Ar-Maggedon
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F. Armageddon
but
in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to
sound, then is finished the mystery of God, according to the good tidings which
he declared to his servants the prophets. [Rev. 10:7]
The
second Woe is past: behold, the third Woe cometh quickly. And the seventh
angel sounded: and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said,
the kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ:
and he shall reign forever and ever. (Rev. 11:14-16)
And
in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall
never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another
people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it
shall stand forever. (Dan. 2:44)
And
another angel came out from the temple, which is in heaven, he also having a
sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, he that hath power
over fire; and he called with a great voice to him that had the sharp sickle,
saying, send forth thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the wine of
the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel put his sickle into
the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and cast it into the
winepress, the great winepress, of the wrath of God. And the winepress was
trodden without the city, and there came out blood from the winepress, even
unto the bridle of the horses, as far as a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
(Rev. 14:17”‘20)
Who
is this that cometh from Edom, with crimsoned garments from Bozrah? this that
is glorious in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? I that
speak in righteousness mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel,
and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine vat? I have trodden the winepress
alone; and of the peoples there was no one with me yea, I will tread them in
mine anger, and trample them in my wrath; and their lifeblood shall be
sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of
vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come…. And I will
tread down the peoples in mine anger, and break them in pieces in my wrath and
I will pour out their lifeblood on the earth. (Isa. 63:1”‘4, 6)
And
now many nations are assembled against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and
let our eye see our desire upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of
Jehovah, neither understand they his counsel; for he hath gathered them as
the sheaves to the threshing floor. (Mic. 4:11”‘12)
After the
sixth trumpet and shortly before the seventh, the Antichrist will gather the
armies of the kingdoms of the earth (as then known at the time of the writing
of Revelation) at the valley of Armageddon with the intention of using them to
destroy the Israelites (surrounded in Jerusalem at that time) who have refused
to worship him and to fight against and to try to prevent the physical return
of the Lord to the Mount of Olives. What he actually winds up doing is
conveniently concentrating in one location the organized resistance of the
earth, which will be obliterated by the Lord upon his literal physical return
at the time of the sounding of the seventh trumpet. How will the Antichrist
accomplish this gathering?
And
at the time of the end shall the king of the south contend with him; and the
king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind. With chariots, and
with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and
shall overflow and pass through. He shall enter also into the glorious land,
and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall be delivered out of his
hand: Edom and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch
forth his hand also upon the countries; and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the
precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his
steps. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall
trouble him; and he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to
sweep away man. (Dan. 11:40”‘44)
Therefore,
son of man, prophesy, and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In that
day when my people Israel dwelleth securely, shalt thou not know it? And thou
come from thy place out of the uttermost parts of the north, thou, and many
peoples with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company and a mighty
army; and thou shalt come up against my people Israel, as a cloud to cover the
land: it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring thee against
my land, that the nations may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, 0
Gog, before their eyes…. And it shall come to pass in that day, when Gog
shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah, that my wrath
shall come up into my nostrils. (Ezek. 38:14”‘16, 18)
And
thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, thus saith the Lord Jehovah:
Behold, I am against thee, 0 Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal: and I
will cause thee to come up from the uttermost parts of the north; and I will
bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: … Thou shalt fall upon the mountains
of Israel, thou, and all thy hordes, and the peoples that are with thee: I will
give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field
to be devoured…. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto
Gog a place of burial in Israel, the valley of them that pass through on the
east of the sea; and it shall stop them that pass through: and there shall they
bury Gog and all his multitude; and they shall call it the valley of Hamon”‘Gog.
And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying them, that they may
cleanse the land. Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall
be to them a renown in the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord
Jehovah. (Ezek. 39:1”‘2, 4, 11”‘13)
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, as it were
frogs: for they are spirits of demons, working signs; which go forth unto the
kings of the inhabited earth, to gather them together unto the war of the great
day of God, the Almighty. (Rev. 16:13”‘14)
And
the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the horns of the golden altar
which is before God, one saying to the sixth angel that had the trumpet, Loose
the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates. And the four
angels were loosed, that had be prepared for the hour and day and month and
year, that they should kill the third part of men. And the number of the armies
of the horsemen was twice ten thousand times ten thousand: I heard the number
of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them,
having breastplates as of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone: and the heads
of the horses are as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceeded fire
and smoke and brimstone. By these three plagues was the third part of men
killed, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone, which proceeded out of
their mouths. (Rev. 9:13”‘18)
`They
have one mind, and they give their power and authority unto the beast. (Rev.
17:13)
Whatever we do to mitigate or transform the exact
nature of the disaster to come, come it will. I pretend no more prophetic insight
than the next man, but I should be highly surprised if man’s oldest and most
terrible means of adaptation”‘ the systematic killing of his kind”‘ were not to
continue to play its schismatically dominant role. 300
Over the next five years OPEC’s petro powers will
drain as much as $570 billion from the world’s oil”‘thirsty economies….
