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WHAT IS THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON?
If you relied on Hollywood to tell you what Armageddon is, then you would think it is going to be some sort of disaster, like an asteroid hitting earth or
something of that nature. But thankfully, we have the Bible to explain to us what the battle of Armageddon is, so we need not make wild guesses. And this is
important to understand, because within the text of the sixth plague concerning Armageddon, we find the following advice:
Revelation 16:15 ...'Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.'
So there is a blessing in understanding this event, because it is connected with the soon return of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And we all need to be 'watching' that we are ready and found in Him when He returns. Jesus said to His disciples before He was about to be taken to be crucified ... "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:41). We need to do likewise and know the signs of His coming, which will help us to get ready. So let us go through the text concerning the battle of Armageddon in the sixth plague and see if we can get an understanding of what is going to happen:
Revelation 16:12 ...'And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.'
The start of the sixth plague is the 'drying up of the great river Euphrates'. So it is important to understand what this drying up of the river is, so as to then be able to understand the battle that is to come from it. There are many people in the church today who believe the 'waters' of the river Euphrates to be symbolic of many 'peoples, nations and tongues', just as Revelation 17:15 says regarding the 'sea' which the beast rises up out of. Now it is clear that the waters of a 'sea' in prophecy represents many nations, people and tongues. Which is why many in the church today believe this 'drying up' of the river is a symbolic drying up of many people and nations, more specifically, the drying up of the support of the Roman Catholic Church. But I believe this to be wrong, and I will show you why.
Please make note of this important distinction: A sea borders with many nations, which is why a sea is used to represent many 'peoples, nations and tongues' in prophecy. But a river is much smaller and usually only runs through one or two nations. Making a river in prophecy more specific to one or two nations, or a specific people.
Isaiah 23:10-11 ...'Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength. He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the Lord hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof.'
Do you see the distinction here? Tarshish [a specific people or kingdom] is applied to a river, and the sea is applied to various kingdoms. So is the Euphrates river 'drying up' going to symbolize the drying up of peoples, nations and tongues all over the world? No, it is going to be a specific nation or people. And the fact that it mentions the Euphrates, gives us an indication of which specific nation and people. But just to confirm that a river is more specific to one nation and people, look at another Bible verse which confirms this:
Isaiah 8:7 ...'Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks.'
Again, you can see that a river is applied to a specific kingdom and people, like the Assyrian kingdom above. So who does the Euphrates river apply to? Well,
the Euphrates river as you can see in the picture runs down from central Turkey, through Syria and into Iraq. So what specific group of people would this river
apply to? Well, what nations are these three nations? They are Islamic nations. So does the Euphrates river in Revelation 16 point to Turkey and it's associated
coalition of Islamic nations through which the river flows? Well, this prophecy is closely connected with another prophecy in Daniel 11:45:
Daniel 11:45 ...'And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.'
The 'he' in Daniel 11:45 is the 'king of the north', which is the Turkish empire, and if you read our page on THE KING OF THE NORTH, you will see that Turkey and the [radical] Islamic people, one day soon, are going to 'move' into Jerusalem and place the seat of their authority there. But as the prophecy states, Turkey and the Islamic coalition which makes this move to take control of Jerusalem will 'come to his end'. And what will this do? It will 'DRY UP' the area currently occupied by Turkey and it's Islamic coalition, the area through which the Euphrates river runs.
We also have the Euphrates river mentioned in the sixth trumpet in Revelation 9 ... "And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men."
"The Four Angels. - These were the four principal sultans of which the Ottoman empire was composed, located in the country watered by the great river Euphrates. These sultans were situated at Aleppo, Iconium, Damascus, and Bagdad. Previously they had been restrained; but God commanded, and they were loosed." (Uriah Smith, Daniel and the Revelation, 1897, p.508)
Now the church leaders today accept this literal interpretation regarding the Euphrates river in the sixth trumpet, and yet when we get to the 6th plague, the church leaders believe the Euphrates suddenly becomes symbolic of something else. This kind of study and interpretation is nothing but confusion! The Euphrates river was meant to be taken as a literal interpretation, representing the people and kingdom through which the river flows. Which is different from the waters of a sea, which is to represent many nations and people, like that of Europe.
The 'Euphrates' in Revelation 9 is pointing to the setting up of the Ottoman Empire. The 'Euphrates' in Revelation 16 is pointing to the final demise of the Ottoman Empire.
So the 'drying up' of the Euphrates River in Revelation 16 is the drying up of the area where Turkey and it's Arab coalition now reside. And this will happen in fulfillment of Daniel 11:45, when Turkey and it's Islamic coalition makes war with Israel and moves into Jerusalem to take control. This will leave the area of the Eurphates river 'dried up', ready for what happens next:
Revelation 16:12 ...'And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.'
That the way of the kings of the East might be prepared? The way to what? Verse 14 and 16 tells us that the kings are gathered to that place called 'Armageddon' or the 'Hills of Megiddo', near Jerusalem, which overlook the plains of Esdraelon, where mighty battles have been fought before by Barak and Deborah destroying Sisera's army, and where Josiah was routed by the Egyptian king Pharaoh-Necho. This final gathering will be 'the battle of the great day of God Almighty'.
