribulations - Sunan Ibn Majah - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)". sunnah.com. from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  5. ^ "Amateur Archaeologists Get the Dirt on the Past" 2021-03-08 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times
  6. ^ "Maps and pictures of Megiddo mountain and the surrounding plain (in Spanish)". from the original on 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  7. ^ "Strong's Number 4023 Hebrew Dictionary of the Old Testament Online Bible with Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Brown Driver Briggs Lexicon, Etymology, Translations Definitions Meanings & Key Word Studies - Lexiconcordance.com". lexiconcordance.com. from the original on 2014-03-01. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  8. ^ BC The Archaeology of the Bible Lands. By Magnus Magnusson. BBC Publications 1977
  9. ^ "Revelation 16 Clarke's Commentary". Bible Hub.
  10. ^ "Bible Keyword Search Results: megiddo (KJV)". 2011. from the original on 2012-07-15. Retrieved 2011-01-15. Listing of the 12 Biblical Old Testament passages containing the word "Megiddo". 
  11. ^ "Revelation 16, The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath". 2011. from the original on 2011-01-11. Retrieved 2011-01-15. New Testament excerpt describing various apparent calamities of nature with respect to Armageddon.
  12. ^ a b James B. Jordan, Biblical Horizons, No. 85 2010-08-01 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Rousas John Rushdoony, Thy Kingdom Come: Studies in Daniel and Revelation, 190.
  14. ^ Chapman, Roger (2015). "Premillennial Dispensationalism". Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices. London: Routledge. pp. 517–18. ISBN 9781317473510. ISBN 9781317473510
  15. ^ Judges 5:19 | Hebrew Bible, from the original on 2022-01-09, retrieved 2022-01-09
  16. ^ William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors, 163.
  17. ^ Rev. 16:14
  18. ^ Revelation 16:14
  19. ^ Joel 3:2
  20. ^ Ezekiel 39:11
  21. ^ Zech. 12:2–11; 14:2
  22. ^ Pentecost, p. 341
  23. ^ Ezekiel 38:9–16
  24. ^ Revelation 14:20
  25. ^ "Daniel 11:40–45 (King James Version)". BibleGateway.com. from the original on 25 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  26. ^ "Daniel 11:40 (King James Version)". BibleGateway.com. from the original on 25 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  27. ^ Daniel 11:40
  28. ^ Zechariah 12:2
  29. ^ Ezekiel 39, Zechariah 12:4
  30. ^ Daniel 11:41
  31. ^ Daniel 11:41–42
  32. ^ Daniel 11:44, Revelation 16:12
  33. ^ Daniel 11:45
  34. ^ Daniel 11:45
  35. ^ Pentecost, p. 356
  36. ^ Revelation 20:8
  37. ^ Revelation 20:11–15
  38. ^ Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14–15; 21:8
  39. ^ "Matthew 25:41 (King James Version)". from the original on 25 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  40. ^ "Matthew 18:8 (King James Version)". from the original on 25 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  41. ^ "Mark 9:43-44 (King James Version)". from the original on 25 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  42. ^ "Mark 9:46–48 (King James Version)". from the original on 25 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  43. ^ a b "Armageddon—A Happy Beginning". The Watchtower: 4–7. December 1, 2005. from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  44. ^ "Armageddon—God's War to End All Wars". The Watchtower: 5–8. April 1, 2008. from the original on July 20, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  45. ^ What Does the Bible Really Teach pp. 215–218 "1914—A Significant Year in Bible Prophecy"
  46. ^ "The End of False Religion is Near". from the original on 2015-05-02. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  47. ^ Mankind's Search for God chap. 16 p. 371 par. 13 "the destruction of Babylon the Great will usher in a period of 'great tribulation' that culminates in 'the war of the great day of God the Almighty ... Har–Magedon.'"
  48. ^ "Walk by Faith, Not by Sight!". The Watchtower: 19. September 15, 2005.
