In this book, which is written in Greek, it is expressly stated that the place where the ‘kings of the earth’ will be gathered, together with their armies, is called ‘Har-Magedon’ or ‘Armageddon’ in Hebrew. This refers to Israel, to the land the Lord had chosen. “It is My land,” He says,1 and “I give it to you,” to Israel, He says.2 Israel is the Promised Land where His people live and speak Hebrew, the language in which the Old Testament is written. Modern Hebrew or Israeli Hebrew or New Hebrew, generally referred to by speakers simply as ‘Ivrit’, is the standard form of the Hebrew language spoken today. It is to this Promised Land that Satan, the ‘dragon’, the ‘beast’ and the ‘anti-Christ’ appear to be gathering the nations,3 but in reality it is the Lord Who is gathering them there, in order to execute judgment against them. Holy ‘mockery’ resounds through the prophet Joel: “Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war!” Does this refer to a jihad, a holy Islamic war, as some believe? “Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your ploughshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, I am strong! Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there.”4 They are assembled at Armageddon i.e. ‘Har’ (= ‘Mountain’) Magedon. Where is that? No mountain called ‘Magedon’ is mentioned in ancient literature, so it is thought it refers to the city of Megiddo, at the southern edge of the Plain of Jezreel. The city was situated there to protect a pass over the Carmel mountain range, along the great caravan route from Egypt which went on to Syria and Mesopotamia. Many battles took place there. But fighting a war is not so easy on a ‘mountain’. Might it refer to what Isaiah calls “the mount of assembly in the far north”?5 That passage refers to ‘the king of Babylon’ who sets himself up against the throne of God. Satan’s rebellion shines through it dimly however. The Lamb and the ‘hundred and forty-four thousand’ are on ‘Mount Zion’.6 Do the nations assemble so aggressively against them? If so, the suffix ‘Magedon’ takes on deep meaning as well. For amazing battles have been fought there, near Megiddo; wars that were decided by God Himself, as in the time of the Judges, when Sisera fled from this region in panic,7 because the ‘stars’ fought from Heaven, together with God’s armies,8 and where the Lord made Gideon’s enemies draw their swords against each other.9 ‘Mount Zion’ is pictured as a symbol of God’s might, compared to the beast’s mountain, Armageddon. The meaning of the word contains ideas such as ‘cutting off’ and ‘killing’ in Hebrew, and it is sometimes also translated something like ‘cut down from on high’. This undoubtedly refers to ‘battlefield Israel’,10 and also to the spiritual struggle behind it. Their blood, rising as high as the horses’ bridles, spatters the garments of the One Who tramples with the wrath of God in the winepress.11 Armies ‘wade’ in blood making this a battle compared to the one king Josiah fought against Pharaoh Necho12 look like child’s play! Does the prefix ‘mount’ point to the mountains of Israel against which Gog goes into battle?13 The outcome of the battle will certainly be just as dramatic as that of Gog against Israel, and in Ezekiel that battle is followed by the building of a new, final Temple and the dawn of a completely New Era/Age14—just as, here, the fall of the ‘beast’ and of ‘Babylon’ are followed by the Coming of His Kingdom.
• ‘Gog’ is mentioned again in Revelation 20:7–8 as well as ‘Magog’, the country Gog comes from, Ezekiel 38-39. Almost using these names of the enemies of Israel as a symbolic reference to the enemies of God. 15
• Here, in the Book of Revelation these enemies again march to wage war against ‘the camp of God’s people and the beloved City ‘Jerusalem’ and the battle again is decided in no time at all, and is followed by the Kingdom of God of Revelation 21–22:5.
Bible References:
1. Leviticus 25:23 NIV 2.Psalm 105:8–11 NIV 3.Revelation 16:13–14 4.Joel 3:19–23 NIV 5.Isaiah 14:13 (Revised Standard Version) 6.Revelation 14:1 7.Judges 4:12–16 8.Judges 5:20 9.Judges 7:22 10.See Revelation 14:20, day 225 11.Revelation 19:11– 16 12.2 Kings 23:29; 2 Chronicles 35:22–25 13.Ezekiel 38:8 and 21, 39:2, 4, 17 14.Ezekiel 40–48 15.Ezekiel 38-39
