But one day all of us will find ourselves in the WAR OF ALL WARS and we are going to have a ring side seat as we watch the Lord win this great battle call Armageddon.
Before we get started in Revelation 19 that deals with Armageddon, I need to explain why Revelation chapter 17 and 18 is in the scriptures.
In Revelation 16 the Lord made the most important announcement to mankind that will ever be made.
WHAT IS THAT ANNOUNCEMENT?
God is making the announcement the world as we know it to be will CEASE TO EXIST.
That announcement is made when this seventh vial is poured out on the inhabitants of the earth and the Lord says, IT IS DONE!
Imagine reading these words in your local newspaper.
Look at Rev. 16:17-21 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, it is done. 18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nation's fell(This is not a regional earthquake but a worldwide earthquake) and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent (About the size of a cannon ball) and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
After the Lord has declared all twenty-one judgments has taken placed on the inhabitants of the earth in three and a half years (Great Tribulation) one of the angels came to John and state in
Revelation 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters. (Many waters represent many nations)
These are almost the same word after the church age is over and the rapture takes place in Revelation chapter four He told John in Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
But notice one of the seven angels that poured out the seven vials said “Come here, I want to show you why these seven-vial judgement was poured out on the GREAT WHORE!!!
WHO IS THE GREAT WHORE?
Prostitutes are common images in the Old Testament for unfaithfulness, for example in,
• Jerusalem Isaiah 1:21,
• Tyre in Isaiah 23:16-17
• Nineveh in Nahum 3:4.
• Israel herself is compared to a prostitute in Jeremiah 3:6-10;
There has always been evil in the world from the time of Adam and Eve.
But since the days of Babylon there has been an organized opposition of evil to oppose God.
This organized religion has caused the blood shed of God’s people and now the Judgment of God is being poured out on these ungodly people.
Today I will be preaching on the war of all wars…. AMAGEDDON!
Let us first look at…
I.THE REASON FOR AMAGEDDON
When we talk about wars, we need to understand wars do not just happen.
THERE IS ALWAYS A REASON FOR EVERY WAR!
Armageddon will happen for TWO reasons.
(1) SOME LEADERS FEEL THAT WARS ARE JUSTIFIED
Let me illustrate…
Illus: Russia surprised the world on February 24, 2022, by invading Ukraine, starting a brutal battle that is still raging today.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has given his public explanations for why he launched the invasion.
He said Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, before declaring itself an independent country before the USSR collapsed in December 1991
The country has maintained its independence ever since.
But Putin still refers to Ukraine as belonging to Russia and denies it's a nation in its own right.
• He told President George W. Bush in 2008 that Ukraine wasn't even a country.
• Putin spoke to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in an interview released on February 8, 2024, where he argued Russia has a historic claim to Ukraine.
Some leaders JUSTIFY STARTING A WAR.
But there is another reason wars are started…
(2) MANY LEADERS ARE MOTIVATED BY POWER AND GREED
Behind all war leaders give all kinds of explanations for their justifying invading another country but if the truth was known most of the time wars exist because of power and greed.
Illus: President Vladimir Putin feel justified in attacking Ukraine but knowing the kind of man he is he is also likely motivated by power and greed.
POWER AND GREED are something many politicians are motivated by each day.
Illus: For example, Washington, D.C. is filled with men and women who are motivated by POWER AND GREED.
• Now I happen to believe that we have men and women in Washington are godly men and women and they are there for the right purpose.
• But many of them are there for POWER AND GREED.
But when it comes to Armageddon God Himself is going to wage this war and it has nothing to do with power and greed. It has everything to do with JUSTICE!!!
To understand the REASON FOR AMAGEDDON we need to look at the scriptures.
The Bible tells us during the tribulation period the inhabitants on earth will experience suffering like the world has ever experienced before.
How did Christians suffer during the tribulation?
Let me illustrate…
(1) Imagine you cannot buy or sell unless you take the mark of the beast.
Illus: We saw a little of this during Covid-19 when our government closed down businesses and churches.
And many were told they would lose their job if they were not willing to take the vaccine.
Some pastors were jailed because they refused to close down their churches.
We have a shortage in our military today because some refused to take the vaccine shot and they lost their job.
But imagine the difficulty it would be that you could not BUY ANYTHING or SELL ANYTHING UNLESS YOU TOOK THE MARK OF THE BEAST!
