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WHAT GOD HAS DETERMINED WILL BE DONE—ARMAGEDDON IS WHEN GOD DESTROYS EARTH’S ARMIES
God has mapped out in the Scriptures that the Holy Land is the stage upon which two crucial events take place. One was on a mountain, and one will be on a plain. The mountain is Mount Calvary. The plain is the Plain of Megiddo. Taken together these may be described as the two altars of sacrifice that dominate the history of the world. We saw last week that the Holy Spirit of God inspired five capable authors to describe for us in clear and chilling language the most famous of all battles — Armageddon!
What happens at Armageddon is the result of a world’s headlong abandonment of God. On Mount Calvary God declared His gracious plan to redeem the world by the sacrifice of His Son; on the plains of Megiddo God’s vengeance is poured out on the armies of the world in a sacrifice of doom.
Both are blood baths and each is the descent of God’s holy wrath upon sin.
Calvary and Armageddon are brought about as God’s bitterest enemies work out, despite themselves, His perfect and sovereign will. Peter painted across both these sacrifices the words of Peter, “The Gentiles, and peoples of Israel were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done” (Acts 4:27-28).
From each proceeds, a supper: Calvary begets a feast of remembrance for the people of God, and Armageddon becomes a feast of retribution for the scavenger birds of the earth.
At Calvary, there rang up to the gates of heaven the triumphant and victorious cry from the Lamb slain for the sins of the world, “It is finished!”
Then to Armageddon there crashes down to earth a thunderous answering cry from the temple in Heaven, “It is done!”
God violently shakes the earth each time. In Matthew 27-28 there are earthquakes surrounding Calvary at the Cross-and at Christ’s Resurrection. In Revelation 16:18 Armageddon prompts the greatest earthquake of all time, destroying the realms of mankind.
Both events are an attack and conquest of Satan’s domain. Christ’s death opened the graves of saints, and God raised many from death (as a show of Satan’s powerlessness) and in Revelation 16 the bowls are poured on the present headquarters of Satan who is the “Prince of the power of the Air”.
This evening we celebrate the Supper God ordained to remember Jesus Triumphed over sin, death, and Hell. Let’s worship our Triumphant Christ as we stand and read Revelation 19:11-21.
WHAT SEEMS TO HAPPEN
AT ARMAGEDDON?
There appear to be 13 events concluding the seven-year period
1. Two witnesses are slain by the Antichrist (Rev. 11:7)
2. Two witnesses resurrected (Rev. 11:11-12)
3. The king of the South (Egypt) and the king of the North fight against the Antichrist (Dan. 11:40a) ““At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships”
4. Antichrist enters Palestine and defeats Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia (Dan. 11:40a-43) Daniel 11:40b-43 “and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.41 “He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon.42 “He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.43 “He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.
5. Armies from the East and the North move toward Palestine (Dan. 11:44; Rev. 16:12) Daniel 11:44 “But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.
6. Jerusalem is ravaged (Zech. 14:1-4)
7. Commercial Babylon is destroyed (Rev. 16:19; 18:1-3, 21-24)
8. Signs appear in the earth and sky (Isa. 13:10; Joel 2:10, 30-31; 3:15; Matt. 24:29)
9. Christ returns with the armies of heaven (Matt. 24:27-31; Rev. 19:11-16)
10. Jews flee Jerusalem facilitated by topographical changes (Zech. 14:5)
11. Armies unite at Armageddon against Christ and the armies of heaven (Joel 3:9-11; Rev. 16:16; 19:17-19)
12. Armies are destroyed by Christ (Rev. 19:19, 21)
13. The ”beast“ (Antichrist) and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20)
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