Result: a potentially smoldering powder keg of political unrest in the Third
World. (Statement made in October, 1980) 301
Sometime
about the last fourteen to eighteen months of the Tribulation, while the
Antichrist is occupied with establishing his rule around the Mediterranean,
China will make a grab for the oil fields of the Middle East”‘ knowing that if
she can hold them for a period of months she will win a conventional world war.
China, who has had the capability of fielding a 200”‘million”‘man army for years
and has access to the finest horses in the world in Mongolia, will use her
manpower to go to war in the Middle East. The travel time of the Chinese army
will be one year, one month, one week, and one day. But when both of these
armies gather in the Middle East, the Antichrist, by means of the tremendous
spiritual and soulical forces at his command, melds them into one army with his
own to do his will.
The
second Woe is past: behold, the third Woe cometh quickly. And the seventh angel
sounded; and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said, The kingdom
of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall
reign forever and ever…. And there was opened the temple of God that is in
heaven; and there was seen in his temple the ark of his covenant; and there
followed lightings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great
hail. (Rev. 11: 14-15, 19)
And
I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having seven
plagues, which are the last, for in them is finished the wrath of God…. and
there came out from the temple the seven angels that had the seven plagues,
arrayed in linen, pure and bright, and girt about their breasts with golden
girdles. And one of the four living creatures gave unto the seven angels seven
golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who liveth forever and ever. And the
temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and none
was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels
should be finished. (Rev. 15:1, 6”‘8)
And
I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, Go ye, and
pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God into the earth. And the first
went, and poured out his bowl into the earth; and there came a noisome and
grievous sore upon the men that had the mark of the beast, and that worshipped
his image. And the second poured out his bowl into the sea; and it became blood
as of a dead man; and every living soul did, even the things that were in the
sea. And the third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the fountains of the
waters; and they became blood…. And the fourth pour out his bowl upon the
sun; and it was given unto it to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched
with great heat: and they blasphemed the name of God who hath the power over
these plagues; and they repented not to give him glory. And the fifth poured
out his bowl upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom was darkened; and
they gnawed their tongues for pain … And the sixth poured out his bowl upon
the great river, the river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that
the way might be made ready for the kings that come from the surmising … And
they gathered them together into a place which is called in Hebrew Armageddon.
And the seventh poured out his bowl upon the air; and there came forth a great
voice out of the temple, from the throne, saying, It is done: and there was a
great earthquake, such as was not since there were men upon the earth, so great
an earthquake, so mighty. And the great city was divided into three parts, and
the cities of the nations fell: and Babylon the great was remembered in the
sight of God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his
wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And great
hail, every stone the weight of a talent, cometh down out of heaven upon men:
and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague
thereof is exceeding great. (Rev. 16:1”‘4, 8”‘10, 12, 16”‘21)
And
with pestilence and with blood will I enter into judgement with him; and I will
rain upon him, and upon his hordes, and upon the many peoples that are with
him, an overflowing shower, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. And I
will make myself known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I
am Jehovah. (Ezek. 38:22”‘23)
And
the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, which reighneth over the kings of
the earth. (Rev. 17:18)
Therefore in one day shall her plagues come,
death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for
strong is the Lord God who judged her. And the kings of the earth, who
committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her, shall weep and wail over
her, when they look upon the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for the
fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong
city! for in one hour is thy judgement come…. for in one hour is so great t
riches made desolate. And every shipmaster, and every one that saileth any
whither, and mariners, and as many as work the sea, stood afar off … And a
strong angel took up a stone as it were a great millstone and cast it into the
sea, saying, Thus with a mighty fall shall Babylon, the great city, be cast
down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers and minstrels
and flute players and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no
craftsman, of whatsoever craft, shall be found any more at all in thee; and the
voice of a mill shall be heard no more at all in thee; and the light of a lamp
shall shine no more at all on thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the
bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the princes
of the earth; for with thy sorcery were all the nations deceived. And in her
was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain
upon the earth. (Rev. 18:8”‘10, 17, 21”‘24)
About this
time, in the last months(s) of the Tribulation, will occur the judgment of the
material aspect of Babylon. There will be a great earthquake in which “the
cities of the nations fell” and by which the city of Rome will be utterly
destroyed and made desolate. This earthquake will thoroughly disrupt
civilization, by means of which man has managed to provide for himself without
having to depend on God. Because of this disruption, the nations (who will not
know God inwardly during the millennial kingdom) will be totally dependent on
God and thus come to know Him outwardly at Jerusalem.
These
shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for he is Lord of
lords, and King of kings; and they also shall overcome that are with him,
called and chosen and faithful. (Rev. 17:14)
For
I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be
taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city
shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut
off from the city. (Zech. 14:2)
And
call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify
me. (Psalm 60:16)
For
in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day
there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; (Ezek. 38:19)
Then
shall Jehovah go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in
the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of
Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be
cleft in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall
be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north,
and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the
mountains; for the valley of’ the mountains shall reach unto Azel; yea, ye
shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah
king of Judah; and Jehovah my God shall come, all the holy ones with thee.
