Revelation

THE BOOK OF REVELATION: M. M. NINAN
The word "Armageddon" appears only once in the Greek New Testament, in Revelation 16:16. The
word may come from Hebrew har məgiddô מגידו)‏ ‏,(הר meaning "Mountain of Megiddo". "Mount" Megiddo
is not actually a mountain, but a tell (a hill created by many generations of people living and rebuilding on
the same spot) on which ancient forts were built to guard the Via Maris, an ancient trade route linking
Egypt with the northern empires of Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia. Megiddo was the location of various
ancient battles, including one in the 15th century BC and one in 609 BC. Modern Megiddo is a town
approximately 25 miles (40 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee in the Kishon
River area.
Fausset's Bible Dictionary: “Armageddon (Gr. Mountain of Megiddo) is a place which some believe is the
Valley between Mt. Carmel and the city of Jezreel. It is sometimes referred to as the Valley of Jezreel, and
also the Plain of Esdraelon. Derived from "Mount of Megiddo": from a root gadad, "to cut off," i.e.
"slaughter". The plain of Esdraelon, the great Old Testament battle field between Israel and the various
enemies of Jehovah's people: the scene of Barak's victory over Canaan, and Gideon's over Midian (Judges
4; 5; 7), the scene also of Saul's death and Israel's defeat before the Philistines (1 Samuel 31), and of
Josiah's death in battle with Pharaoh Necho (2 Kings 23:29-30). Both this and "the valley of Jehoshaphat"
(the scene of his great victory, 2 Chronicles 20:26, compare Zechariah 14:2-4) may be figurative phrases
for the scene of the final conflict of Christ and Antichrist. But they may also be literal.”
According to one premillennial Christian interpretation, the Messiah will return to earth and defeat the
Antichrist (the "beast") and Satan the Devil in the Battle of Armageddon. Then Satan will be put into the
"bottomless pit" or abyss for 1,000 years, known as the Millennium. After being released from the abyss,
Satan will gather Gog and Magog (peoples of two specific nations) from the four corners of the earth. They
will encamp surrounding the "holy ones" and the "beloved city" (this refers to Jerusalem). Fire will come
down from God, out of heaven and devour Gog and Magog after the Millennium. The Devil, death, hell,
and those not found written in the Book of Life are then thrown into Gehenna (the lake of fire burning with
brimstone).
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