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Armageddon
Now we come to the Battle of Armageddon. This is supposed to be the war that ushers in the Second Coming of Christ as all the world's nations meet to battle. As I read this chapter, there were some contradictory ideas. Apparently, all the world's nations are involved in this war [sorry Switzerland, no neutrality]. The Antichrist has amassed an army to destroy the nation of Israel, which has no allies against this overwhelming attack, yet many nations with gigantic armies are attacking the Antichrist - wouldn’t that make them unofficial allies of Israel? The Book Of Signs works overtime in twisting Scriptures and leaping to conclusions. And again, it promotes one of the most hideous ideas ever levelled against holy Scripture and the Lord Jesus Christ. We have commented on this idea in another article and will comment on it again below.
Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. Rev. 16:12-16, NKJV
This war, called Armageddon, makes all the wars fought to date look like minor skirmishes. Jeremiah, David . The Book of Signs (p. 337). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
This is the first time I have heard of World Wars I & II called "minor skirmishes.” It would seem to me to do a disservice to the men and women who sacrificed their lives in these and other wars for our freedoms.
Armageddon
And The Kingdom Of God
His [satan’s] purpose, beginning in the middle of the Tribulation period, is to destroy the Jewish people before Christ can set up His kingdom, thus wrecking God’s prophesied rule over the earth. Jeremiah, David . The Book of Signs (pp. 337-338). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
I am not sure what Bible Dr. David Jeremiah is reading from, but my Bible says that Jesus preached [2,000 years ago] that God’s kingdom was near [i.e. close].
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matt. 4:17, NKJV
But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Matt. 12:28, NKJV
He instructed His disciples to preach that God’s kingdom was at hand.
And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Matt. 10:7, NKJV
Jesus said some of His disciples would still be alive when the kingdom of God arrived. I haven’t seen any of them on YouTube, so I assume they have all died by now.
But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:27, NKJV
When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Luke 22:14-18, NKJV
We know from Scripture that Jesus ate and drank with His disciples after the resurrection, so the kingdom of God must have come with His death and resurrection. The kingdom of God is here now in power and authority - and it has been for about 2,000 years.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth….” Matt. 28:18, NKJV
Armageddon Meaning
Given the enormous attention this word receives, it may surprise you that Armageddon is mentioned only once in the Bible—right here in the sixteenth chapter of Revelation. The word originates from the Hebrew har megiddo meaning “the mount of Megiddo.” Har means “mount,” and megiddo means “slaughter”; so the meaning of Armageddon is “Mount of Slaughter.” Jeremiah, David . The Book of Signs (p. 338). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
The Book Of Signs is half right. It is true that the word “armageddon” appears only once in the Bible. However, as he also points out, “Armageddon” comprises two words. The first part of the word means “mount” or “hill” and the second is the actual location - Megiddo. Megiddo is mentioned several times in the Bible. It was in the territory of the tribe of Manasseh and was one of the cities they failed to conquer [Judges 1:27].
…it was famous for two great victories, of Barak over the Canaanites, and of Gideon over the Midianites, and for two great disasters, the deaths of Saul and Josiah. Online Bible Greek Lexicon in Online Bible App.
So to say that Armageddon is only mentioned once is technically correct but misleading. Strangely, The Book Of Signs ignores these other battles near Megiddo, which John would have had in mind as he wrote the Book of Revelation.
Is Armageddon Punishment On The Jews?
The Tribulation period is a time of divine indignation against the people of Israel, the people who rejected their Messiah and—time and time again after given the chance to return—Jeremiah, David . The Book of Signs (pp. 339-340). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
One of the reasons Dr. David Jeremiah gives for this time of Tribulation is God’s punishment on the Jews for rejecting [their] the Messiah. It makes no sense to bring judgment on modern-day Jews for the death of Christ. We are all responsible for Christ’s death in that our sins nailed Him to the cross so that He could save us in His love and grace. Modern-day Jews have no more responsibility for the death of Christ than any of the rest of us. What does make sense is that the Jews of Jesus’ day - who were the ones who rejected and crucified Him - would face judgment for their actions. In fact, both Jesus and Paul said they would…and they did in AD 66 - 70.
Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Matt. 23:34-36, NKJV
For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. 1 Thess. 2:14-16, NKJV
From our perspective, the judgment of Jews for the death of Christ is long past. It would be unjust of God to punish twice for the same offence.
Confirming The Covenant
Referring specifically to the Antichrist, Daniel tells us that “he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week” (Dan. 9:27). In prophetic language, this means a week of years, so the covenant will be made for seven years. The Antichrist will sign such a covenant with Israel, guaranteeing peace and security for seven years. Jeremiah, David . The Book of Signs (p. 341). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
Here we come to the most heinous thing the dispensationalists have done. Let us read Daniel 9:26-27, NKJV.
“And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.”
The Messiah is Jesus. He was cut off - killed - but not because of any wrongdoing on His part. Now we move down to “he.” Who does “he” refer to? The dispensationalists assume that it refers to the “prince.” This is impossible on two counts. First, the sentence's subject is the Messiah; therefore, “he” must refer to the previous subject. Second, even if, for some strange reason, it did not refer to the Messiah, it would refer to “people,” not “prince.” There is no way this can legitimately be made to refer to the “prince,” who is assumed to be the Antichrist. To confirm this, let’s ask what did the death of Jesus do? It brought to an end the need for sacrifices and offerings. True, they continued to be physically offered until the Temple was destroyed, but in the eyes of God, they were valueless after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So in the dispensational view, the beautiful sacrificial work of Christ on the Cross is thrown into the dirt at the feet of a supposed Antichrist. I realize this is unintentional, and if they could see it, they would be as horrified as any other Christian at this implication.
For a detailed look at these prophecies of Daniel from a solid Biblical perspective, take our Seventy Weeks Of Daniel course or download the free PDF book: The Greatest Week Of History.
The Great Army
…he [Antichrist] gets word that the Euphrates River has dried up and massive armies of the east are crossing it to come against him. He had thought himself safe, as no army could cross this barrier and come into the Israeli arena where he fought. Jeremiah, David . The Book of Signs (p. 344). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
This makes no sense. In the era of modern warfare, rivers are not a defence against air attacks, artillery and paratroops. While they would hinder things like tanks and infantry, any military commander who felt “safe” just because there was a river of any size between him and the enemy would be a fool.
Just how large is that army? Listen to what John tells us: “Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them” (Rev. 9:16). Suddenly the Antichrist must divert the major portion of his attention to defending himself against an amassed force the size of which the world has never seen. Jeremiah, David . The Book of Signs (pp. 344-345). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
We are told that we have a literal army crossing the literal Euphrates, which has been literally [and miraculously] dried up like the crossing of the Red Sea. Yet the fact that this army is composed of two hundred million horsemen is ignored. This army still relies on horses in a world of tanks and armed vehicles. Naturally, no attempt is made to explain where all these horses come from. The current world population of horses is estimated at sixty million. This must mean a tremendous explosion in the horse birth rate, especially as these events could only be 3 1/2 years away!
As discussed in our section on Gog and Magog, the dispensational view makes things literal when convenient and ignores them when they aren’t.
The Chosen Ones
The great Lord Jesus, the captain of the Lord’s hosts, the King over all kings will descend to defend and protect His chosen people and put a once-and-for-all end to the evil of the Antichrist. Jeremiah, David . The Book of Signs (p. 346). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
I find this insulting. Jesus Christ had to sneak in to rapture His church. The millions upon millions of Christians who have lived faithful lives through the power of the Holy Spirit get a secret rapture. Many of these Christians have suffered horribly and been killed for their love of Jesus. But the Jews who are being judged during the Tribulation for their rejection of the Messiah [according to The Book Of Signs] get Jesus returning with all the Gentile Christians and angels to rescue these ‘chosen ones.’ So much for breaking down the middle wall of separation [Eph. 2:14].
Many things in this chapter make no sense to me and certainly come nowhere near giving an undeniable prophecy of the apocalypse.
Return to The Book Of Signs.
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