  49. ^ "The Marvelous New World of God's Making". from the original on 2015-08-31. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  50. ^ "Flight to Safety Before the 'Great Tribulation'". The Watchtower: 18. June 1, 1996.
  51. ^ Alan Rogerson (1969). Millions Now Living Will Never Die. Constable. p. 47.
  52. ^ Wills, Tony (2006), A People For His Name, Lulu Enterprises, p. 154, ISBN 978-1-4303-0100-4
  53. ^ "Seventh-day Adventists believe" 1988 by the Ministerial Association General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
  54. ^ Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology 2000 Review and Herald Publishing Association and the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
  55. ^ Revelation 20:2
  56. ^ Revelation 21:1
  57. ^ The Christadelphian (1970), Volume 107, pp. 555–556.
  58. ^ a b c Lambden, Stephen. "Catastrophe, Armageddon and Millennium: some aspects of the Bábí-Bahá'í exegesis of apocalyptic symbolism". Bahá'í Studies Review. 9. from the original on 2018-12-24. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
  59. ^ Roderic Maude and Derwent Maude (1997). The Servant, the General, and Armageddon. George Ronald. ISBN 0-85398-424-7.
  60. ^ Smith, Peter (2000). "A Concise Encyclopedia of the Baha'i Faith". A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 18. ISBN 1-85168-184-1.

External links

  •   Media related to Armageddon at Wikimedia Commons
  •   The dictionary definition of Armageddon at Wiktionary
  •   Quotations related to Armageddon at Wikiquote
  • Armageddon." In James Crossley and Alastair Lockhart (eds.) Critical Dictionary of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements. 2021

Coordinates: 32°35′06″N 35°11′06″E / 32.58500°N 35.18500°E / 32.58500; 35.18500

January 20, 2023
armageddon, other, uses, disambiguation, battle, redirects, here, 1949, hymn, battle, hank, williams, song, according, book, revelation, testament, christian, bible, ɑːr, from, ancient, greek, Ἁρμαγεδών, harmagedōn, late, latin, armagedōn, from, hebrew, məgīdd. For other uses see Armageddon disambiguation Battle of Armageddon redirects here For the 1949 hymn see The Battle of Armageddon Hank Williams song According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible Armageddon ˌ ɑːr m e ˈ ɡ ɛ d en from Ancient Greek Ἁrmagedwn Harmagedōn 1 2 Late Latin Armagedōn 3 from Hebrew ה ר מ ג ד ו Har Megiddō is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies for a battle during the end times which is variously interpreted as either a literal or a symbolic location The term is also used in a generic sense to refer to any end of the world scenario In Islamic theology Armageddon is also mentioned in Hadith as the Greatest Armageddon or Al Malhama Al Kubra the great battle 4 Tel Megiddo with archaeological remains from the Bronze and Iron Ages Ruins atop Tel Megiddo The mount of Megiddo in northern Israel is not actually a mountain but a tell a mound or hill created by many generations of people living and rebuilding on the same spot 5 on which ancient forts were built to guard the Via Maris an ancient trade route linking Egypt with the northern empires of Syria Anatolia and Mesopotamia Megiddo was the location of various ancient battles including one in the 15th century BC and one in 609 BC The nearby modern Megiddo is a kibbutz in the Kishon River area 6 Contents 1 Etymology 2 Christianity 2 1 Dispensationalism 2 2 Jehovah s Witnesses 2 3 Seventh day Adventist 2 4 Christadelphians 3 Bahaʼi Faith 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksEtymology EditThe word Armageddon appears only once in the Greek New Testament in Revelation 16 16 The word is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew har megiddo הר מגידו Har means a mountain or range of hills This is a shortened form of harar meaning to loom up a mountain Megiddo refers to a fortification made by King Ahab that dominated the Plain of Jezreel Its name means place of crowds 7 8 Adam Clarke wrote in his Bible commentary 1817 on Revelation 16 16 Armageddon The original of this word has been variously formed and variously translated It is הר מגדון har megiddon the mount of the assembly or חרמה גדהון chormah gedehon the destruction of their army or it is הר מגדו har megiddo Mount Megiddo 9 Christianity EditSee also Christian eschatology Saint John the Evangelist on Patmos Painting by Hieronymus Bosch 1505 Megiddo is