(Zech. 14:3”‘5)
And
I will set my glory among the nations; and all the nations shall see my
judgement that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the
house of Israel shall know that I am Jehovah their God, from that
day and forward (Ezek. 39:21”‘22)
And
at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who standeth for the
children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was
since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time shall
thy people be delivered, every one that shall be found written in
the book. (Dan. 12:11)
The
Antichrist will attempt to destroy Israel, but the Lord will save those who
repent and accept Him as their Deliverer, leading them into a place of
safety out of the line of fire.
And
the winepress was trodden without the city, and there came out blood from the
winepress, even unto the bridle of the horses, as far as a thousand six hundred
furlongs (200 miles). (Rev. 14:20)
And
this shall be the plague wherewith Jehovah will smite all the people that have
warred against Jerusalem: their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon
their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and their
tongues shall consume away in their mouth. (Zech. 14:12)
And
I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon
called Faithful and True; and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. And
his eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; he hath a name
written no one knoweth but he himself. And he is arrayed in a garment sprinkled
with blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies, which are
in heaven, followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white, and
pure. And out of his mouth proceeded a sharp sword, that with it he should
smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth
the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. And he hath
on his garment and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of
Lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice,
saying to all the birds that fly in mid heaven, Come and be gathered together
unto the great supper of God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh
of captains, and flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of them that
sit thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free and bound, and small and
great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse, and against
his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought
the signs in his sight, wherewith he deceived them that worshipped his image:
they two were cast alive into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone: and
the rest were killed with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, even the
sword which came forth out of his mouth: and all the birds were filled with
their flesh. (Rev. 19:11”‘21)
After the Jews are safely out of
danger, the Lord will wipe out in a split second the armies of the Antichrist.
According to the description, there will be the use of tactical nuclear weapons
by the Antichrist’s armies; and their destruction by the Lord seems like a
divine force with the effect of a neutron bomb. Where is Armageddon? It is a
valley in Israel, approximately 200 miles long, running north to south.
And
I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a
great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which
is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into
the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the
nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished after this he must
be loosed for a little time. (Rev. 20:1”‘3)
And
the seventh angel sounded; … saying, we give thee thanks, 0 Lord God, the
Almighty, who art and who wast; because thou hast taken thy great power, and
didst reign. And the nations were wroth, and thy wrath came, and the time of
the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to thy servants the
prophets and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, the small and the
great; and to destroy them that destroy the earth. (Rev. 11:15, 17”‘18)
The last
necessity to be taken care of will be the imprisonment of the troublemaker
Satan for the thousand years (he still has one more useful purpose to perform).
Once this is done, Christ will have removed all the obstacles and will have His
kingdom on the earth!
And
I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations
shall come”¦(Hag. 2:7 KJV)
Do you
realize that Christ is the desire of all nations? Despite the rebellious nature
in man, deep within us all is a yearning for His government in righteousness.
Deep within all of us, we know that human governments can be but a travesty of
His justice, because of our fallen nature. Yet because of this rebelliousness,
God will have to let human government expose its inadequacy in total failure,
before He establishes His own.
And
now I say unto you, Refrain front these men, and let them alone: for if this
counsel or this work be of men, it will be overthrown: but if it is of God, ye
will not be able to overthrow them; lest haply ye be found even to be fighting
against God. (Acts 5:38”‘39)
At
what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to
pluck up and to break down and to destroy it; if that nation, concerning which
I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought
to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and
concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if they do that which is evil
in my sight, that they obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good,
wherewith I said I would benefit them. (Jer. 18:7-10)
It is clearly
indicated by prophecy that the United States is not directly involved in the
battle of Armageddon. Why is this so, since the United States has a deployment
of forces throughout the world. One possible reason is a decision by the
leadership of the United States not to become involved in the battle of
Armageddon. The choice is ours which possibility will become reality.
It was predictable from prophecy that
the U.S.S.R. would collapse, freeing America from N.A.T.O. troop obligations.
It was also predictable that the 4th largest army in the world (Iraq
under Saddam Hussein) would be removed from being in the path of the
200,000,000 horseman of the ”˜kings from the rising of the sun’, who cross the
Euphrates.
It is my hope
that the leadership of the United States will be enlightened enough that, when
the Antichrist rises to power, they will withdraw all Americans from the
countries under his control. I hope also that the immigration laws will be set
aside for the persecuted Jews and Christians who flee the Antichrist, although no
one with his mark should be admitted.
What is
needed in America is not a religion-instigated program of legislated morality:
that is treating the symptoms and ignoring the disease. What is needed today is
a turn away from empty materialism and even more so away from dead
religion to love the living Christ.
FROM: amessageforthehumanrace.org