The Christ in Prophecy Journal

Prophetic Perspectives #99: The Battle of Armageddon

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Nathan Jones: The Bible prophesies a war that almost everybody, whether you are a Christian or not, has heard of — the Battle of Armageddon. Movies and television have muddied what Armageddon truly is, though. Amir Tsarfati of Behold Israel Ministries is an expert in Bible prophecy and is going to tell us exactly what the Bible says about the Battle of Armageddon.

What most people don’t know is that Amir lives in one of the most interesting places in the world. He lives not just in Israel, but particularly…

Amir Tsarfati: …on the edge of the Valley of Armageddon.

Nathan Jones: Amir, you can look right out of your home and actually see the Valley of Armageddon! What must that be like to go out on your terrace and look out over that giant valley?

Amir Tsarfati: Right now the valley is peaceful, but knowing that the day will come when Satan will blind everyone to believing that they can actually take over the world and that’s the end of Jesus. Just think about how that valley will be the gathering place of all those who will come against Jesus Christ in the last days.

Nathan Jones: What is the actual name of the valley? It’s not really named the Valley of Armageddon, right?

Amir Tsarfati: It’s the Jezreel Valley. It’s also known as the Valley of Megiddo. Of course, the term “Armageddon” comes from Revelation 16:16 that is the combination of “har” and “megiddo” which means the “mound of Megiddo.” That’s a reference to the ancient site of the city of Megiddo.

Nathan Jones: I looked up the statistics concerning the Valley of Armageddon. The valley is a thousand square miles, 14 miles wide, and 67 miles long. Didn’t Napoleon enter the valley and say that all the armies of the nations of the world could be fielded right there?

Amir Tsarfati: Napoleon was right because what he saw was what the Bible talks about, that being the valley will be a gathering place. Where you gather is not necessarily where you fight, rather where you gather is where you prepare to fight. If you look at all of the descriptions of the latter days’ Tribulation battle just as Jesus is coming back and His feet land on the Mount of Olives, well, that’s in Jerusalem. Zechariah 12 talks about that final battle occurring in Jerusalem, not Jezreel.

By the way, the Valley of Jezreel is very conveniently located coming from the Mediterranean Sea as well as coming from the east. This is very, very unusual for valleys in Israel. The valley is flat, it’s wide, and it is accessible to all of the armies will be coming from the different parts of the world.

Nathan Jones: What brings all of the world’s armies to gather into the Jezreel Valley? For context, we’re talking about all of the nations gathering at the very end of the seven-year Tribulation. Armageddon is the final event of the Tribulation. Why is the Antichrist gathering all of those armies in the Jezreel Valley?

Amir Tsarfati: I believe the Antichrist is well aware of the fact that something momentous is about to happen. And, we know from Bible prophecy that something climactic is about to happen. Remember that this is the end phase of a seven-years long Tribulation.

Nathan Jones: By this time two-thirds of the Jewish people will have been killed by the Antichrist?

Amir Tsarfati: Yes, tragically two-thirds will have been killed and the remaining third will be sheltered somewhere in the desert where the Lord has prepared a place for them. Of course, by this point, most of the people on planet Earth will be dead. Planet Earth will be damaged beyond all recognition as well.

Nathan Jones: Twenty-one judgments of God will be raining down upon the earth during the Tribulation?

Amir Tsarfati: Exactly, 21 judgments comprised of the seven Seal Judgments, seven Trumpet Judgments, and seven Bowl Judgments will have already happened. By the end of the Tribulation, Satan and the Antichrist will be enacting their final last-ditch effort against God. They will be squeezing everything they can into stopping Jesus from coming back. But, Jesus’ feet will stand on the Mount of Olives once again.

A New Valley

Nathan Jones: Isn’t it amazing to read that passage in Zechariah 14:4 about when Jesus lands on the Mount of Olives? I love going up to the Mount of Olives and seeing those few observation platforms. They almost look like landing platforms. Zechariah foretells that when Jesus hits the ground it’ll be just like those Avengers movies where the Hulk hits the ground and it breaks apart. But, when Jesus lands, He creates a whole new valley, right?

Amir Tsarfati: Yes, Jesus creates a whole new valley by splitting the Mount of Olives east to west. Of course, that division will release all of the waters that are under the Temple Mount to flow out and down to revive the Dead Sea. So many things have to happen first to make that prophecy in Ezekiel 47 and Zechariah 14 come to pass. Half of the waters will flow to the Great Sea (the Mediterranean) and the other half to the Dead Sea. A brand new river will be created!

While all of this is occurring, the Saints in our glorified bodies will be coming back with Jesus and we will get to watch all of this happening. We will not only watch it, but afterward, we will reign with Christ from a Jerusalem that has a river running through its midst.

The Jerusalem we know today is going to go through some amazing changes. The Temple Mount as we know it today will no longer exist. And, the Mount of Olives as we know it today will be broken into two parts and a river will be flowing out of it.

The Champion

Nathan Jones: All of that is what happens after the Battle of Armageddon. Those are the aftereffects. But, how does Jesus win that battle? We oftentimes think that the glorified saints will return with Jesus and we all will be wearing armor and riding our white horses and we will be fighting against all of the Antichrist’s forces. But, will the saints even get involved in that Battle?

Amir Tsarfati: No, not really. The Bible says in Zechariah 14:1-4 that during the Day of the Lord, meaning the Tribulation, that Jerusalem is going to be taken by the Antichrist. But, “then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives.” It sounds like the saints don’t get a chance to fight. Jesus is going to do all of the fighting by Himself!

Nathan Jones: Besides Zechariah 14:3, we can look at 2 Thessalonians 2:8 which reads, “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” It says here that Jesus will just speak and the Antichrist’s forces will just fall apart. Then the Lord does what to the Antichrist and False Prophet?

Amir Tsarfati: They will be thrown down into the Lake of Fire and Satan into the Bottomless Pit. Satan will be banished to that pit for a thousand years. I’m thinking to myself, “Wow! A thousand years without satanic influence.”

Nathan Jones: What a world that will be! Jesus will establish His Millennial Kingdom and there will be zero satanic disruption during that time.

Satan’s Last Stand

Amir Tsarfati: Isn’t it interesting that after the thousand years are over that God will release Satan for a little while and Satan will deceive the whole world yet again?

Nathan Jones: The children born of the Tribulation Saints will still get to choose Christ or not, and those who will reject Jesus will rally to Satan one last time.

Amir Tsarfati: For a thousand years Jesus will have been physically reigning from Jerusalem. Life will be as close as to what it was at the very beginning in the Garden of Eden. And yet, the minute Satan is out, he is still able to recruit millions of people. That tells us how the heart of man is quite evil. Therefore, a person has to be born again. Their hearts have to be made new or else they’ll continue to live in rebellion against God.

For those who have yet to have given their life to Jesus Christ, the winds of life will take you away. When Satan shows his ugly face in your life, that’s it; you won’t have that solid rock — Jesus Christ — to stand on. That’s why being called a Christian just doesn’t do it. You need to be born again. You need that new birth so that you will have a renewal of the mind, a new spirit, and a new heart.

Nathan Jones: Surrender your life to Jesus Christ today!

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Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

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