mentioned twelve times in the Old Testament ten times in reference to the ancient city of Megiddo and twice with reference to the plain of Megiddo most probably simply meaning the plain next to the city 10 None of these Old Testament passages describes the city of Megiddo as being associated with any particular prophetic beliefs The one New Testament reference to the city of Armageddon found in Revelation 16 16 makes no specific mention of any armies being predicted to one day gather in this city either but instead seems to predict only that they will gather the kings together to Armageddon 11 The text does however seem to imply based on the text from the earlier passage of Revelation 16 14 that the purpose of this gathering of kings in the place called Armageddon is for the war of the great day of God the Almighty Because of the seemingly highly symbolic and even cryptic language of this one New Testament passage some Christian scholars conclude that Mount Armageddon must be an idealized location 12 R J Rushdoony says There are no mountains of Megiddo only the Plains of Megiddo This is a deliberate destruction of the vision of any literal reference to the place 13 Other scholars including C C Torrey Kline and Jordan argue that the word is derived from the Hebrew moed מועד meaning assembly Thus Armageddon would mean Mountain of Assembly which Jordan says is a reference to the assembly at Mount Sinai and to its replacement Mount Zion 12 Most traditions interpret this Bible prophecy to be symbolic of the progression of the world toward the great day of God the Almighty in which God pours out his just and holy wrath against unrepentant sinners led by Satan in a literal end of the world final confrontation 14 Armageddon is the symbolic name given to this event based on scripture references regarding divine obliteration of God s enemies The hermeneutical method supports this position by referencing Judges 4 and 5 where God miraculously destroys the enemy of their elect Israel at Megiddo 15 Christian scholar William Hendriksen writes For this cause Har Magedon is the symbol of every battle in which when the need is greatest and believers are oppressed the Lord suddenly reveals His power in the interest of His distressed people and defeats the enemy When Sennacherib s 185 000 are slain by the Angel of Jehovah that is a shadow of the final Har Magedon When God grants a little handful of Maccabees a glorious victory over an enemy which far outnumbers it that is a type of Har Magedon But the real the great the final Har Magedon coincides with the time of Satan s little season Then the world under the leadership of Satan anti Christian government and anti Christian religion the dragon the beast and the false prophet is gathered against the Church for the final battle and the need is greatest when God s children oppressed on every side cry for help then suddenly Christ will appear on the clouds of glory to deliver his people that is Har Magedon 16 Dispensationalism Edit See also Dispensationalism In his discussion of Armageddon J Dwight Pentecost has devoted a chapter to the subject The Campaign of Armageddon in which he discusses it as a campaign and not a specific battle which will be fought in the Middle East Pentecost writes It has been held commonly that the battle of Armageddon is an isolated event transpiring just prior to the second advent of Christ to the earth The extent of this great movement in which God deals with the kings of the earth and of the whole world 17 will not be seen unless it is realized that the battle of that great day of God Almighty 18 is not an isolated battle but rather a campaign that extends over the last half of the tribulation period The Greek word polemo translated battle in Revelation 16 14 signifies a war or campaign while mache signifies a battle and sometimes even single combat This distinction is observed by Trench see Richard C Trench New Testament Synonyms pp 301 2 and is followed by Thayer see Joseph Henry Thayer Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament p 528 and Vincent see Marvin R Vincent Word Studies in the New Testament II 541 The use of the word polemos campaign in Revelation 16 14 signifies that God views the events culminating in the gathering at Armageddon at the second advent as one connected campaign Pentecost p 340 Pentecost then discusses the location of this campaign and mentions the hill of