What Does the Bible Say About Armageddon?

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It's a common term that most people use to mean "the end of the world," but it's true meaning is a little bit different.

The BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. mentions Armageddon only once, in RevelationThe disclosure of God's Word and plan to mankind. In the Bible this refers to making obscure things clear; bringing hidden matters to light; causing especially called individuals to see, hear, perceive, know and understand the things of God; the unveiling of biblical mysteries (Romans 16:25). 16:16: "And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon." The Greek word Armageddon comes from two Hebrew words: Har Megiddo, meaning "the hill of Megiddo."

The common (but misleading) notion is that Armageddon will be the last, climactic battle to be fought on earth between the powers of good and evil. However, this is not quite right in several crucial respects.

Armageddon—or more likely the large broad Valley of Jezreel, or Esdraelon, which Megiddo overlooks—will in fact be the staging area for the final great battle of this age, but not the site of the battle itself. That is set not at Meggido but in the Valley of Jehoshaphat—commonly reckoned to be the Kidron Valley, immediately adjacent to Jerusalem (see Joel 3:2, 9-16).

Notwithstanding the popular concept of the Battle of Armageddon, the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. makes no specific prediction for a war fought at Armageddon between two human armies precisely at Christ’s return. However, the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. does say that the armies of the East and West will be drawn to the infamous valley by lying demons (RevelationThe disclosure of God's Word and plan to mankind. In the Bible this refers to making obscure things clear; bringing hidden matters to light; causing especially called individuals to see, hear, perceive, know and understand the things of God; the unveiling of biblical mysteries (Romans 16:25). 16:14). From there they will march to Jerusalem. There they will fight the returning Jesus Christ (RevelationThe disclosure of God's Word and plan to mankind. In the Bible this refers to making obscure things clear; bringing hidden matters to light; causing especially called individuals to see, hear, perceive, know and understand the things of God; the unveiling of biblical mysteries (Romans 16:25). 14:14-20; 16:14; 19:11-21; Joel 3:12-14). GN

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