What is the War of Armageddon and When will it Take Place?
Many have been speculating about the War of Armageddon and when it might take place. Will it be the end of the earth and humanity?
Armageddon—the Place
Revelation 16:16
And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.
The word Armageddon appears only one time in the Bible which is in Revelation 16:16.
As the verse indicates, it is a place. Armageddon is the site of the battle that will bring the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to this earth to capture the Antichrist, false prophet, and all who will take the 666 mark of the beast as well as those who will worship his image.
Seven-Year Tribulation Period
Following the Rapture of the Church -believers- to heaven, the Antichrist, striving for a one-world government, will make a peace treaty with many nations of the world, but not all nations will agree. This treaty will begin the seven-year Tribulation period.
Daniel 9:27
Then he [the Antichrist] shall confirm a covenant [treaty] with many for one week [week in Hebrew in this usage translates to years.]
For the duration of the seven-year period all the people who are still on this earth (who were not raptured) will undergo the deceptions of peace and then experience tremendous suffering of God’s strong warnings and His furious wrath [anger] for their continuing to offend Him.
Wrath of God—Not Armageddon Yet
Hail and Fire will rain from heaven during the sounding of the trumpets. And
- one third of the sea will turn to blood,
- a third of the fish in the sea will die,
- a third of the ships on the seas will shipwreck,
- a third of the rivers and springs of water will be destroyed, and
- a third of the sun, moon, and stars will turn dark.
All the while, locusts with the sting of scorpions; and two hundred million army men will kill a third of mankind.
Revelation 9:20-21
But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
The Antichrist and the Mark 666
To follow the Antichrist instead of confessing the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior will put people to the test with tremendous temptations. No one will be able to buy or sell anything—food, fuel, clothing, water, paper—nothing—unless they worship the Antichrist or his image and have taken the mark.
Revelation 13:17-18
and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
Seven Plagues and the Call to Battle
The seven last plagues will come to the earth as the seven vials [bowls] of God’s wrath are poured out. The Antichrist’s stubborn surviving followers will gather to battle. When the sixth bowl is poured out it will open the way of the rulers from the east to come to battle.
The Sixth Bowl/Vial
Revelation 16:12-16
Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrātēs, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon [Satan], out of the mouth of the beast [Antichrist], and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to 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 am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches; and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon [Mount Megiddo located near the plain of Megiddo of the Jezreel valley in NW Israel].
The Seventh Bowl/Vial
Revelation 16:17-21
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 [80 lbs]. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.
The War of Armageddon
But there is more to how the battle will end. The armies will be gathered there together while these plagues continue, but the battle must be fought.
A White Horse
Revelation 19:11-16
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse [Not the same white horse the Antichrist sat on in Rev. 6]. And He [Jesus] 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 [John 1:1, 14]. 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 [in His Millennial reign]. 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.
The War
Revelation 19: 17-21
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.” And I saw the beast [Antichrist], the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 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.
The End?
So, the answer to our question: “When does the War of Armageddon take place?” is:
It marks the end of the Tribulation period.
But when does the seven-year Tribulation period end? We mentioned that the Tribulation period starts with the Rapture. However, only the Father knows when the Rapture will take place, and the Rapture will set off a chain of events; some being ended by this war.
Mark 13:32
But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father..
Satan and Another Battle
The Battle against Satan, Gog and Māgog is not the Battle of Armageddon
After the Battle of Armageddon ends with the Antichrist, false prophet, and those who received the mark of the beast, all of whom were cast alive into the Lake of Fire, there will be another battle. Satan, with all other nations of the earth—known as Gog and Māgog, will later be destroyed.
Bound for a Thousand Years
Revelation 20:1-3
Then [after the chapter 19 description of Armageddon] I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while [to be defeated in the final war].
Released after a Thousand Years
Revelation 20:7-10
Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Māgog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city [Jerusalem]. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast [Antichrist] and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Final Answer – War of Armageddon
So the final answer to the question:
“What is the War of Armageddon and when does it take place?” is that it happens after the seven-year Tribulation, but before the Millennial reign of Christ. After those one thousand years, then the war against Satan, Gog and Māgog [all the other rebellious nations against both the Lord Jesus and against the Antichrist] will take place and quickly be ended.
The Great White Throne judgment will follow this event. At the Great White Throne judgment God will judge all those unbelievers who’d died in past history. If their name is not in the Book of Life, they will be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternal punishment and suffering.
Comments and Questions Welcome
Feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
We welcome any questions you might have as we like to hear from you.
Please share this blog with your friends if you liked it, if not, please let us know.
Thank you for reading and God bless you!
How to Receive Eternal Life Posts
Would you like to find out why believers have hope of Eternal Life and how to develop a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ? Check out these blog posts if your answer is “yes.”
Receiving Eternal Life as easy as A-B-C-D
Why do I need the God of the Bible?
Blog Posts Related to this Topic:
Rapture and the seven-year Tribulation Part 1
What is the Definition of Rapture?
Who is the Beast, the Dragon and the False Prophet (Part 1)
Other Resource:
Prophecy Articles by Dr. David Jeremiah (Turning Point Radio)
For further study on Jesus’ next coming and the signs of the time check out our 3-in-1 Study Guide:
“Digging Deep into the Revelation of Jesus Christ”.
It is a one-of-a-kind reference for anyone striving to understand the Book of Revelation in the Bible.
This study guide for the Book of Revelation is revolutionary and unique.
On each page it contains:
-the original scripture,
-the commentary on that scripture,
-the actual Bible verses referenced in the commentary, and
-the commentary on these references in 4 columns side by side.
Through the format and contents, the reader is able to find comprehensive information in a few minutes versus spending an hour looking up cross-references to find meaning in challenging text.
For someone studying Revelation, this one reference saves time and enhances understanding without making the mistake of translating scripture. This enables the reader to make his/her own conclusions about the meaning in the Word as inspired by God.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
.
