ARMAGEDDON! Does this word conjure up images of mass destruction or a cosmic conflagration? Few Bible expressions have become as much a part of everyday speech as “Armageddon” has. The term has been widely used to describe the gloomy prospects facing humans. The entertainment industry has fed people’s imagination with horrific scenes of a coming “Armageddon.” The word is shrouded in mystery and misconceptions. While ideas as to its meaning abound, most of them are not in line with what the Bible—the source of the expression—teaches about Armageddon.
Since the Bible links Armageddon with “the end of the world,” would you not agree that it is vital to have a clear understanding of what the word really signifies? (Matthew 24:3, King James Version) And would it not be reasonable to turn to the ultimate source of truth, God’s Word, to find answers about the nature of Armageddon and what it will mean for you and your family?
Such an examination will show that instead of bringing a cataclysmic end, Armageddon will introduce a happy beginning for people who desire to live and thrive in a righteous new world. You will be rewarded with a clear understanding of this vital Scriptural truth as you consider the discussion of Armageddon’s real meaning in the next article.
THE word “Armageddon” has its origin in the Hebrew expression “Har–Magedon,” or “Mountain of Megiddo.” It is found at Revelation 16:16, which states: “They gathered them together to the place that is called in Hebrew Har–Magedon.” Who are assembled to Armageddon, and why? Just two verses earlier, at Revelation 16:14, we read: “The kings of the entire inhabited earth” are gathered together “to the war of the great day of God the Almighty.” Naturally, those statements raise additional intriguing questions. Where do these “kings” fight? Over what issue do they battle, and with whom? Will they, as many believe, use weapons of mass destruction? Will there be survivors of Armageddon? Let the Bible provide the answers.
Does the reference to the “Mountain of Megiddo” mean that Armageddon will be fought at a certain mountain in the Middle East? No. For one thing, no such mountain really exists—at the site of ancient Megiddo, there is only a mound rising about 70 feet [20 m] above the adjacent valley plain. In addition, the area around Megiddo could not begin to hold all “the kings of the earth and their armies.” (Revelation 19:19) However, Megiddo was the site of some of the fiercest and most decisive battles in Middle Eastern history. Thus, the name Armageddon stands as a symbol of a decisive conflict, with only one clear victor.—See the box “Megiddo—A Fitting Symbol.”
Armageddon cannot be just a conflict among earthly nations, since Revelation 16:14 states that “the kings of the entire inhabited earth” form a united front at “the war of the great day of God the Almighty.” In his inspired prophecy, Jeremiah stated that “those slain by Jehovah” will be scattered “from one end of the earth clear to the other end of the earth.” (Jeremiah 25:33) Thus, Armageddon is not a human war confined to a particular location in the Middle East. It is Jehovah’s war, and it is global.
Note, however, that at Revelation 16:16, Armageddon is called a “place.” In the Bible, “place” may signify a condition or a situation—in this case, that the entire world will be united in its opposition to Jehovah. (Revelation 12:6, 14) At Armageddon all earthly nations ally themselves against “the armies that were in heaven” under the military command of the “King of kings and Lord of lords,” Jesus Christ.—Revelation 19:14, 16.
What about the claim that Armageddon will be a holocaust involving weapons of mass destruction or a collision with a celestial body? Would a loving God allow such a horrific end to humankind and their home, the earth? No. He expressly states that he did not create the earth “simply for nothing” but “formed it even to be inhabited.” (Isaiah 45:18; Psalm 96:10) At Armageddon, Jehovah will not ruin our globe in a cataclysmic conflagration. Rather, he will “bring to ruin those ruining the earth.”—Revelation 11:18.
MEGIDDO—A FITTING SYMBOL
Ancient Megiddo was strategically situated, overlooking the western section of the fertile Jezreel Valley, in northern Israel. It controlled the international trade and military routes that intersected there. Thus, Megiddo became a place of decisive battles. Professor Graham Davies writes in his book Cities of the Biblical World—Megiddo: “The city of Megiddo . . . was easily accessible to traders and migrants from all directions; but at the same time it could, if powerful enough, control access by means of these routes and so direct the course of both trade and war. It is not surprising therefore that it was . . . a prize often fought over and when secured strongly defended.”
The long history of Megiddo began in the second millennium B.C.E. when the Egyptian ruler Thutmose III defeated the Canaanite rulers there. It continued through the centuries to 1918 when British General Edmund Allenby inflicted a stinging defeat on the Turkish army. It was at Megiddo that God enabled Judge Barak to inflict a smashing blow upon Canaanite King Jabin. (Judges 4:12-24; 5:19, 20) In that vicinity Judge Gideon routed the Midianites. (Judges 7:1-22) It was there, too, that Kings Ahaziah and Josiah were killed.—2 Kings 9:27; 23:29, 30.
Associating Armageddon with that vicinity is thus appropriate, since it was the site of numerous decisive battles. It is a fitting symbol of God’s complete victory over all opposing forces.
