God's Prophetic Blueprint

Chapter 9

THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON

"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear" (Revelation 13:7-9).

From this portion of God's prophetic blueprint, it appears that Antichrist will have everything going his way. He will have power "over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations," and he will be the undisputed ruler of the planet. In addition to his exalted position, he will be worshipped by all who "dwell upon the earth," with the exception of those who have trusted God's crucified Lamb as Saviour (Revelation 13:8).

For nearly three and one-half years, the Satanic trinity will appear to have absolute control over the affairs of men. In Daniel's prophecy, we read: "And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished . . ." (Daniel 11:36). But then a strange turn of events will take place: "And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him . . ." (Daniel 11:40a).

It is important to understand that directions in Scripture, unless otherwise designated, arc usually related to Israel. That is, when we read of "the king of the south," it is to be understood that the text is speaking of that kingdom south of Israel. Most students of Bible prophecy are convinced that this is a reference to Egypt. The day is coming when "the king of the south" (Egypt) will "push at him," the Antichrist. Here is a revolt in the making. It appears from the following verses that the rebellion will be subdued, at least temporarily. Then comes bad news for the Antichrist from other quarters of his world kingdom: "But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him . . ." (Daniel 11:44). Here is a full-scale revolt. The Russian Bear will have had at least three and one-half years to lick the wounds from his humiliating defeat by God (Ezekiel 38), and he is now ready to join forces with the kings of the east in an uprising against the forces of Antichrist. The prophecy of Daniel 11 is a revolt against the Roman prince. On the one side will be the revived Roman Empire (the first ten nations to come under the control of Antichrist), plus the rest of Western Europe and those countries that were born of European influence. These nations will all remain loyal to Antichrist. On the other side will be the revolting nations of Daniel 11, including the king of the south (Egypt), the king of the north (Russia), and the kings of the east.

Once again directions must be related to Israel. The kings of the east are those kings east of Israel. They can be identified further from Revelation 16:12: "And the sixth angel poured our 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." It is clear to see that the kings of the east are east of Israel and also east of the River Euphrates. They are the kings of the Far East. We read further of these kings and their movements toward Israel 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. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them" (verses 13-16). Imagine, as this mighty army of 200 million moves from the Far East to unite forces with the kings of the north and south for the great showdown with the armies of Antichrist, it will destroy "the third part of men." That is, as the army from the Far East makes its way to the land of Israel for the great battle, it will kill one out of every three people on earth. One wonders how any system could be so ruthless. Certainly, we are seeing the warm-up in our day for such a massacre.

My wife and I served the Lord as missionaries in the Far East for ten years. Our children were all born in the Orient. Becky and Shari were born during our first term on Okinawa, and Dan was born during our second term in Saigon. We had planned to spend our lives in South Viet Nam, but the advance of Communism changed those plans. Of course, God was not caught by surprise. I mention this phase of my ministry for Christ to add a bit of credibility to that which appears in this book on the subject of Communism. I know what it is to hide from Viet Cong soldiers in the Mekong Delta. I have felt the pain of losing fellow missionaries, six of whom were killed in a single attack on their mission compound in the tribal city of Benme Thuot. Three other missionary friends were captured in the leprosarium nearby and were never heard from again. Other missionaries were martyred for Christ, and hundreds of national believers were ruthlessly murdered, some of them skinned alive. I know what it is to have Vietnamese pastors write to cancel planned crusades because Communist soldiers had threatened their lives if they permitted me to preach in their churches.

In the years that followed, my heart ached to hear of the indescribable atrocities that took place in that troubled little nation. Our smaller neighbor to the west was hit even harder by the rising tide of Communism. It has been reported that at least two and one-half million of Cambodia's seven million were murdered within a period of three years.

I was in Hong Kong in 1952 when tens of thousands of Chinese were fleeing from the mainland. Their hope was to make it to the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. Some of them tried to swim, while others came on small boats and homemade rafts. Many of the swimmers did not make it in those shark-infested waters. Hundreds of boats and rafts were carried out into the ocean by sudden storms and disappeared. Some of those who successfully arrived in Hong Kong shared with me stories of indescribable cruelty on mainland China. I was told of great holes that were carved out of the ground by bulldozers. Then hundreds of villagers were forced to stand beside those open graves as Communist machine guns opened fire. The bulldozers then came back to finish their gruesome work.

These stories, as horrible as they are, cannot compare to the mass slaughter that is coming, according to Bible prophecy. The armies of the kings of the east will some day move in a westward direction to unite forces with other nations in an attempt to destroy the armies of Antichrist. As the kings of the east make their move, they will "slay the third part of men" (Revelation 9:15).

The logical question is, "Why will the nations of earth be divided into two factions at this point in Bible prophecy?" John Walvoord in his fine book, Armageddon, gives us the answer as clearly as anyone I have read on this subject:

'Why will Satan organize a world war to disrupt his world kingdom? Satan's desperate strategy will be much more important than his control of the world through the world dictator. Although from their point of view they are gathered to fight it out for world power, the armies of the world will actually be assembled by Satan in anticipation of the second coming of Christ. The entire armed might of the world will be assembled in the Middle East, ready to contend with the power of Christ as He returns from Heaven. As subsequent events make clear, the movement will be completely futile and hopeless. The armies of the world are by no means equipped to fight the armies of Heaven. Still, Satan will assemble the nations for this final hour and, in fact the nations will choose to side with Satan and oppose the second coming of Christ. It will be the best that Satan can do. These events will give the nations their choice and allow Satan his desperate bid to oppress Christ's second coming.'

After all, Satan cannot announce to the world that Christ is about to return to the earth in His Revelation, for he has convinced his followers that the triune God is himself, his christ, and his prophet.

