The Battle of Armageddon — House of David Ministries
Divine Justice: The Balance of Punishment and Redemption in God's Judgments
God’s judgments are punitive, but they are also redemptive, particularly for Israel. We read, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9); “For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished” (Jeremiah 30:11, NKJV).[i]
As these judgments are poured out during the tribulation, the scriptures are unclear on how Israel, specifically Jerusalem, will be punished but not destroyed. Several verses infer a covering of protection over Jerusalem, while others reveal destruction. Some say that God will gather His people back to Jerusalem, and others show Israel either being taken into captivity or fleeing from God’s wrath.
In Revelation Six, we see an explicit sign of a great earthquake moving every mountain and island out of its place. This earthquake is also called out in Ezekiel and Zechariah, and it occurs when Gog comes against the land of Israel. It is mentioned again in Revelation Sixteen, placing this sign at the end of the seven-year tribulation immediately before the return of Christ. We read, “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel, says the Lord GOD, that My fury will show in My face. For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: 'Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground,” (Ezekiel 38:18-20). More precisely, this earthquake, combined with great hailstones (likely meteorites), occurs when the last seventh bowl of God’s wrath is poured out, as we read:
“Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!’ And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great” (Revelation 16:17-21).
Unlike this apocalyptic event that nearly destroys the entire planet and splits Jerusalem (the great city) into three parts, another more isolated earthquake occurs in Jerusalem when God’s two witnesses are resurrected and taken into heaven. We read, “In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven” (Revelation 11:13). The city is severely damaged but not destroyed, implying that while God is judging Israel and bringing them to repentance, He does not entirely destroy His heritage or His land. The Lord declared, “Do not fear, O Jacob My servant, says the Lord, For I am with you; For I will make a complete end of all the nations To which I have driven you, But I will not make a complete end of you. I will rightly correct you, For I will not leave you wholly unpunished” (Jeremiah 46:28).
In comparison, regarding the Gentile nations, the Lord declared, “I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir” (Isaiah 13:11-12). After God’s judgment of the nations who came against Jerusalem, there will not be many, those who survived the tribulation “shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16).
God historically judged Israel by bringing foreign nations against it. Jesus warned Israel, saying, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” (Matthew 5:13). When given a vision of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Apostle John was instructed to “Leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months” (Revelation 11:2).
The implication is clear: For three and one-half years, Israel and Jerusalem will be overtaken and the Temple defiled by the Gentiles until Jesus returns and rescues His people from imminent destruction. Zechariah warned, “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city” (Zechariah 14:1-2). Yet, God will preserve a remnant of His people, as it says, “For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, A remnant of them will return; The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness” (Isaiah 10:22).
The Prophet Joel gives us a glimpse of this end-times period, saying, “For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land” (Joel 3:1-2).[ii] While the period described here culminates at the end of the age with a tremendous end-time battle, its inception predated Israel's rebirth in 1948.
In the 1700s, more than a century before Theodore Herzel and the officially recognized Zionist movement began (A.D. 1897), large numbers of Orthodox Jews from Eastern Europe moved to the Land of Israel to escape persecution and hasten the arrival of the Messiah. Historians identify five waves of migration, called Aliyah in Hebrew, the first three covering a period from 1881 to 1901.[iii] Over time, Zionism became increasingly more secular. However, it began as a religious Messianic movement, touching the spiritual consciousness of the Jewish people. God was awakening His people.
The Prophet Joel said, “In those days, at that time, God would bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem.” He was not speaking of the seventy-year Babylonian exile and destruction of the first Temple. He spoke of this end-times period, saying, “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations… Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness” (Joel 3:12, 14-15).[iv] We should not be unaware of the season we are living in. The world saw the beginning of the end times in the late 1800s, and Israel’s rebirth in 1948 was a catalytic sign of the imminent return of Christ.
We recognize that several things will happen simultaneously during this period. God would begin to return the Jewish people to their ancestral land. This repossession of Israel, including the recapturing of East Jerusalem in 1967, would rile many nations against them. We read, “And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it” (Zechariah 12:30). As Jesus prophesied, wars and rumors of wars would plague the Jewish people until the very end. Israel’s enemies will come from the south and north, but their strongest enemies from the north (ancient Assyria). It says, “In that day it shall come to pass That the glory of Jacob will wane, And the fatness of his flesh grow lean” (Isaiah 17:4).
Out of these desperate trials, a vial leader, the Antichrist, will arise to deceive many. He will capture Israel by intrigue, but he will subdue Israel’s enemies and establish a false peace covenant with Israel and her surrounding nations for seven years. Under the leadership of this vile king, Israel, for a short season, would grow in prosperity and global influence. In response, the nations would rage again, and ultimately, God would turn the Antichrist against the Jewish people and hook all the nations to join this man and come against Jerusalem, the ultimate invasion from the north of Gog from the land of Magog, and an army of two-hundred million from the kings of the east.[v] We have already discerned the possibility that Gog and the Antichrist are the same person, leading a coalition of ten nations against Israel.
