Armageddon or Har-magedon
The word Armageddon or Har-magedon
is mentioned in the Bible only in Rev.16:16., Then
they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
This battle occurs at the Second Coming, which is referred to in the previous
verse (Rev.16:14-15).
It is the great final battle between the King of Kings and the trilogy of the Antichrist of Rev.16:13: The dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.
Revelation deals with it again in Rev.17:14, 19:19 (11-21), and 20:8-9... in 4 of the 7 cycles of Revelation, as it is usual in the Book... this last battle appears also in Zech.14, Joel 3, Ez.37, 38, and Psalm 2:2, 'The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One'.
But the great battle of Armageddon is never described, only the results, because this Great Battle had already been won by the Lamb at Calvary... and it will be completely effective in your life and mine the day we die... Armageddon is the symbol of the total, complete, and final victory of Jesus in his Church against Satan and his followers, with their total and complete defeat, which is the core of the whole book of Revelation.
St. Paul describes the results of Armageddon this way: "He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins"... "having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross". (Col.1:13, 2:14-15).
Armageddon at the End of the World:
The best account of Armageddon at the End of the World is in Rev.19:11-21:
1- The Preparation:
19:11- I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a
white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With
justice he judges and makes war.
12- His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He
has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself... The
Loving Savior?
13- He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is
the Word of God... The blood at Calvary.
14- The armies of heaven were following him, riding on
white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean... it is the Great Multitude
of Rev.7:9, already in Heaven... and I shall have also my white horse to be with Jesus,
and to visit all the mountains and the deep of the oceans, and the stars, and the atoms...
15- From his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to
smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will
tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty... this the sword
of his justice, it is his rod of iron!... See Commentary
of the Sword and the Rod
16- On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King
of kings and Lord of lords... as in Rev.17:14.
2- The angel calling to watch the massacre, the great feast
of God:
19:17- Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a
loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, "Come, gather for the
great supper of God,
18- to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of
mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and
slave, both small and great."... watch and rejoice the defeat of the flesh, the
total defeat of worldly life.
3- The Battle and results of this Armageddon:
19:19- And I saw the beast and the kings of the
earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who
sits upon the horse and against his army.
20- And the beast was captured, and with it the false
prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had
received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown
alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.
21- And the rest were slain by the sword of him who sits upon the
horse, the sword that issues from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their
flesh.
3b- The results of Armageddon on Satan, the
Beast, and the False Prophet:
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of
burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be
tormented day and night for ever and ever (Rev.20:10).
3c- The results of Armageddon those who followed the Beast:
"If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives
his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury,
which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with
burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their
torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the
beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." (Rev.14:19-11)... Those who
worship the beast will join the beast!. (Rev 19:20, 20:15, 21:8).
Armageddon at the End of our Lives on Earth:
The Great Battle of Armageddon has been already won, and it is our victory, right now!.
You and I will have our Armageddon at the end of our lives on earth... we have to expect Armageddon, and most important, be always ready for it... because it will come when least expected...
... We have to appropriate the victory of Jesus which is our victory... we just have to believe in Jesus, to trust in Him every second of our lives, and do whatever he tells us to do: Baptize ourselves in His Church to live in Christ (in His Mystical Body, in His Church), and Christ in us... and receive Him daily in the Eucharist, our daily bread of Matt.6:11... because Jesus said several times: "I am the bread of life... Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink" (John 6:35, 48, 51, 53-55, 58).
If we believe in Jesus, but we don't do what he tells us to do, we are cheating ourselves, we just don't believe in Jesus!... it is like if we say we believe in our Doctor but we don't take the medicines he gives to us... we actually don't believe in our Doctor!.
I
was at "Mount Magedon", which is the meaning of "Armageddon or
Har-magedon"... "Har" means "mount"... "Mount-magedon"
It is located in the cross roads of the North and South of Israel, but
there is no mountain there now, just a fairly elevation.
The city on the top of the Mount was destroyed over 20 times, more
times that Jerusalem! (2K.9:27, 2329, Judg.5:19)... Now it is in ruins, with many
archeological studies going on....it is the place where the enemies of Israel were routed
led by Deborah (Judg.5:19), and in the valley of Megiddo Josiah was slain.
"Armageddon" was the proverbial place for "Battle"
at the times of Jesus and John.
The picture was taken at the top of Mount Magedon.
The final war will not be fought in this Mount Magedon, it already was fought and won by Jesus at Mount Calvary.