At the end of the Tribulation, the Battle of Armageddon will be the final showdown between good and evil on earth, drawing the final curtain on modern civilization as we know it. Jesus will return as a mighty King with heaven’s armies to destroy all those who have rejected Him as Savior, and His victory will usher in the coming Golden Age.
Scripture tells us the battle will end in an instant, but it provides several details of the event.
The Location
Before the battle, Jesus will return to earth from the same place He ascended. “His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south” (Zechariah 14:4).
The Lord’s return will fulfill a prophecy the angels gave when He first ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives: “‘This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.’ Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet” (Acts 1:11-12).
In 1967, the Mount of Olives returned to Israeli control, setting the stage for Christ’s return and the final battle in Israel.
The Mount of Olives lies just to the east of Jerusalem. Its location and historical significance have led to severe conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, as we have seen all too clearly in recent times. Prior to the Six-Day War, Arab-ruled Jordan controlled the site for nineteen years. In 1967, the Mount of Olives returned to Israeli control, setting the stage for Christ’s return and the final battle in Israel.
The Victor: Jesus and the Armies of Heaven
We find John’s description of Christ’s victory in Revelation 19:11-16:
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He 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. 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. 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.
Nowhere else in the Bible do we find Jesus described with such might and power. At His first coming, our Savior took on the role of a Suffering Servant who sympathized with our weaknesses. When He returns, Christ Jesus will appear as a mighty Warrior and King. He will defend His people and forever destroy evil.
When He returns, Christ Jesus will defend His people and forever destroy evil.
Jesus will not return alone. Verse 14 says, “And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.” At the Second Coming, the saints will return with Jesus, including believers who were raptured or converted and killed during the Tribulation. Clothed in white robes, we will not fight. We will stand with our King and witness His power. Then we will rule with Him on earth for one thousand years.
The Adversaries: The Antichrist, the False Prophet, and Their Followers
“I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army” (Revelation 19:19).
The Antichrist will unite the world during the Tribulation. Those who bear his mark and worship him will join his army to battle against the Lord. Evil will make its final stand against the Lord and all that is good.
Evil will make its final stand against the Lord and all that is good.
The Scene
Every human being will witness this final battle.
Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30, NIV, emphasis added)
Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. (Revelation 1:7, emphasis added)
The Antichrist will fight with all the strength of Satan and his evil ones, but they will be no match for King Jesus.
As the battle begins, an angel will cry out to the birds in the air: “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” (Revelation 19:17-18).
The Antichrist and his False Prophet will be captured and cast into the lake of fire. With only the power of His words, Jesus will kill everyone that remains. It will be the bloodiest battle in history. The Victor and His armies will be unscathed, but the bloodshed from the Antichrist’s army will cover a 200-mile area and reach a depth of approximately four feet (Revelation 14:19-20).
One of these days, God will have had enough, and His judgment will pour down like consuming fire against wickedness in earth’s final battle.
After the battle, Jesus will reign on earth while Satan spends a thousand years in bondage (Revelation 20:2).
The Purpose of the Battle
God could destroy evil in any way He chooses, so why will he end it in a bloody battle? First, Armageddon will conclude Jesus’ judgment upon Israel. Throughout the Tribulation, God will pour out His wrath against the people of Israel for rejecting their Messiah. Having failed to heed God's warnings and prior judgments, Israel will experience the period referred to as “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7).
Second, Armageddon will mark the final judgment upon Israel’s persecutors. With all the hostile nations of the world gathered together in the Battle of Armageddon, in the valley of Jehoshaphat, God will deal with them finally and decisively.
I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land. (Joel 3:2)
Finally, Armageddon will constitute a formal judgment of all the people who have rejected Him. “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. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Revelation 19:15).
Those who pursue ungodly goals tend to miss God’s warnings. Because the Lord “is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9), some people assume He will never judge them. But be assured, a day will come when Christ Jesus will judge each person’s deeds accordingly (Romans 2:5-6). One of these days, God will have had enough, and His judgment will pour down like consuming fire against wickedness in earth’s final battle.
