Rev. 19:19; 16:16 (ESV) 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 they assembled at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

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The culmination of the long, ongoing civil war waged against God by arrogant politicians and godless regimes is called Armageddon. What began with corrupt Jewish leaders and craven Roman emperors raining terror on the church has continued around the globe over the centuries, following inroads made by missionaries, church planters, and pilgrims. In 1793, the firebrands of the French Revolution were so captivated by the idea of supreme human reason that they demanded the stifling influence of the Christian faith should be eradicated. In their pursuit of true enlightenment, they punished, prosecuted, and guillotined thousands of their fellow citizens. They defiantly imposed a new calendar onto the nation with tend-day weeks and secular festivals and hymns to replace those of the church. Their ideals eventually failed, but the damage was incalculable.

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While spiritual warfare is often invisible, waged in the heavenlies, it frequently breaks through in one nation or another as the Dragon raises his latest version of the Beast, and the false prophet begins stirring up the mob. That being the case, it's both biblical and intuitive to assume the intensifying conflict in the spiritual domain will finally spark one final conflict on earth.

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As the spiritual civil war comes to a climax, invisible demonic spirits unleashed by the Beast will call up a visible alliance of kings and rulers under one false flag or another. Whatever the stated reason, the real motives will be spiritual ones. With the violent opposition and distrust Israel continues to experience on the world scene today, we can easily conceive how a militarily strategic site near Megiddo could become the focal point of international concerns.

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The battlefield mentioned by John, the Plain of Jezreel, has long been a coveted stronghold where pivotal battles have been won or lost throughout history. As recently as World War I, General Allenby led the British to defeat the Turks there. In the sixteenth century BC, Thutmose III defeated an alliance of Canaanites in the same area. Old Testament heroes like Deborah, Barak, and Gideon relished their victories on the Plain of Jezreel. Perhaps most significantly, King Saul was defeated and killed there on Mount Gilboa, after being rejected by God during his campaign to assassinate David, the Lord's anointed.

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With that kind of history, Megiddo provides a striking backdrop for the final struggle of uncontrolled government against the One True God. Like Saul, the delusional kings of the nations will discover they aren't big enough to defy the King of Kings. ​​​

 

 

 

Copyright 2024, Timothy Floyd. The Epic Life: Revelation, Resistance, and Revival.

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