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The Battle of Armageddon

The Times of the Gentiles will close with a terrible battle, called “The Battle of Armageddon” Prophetic references to this battle are spread all over the Bible. When one examines a number of Old and New Testament scripture verses a sequence emerges.

Battle of Armageddon Sequence of Events

1. King of the South attacks Israel (Daniel 11:40a.) This would represent nations south of Israel and could include Middle Eastern and African nations.
2. This is followed by an attack by the King of the North which represents Russia and other nations north of Israel. Earlier Russia will have suffered defeat at the battle of Gog and Magog but must have had the opportunity to rebuild its military (Daniel 11:40a).
3. The Antichrist will be successful in defeating his attackers but will then hear of another invasion coming from the north and a gigantic invasion coming from the east (Revelation 9:13-21);
4. The Antichrist will furiously attack his enemy and will engage them in lengthy battles that are only stopped by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Daniel 11:44; Zechariah 14:1-4).
5. The Lord Jesus Christ returns and brings the Battle of Armageddon to an end (Revelation 19:11-21).
6. The return of the Lord Jesus Christ brings the “Times of the Gentiles” to a close with judgment on the evil rulers and those who supported them.

This map and sequence are based on Bible studies given by R. B. Thieme, Berachah Church, Houston, Texas

The King of kings and Lord of lords Returns in the Air!

I’m convinced the awesome grandeur of this event would beggar any language we might use to try and describe it! In Revelation 1:7 it is written:

⁷ Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

The implications of “every eye will see Him” suggests the return, with the armies of heaven, may take an extended period of time and be visible all over the earth!

In Revelation 19:11-21, the return of the Lord Jesus is described:

“¹¹ Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. ¹³ He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. ¹⁵ Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. ¹⁶ And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.

¹⁷ Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, ¹⁸ that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”

¹⁹ And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. ²⁰ Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. ²¹ And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”

The Day of The Lord!

In Zechariah 14, “The Day of The Lord” is described as the King of kings and the Lord of lords touches the ground at his Second Advent. I encourage you to read that chapter for important details.

14 Watch, for the day of the Lord is coming when your possessions will be plundered right in front of you! ² I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the population will be taken into captivity, and the rest will be left among the ruins of the city.

³ Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. ⁴ On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south. ⁵ You will flee through this valley, for it will reach across to Azal. Yes, you will flee as you did from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all his holy ones with him. ⁶ On that day the sources of light will no longer shine, ⁷ yet there will be continuous day! Only the Lord knows how this could happen. There will be no normal day and night, for at evening time it will still be light.” Zechariah 14:1-7

Restoration Begins

The earth has been left in a devastated condition and is in serious need of its creators hand to restore it to the perfect conditions that will exist during the next 1,000 years of the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. A large number of people will have survived the Tribulation, by God’s grace, to repopulate the earth. There is no information on how the Lord will restore the earth, but a passage in Daniel 12:12 may shed some light on the timing:

“¹² Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.“

The second half of The Tribulation, known as the Great Tribulation, will last three and one-half prophetic years or 1,290 days. Verse 12 adds an additional 45 days which may be the time the Lord Jesus Christ restores the earth to perfection. At the end of the Great Tribulation, unbelievers are thrown into the Lake of Fire while mortal believers who have survived the Great Tribulation and will populate the Millennial Kingdom are protected by the Lord.

Regarding the resurrection of Old Testament saints and Tribulation saints it may be the verse in Daniel provides an important clue. When the Lord restores the earth, then the resurrection of the Old Testament and Tribulation saints may well take place on that 45th day after the completion of the second 31/2 years of the Great Tribulation and the close of the Times of the Gentiles.

Next time, we will consider the Millennium and the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ over all the earth followed by God’s judgment on sin!