Megiddo and other geographic locations such as the valley of Jehoshaphat 19 and the valley of the passengers 20 Lord coming from Edom or Idumea south of Jerusalem when he returns from the judgment and Jerusalem itself 21 22 Pentecost further describes the area involved This wide area would cover the entire land of Israel and this campaign with all its parts would confirm what Ezekiel pictures when he says the invaders will cover the land 23 This area would conform to the extent pictured by John in Revelation 14 20 24 Pentecost then outlines the biblical time period for this campaign to occur and with further arguments concludes that it must take place with the 70th week of Daniel The invasion of Israel by the Northern Confederacy will bring the Beast and his armies to the defense of Israel as her protector He then uses Daniel to further clarify his thinking 25 Again events are listed by Pentecost in his book The movement of the campaign begins when the King of the South moves against the Beast False Prophet coalition which takes place at the time of the end 26 The King of the South gets in battle with the North King and the Northern Confederacy 27 Jerusalem is destroyed as a result of this attack 28 and in turn the armies of the Northern Confederacy are destroyed 29 The full armies of the Beast move into Israel 30 and shall conquer all that territory 31 Edom Moab and Ammon alone escape a report that causes alarm is brought to the Beast 32 The Beast moves his headquarters into the land of Israel and assembles his armies there 33 It is there that his destruction will come 34 35 After the destruction of the Beast at the Second Coming of Jesus the promised Kingdom is set up in which Jesus and the saints will rule for a thousand years Satan is then loosed for a season and goes out to deceive the nations specifically Gog and Magog 36 The army mentioned attacks the saints in the New Jerusalem they are defeated by a judgment of fire coming down from heaven and then comes the Great White Throne judgment which includes all of those through the ages 37 and these are cast into the Lake of Fire which event is also known as the second death and Gehenna not to be confused with Hell which is Satan s domain Pentecost describes this as follows The destiny of the lost is a place in the lake of fire 38 This lake of fire is described as everlasting fire 39 40 and as unquenchable fire 41 42 emphasizing the eternal character of retribution of the lost Pentecost p 555 Jehovah s Witnesses Edit See also Eschatology of Jehovah s Witnesses Jehovah s Witnesses believe that Armageddon is the means by which God will fulfill his purpose for the Earth to be populated with happy healthy humans who will be free from sin and death 43 They teach that the armies of heaven will eradicate all who oppose the Kingdom of God wiping out all wicked humans on Earth only leaving righteous mankind 44 They believe that the gathering of all of the nations of the earth refers to the uniting of the world s political powers as a gradual process which began in 1914 and was later seen in manifestations such as the League of Nations and the United Nations following the First and Second World Wars 45 full citation needed These political powers are said to be influenced by Satan and his demons in opposition to God s kingdom 43 Babylon the Great is interpreted as being the world empire of false religions and it will be destroyed by the beast just prior to Armageddon 46 47 full citation needed Witnesses believe that after all other religions have been destroyed the governments of the world will begin persecuting Witnesses and God will then intervene precipitating Armageddon 48 Jehovah s Witnesses teach that the armies of heaven led by Jesus will then destroy all forms of human government and then Jesus along with a selected 144 000 humans will rule Earth for 1 000 years 49 They believe that Satan and his demons will be bound for that period unable to influence mankind After the 1 000 years are ended and the second resurrection has taken place Satan is released and allowed to tempt the perfect human race one last time Those who follow Satan will be destroyed along with him leaving the earth and humankind at peace with God forever free from sin and death 50 The religion s current teaching on Armageddon originated in 1925 with former Watch Tower Society president J F Rutherford who based his interpretations on passages