The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.  And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.  For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.  And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.    Revelation 16:12-14,16 ESV

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.  He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.  And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.  From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army.  And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done 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 sulfur.  And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.  And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,  and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended.  Revelation 19:11-15, 19-20:3 ESV

Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst.  For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.  Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle.  On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.  And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.  On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light.  And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.   Zechariah 14:1-7, 9 ESV

Who is Involved:

The antichrist, the false prophet, satan (the dragon), and their deceiving spirits collect a vast army from ALL the functioning nations of the world.  The Euphrates river appears to dry up to allow the “kings from the east” access.  This is done under the authority and at the command of God as indicated in Zechariah 14.

Jesus will appear on a white horse, backed by all the armies of heaven (also mounted on white horses).

Where Is This Battle?

The antichrist and his armies assemble in a Valley called Armageddon.  In Hebrew, this word is Har-Magedone, meaning “mount” or “hill” called Megiddo.  A possible location is the hill country surrounding the plain of Meggido, about 100km north of Jerusalem.  Many battles have been fought in this region historically.

Michael Heiser, in his book Unseen Realm, suggests that the Battle of Armageddon is in and around the end-times city of Jerusalem.  This would correlate with the destruction of Mystery Babylon, which according to Chris White in his book Mystery Babylon, is the end-times city of Jerusalem.  The connection between the battle of Armageddon and Jerusalem is made in Zechariah 14, when the Lord gathers all nations against Jerusalem to battle.

For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.  Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle.  Zechariah 14:2-3 ESV

When Does This Occur:

The battle of Armageddon is FUTURE.  It is placed at the end of the Day of the Lord, which is also the ending of the 70th week of Daniel (the very end of what is called the 7-year “Tribulation”).  It follows the 6th Bowl of Wrath, and is likely coincident with the 7th Bowl.  While the armies spend some time mustering between the 6th and 7th Bowls, when Jesus appears on His white horse in the heavens – “It is Finished”.  “Battle” turns out to be a misnomer, as all God’s enemies are destroyed immediately with no fighting on the part of the armies of heaven.  (Thus, it’s over in a matter of minutes, all in one day).

Since we have been told that the antichrist is given exactly 1260 days of authority over the nations, and this authority begins at the “abomination of desolation” when he sets himself up as god in the Jewish Temple, this “Battle” would seem to occur 1260 days after the antichrist claims to be god.  It can also be calculated as 2520 days after the confirmation of a covenant of some type with Israel.

Why Does This Battle Occur?

The antichrist, empowered by satan, likely deceives the world into believing he is the “true messiah”, or the “true god”.  In order for his rule to be complete, or for humanity to evolve spiritually (or whatever he’s going to claim), humanity needs to collectively fight against and defeat Jesus.  It’s the ultimate battle between good and evil, the climax of the age of humanity.

What Happens:

The antichrist and his crew of deceiving spirits riles humanity up for the final battle between good and evil.  He will claim to be the one on the “good side”, with God/Jesus on the “bad side”.  He will assemble his armies in or around Jerusalem.

While the armies are assembling, it will be a horrible time for Jerusalem.  Zechariah states at this time “Jerusalem shall be taken” – it seems that this may be when the antichrist turns on the “harlot” (the end-times city of Jerusalem) and Mystery Babylon is destroyed. This would place the destruction of Mystery Babylon (Jerusalem) between the 6th and 7th bowls, which is consistent with the placement of the detailed description of its’ fall in Revelation 17-18 (right before the Second Coming).  It also explains why God seems to provide an escape route for His people to flee at the last second (Come out of her, my People!), when the Mount of Olives is split right before the Battle of Armageddon.  This gives the kings of the earth (different individuals than the 10 kings ruling with the antichrist) a bit of time to mourn over her destruction, before the final battle ensues.

I really feel badly for deluded humanity, because they are about to find out they fell for the biggest lie of all time.  Jesus appears in the clouds of heaven in power and great glory, mounted on a white horse.  He comes in judgment.  First, the beast (antichrist) and the false prophet are thrown alive into the lake of fire. Then, satan is thrown into the abyss and chained for 1000 years – the duration of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom.

In Daniel 7, we see a more detailed view of the judgment of the antichrist and the rest of the beasts (fallen angels).  God is set up with His counsel as in a court of judgment.  The antichrist (beast) is judged and thrown into the lake of fire.  The rest of the beasts (fallen angels, including satan), are thrown into the abyss and locked up for the 1000 year Millennial Kingdom:

“As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn [antichrist/beast] was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire.  As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven   there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” Daniel 7:9-14 ESV

After the fallen supernatural beings have been dealt with, Jesus  will defeat the human armies gathered at Armageddon with one swift fiery blast from His mouth:  “And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse”  (Rev 19).  The sword is the Sword of the Spirit – the Word of God.  It’s not going to be a good death – “And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. And on that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other.“  (Zechariah 14:12-13 ESV).  

 

Further Resources:

Are you CERTAIN of your Salvation, beyond a shadow of a doubt?  Do you KNOW that no matter when the rapture occurs, you will be counted worthy to escape?  If not, please read What Must I do to Be Saved.

Overview of Coming Prophetic Wars

God’s Mosaic – A Whole Scripture Overview of Things To Come

Main Menu – God’s Mosaic Prophecy Model

The Bible is infallible.  I am not.  I am merely challenging traditional models and testing them against Scripture.  I believe that traditional pretribulation teachings provide a solid backbone upon which to lay the musculature of details, some of which I think might need to be adjusted slightly.  I encourage you to consider my thoughts as you also examine the scriptures to see if these things are so!