The Battle of Armageddon and the Return of Jesus Christ to Israel

In St John’s revelation of the end times, God revealed to him that before Christ’s return to earth, the armies of an Antichrist dictatorship will descend upon Israel, and this evil army and their leader Antichrist will be defeated at the Battle of Armageddon.

And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon

– Revelation 16:16

On my exploration of Israel, I examined Meggido, where the Scriptures prophesy the Battle of Armageddon, from the Hebrew ‘Har Məgīddō,’ will take place. Megiddo is cited thirteen times in the Bible and once in the New Testament. It’s a quiet archaeological tell (a mound formed by the accumulated remains of ancient settlements) presently, but it’s been at the centre of world history in the past, including during World War I and it will be again. Jesus spoke of two separate times when Jerusalem would be surrounded, in the first century by the Romans, and by the Antichrist and his armies. 

When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her

– Luke 21:20-21

The Antichrist army will establish the goal of committing genocide against the Jewish people. This army will not be filled with amateurs; it will be trained and disciplined. It will possess unlimited foot soldiers and advanced military technology. Their planes will fly over the mountains of the Middle East to bomb God’s people. The Bible has predicted this:

Over mountaintops they leap, like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble

– Joel 2:5

Expect armies from at least four critical powers to pounce on Israel at the command of Antichrist. This will begin at the end of the first three and a half years of the Tribulation, when the Antichrist violates his treaty with Israel. Not all nations in the Middle East will join Antichrist. Those who made peace with Israel and walk in this peace will be saved from being drawn into this war of aggression (Daniel 11:40-45). Though the days will be very dark for modern Israel, there will be many great successes for the Jewish nation and the Israeli Air Force will win battles:

Like birds flying about, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem. Defending, He will also deliver it; passing over, He will preserve it

– Isaiah 31:5

This war will lead to the cost of food skyrocketing and God will respond in power with a severe earthquake, which will divide Jerusalem into three. As Jerusalem was forcibly divided by the nations, so cities of the world will be divided by earthquakes, as buildings continue to fall worldwide (Revelation 6:5-6, 16:18-19). The modern State of Israel will utilise everything in its power to survive and this includes the Samson Option of nuclear retaliation:

And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths

– Zechariah 14:12

Israel will fight with honour, but it will not be capable of restraining such overwhelming forces. After the Samson Option of nuclear retaliation is fully exhausted, this crisis will bring Israel to the only other option, seeking the Lord. It will rend its heart before the Lord and the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon them (Joel 2:12-17, 28-31). When all hope seems lost, salvation will come to Israel in the physical and spiritual realms. The Bible says:

For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance…The Lord also will roar from Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the Heavens and earth will shake; but the Lord will be a shelter for His people and the strength of the children of Israel

– Joel 2:32, 3:17

When the enemy comes in like a flood against Israel, God Himself will strike the invading armies with confusion. He will give Israel exceptional abilities to fight back. Those who are considered weak in Israel will fight with skill (Zechariah 12:4-9).

The Lord will not stand and observe Israel being destroyed: ‘I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem,’ and ‘the Day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; as you have done to Israel, it shall be done to you; your reprisal shall return upon your own head’ (Obadiah 1:15, Zechariah 12:9). When Israel has utilised all its weapons and is close to comprehensive defeat, the Lord will reveal to them it is He, and only He, who can deliver them:

Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, will save them by the Lord their God and will not save them by bow, nor by sword or battle, by horses or horsemen

– Hosea 1:7

It’s critical to understand there is a difference between the Battle of Armageddon and the Battle of Gog and Magog. At Armageddon, Israel will be overwhelmed by the Antichrist armies and the Lord Jesus Christ will return to save them, establishing the Millennial Reign. At the end of the thousand year reign of peace, the Battle of Gog and Magog takes place, which will be the final battle fought on earth. We’ll consider this battle in another article, or you can study it in the following book.

For eight years I have been studying the end times and asking God’s Spirit to give me revelations. The result is The End Times, The Book of Revelation by Paul Backholer and its prequel, Heaven, Paradise is Real.

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By Paul Backholer. Find out about Paul’s books here.