Monday, October 4, 2010


The Battle of Armageddon
We have good news for some, and bad news for others. If you are looking for some world wide nuclear destruction of earth as Armageddon, or for spectacular, sensational explanations for Bible prophecy, you will likely be disappointed. If you are thinking it doesn't matter to you because you'll not be here, but will have been Raptured into Heaven beforehand, you might again be disappointed. If you believe the real battle will be Satan trying to take as many souls with him into destruction, and if you believe the real battle will be understanding Satan's delusions, you'll be pleased with what the Bible really says about Armageddon.  

Rather than speculate, let's look at Scripture. Armageddon is the world's, "Mother of all Battles!" Some say Scripture has little information about the type of Battle it will be, but we suggest it does. Actually the entire Bible is a detailed description of the battle! Armageddon is not a battle over the old city of Jerusalem. It is, however, a battle over New Jerusalem.

"As the Sands of the Sea"
At the end of the 1000 years, Satan will have an Army, "The number of whom is as the Sands of the Sea" (Rev.20:8), and this army will make a massive effort as it attempts to fight the last phase of Armageddon.

A Popular Movie Revealed the REAL Battle! Soon after the year 2000, a Bible Prophecy Movie was released that, in a small scene, told exactly the real purpose of Armageddon. We'll not name the Movie because it is completely non-Biblical, but there's a scene towards the end in which the Antichrist character transitions into a hideous Satan Creature with huge bat-like wings. The graphics are very good. Just before this transition, while Tanks are firing and Fighter Jets dropping bombs all around, the Antichrist character bellows out the following statement: "You really don't understand what this Battle is all about!!! It is a Battle for the souls of men!" And that, dear Reader, is exactly IT!! That's the Battle of Armageddon!! It's a battle for the Souls men and women!! It's a battle that began in Eden when the Serpent/Satan tempted Eve! You could say it began in Heaven when Lucifer rebelled against God.
Now let's look at the only place in Scripture that contains the word Armageddon.
"And he gathered them together in a place called in the Hebrew tongue ARMAGEDDON" (Rev.16:18)!
Let's look at the whole context. The Battle appears to occur at the end of the, "7 Last Plagues," but further investigation shows it actually begins earlier, and, as we mentioned, ends with Satan and his army encompassing New Jerusalem:
"And I (John) saw three unclean spirits, like frogs, come out of the mouth of the Dragon (Satan), and the mouth of the Beast (Antichrist), and out of the mouth of the False Prophet. For they are the spirits of Devils, working miracles, that go forth unto the Kings of the Earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty! Behold I come as a thief! Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame! And he gathered them in a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon" (Rev.16:13-16)!

If we take everything into consideration from the context, the fiercest form of Armageddon's time frame is just before the 7th of the Seven Last Plagues. It is during this Seventh Plague that Christ's Second Coming occurs. The key to understanding the Battle is to know what is meant by, "Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty." Pretty much every time we see the words, "Day of the Lord" in Scripture, the reference is to the Millennium; the whole Millennium; the thousand  year time period immediately following Jesus' Second Coming. If we insist on holding the notion that Jesus will have a Millennial Kingdom here on earth immediately after the Second Coming, we'll NEVER find a place for Armageddon. If we understand that Jesus is coming to take His people, ALL of His people, to Heaven, then, and only then, Armageddon begins to make sense.

Key Word - "DAY" of the Lord!
If we look at what Peter and John prophesied concerning the, "Day of the Lord," Armageddon will be better understood. Peter wrote: "But Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day" (2Pet.3:8)! Peter then explains what he meant: "But the DAY (thousand years is as a day) of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are in it, shall be burned up" (2Pet.3:10)! "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for a New Heavens and a New Earth in which dwelleth righteousness" (Vs.13)! So, by comparing all that Peter wrote here, he could be saying, "The millennium of the Lord.."
     Almost every Church Denomination teaches that Jesus sets up a Millennial Kingdom here on earth. John was the last Bible Prophet to receive information from Jesus concerning the, "Day of the Lord" and the total destruction of earth by fire. But that total destruction of earth by fire does not occur at the beginning of the 1000 years when Jesus comes at His Second Coming. John clearly states that the earth's destruction and the creation of the New Heaven and New Earth happens at the END of the 1000 years (see Rev.21:1).
     There's a fact about the, "Day of the Lord" that must be recognize before we can even attempt to understand Armageddon or the Day of the Lord. Any time we see, "Day of the Lord," or any reference to it, the time frame is the Millennium (1000 years)! In other words, we can read about an event that is to occur within the, "Day of the Lord," but often we must look also to other Scriptures to determine whether that event is at the biginning or the end of the thousand  years. Following is an example spoken by Jesus:

"Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, And shall come forth: They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life;and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (Jn.5:28-29)!
If we had no other Scriptures about the time of the resurrection of the righteous and the wicked, we'd assume there'd be only one, "hour" and everyone would be resurrected at exactly the same time. However, John was later given a vision from Jesus in which he was shown that the righteous are resurrected at the beginning of the Millennium and the wicked at the end, after the thousand years: "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the 1000 years were finished. This [the resurrection at the beginning of the 1000 years] is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a 1000 years" (Rev.20:5-6)! So, by combining these Scriptures, we have the truth.

Scripture never contradicts itself, but it often adds new information. Perhaps this is happening with the Battle of Armageddon. The language in the context of Armageddon suggests events that happen at the beginning of the thousand years and also at the end. So, we will make a suggestion. The last portion of the Battle of Armageddon begins before the 7 Last Plagues. The Bible offers circumstantial evidence that the actual Great Tribulation will have an overall time of no more than a year, and the Seven Last Plagues only about two weeks. There is no real indication of a 7-Year Tribulation. Thus we suggest that, since the real Battle is over the "Souls of Men (Human Kind)," the Battle starts at the beginning of the Tribulation. Scripture contains many references about Satan making war on God's people: "And the Dragon (Satan) was wroth with the woman, and went to MAKE WAR with the Remnant of her seed, who Keep the Commandments of God and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev 12:17, 14:12)! We suggest that this begins this last phase of the Battle of Armageddon, and this last phase ends when Satan and his army encompass New Jerusalem. At no time in this last phase does the Battle go well for Satan. God's people have fortified themselves with the power God has made available for them. During the first stage of the battle, some of God's people suffer death at the hands of Satan's (Antichrist's) followers. John saw that some were, "beheaded for the Witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the Beast; neither had received his Mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands" (Rev. 20:4)!

Even though this Battle for the Souls of Men began in the Garden of Eden and has been going on in earnest from that time on, the Battle of Armageddon portion of this conflict begins when Satan "Went to make WAR on the Remnant of her seed." And the Battle ends at the end of the thousand years. "And he (Satan, when he is released from his Bottomless Pit) shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, GOG and MAGOG (all resurrected wicked dead since creation), to gather them together to BATTLE; (final phase of Armageddon) the number of whom is as the sands of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the Saints about, and the BELOVED CITY (New Jerusalem); and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them" (Rev.20:8-9)!

That pretty much covers it. The final Battle starts at the beginning of the Tribulation when Satan makes war with God's Commandment Keepers, and continues till Jesus comes. Then the, "remnant (of the wicked) will be slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceedeth out of His mouth" (Rev.19:21). But this is NOT the end of the Battle!! All of the wicked dead that will be destroyed by Jesus at His Coming.  These, as well as all of the wicked since creation, have no knowledge of time. In the minds of the lost wicked, within moments after they die, instantly they will see Satan, "deceiving the Nations... and gathering them to BATTLE; the number of whom is as the sands of the sea" (Rev.20:8)! Then, under the supervision of Satan, all lost persons since Creation will, "compass the Holy City," New Jerusalem, in an attempt to overtake it. The wicked will think they are on the verge of the very last phase of Armageddon. They think they will be victorious and soon own New Jerusalem. But there'll be no Battle! Suddenly every lost wicked person finds himself and herself standing before Almighty Himself.