There are passages in the Psalms and other prophecies, including Isaiah and Ezekiel, that point to a coalition of nations that war against Israel in the latter days. Some of these names are evident, while others are obscured, lost in a shifting geopolitical landscape that has changed repeatedly over the past three thousand years. They read as follows:
“With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. Come, they say, let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more. With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you—the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, Byblos, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. Even Assyria has joined them to reinforce Lot’s descendants” (Psalm 83:3-8).
“See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down, with no one to make them afraid… In that day the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away… Woe to the many nations that rage—they rage like the raging sea! Woe to the peoples who roar—they roar like the roaring of great waters! Although the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters, when he rebukes them they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweed before a gale. In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone! This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us” (Isaiah 17:1-2, 4, 12-14).
“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you” (Ezekiel 38:2-6).
The names mentioned in these passages are more than nationalities; they are principalities and territorial spirits that rule over ancient nations whose boundaries today are unclear. In the end times, God will hook these nations who are under the dominion of evil spirits and principalities to come against Israel. While some scholars see these battles as one significant end-time conflict, it is more plausible that Israel will be plagued by a series of wars and rumors of wars that increase with intensity and culminate in a final end-time war called Gog and Magog (from Ezekiel’s prophecy), also called the Battle of Armageddon (from Joel’s prophecy and Revelation). We read:
“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East… Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (Revelation 16:12, 16).
“Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for 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 pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.” (Joel 3:9-12).
“Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats 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. The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness. The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel” (Joel 3:13-16).
The Greek Ἁρμαγεδών is transliterated from the Hebrew Harmagedon. Many scholars see this as the mountain (har in Hebrew) of Magedon, often correlated with Tel Megiddo. Tel Megiddo is an ancient archeological site 50 km southeast of Haifa and Mount Carmel. A tel is a manmade hill, not a mountain, gradually rising over centuries as destroyed cities were rebuilt. The Patristic view is that Har Magedon is derived from the ancient Aramaic stem “to cut or hew down” and means “Mountain of Slaughter.”[vi] We are reminded that mountains in scripture represent kingdoms. So, where is Magedon?
Undoubtedly, the final battle of Har Magedon will be fought in Jerusalem, as it says in Zechariah that the city will be overtaken, and half of the city shall go into captivity.[vii] Israel will have been living in peace until sudden destruction comes upon them. We read, “You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’” (Ezekiel 38:11). These armies will swarm across Israel from the north, ascending to the Valley of Jehosephat, better known as the Kidron Valley, between Mount Moriah (the Temple Mount) and the Mount of Olives to the east. The Mount of Olives (Mount Zion) is where Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, and it is the place where He is returning to destroy God’s enemies. Hence, it is fitting it would be called “the mountain of slaughter.”
We read in Isaiah, “There will be on every high mountain And on every high hill Rivers and streams of waters, In the day of the great slaughter, When the towers fall” (Isaiah 30:25). John writes, “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great’” (Revelation 19:17-18).
God would use the nations to judge Israel and bring her to repentance, and in turn, God would judge the nations and the gods they worship and destroy them for coming against His land and His people. This scenario has played out throughout Israel’s history, and God will continue this pattern through the tribulation. We are reminded that end-time events largely surround Israel and the Jewish people, and God’s plans for Israel’s restoration are far more complex than we often realize.
Another possible explanation for Har Magedon is that it is a transliteration of the Hebrew Har Mo’ed, “the mountain of the congregation,” also translated as “mountain of the assembly.” We read, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High’” (Isaiah 14:12-14). Satan’s ultimate desire is to be worshipped as God by His covenant nation, Israel, seated upon the throne of Christ’s Kingdom in Jerusalem. Here, we read that Satan desires to make himself like God, sitting upon the mountain of assembly, the dwelling place of YHVH and His divine council. Appropriately, it would be on this very mountain of slaughter that Satan will be cut down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.[viii] Hence, God’s final battle against Satan will occur at the epicenter of God’s Kingdom, Mount Zion and Mount Moriah (the Temple Mount in Jerusalem).
While the Jewish people sought peace and refuge upon their return to the land of Israel, Jesus warned them that wars and rumors of wars would plague them until the end, God even allowing for the future destruction of Jerusalem.[ix] We read, “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst. As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have poured out My fury on you” (Ezekiel 22:19-22). It is a tough prophecy because it stipulates God’s purpose in bringing the Jewish people back to the land of Israel, this being to discipline them, draw them to repentance, and, ultimately, to their salvation and redemption through trial and tribulation.
