PREPARATION FOR THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON

PREPARATION FOR THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON

   Preparation for this battle is under the complete domina­tion of the eternal God. This battle is one of those things which God works after the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11). He puts it into the heart of the beast and the ten kings to fulfill His will (Rev. 17:17). It is therefore proper to refer to this event as "the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Rev. 16:14). In the ulti­mate sense it is God who assembles the armies of the world against Jerusalem (Joel 3:1-2; Zech. 14:1-2). There God intends to judge the Gentiles for their treatment of His people (Joel 3:2, 12-14).

    The preparation for this battle is under the immediate direction of satanic forces. Antichrist is the prominent figure throughout the entire period of seven years. He is energized by Satan (2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 13:2). He begins small but rises swiftly to power (Dan. 7:8, 24; Rev. 17:12-13) until at last he is the king of the entire world (Rev. 13:7), and he will prosper to the very end (Dan. 11:36). But the Devil operates behind the scenes controlling the movements of the nations. After being cast into the earth in the middle of the tribulation period (Rev. 12:7-9), he turns in wrath upon the people of earth (Rev. 12:12), but especially against Israel (Rev. 12:13). He it is, from behind the scenes, who maneuvers the nations to perform his will (Rev. 12:15-17). The false prophet (Rev. 16:13) as the third member of this triumvirate organizes the world on a gigantic scale. He promotes the religious unification of mankind (Rev. 13:12). He performs miraculous demonstrations to attract the allegiance of men (Rev. 13:13-15). And he commands loyalty to the Antichrist by means of commercial sanctions (Rev. 13: 16-17).

    The preparation for this battle is the result of strategic operations over seven years. The foreign policy of Antichrist is designed to maneuver himself into the place of power. And in this he is successful (Dan. 11:36). Successively, three great world powers are brought into submission to him during the first three and one half years (Dan. 11:40, 44), though one of these is defeated by supernatural judgment (Ezek. 39:2-6). At last he is in complete control of the world, and moves his capital to the pleasant land, Jerusalem (Dan. 11:45). It could be that this has special reference to the abomina­tion of desolation (Dan. 11:31; 12:11) and the seating of himself in the temple (2 Thess. 2:4). But from this point on he exercises a despotic and tyrannical power over the whole world with special refer­ence to the Jews (Rev. 13:3, 5, 7-8).

    The preparation for this battle is incited by worldwide evangelization of mankind. The ministry of the two witnesses produces an enlarging insurrection among the Jews with whom he has made a treaty (Rev. 11:3-6; Rev. 7:1-8; Rev. 14:1-5; Dan. 9:27). Evangelization reaches that point where he feels compelled to execute the two witnesses and launch a war against the saints (Rev. 11:7; 13:7). But this does not end the problem. A sizable segment of Jews flee to the wilderness (Rev. 12:6, 13-14). In spite of his efforts to destroy them he is thwarted by acts of God (Rev. 12:15-16). To add to his miseries, countless numbers of the Gentiles embrace the gospel and turn against him (Rev. 7:9-17), as the 144,000 saved and sealed Jews prosecute their ministry to the ends of the earth. Efficiently organized persecution disposes of a vast concourse of saved Gentiles, but there are others he is not able to reach (Matt. 25:31-34). At last the situation becomes intolerable and he organizes his legions to move against Jerusalem (Rev. 12:17; Zech. 12:2-3).

    The preparation for this battle is miraculously intensified by heavenly manifestations. Early in the beast's rise to power uni­versal disturbance runs its course throughout the entire fabric of nature (Rev. 6:12-17). The portents are sufficiently recognizable that all mankind admits that the great day of God's wrath has come. When judgment from heaven is visited upon the various areas of creation: earth, seas, rivers, heavenly bodies, in a mounting toll of life (Rev. 8:7-12; 16:2-9), this further accentuates his concern, When at last God intervenes to thwart his plans (Rev. 11:7-13; 12:15-16), and directs judgment against his throne and his kingdom (Rev. 16:10-11), there can be no recourse but to move against the chief obstacles that stand in his way, the Messiah (Rev. 17:14; 19:19), and His people (Rev. 12:17).

    The preparation for this battle is accentuated by divine retribution upon wicked mankind. Death falls on a major portion of mankind. One fourth of the population is destroyed by the movements of the Antichrist early in this period (Rev. 6:7-8). Then God begins immediate judgment upon the wicked. Pollution of the waters kills many (Rev. 8:11). Wicked spirits from the pit destroy a third of the remaining population (Rev. 9:18). Seven thousand die as the result of an earthquake in Jerusalem (Rev. 11:13). Then the armies of Anti­christ besieging the wilderness fortress are swallowed up in an earthquake (Rev. 12:15-16). Excruciating torture falls upon the wicked from evil spirits (Rev. 9:5-6), from grievous sores (Rev. 16:2), polluted water (Rev. 16:3-7), intense heat (Rev. 16:8-9), infernal darkness (Rev. 16:10-11). Destruction falls upon Babylon (Rev. 16: 17-21; 18) and upon all the cities of the nations.

    The preparation for this battle concludes with universal mobilization in the region of Armageddon. Unhindered movement of troops is provided for by divine intervention. The sixth bowl of wrath is poured out upon the river Euphrates, and it is dried up to make way for the kings of the East (Rev. 16:12). Demonic spirits are commandeered by the satanic trinity for mobilizing the kings of the earth and their armies to the battle of God Almighty (Rev. 16: 13-14). By means of miraculous signs performed by the evil spirits, the kings of the whole world are persuaded to gather in the plains of Armageddon and the surrounding region for this final battle (Rev. 16:14,16; 1 Kings 22:21-23).

    The phenomenal aspect gathers about the Battle of Arma­geddon with which the tribulation period comes to a close. The staggering dimensions of this conflict can scarcely be conceived by man. The battlefield stretches from Megiddo on the north (Zech. 12:11; Rev. 16:16) to Edom on the south (Isa. 34:5-6; 63:1), a dis­tance of 1600 furlongs approximating 200 miles. It reaches from the Mediterranean Sea on the west to the hills of Moab on the east, a distance of almost 100 miles. It includes the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2, 12) and the plains of Esdraelon. And the center of the entire area is the city of Jerusalem (Zech. 14:1-2). Into this area the multiplied millions of men, doubtless approaching 400,000,000, are crowded for the final holocaust of humanity. The kings with their armies come from the north and the south, from the east and from the west. There is an invasion from hell beneath. And enter­ing the scene at the last moment is an invasion from outer space. In the most dramatic sense this is the "valley of decision" for humanity (Joel 3:14) and the great winepress into which is poured the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God (Rev. 19:15).