But the Battle of Armageddon is not over quite yet! The Battle is interrupted! The wicked suddenly find themselves standing before the Great White Throne Judgment Seat!! They cannot plead innocent because there they are, caught in the very act of attempting to make war against God Almighty Himself!! The Day of Judgment has come!! Scripture says "For we shall ALL stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW, and EVERY TONGUE SHALL CONFESS to God" (Rom.14:11)! The Books are opened, and all of the evidence completely destroys every argument Satan presents. Even he and his evil angels have no choice but to acknowledge the truth, thus when Judgment is over,  they, along with every lost person who ever lived, "bow and confess" that God has been forever merciful and fair. But, when Judgment Day is over, Satan attempts to launch the very last phase of the Battle of Armageddon! Once again he tries to rally his army! That attempt forever ends the Battle of Armageddon!! It is ALL OVER!! "Fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them" (Rev.20:9)! This fire from God devours the wicked, the "number of whom is as the sands of the sea" and the "Elements melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are in it shall be burned up" (2Pet.3:10)! Then, and only then, the Battle of Armageddon is OVER!!!! When the fire finishes completely cleansing earth, including the total destruction of all sinners, all Demons, and Satan himself, Jesus repeats what He did at Creation!! He "Creates a New Heaven and New Earth" (Rev.21:1;Isa.66:22; 1Pet.3:13)!

Many have invented different interpretations of Armageddon, but in the popular versions, there are unanswerable questions, and too many Scripture texts that have been completely disregarded. What we've described here takes into account EVERY Scripture EXACTLY as it is written! No Revising, Reversing, or Ignoring a single Scripture!

In Conclusion, we'll answer an obvious question. Will there be any physical fighting in the conventional manner in the Battle of Armageddon? Satan will use certain physical methods to bring fear and deceit upon the World's inhabitants, and he will certainly use any and every method God allows him to in his war against God's "Remnant who Keep the Commandments of God and have the Faith and Testimony of Jesus" (
Rev.12:17;14:12), but we must ever keep in mind that Satan's war is ONLY for the souls of mankind!! Satan knows full well that using the pitiful weapons of war we humans have invented in a Battle against Almighty God would be sheer folly.

 
Satan Foolish Enough to Attack New Jerusalem?
When Satan is "loosed out of his prison [Bottomless Pit] " (Rev. 20:7) and "goes out to deceive the nations which are in the 4 quarters of the earth" (vs.8), the resurrected wicked, he might try to inspire them with conventional weapons, but not because he believes such weapons will be effective against Almighty God. Satan understands Bible Prophecy. When he leads the wicked to "compass the camp of the Saints, and the Beloved City (New Jerusalem)," he knows absolutely that his army "the number of whom is as the sands of the sea" (Rev.20:8), is tiny compared to the strength of Almighty! He knows a billion atomic weapons are completely useless against God! Satan knows that when he and his massive army gather around New Jerusalem, the Battle will not be with guns and bombs!! He knows he'll be gathering the masses for the Great White Throne Judgment Day!! But Satan will think he will bring with him proof that God is unfair, and he'll think that by so doing, God will be forced to give up His Throne and allow Satan to take His place!
Something Satan Hopes We'll Never Know!
There's a reason for the confusion about Armageddon and the Great White Throne Judgement Day! The Bible clearly shows the events are one and the same. Satan knows that Judgment Day is his final chance. He knows that the only way he can defeat God will be on that Day. In order for Satan to have victory, he must prove that God was unfair in some point in His dealings with His created creatures. This is why Satan has invented doctrines portraying God as cruel and unfair! We'll look at some of these at the end of this Website. Satan believes he can replace God if he can prove God is unfair in just one point. The Great White Throne Judgment scene takes place before God's Throne! Satan, his Demons, and every lost person from earth since creation, is assembled around New Jerusalem. Let's not forget that New Jerusalem stands 1364 miles tall. It would seem that God's Throne would sit atop the Holy City. With this in mind, let' look at something Isaiah prophesied concerning Judgment Day:
What is Satan Thinking?
Isaiah reveals EXACTLY what Satan thinks in his heart: "How art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst weaken the nations? For thou hast said in thine heart, 'I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit also on the Mount of the Congregation in the Sides of the North! I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will be like the MOST HIGH!' Yet thou shalt be brought down to Hell, to the sides of the pit" (Isa.14:12-15)!!!!`
When Satan (Lucifer) brings his army to New Jerusalem, the above is his thought. But God has NOT been unfair, EVER, to ANY of His creatures. He has given Lucifer every chance to prove his case and Lucifer has been attacking God's character for over 6000 years. He has invented evil doctrines and inserted them into the Church! The most classic example is the notion that God will inflict the most horrid pain He can invent upon lost creatures and keep them alive, suffering this pain throughout eternity. Satan has invented dozens of doctrines specifically designed to attack God's character, but these evil doctrines will end up damaging his case in Judgment Day.