Turkey and the Islamic nations have been a kind of 'restraining' power between East and West, which is why Europe has held up Turkey for so long. But once Turkey moves to set up camp in Jerusalem, as Daniel 11:45 prophesies, and comes to his end, probably by the hands of America and its coalition, then the passage way for the 'kings of the East' - China, Russia, Pakistan, India, etc., to make their move to the Middle East and the 'spirits of devils' (Revelation 16:14) will deceive the nations into being 'gathered' there for the final battle.
"But when the sixth plague is poured out, there is no restraining hand. The Turkish power designated as the River Euphrates, which has separated between the East and the West, gives way; and like the rushing together of mighty storm clouds, the armies of the earth, striving for the territory, meet in the valley of Jehoshaphat, -the ancient meeting place for Egypt and Assyria, known in the Hebrew as Megiddo, and in Greek as Armageddon." (S.Haskell, Seer of Patmos, p.284)
"It may be asked how the way of the kings of the East will be prepared by the drying up, or consumption, of the Ottoman power? The answer is obvious. For what is the way of these kings to be prepared? Answer: To come up to the battle of the great day of God Almighty. Where is the battle to be fought? Near Jerusalem." (Uriah Smith, Daniel and the Revelation, 1897, p.692)
There very well may be a literal battle between these nations as they gather in the Middle East. Some call it 'World War III.' But what is the 'main event' for this gathering of the nations? Revelation 19 gives us the answer:
Revelation 19:11-19 ...'And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war ... And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean ... And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.'
Do you see what the climax of Amrageddon is? The kings and nations of the earth are 'gathered together' to make war against Jesus Christ and His angels when they return at the second coming.
Revelation 16:13-14 ...'And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.'
Friends, do you know what the dragon, beast and false prophet are? They are the devil (dragon - Paganism), the Papal Church of Rome (beast) and Protestant America (false prophet). These three will unite to DECEIVE the kings of the earth to gather together in the Middle East for that final battle. We have already seen over the past few years the likes of America and other nations moving their Embassies to Jerusalem, falsely thinking that Israel is still God's chosen nation. This is the working of 'spirits of devils.'
The whole point of this is to make us aware of the nearness of the return of Christ, to cause us to wake up and make sure we are ready. Just take a look at these news articles regarding a possible 'move' of Turkey ('drying up of river Euphrates') and her desire to conquer Jerusalem and make it an Islamic capital:
Turkish Newspaper Close To President Erdogan Calls To Form Joint Islamic Army To Fight Israel
Turkey President Erdogan: 'Liberate Jerusalem' from the Jews
Turkish President Erdogan tells his citizens that Muslims need to assert dominance over Jerusalem
Turkish Govenor declares that Turkey's forces would soon march into Jerusalem!
It is interesting to note that the Papal Church of Rome and the world have long tried to control Islam. But as God prophesied in Genesis 16:12 concerning Ishmael ... "And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." ... There is no taming the Arab world, and one day soon the Arabs will once again come together to make war and conquer Jerusalem, with Turkey, who is by far the most powerful Muslim nation in the world, as the leading nation. But as Daniel 11:45 says, he will come to his end this time and none shall help him. THEN the 'gathering' will take place for Amrageddon. THEN Jesus will return!
Something else that is interesting, is the fact that the United Nations, as you can see from the 
statue in the UN building gardens in New York, are trying to CHANGE God's prophecy.
They are seeking for 'peace and safety' (1 Thess.5:3), but 'sudden destruction' comes when they say this. You see, in Joel we
have another prophecy of the same event spoken of in Revelation 16, which is the battle of Armageddon. Look at what it says in Joel:
Joel 3:9-13 ...'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: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be wakened, 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.'
Didn't Jesus say in Revelation 16 that He was going to come 'as a thief'? Is the 'harvest ripe' when He comes? Yes, so this 'gathering' in Joel is the same gathering that occurs under the 6th plague, where the kings are gathered to the battle of Armageddon near Jerusalem. The 'valley of Jehoshaphat' is also near Jerusalem. But notice something very intersting. This prophecy in Joel says that the men are to turn there plowshares into swords. And yet look at the picture of the statue in the United Nations garden. It is of a man turning a sword into a plowshare, the opposite of what God prophesied. The world wants to reverse the prophecies of God, but as we know, the prophecies of the Lord are certain and will happen.
But be warned friends, as the battle of Armageddon takes place AFTER probation has closed, because it happens during the 6th plague. So it will be too late to get ready when that battle comes. We must get ready NOW. Time is running out and we must surrender all to Jesus Christ today. Don't put it off, give your all to Jesus now and let Him take control of your life.
"The history of nations that one after another have occupied their allotted time and place, unconsciously witnessing to the truth of which they themselves knew not the meaning, speaks to us. To every nation and to every individual of today God has assigned a place in His great plan. Today men and nations are being measured by the plummet in the hand of Him who makes no mistake. All are by their own choice deciding their destiny, and God is overruling all for the accomplishment of His purposes. The history which the great I AM has marked out in His word, uniting link after link in the prophetic chain, from eternity in the past to eternity in the future, tells us where we are today in the procession of the ages, and what may be expected in the time to come. All that prophecy has foretold as coming to pass, until the present time, has been traced on the pages of history, and we may be assured that all which is yet to come will be fulfilled in its order." (Education, p.178)
"Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." (Rev.16:15)