Today, Friday June 24
The Final Great Battle
Revelation 16:12-16
“Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame." And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.”
Five angels have poured out their bowls of God’s wrath on the earth. There have been “loathsome sores”, the water turned to blood, great heat and great darkness. Now right at the end of Seven-year Tribulation, the sixth angel pours out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and it dries up and prepares the way for the nations of the east to come against Jerusalem for one final great battle that we call the “Battle of Armageddon.”
Remember the name Armageddon comes from two Hebrew words, har Megiddo, the hill of Megiddo. The word Megiddo means "place of troops" or "place of slaughter." It is also called the Plain of Esdraelon and the Valley of Jezreel.
There are several reasons why the armies of the nations are drawn into this area for this final battle. In this passage it is obvious that one reason is because the demonic spirits that come out of Satan, the Antichrist and the false prophet go out and deceive the leaders of all the nations with signs and miracles to gather them to this area for a battle.
I believe the motivation and reason that Satan, Antichrist and the False Prophet want them to come and fight here, is to destroy the last remnant of the Jews that are in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Satan knows his time is short, and he is well aware of the Old Testament prophesies that speak about the Lord Jesus coming back to earth one day to set up His kingdom with the nation of Israel playing a major role in it.
Maybe the deceiver is now being deceived into thinking that if he can destroy Israel, he can thwart God’s plan for the second coming of Jesus and His kingdom. But the main reason that the armies gather here, is because it is a part of God’s plan and He, behind the scenes, is drawing them to this place of their final destruction.
Zechariah prophesied about this: “It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” (Zech.12:9) “Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives….” (Zech. 14:1-4).
Joel also prophesied of this event: "For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.” (Joel 3:1-2). “Proclaim this among the nations: "Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, 'I am strong.' " Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD. "Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow-- For their wickedness is great." (Joel 3:9-13)
Finally, Revelation 19 records the outcome of this battle when the Lord returns! And Psalm 2:4-5 is fulfilled: “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure…” In the end God always wins!!!!
God bless!