Armageddon
 

I would say that almost everyone has heard of “Armageddon.” Through newspaper headlines, books, TV, even movies have been produced depicting the “final battle and the ending of this age.” Scientists and world leaders alike use the expression to refer to the end of the world — the destruction of mankind through nuclear warfare. Sometimes we hear people talk about the "Battle of Armageddon."

This of course is not correct, for the Bible clearly states that Armageddon is a place, not an event. It is not a battlefield, but a gathering place, which will be used by enormous armies in the very near future. The site is within the borders of the modern state of Israel, about 55 to 60 miles north east of Jerusalem and about 18 miles east of the port city of Haifa.  The word Armageddon in only quoted in one Bible verse: (Rev. 16:16) “And He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”  Armageddon  comes from two Hebrew words—“har” and “Megiddo.” The word “har” means "the mount of Megiddo."  Megiddo is located on the southern edge of the Valley of Jezreel.

Valley of Jezreel

 

Where then will this final battle take place?

The Valley of Jehoshaphat is also known as the valley of decision. This is the name of the valley that lies just to the east of Jerusalem, between the city and the Mount of Olives. Today, this area is also called the Kidron Valley. We read in the book of (Joel 3:9-14) Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: there cause Your mighty ones to come down, O LORD. Let the heathen be weakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Valley of Jehoshaphat
 

Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty!

We also read in (Zechariah 14:1-4) “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a great valley; and half the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” Reading these verses, we can see that at this time a massive earthquake will take place.

Jehoshaphat means “the Eternal judges” or “valley of the judgment of the Eternal.” How will this last battle end? What is the final outcome? Continue in (Zechariah 14:12-13) “And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.” It will be quick and decisive and will eradicate the armies assembled there.

So we see that the final battle to end man's rule on earth is not Armageddon. Nor will it be fought at Armageddon. It will be fought just outside Jerusalem, in the Valley of Jehoshapat. Today, the enemies of the Lord God of Israel are calling for Israel to be “wiped off the face of the map.” The Islamic Mullahs, and the current Iranian President hope that they can hasten the day of Allah by coordinating a giant onslaught against Israel. God's call for them to gather into the Valley of Judgment, for the harvest of the wrath of Almighty God has almost ripened.

The heathen have been awakened; their objective is to seize Gods Land. But as the Day of Battle draws ever closer, the sickle of the Lord is readied!