Armageddon

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For other uses, see Armageddon (disambiguation).

Armageddon refers generally to end times or giant catastrophes in various religions and cultures. It may also refer to any great loss of life in battle or use of weapons of mass destruction. The word armageddon is derived from Mount Megiddo (Har Megido הר מגידו in Hebrew) , the site of the Battle of Megiddo and other battles. Some would argue the word is an early example of a mondegreen.

The only mention of the word "Armageddon" in the Bible was in Revelation 16:16: "And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon" (KJV). The bible includes many passages that refer to the concept of Armageddon, however. But this specific bible prophecy reference is ambiguous as to whether any event actually takes place here or whether the gathering of armies is only to be seen as a sign. In fact, a gathering of the Roman army occurred at this place as a staging ground for one of their assaults on Jerusalem in AD 67. This is consistent with the preterist interpretation that the events of Revelation 16:17-21 refer to events culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. However, one indication that the book predicts a future event is the mention of an army from the east of two hundred million, a number that would not have been likely in any battle of that period.

Before the Second World War, the First World War was commonly referred to in newspapers and books as "Armageddon", in addition to "the Great War".

1 Jehovah's Witnesses
2 Rastafari movement
3 Seventh-day Adventist
4 References
5 See also

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Jehovah's Witnesses

In the Jehovah's Witness religion, Armageddon is also anticipated as the final battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. The battle is a situation where the kings of the Earth unite against God's appointed king, Jesus. Thus, Revelation says it is the war of the great day of Jehovah Almighty. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that unlike what others teach, the Antichrist will not be in it. Satan himself will move the kingdoms of the world to wage war on God's chosen people. But then, the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" because of his righteousness will defeat them for the glory of the Almighty God. (Revelation 17:12-14) It precipitates the establishment of God's Kingdom over the earth—a period commonly referred to as Millennium, when "Satan is bound for a thousand years" (See Rev. 20:1,2).

The final judgement and purification of the Earth's sin occurs at the end of the Millennium, when Satan is "loosed for a little season" and allowed to "go out to deceive the nations ... and gather them to battle" against "the camp of the saints and the beloved city". Satan loses the battle and is finally cast into the "lake of fire and brimstone" (or complete destruction, not hell). Those who join him will suffer—like Satan—for eternity.

The name Har-Magedon means literally "Mountain of Megiddo", "mountain of rendezvous", "mountain of assembly of troops", and there is no literal "mountain of Megiddo" anywhere in the Promised Land. Revelations says that "expressions inspired by demons" cause the kings of the entire inhabited Earth to gather together for the war of the great day of God the Almighty (Revelations 16:14).

It is evident from this text that this war is not one of nation against nation with nuclear, biological, or other weapons of mass destruction, since it says that the kings of the Earth "gather together". It is also evident that there is no way that the armies of the world can gather around the relatively small area that is Megiddo in modern-day Israel. Finally, Revelation 16:16 calls Har-Mageddon (Mountain of Megiddo) "the place" where these kings are gathered for this final showdown. Since the Mountain of Megiddo is not a literal place, it stands to reason that these words have a symbolic meaning.

Since the area around Megiddo was of strategic importance in Biblical times and decisive battles were fought there, it is proper to use Megiddo as the "symbolic" place of gathering of all the kings of the Earth where they will try to do battle against God and his forces. This action on the part of the kings of the Earth is provoked by expressions and signs inspired by demons. Their collective action to persecute God's chosen on Earth is what finally triggers this war.

The reason for this persecution is clear from the words of the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 3:4,5, where it says "because you do not continue running with them [the nations, from verse 3] in this course of the same low sink of debauchery, they are puzzled and go on speaking abusively of you. But these people will render an account to the one ready to judge those living and those dead".

Jehovah's Witnesses stand apart from the world in that they do not participate in any of the many religous holidays celebrated around the world, nor do they join the military forces of any nation on Earth. Their belief that only God's Kingdom, instead of any human government or organization, can bring true peace and security on Earth has already made them targets of persecution in many countries around the world. It is their belief that this persecution will increase greatly in the coming years and will reach a point where all nations (inspired by the words of demons) will participate in a persecution unlike any ever seen.

This prompts God to intervene directly against the kings of the Earth, and it is at this time that they are "gathered" in this "place" for the final showdown, with devastating results.

It is then that the words of Daniel 2:44 come to pass: "And in the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to time indefinite".

Chapter 38 of the book of Ezekiel has a prophecy in which a certain Gog from the land of Magog collects an army of many nations to attack God's people, believing them to be unprotected. God responds by causing them to fall one against another's swords; he strikes them with pestilence, floods, hailstones, fire, and sulphur. The chapter ends with God declaring that the nations "will have to know that I am Jehovah".

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Rastafari movement

Main article: Rastafari movement

According to Rastafari, it is Haile Selassie who appears in the Book of Revelation. Armageddon (or rather "Amagideon") is a slightly different theological concept, meaning not so much a specific battle, but rather the general state the entire world is in now, and has been getting progressively deeper in since 1930, and especially since 1974. However, Selassie's role in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War is in many ways seen as a fulfillment of some prophecies.

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Seventh-day Adventist

Seventh-day Adventists have a different interpretation — the final battle of Armageddon will take place after the thousand-year period mentioned in the book of Revelation, where the righteous dwell with God in heaven and the wicked are judged. According to this account, Christ and His saints (and the Heavenly kingdom they now reside in) will come down to Earth, shielded from the wicked. Christ will raise the wicked dead, and both sides will engage in one final battle between good and evil. Satan and his followers will attempt to overthrow Christ's followers, but will be overcome by the power of Christ. Under His command, God destroys Satan and the wicked once and for all with an overwhelming fire. The Earth will be burned, having been quenched of all evil, then, according to the final two chapters of Revelation, the Earth will then be made new and restored to its original state before sin entered into the world. Then Christ and His redeemed saints will be declared victorious.<ref name="adventist">{{

cite web | title = Fundamental Beliefs | url = http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/fundamental/index.html | accessdate = 2006-03-07 | year = 2005

}}</ref>

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References

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Armageddon

From Free net encyclopedia

Contents

Jehovah's Witnesses

Rastafari movement

Seventh-day Adventist

References

See also

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