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.
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.
Over the centuries, a pressing question that has generated endless speculation has been, When will Armageddon come? Examining the book of Revelation in the light of other parts of the Bible can help us determine the timing of this crucial battle. Revelation 16:15 links Armageddon with Jesus’ coming as a thief. That word picture is also used by Jesus in describing his coming to execute judgment on this system of things.—Matthew 24:43, 44; 1 Thessalonians 5:2. As shown by the fulfillment of Bible prophecies, since 1914 we have been living in the last days of this system of things. Marking the final part of the last days will be the period that Jesus called the “great tribulation.” The Bible does not say how long that period will be, but the calamities associated with it will be worse than anything the world has ever seen. That great tribulation will culminate at Armageddon.—Matthew 24:21, 29. Since Armageddon is “the war of the great day of God the Almighty,” there is nothing that humans can do to postpone it. Jehovah has set an “appointed time” for that war to start. “It will not be late.”—Habakkuk 2:3.
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