What Do We Need to Know about Armageddon?

The year was 1999. I was a senior in high school. A year prior, the blockbuster hit Armageddon was etched in my mind as Aerosmith’s I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing strummed over the movie's painful scene. But this year the word took on a different meaning. This Armageddon featured wrestler Triple H vs the owner Mr. McMahon in a No Holds Barred match. I was a mostly unchurched kid and so hearing words like Armageddon meant either that somebody was going to die trying to save the world or that people were going to fight to the death. I was a bit shocked to find that this word actually came from the Bible. What does it mean in the Bible?

What Is Armageddon?

The phrase Armageddon only appears one time in the Bible, in Revelation 16:16, and it is Hebrew in origin. In Revelation 16 we read that demonic spirits gather the kings of the world “to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.” The assembly of all these kings who come against the LORD takes place “that in Hebrew called Armageddon.”

Many believe it is a reference to “the mountain of Megiddo.” Megiddo was an ancient battleground where the Israelites have already engaged in a historical battle. It was here that Deborah and Barak defeated Sisera and the Canaanites. It was also here that King Josiah found his fateful end at the hands of Pharaoh Neco. This battleground would be a fitting place for a final battle between good and evil.

To put it as simply as possible Armageddon is the location of a decisive battle between good and evil. Of course, there are many more difficult questions surrounding that simple explanation, and many of those answers will be connected to your overall interpretation of Revelation and your views on eschatology.

What Do We Need to Know about Armageddon?

What we need to know about Armageddon is the same thing we need to know about the entire Revelation of Jesus Christ; namely, that Jesus wins. The good news of the gospel is that we who are in Christ also share in his victory.
 We could get caught up in many of the specific details of Armageddon. Is this a battle that has already taken place? Is it yet to take place? Where will this be located? Who will be there? Will Christians still be on earth at this time? Question after question. But the reality is that the central message here is one of comfort for God’s people. It is the same message that echoed forth in Psalm 2. God wins.

In Psalm 2 we see that all the kings of the earth gather together against the Lord and against his anointed. But notice the posture of God. The text says that he “sits in the heavens and laughs.” First, notice that he sits. Their massive armies and all the strength they can muster aren’t even enough to get the LORD off His seat. Secondly, notice that he is in the heavens. He is transcendent. Far above all of our petty schemes for power. Just as in Genesis 12 when humanity builds a massive tower to reach the heavens but the Lord has to descend in order to even see it. Lastly, notice that he laughs. It says he “holds them in derision” and he speaks “to them in his wrath.” This isn’t like a little kid wrestling his daddy. This is treachery and rebellion and the God responds fittingly.

Psalm 2 was picked up by the early church as well. In Acts 4 when they are being persecuted, they go back to this precious Psalm. The cards are stacked against them but they take heart in knowing that Jesus is God’s established King. As such all the kings of the earth can do nothing against Him. The victory is His, and by His grace, the victory is theirs (and ours if we are in Christ).

As the kings of the earth gather themselves in Revelation 16 the message there is the same as it was in Psalm 2 and Acts 4. Jesus wins. That’s the most important thing about that narrative.

How Can We Prepare Ourselves for Armageddon?

I realize you probably clicked on this link in the hopes of finding neat facts about Armageddon and theories about when and where it would happen. We do this because of fear. We want to know how much toilet paper and cans of baked beans we need to stockpile in our bunkers to protect us. We want to read our newspapers and act accordingly and prepare for this great and awesome day. But what if that’s not the point of these texts? What if Revelation isn’t meant to give us a crystal ball into the future in the way that we think it does? What if instead it’s meant to tell us one key truth that will resonate throughout eternity and will be true no matter which era we find ourselves in? That truth is that Jesus conquers.

How can we prepare for Armageddon? I think Psalms 2:10-12 gives us a bit of an answer here:

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (ESV)

The best way to know that you are prepared is to take refuge in the Lord. If we are trusting in Jesus then the Battle of Armageddon, or any battle between now and then, is certain to end for our good. We are blessed if we take refuge in him. That is to be eternally happy.

Armageddon is a picture of the beginning of the end of wickedness. As God pours out His wrath upon all those who wickedly oppose God and His goodness. The outpouring of God’s wrath is not something that believers in Jesus have to fear—for Jesus has drunk to the dregs the cup of God’s wrath which belonged to us. There is no more wrath or condemnation to be had for those who are taking refuge in Jesus. But to those who refuse to “kiss the Son” there is nothing left but to endure God’s just punishment for stubborn rebellion and wicked acts.

We also prepare ourselves by living today as if this story is true. If we know that the plans of the wicked are ultimately fruitless, we can have bold confidence. We do not have to wring our hands in fear or sell out our principles for a little bit of political power. We can boldly love people as they are and where they are. We can also have bold courage because we know that Christ has conquered. There is nothing ultimately that anyone can do to take away our victory in Christ. Let us, then, be courageous and bold in love. These truths are what propel us into the highways and byways, into the house of “tax collectors” and “sinners.” And this truth is also what gives us bold compassion—as we, along with the Psalmist, continue to plead for the kings to “kiss the Son.”

What do we need to know about Armageddon? We need to know that Jesus wins. And we prepare for this by being united with Christ and following His path of suffering unto victory.

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