In the world’s darkest hour, when the full wrath of God is poured out on the nations, God has promised that He will preserve a remnant of His people and shelter them amid the intense storm of His indignation. It says, “The Lord will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.” Joel declares, “The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel” (Joel 3:16).
Isaiah declared, “Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past… There will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain” (Isaiah 4:3, 6); “Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past” (Isaiah 26:20). The hills around Jerusalem, in a sense, will have become like Goshen in the land of Egypt, preserved to a degree from God’s wrath, but not entirely unpunished for her iniquity.
When Jesus returns with His church to the Mount of Olives, the mountain will be split in two, as it says, “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south” (Zechariah 14:4). His feet will first touch the Mount of Olives, which is east of the Temple Mount. It will trigger an earthquake that divides Jerusalem into three parts. Then, He will enter Jerusalem through the Golden Gate, the Gate of Mercy. We read: “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:27).
It is not a calm, peaceful entry like the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, but a triumphant return of the Lion of Judah, fierce, mighty, and full of the wrath of God. Even those in Jerusalem will be riled by the fear of the Lord. Zechariah wrote, “Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You” (Zechariah 14:5).[x] Zechariah warned Israel, saying they will flee again from Jerusalem during a great earthquake that splits the mountains open, dividing the city into three parts. An earthquake of this magnitude is unlikely to leave even one stone standing on the Temple Mount.[xi] The return of Jesus and His church will be a terrifying moment for all who are not in Christ. The Apostle John wrote:
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:11-16).
It is often imagined that Jesus fights this end-time battle alone, but this view is inaccurate. It says, “and the armies of heaven” follow Him on white horses, and the Antichrist and his contingent of nations go out to fight them.[xii] In Revelation, an angel cries out: “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great” (Revelation 19:17-18). The nations that come against Christ and His armies are not only acting out of their volition and arrogance, but God has hooked their hearts to draw them into battle for their slaughter. It says, “For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled” (Revelation 17:17).
Those who destroy Satan’s armies are the angelic hosts and the church, the armies of heaven. We read, “I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army” (Revelation 19:19). This final battle will be of epic proportions, unlike anything else in history. The church will have become the armies of heaven, and we not only remove the evil powers and principalities from the second heaven, but we annihilate the wicked from the earth. The Prophet Joel describes this heavenly army, saying:
“Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations. A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them. Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like swift steeds, so they run. With a noise like chariots Over mountaintops they leap, Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, Like a strong people set in battle array.
“Before them the people writhe in pain; All faces are drained of color. They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like men of war; Every one marches in formation, And they do not break ranks. They do not push one another; Every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, They are not cut down. They run to and fro in the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter at the windows like a thief. The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness. The Lord gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?” (Joel 2:2-11).
Again, the return of Christ and His church will be visible; as it says, the Antichrist and his armies gather together to make war against Jesus and His army.[xiii] It occurs when the heavens open, and they see Jesus returning in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.[xiv] They will see Him coming, full of wrath and indignation, and still choose to go into battle for slaughter. Yet, all who come against Christ will be destroyed, as we read, “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:20-21).
Amid the wrath of God’s final judgment and the visible return of Jesus, God will pour out a spirit of grace and supplication on Jerusalem and its inhabitants.[xv] He will remember His covenant with them and show mercy. Paul said, “And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins” (Romans 11:26-27).
The Prophet Joel also foretold this great time of the deliverance for Israel and those from nations who sought refuge with the remnant of God’s people, saying, “And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls” (Joel 2:32). Then, God will be glorified in His people, Israel, as we read, “In that day the Lord of hosts will be For a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty To the remnant of His people” (Isaiah 28:5). And He will be glorified in all the nations: “For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream” (Isaiah 66:12).
[i] All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Bible (NKJV) unless otherwise noted, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.
[ii] Isaiah 34. Matthew 25:31-46.
[iii] The First Aliyah. https://www.jewishhistory.org/the-first-aliyah.
[iv] Isaiah 34. Matthew 25:31-46.
[v] Ezekiel 29:4, 38. Revelation 9:16, 16:12-16.
[vi] Larondelle, hans K. The Etymology of Har-Magedon (Rev 16:16). Andrews University Seminary Studies, Spring 1989, Vol. 27, No. 1,69-78, 1989.
[vii] Zechariah 14:2.
[viii] Isaiah 14:15.
[ix] Matthew 24:6. Mark 13:7.
[x] Jude 14. Daniel 7:9-10, 21-22. Isaiah 11:1-4, 63:1-3).
[xi] Matthew 24:2.
[xii] Daniel 8:25.
[xiii] Revelation 19:17.
[xiv] Matthew 24:30.
[xv] Zechariah 12:10.