As the Seventieth Week of Daniel nears its conclusion, Satan must have a way of gathering the entire military power of earth to Israel, for Satan knows God's prophetic plan. He knows that Christ promised to return to the earth following the Great Tribulation. I am sure he has read the account of Christ's ascension in Acts I with the promise of His return: "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey" (verses 9-12).

Satan is also aware of the promise in Zechariah that "his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives" (Zechariah 14:4a). As the Seventieth Week nears its end, Satan will devise his master strategy, namely, to put the spirit of revolt into the hearts of the king of the south, the king of the north, and the kings of the east. His plan will be to divide the armies of earth into two divisions, then to bring the total military power of this planet to Israel for what they think will be a great world war. In reality, it will be Satan's way of gathering the nations of earth in an attempt to defy the eternal God.

It is clear from God's prophetic Word that Satan will use demon power to bring the armies of earth to Israel. "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. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon" (Revelation 16:13-16).

Now we come to that great confrontation when the "stone cut out without hands" will smite the "image upon his feet" (Daniel 2:34). Consider these sobering words from Revelation 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. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God" (verses 11-13). Who is this one on the white horse? His name is called "The Word of God." In John I we read: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Here is the record of the One who was with God and at the same time was God whose name was the Word of God. This eternal person then became a man, for verse 14 declares: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." It is clear from this passage that Bethlehem was not the beginning of God the Son. When He took a body, He also took the name, "the Lord Jesus Christ," but from eternity past, His name was, "The Word of God' This will be the name He bears as He descends from Heaven in His Revelation.

"And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean" (Revelation 19:14). Here is a reference to those who know Christ as Saviour, for at the Rapture of the Church (at least seven years prior to the return of Christ to the earth) believers will receive their glorified bodies and their garments of white. Together they will enjoy the fellowship of Christ and one another in Heaven while the earth is going through its horrible time of tribulation. Finally, they will gather around their Heavenly Bridegroom and enjoy the "marriage supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:7-9). Then they will follow Christ as He descends from Heaven to do battle with the total military power of earth. Please note that they are called "the armies which were in heaven." It is true that believers will be in that heavenly army, but it will not be necessary to fight, for the record reads: "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smith the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God" (Revelation 19:15).

The weapon that God will use in His confrontation with the forces of Satan will be the most powerful weapon of all time, His Word. Imagine the thoughts that will be racing through the minds of "the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies" as they are gathered "together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army" (Revelation 19:19). It is not recorded that they will back down or retreat. On the contrary, men under the control of Satan will actually feel they are greater than the God of Heaven. Men will raise their weapons against the omnipotent God. Then Christ will speak, and the total military force of earth will be dead. The Battle of Armageddon will be over.

The aftermath of this fearful experience is recorded in the following verses: "And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great" (Revelation 19:17, 18). The flesh-eating birds *of earth will descend upon the land of Israel where the dead armies will virtually cover the whole nation. That picture is impossible to describe as blood will flow "unto the horses bridles" (Revelation 14:20). Eagles will gather upon the carcasses (Matthew 24:28). It is cOed "the supper of the great God" (Revelation 19:17).

Certainly, the Battle of Armageddon will be a victory for Christ, for Satan's conquest over the world through Antichrist and the False Prophet will be over forever. The total military power of earth will be crushed. The long-awaited Kingdom Age will soon begin. Yes, the Battle of Armageddon will be a victory for God. But there will be a subtle kind of victory for Satan also. After all, his ultimate goal is to turn men from the truth, to lead them into darkness. Every soldier who dies in the Battle of Armageddon will be cast into Hell. Nothing could please Satan more.

In 1968, Lehman Strauss and I had the joy of traveling throughout the Far East to conduct conferences for American missionaries, national pastors, and U.S. servicemen. Our last stop was South Viet Nam. The conferences that had been scheduled among the Vietnamese were cancelled because the week we arrived the destructive 122 millimeter rockets began falling on Saigon. The city was in virtual darkness, and it appeared that we had no alternative but to leave. Then the phone rang. It was Chaplain Cecil Lewis, my close friend from college days, and one of the attendants in our wedding. How good it was to speak to Cecil and to hear of the tremendous opportunities he was having in Dong Ha, the last U.S. military base in South Viet Nam. Soon we were on a military plane headed for Dong Ha, located a few short miles from the DMZ and North Viet Nam. The experiences that followed will remain in our hearts forever. I shall never forget standing on a tower looking through high-powered binoculars at the war. I could see our planes as they swooped down on enemy positions, as well as returning fire from the enemy. There before my eyes was a war in progress. As I viewed that bloody conflict from a lookout tower, it occurred to me that a war was going on out on those fields that was not being reported. It was a war for the souls of men. Many of our boys died that day in that conflict near the DMZ, and even more Communists lost their lives; the sobering truth is that most of those who died went to Hell. Though thousands of Christians have gone to Heaven from battlefields, the majority of those who die in wars (even Americans) do not know Christ as Saviour. It is possible to die for a good purpose but still spend eternity in Hell! No one can claim the promise of Heaven or the gift of life everlasting by putting on an American uniform. Salvation belongs only to those who have trusted the crucified, resurrected Son of God as Lord and Saviour.

The greatest battle of all time will come some day. It is called the Battle of Armageddon. Every soldier will be an unbeliever. Every soldier will die. Every soldier will be cast into Hades. I repeat, though the Battle of Armageddon will be a mighty victory for our Lord Jesus Christ, it will also offer a subtle kind of victory for Satan. After all, his goal is to influence people to reject Christ as Saviour.