Posted by Elana Janson on April 03, 2012 at 14:45:06:
In Reply to: The Purpose of Armageddon posted by Richard Smit on April 02, 2012 at 09:55:45:
“And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. (Revelation 19:19 KJV)
I believe Revelation wishes to reveal the outcome of the deception of the nations of the globe by the beast when they gather to the final battle. Revelation is saying that in the very end time the armies that will gather to Armageddon will not have the purpose of fighting for the Christian cause – they will be fighting to retain their freedom and the rule of man (“make war against him that sat on the horse” – the rider on the white horse wears a crown). This is the outcome of man getting his freedom. In the analysis of Revelation the riders of the horses of the Apocalypse symbolize a change in the rule of the nations but the drive through the ages to take up arms for the Christian cause remained present. Revelation is revealing that spiritually the leadership of the nations (“kings of the earth and their armies”) in the final war will fight for freedom.
Remember Revelation says that ultimately the entire world will follow the beast (Rev 13:3). I believe Armageddon is an actual war, but we are given insight into the spiritual mindset of the armies. Human kind and its leaders have been misled and have lost the motive to fight to be ruled by Christianity. In that battle it is revealed that God will intervene and destroy (Rev 19:20 and 21). Remember Rev 17:17 says that God will only allow the beast to rule for a certain time. These verses have to be read in conjunction with Rev 10:9 “and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them”. The reason for reading the two verses in conjunction is the repetition of the words “gathered together” that I believe indicates the same battle (Rev 19:19 and 20:8).
Rev 13:13
Because the words “fire came down from heaven” (see Rev 13:13) are repeated in Rev 10:9 it seems that God will allow great destruction by man. (In the analysis of Rev 13:13 “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven to earth” it was shown that the discoveries of the years 1866 - dynamite - and 1932 splitting of the atom of lithium that would later lead to the development of the atomic bomb – also 1926 and the discovery of the liquid fueled rocket are part of the counting of the number of the beast. It therefore seems that it will be a war with rockets and nuclear explosion.
What we do not know is whether the Return is going to be before this final war, during or after.