that are found in the books of Exodus Jeremiah Ezekiel and Psalms as well as additional passages that are found in the books of Samuel Kings and Chronicles The doctrine marked a further break from the teachings of the Watch Tower Society s founder Charles Taze Russell who for decades had taught that the final war would be an anarchistic struggle for domination on earth 51 Tony Wills the author of a historical study of Jehovah s Witnesses wrote that Rutherford seemed to relish his descriptions of how completely the wicked would be destroyed at Armageddon dwelling at great length on prophecies of destruction He stated that towards the close of his ministry Rutherford allocated about half the space that was available in The Watchtower magazines to discussions about Armageddon 52 Seventh day Adventist Edit Main article Seventh day Adventist eschatology Armageddon Seventh day Adventist understanding of Revelation 13 22 The teachings of the Seventh day Adventist Church state that the terms Armageddon Day of the Lord and The Second Coming of Christ all describe the same event 53 verification needed Seventh day Adventists further teach that the current religious movements taking place in the world are setting the stage for Armageddon and they are concerned by an anticipated unity between spiritualism American Protestantism and Roman Catholicism A further significant difference in Seventh day Adventist theology is the teaching that the events of Armageddon will leave the earth desolate for the duration of the millennium 54 full citation needed They teach that the righteous will be taken to heaven while the rest of humanity will be destroyed leaving Satan with no one to tempt and effectively bound 55 The final re creation of a new heaven and a new earth 56 then follows the millennium Christadelphians Edit For Christadelphians Armageddon marks the great climax of history when the nations would be gathered together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon and the judgment on them would herald the setting up of the Kingdom of God 57 Bahaʼi Faith EditSee also Battle of Megiddo 1918 From Bahaʼi literature a number of interpretations of the expectations surrounding the Battle of Armageddon may be inferred three of them being associated with events surrounding the World Wars 58 The first interpretation deals with a series of tablets written by Baha u llah founder of the Bahaʼi Faith to be sent to various kings and rulers 58 The second and best known one relates to events near the end of World War I involving General Allenby and the Battle of Megiddo 1918 wherein World Powers are said to have drawn soldiers from many parts of the world to engage in battle at Megiddo In winning this battle Allenby also prevented the Ottomans from killing Abdu l Baha then head of the Bahaʼi Faith whom they had intended to crucify 59 60 A third interpretation reviews the overall progress of the World Wars and the situation in the world before and after 58 See also Edit1 Maccabees Al Malhama Al Kubra World War III Amik Valley Antiochus Epiphanes Apocalyptic literature Armageddon novel Futurist view of the Book of Revelation Historicist interpretations of the Book of Revelation List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events Megiddo The Omega Code 2 Millenarianism Millennialism Preterist interpretation of the Book of Revelation Ragnarok Siege of Jerusalem 70 Waiting for ArmageddonReferences Edit Bibletranslation ws PDF Archived PDF from the original on 2011 07 16 Retrieved 2009 09 23 Revelation 16 16 And they assembled the kings in the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon biblehub com Archived from the original on 2012 10 27 Retrieved 2019 04 01 Collins English Dictionary HarperCollins 3rd ed p 81 Hadith Book of Tribulations Sunan Ibn Majah Sunnah com Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم sunnah com Archived from the original on 2020 11 12 Retrieved 2020 12 24 Amateur Archaeologists Get the Dirt on the Past Archived 2021 03 08 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times Maps and pictures of Megiddo mountain and the surrounding plain in Spanish Archived from the original on 2017 06 14 Retrieved 2010 06 22 Strong s Number 4023 Hebrew Dictionary of the Old Testament Online Bible with Strong s Exhaustive Concordance Brown Driver Briggs Lexicon Etymology Translations Definitions Meanings amp Key Word Studies Lexiconcordance