Why is the Battle of Armageddon important to us now? Because the Battle is going on right now and has been going on since Creation! Satan wants our souls, and the only way we can stop him is to make a full and complete surrender to Jesus. Accept His sacrifice to save us from sin, and accept the POWER He offers us in our personal BATTLE with the Powers of Darkness. Jesus promised He would give us ALL we need!!


What Is Our Battle Gear?



Of course we MUST arm ourselves with God's Word!! Lets Pray for God's Spirit to teach us how to prepare and defeat Satan in his Battle for our Souls!!


Thank you Dear Reader for your time. Please pray about what we have presented. God promised He would lead us into all truth, if we ask! We hope this has helped with questions you may have had. May God Bless in you efforts to serve him.
Your Brother Christ
Walter C. Martin Jr.
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Check Our Other Websites:

Pre-Tribulation Rapture

Post-Tribulation Second Coming of Jesus

Will We Eat Pigs During the Millennium?

Planet Earth WILL be Destroyed After the 1000 Years!
New Jerusalem - How BIG is It?
Great White Throne Judgment Seat - When and Where
Christ's Kingdom - Millennial or EVERLASTING?

Hell Fire
Is God Torturing People Now
Did Jesus Suffer ALL of Your Hell?
The Rich Man and Lazarus?
Death
The Dead - Dead or Alive - What is Death?
Did Jesus Die YOUR Death for You?
Will Satan Ever Die - Bible Says "YES!"
Testing Our Doctrine About Death
The Dead Stand Before Great White Throne Judgment Seat

The Gnostics Attack the Sabbath
Were Gnostics Really Christian?
Were Gnostics Satan's Implants into the Church?
Is Gnosticism Alive and Well in Today's Churches
Church is Israel - Israel is Church
Is the Church Israel and Israel the Church?
Is the Bride of Jesus the 144 Thousand?
Did Jesus Offer the Jews a Millennial Kingdom in His Ministry?
Will New Jerusalem Sit in Israel? How Big is It?
Christ's REAL EVERLASTING Kingdom is for ALL Believers!

The Sabbath
Is it a Sin to Observe the Sabbath?
Is There a Connection Between the Rapture and the Sabbath?
Will the Sabbath Be Observed By God's People During the Tribulation?
Who REALLY Changed the Sabbath in Early Christianity?
Un-Answered and Un-Answerable Sabbath Questions For Popular Preachers
How to Test Your Doctrine Concerning the Sabbath

Heaven
Marriage in Heaven - Millennial Kingdom?
Strange Animal/Demons the Millennium?
Why Jesus Hasn't Come to Take Us To Heaven?
Teachers of Anomia (Law Annulling)
Good Ministers Teaching Against God's 10 Commandments?
Teaching of Anomia - The Reason Jesus Hasn't Come Yet?
Pre-Trib Rapture and Sabbath
Pre-Trib Rapture and the Sabbath?

Walter C. Martin Jr.
Everlasting Gospel Ministries

These are just a few of the questions we examine in our Websites.
Thank you, Dear Reader,  for checking them. Please feel free to give us your comments and feedback if you look at our Sites.  If you send us your questions or comments, we will try to answer and add your question to these Websites. We will Not give your name or E-Mail address to ANY ONE or ANY Church Group or Denomination! Nor will we send you ANY annoying E-Mails!! It is NOT our purpose to get you to withdraw from your present Church, but to invite you to present things you learn here to your Pastor and Friends.
Let's pray that God will continue sending His Holy Spirit to guide as we prepare for Jesus to come. Thank You!
Your Brother in Christ!
Walter C. Martin Jr