3 Views Of Armageddon In The Book Of Revelation

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3 VIEWS OF ARMAGEDDON IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION

Pastor Mike here.

I want to talk to you about 3 views of Armageddon in the book of Revelation today.

THE FIRST VIEW OF ARMAGEDDON: THE SIXTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT (REVELATION 9:13-21)

The first view of Armageddon in the book of Revelation is the 6th trumpet judgment and the releasing of the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates to kill a third of mankind.

It’s recorded in Revelation chapter 9, verse 13 through 21, where it reads…

13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God,

14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind.

16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number.

17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths.

18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.

19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,

21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

THE SECOND VIEW OF ARMAGEDDON: THE 6TH CENSER JUDGMENT (REVELATION 16:12-16)

The second view of Armageddon in the book of Revelation is the 6th censer judgment which has the great river Euphrates mentioned again, but this time “its water is dried up, to prepare the way for the kings of the east” while the unholy trinity sends forth “demonic spirits” to deceive “the kings of the whole world, to assemble them” at Armageddon.

It’s recorded in Revelation chapter 16, verse 12 through 16, where it reads…

12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl (censer) on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.

13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.

14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.

15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)

16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

THE THIRD VIEW OF ARMAGEDDON: THE GOG AND MAGOG WAR (REVELATION 20:7-10)

The third view of Armageddon in the book of Revelation is the Gog and Magog war where Satan is released to deceive the nations to gather them for battle to destroy the Church.

It’s recorded in Revelation chapter 20, verse 7 through 10, where it reads…

7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison

8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.

9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them,

10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

DR. LOUIS BRIGHTON ON ARMAGEDDON

In his popular commentary on the Book of Revelation, Dr. Louis Brighton summarizes the three views of Armageddon this way…

“In the sixth scene (the sixth trumpet-angel, [Revelation] 9:13-21) of the second sevenfold vision of events on earth ([Revelation] 8:6-11:19), John saw for the first time a glimpse of [Armageddon]. He saw a host gathered at the great river Euphrates, restrained and held back until the predetermined time when they would be released just before the End.” (pg 388)

Dr. Brighton goes on…

“In the sixth scene (the sixth censer-angel, [Revelation] 16:12-16) of the third sevenfold vision of events on earth ([Revelation] 15:1-16:21), John saw a second view of [Armageddon]. (pg 388)

…While Armageddon (from the Hebrew for ‘mountain of Megiddo’) is a geographical place name, John lifts it out of any particular historical context and uses it as a symbol for this last battle before the End.” (pg 289)

Dr. Brighton concludes…

“Now for a third and final time … in [Revelation] 20:7-10 John sees [Armageddon – ] its conclusion.

The church would be totally annihilated were it not for God’s direct intervention. In Mk 13:14-23 the Lord Jesus describes these last days of torment for the church. It will be “a tribulation” (Mk 13:19) of such magnitude that it is beyond comparing to any other since creation, and nothing comparable would ever happen again. In Mk 13:14 Jesus likens those days to “the abomination of desolation” mentioned in Daniel. But for the sake of his “elect, whom he has chosen,” he will cut short those days (Mk 13:20). In Ezekiel 38-39 as Gog and his hosts, after having laid waste the land of Israel, were about to destroy God’s people, God himself directly intervened to rescue them by sending fire on Magog (Ezek 39:6) and by striking the weapons from the hand of this host, whereupon the enemies would fall, never to rise again (Ezek 39:3-5). Here in Rev 20:9 John also sees that “fire came down from heaven.” It devours the hosts of Gog and Magog, whereby God rescues his people.” (pg 388, 390)

SUMMARY OF THE 3 VIEWS OF ARMAGEDDON IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION

And so we have 3 views of Armageddon in the book of Revelation.

The first is the 6th trumpet judgment.

The second is the 6th censer judgment.

The third is the Gog and Magog war.