com lexiconcordance com Archived from the original on 2014 03 01 Retrieved 2014 02 25 BC The Archaeology of the Bible Lands By Magnus Magnusson BBC Publications 1977 Revelation 16 Clarke s Commentary Bible Hub Bible Keyword Search Results megiddo KJV 2011 Archived from the original on 2012 07 15 Retrieved 2011 01 15 Listing of the 12 Biblical Old Testament passages containing the word Megiddo Revelation 16 The Seven Bowls of God s Wrath 2011 Archived from the original on 2011 01 11 Retrieved 2011 01 15 New Testament excerpt describing various apparent calamities of nature with respect to Armageddon a b James B Jordan Biblical Horizons No 85 Archived 2010 08 01 at the Wayback Machine Rousas John Rushdoony Thy Kingdom Come Studies in Daniel and Revelation 190 Chapman Roger 2015 Premillennial Dispensationalism Culture Wars An Encyclopedia of Issues Viewpoints and Voices London Routledge pp 517 18 ISBN 9781317473510 ISBN 9781317473510 Judges 5 19 Hebrew Bible archived from the original on 2022 01 09 retrieved 2022 01 09 William Hendriksen More Than Conquerors 163 Rev 16 14 Revelation 16 14 Joel 3 2 Ezekiel 39 11 Zech 12 2 11 14 2 Pentecost p 341 Ezekiel 38 9 16 Revelation 14 20 Daniel 11 40 45 King James Version BibleGateway com Archived from the original on 25 November 2007 Retrieved 2007 11 16 Daniel 11 40 King James Version BibleGateway com Archived from the original on 25 November 2007 Retrieved 2007 11 16 Daniel 11 40 Zechariah 12 2 Ezekiel 39 Zechariah 12 4 Daniel 11 41 Daniel 11 41 42 Daniel 11 44 Revelation 16 12 Daniel 11 45 Daniel 11 45 Pentecost p 356 Revelation 20 8 Revelation 20 11 15 Rev 19 20 20 10 14 15 21 8 Matthew 25 41 King James Version Archived from the original on 25 November 2007 Retrieved 2007 11 16 Matthew 18 8 King James Version Archived from the original on 25 November 2007 Retrieved 2007 11 16 Mark 9 43 44 King James Version Archived from the original on 25 November 2007 Retrieved 2007 11 16 Mark 9 46 48 King James Version Archived from the original on 25 November 2007 Retrieved 2007 11 16 a b Armageddon A Happy Beginning The Watchtower 4 7 December 1 2005 Archived from the original on September 29 2015 Retrieved May 22 2015 Armageddon God s War to End All Wars The Watchtower 5 8 April 1 2008 Archived from the original on July 20 2015 Retrieved May 22 2015 What Does the BibleReallyTeach pp 215 218 1914 A Significant Year in Bible Prophecy The End of False Religion is Near Archived from the original on 2015 05 02 Retrieved 2015 05 22 Mankind s Search for God chap 16 p 371 par 13 the destruction of Babylon the Great will usher in a period of great tribulation that culminates in the war of the great day of God the Almighty Har Magedon Walk by Faith Not by Sight The Watchtower 19 September 15 2005 The Marvelous New World of God s Making Archived from the original on 2015 08 31 Retrieved 2015 05 22 Flight to Safety Before the Great Tribulation The Watchtower 18 June 1 1996 Alan Rogerson 1969 Millions Now Living Will Never Die Constable p 47 Wills Tony 2006 A People For His Name Lulu Enterprises p 154 ISBN 978 1 4303 0100 4 Seventh day Adventists believe 1988 by the Ministerial Association General Conference of Seventh day Adventists Handbook of Seventh day Adventist Theology 2000 Review and Herald Publishing Association and the General Conference of Seventh day Adventists Revelation 20 2 Revelation 21 1 The Christadelphian 1970 Volume 107 pp 555 556 a b c Lambden Stephen Catastrophe Armageddon and Millennium some aspects of the Babi Baha i exegesis of apocalyptic symbolism Baha i Studies Review 9 Archived from the original on 2018 12 24 Retrieved 2007 06 10 Roderic Maude and Derwent Maude 1997 The Servant the General and Armageddon George Ronald ISBN 0 85398 424 7 Smith Peter 2000 A Concise Encyclopedia of the Baha i Faith A concise encyclopedia of the Bahaʼi Faith Oxford Oneworld Publications p 18 ISBN 1 85168 184 1 External links Edit Media related to Armageddon at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of Armageddon at Wiktionary Quotations related to Armageddon at Wikiquote Armageddon In James Crossley and Alastair Lockhart eds Critical Dictionary of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements 2021Coordinates 32 35 06 N 35 11 06 E 32 58500 N 35 18500 E 32 58500 35 18500 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Armageddon amp oldid 1131075919, 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