• Suppose you had a baby, and you could not buy any baby food.
• Suppose you needed gas for your car, but you could not buy any.
• Suppose you needed shoes for your children, but you could not buy any.
• Suppose you needed fuel to heat your home, but you could not buy any.
• Suppose you needed electricity for your home, but you could not buy any.
• Suppose you needed a telephone to communicate with, but you could not buy one.
The anti-Christ will use all kinds of pressure to get people to take the mark of the beast.
Illus: We are being exposed to some of this pressure presently when President Biden wants to take away:
• Gas stove to cook with
• Gas cars to drive
But during the Great Tribulation the pressure will be unless you take the mark of the beast you cannot BUY OR SELL!!!
But the 144,000 Jewish missionaries will be preaching DO NOT TAKE THE MARK OF THE BEAST! IF YOU DO YOU, ARE DOOMED FOREVER!!!
But even worst…how else will the people during the Great tribulation be persecuted!!!
(2) Imagine having to be beheaded for your profession of faith.
Due to 144,000 Jewish missionaries and the two witnesses during the tribulation period many will come to know the Lord as their Savior and they refused to take the mark of the beast.
It is believed by many theologians that this is when the Jews will come to know the Lord as their Savior.
But many of these will have their heads removed for the stand they take to serve the Lord. They will be brutally killed.
God made a promise to the Jews that:
• HE WOULD BLESS THEM THAT BLESS THEM
• CURSE THEM THAT CURSE THEM!
Illus: Many Bible scholars believe that the reason God has blessed the United States the way He has is because they have always stood with Israel during the good times and the bad times.
But those who miss the rapture because they would not accept the Lord as their Savior during the tribulation period will suffer like no human have ever suffered before.
But those who will be headed for their profession of faith God made a promise to them.
Look at Revelation 6:9-10 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
God made a promise to these who have accepted Him during the tribulation period and have suffered at the hand of the anti-Christ who caused them to suffer would be punished.
Revelation 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow Servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Armageddon will happen for two reasons:
(1) God is keeping His promise to those who have been beheaded for the gospel of the kingdom and to punish the ungodly that cause them to suffer.
(2) God is sending Armageddon to punish the false church.
In the Old Testament times, Babylon represented the pinnacle of sin. Although the physical kingdom of Babylon has ceased, it lives on in a figurative sense in the end times.
The whore of Babylon represents everything debase, sinful, and that strays away from God.
This sounds a lot like our culture today.
In Revelation 17 God describes this false teaching that has seduce many to follow after the great whore and now they are being punished.
WHO ARE THESE?
1) False church (Great Whore) for their teachings in opposition to the Word of God
2) Their punishment of shedding the blood of those who would not take the mark of the beast.
Commercial Babylon is a corrupt commercial, social and political system that will be destroyed at the end of the Tribulation.
This now leads us to Revelation chapter 18.
•Revelation 17 we have the destruction to be unleashed on religious Babylon in the beginning of the Great Tribulation period.
•Revelation 18 the destruction of the commercial Babylon will take place but will not take place until the end of the Great Tribulation.
Some Bible scholars do not distinguish between the destruction of chapter 17 and chapter 18, they mold them altogether.
The following 4 reasons establish that they are not the same.
1. Revelation 18:1 state "After these things", this expression indicates that the events described (in chapter 18), will not take place until after the events of chapter 17 have been fulfilled.
2. "I saw another angel coming down from heaven" Events of chapter 17 were introduced by "one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls" (Rev 17:1).
The angel referred to (in chapter 18), is obviously not the same as the one who introduced the events of chapter 17 because this angel is referred to as ANOTHER ANGEL.
3. Babylon the prostitute of chapter 17 will be destroyed by the kings of the earth (Rev. 17:16). The Babylon of chapter 18 will be destroyed by the cataclysmic judgments of God.
4. The kings who destroy the Babylon of chapter 17 rejoice. In the Babylon of chapter 18, the kings and merchants lament and weep for her (Rev. 18:9-15).
Commercial Babylon is a corrupt commercial, social and political system that will be destroyed at the end of the Tribulation.
Revelation 18:3 "For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies."
Because of this corruption we read in Revelation 18:4 "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."
“Come out of her, my people”: The message is abandoning the system before it is destroyed.
Look at 2 Cor. 6:14-17 below, for a good example of this: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.(17) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you.
True believers, who are still in this type of church, are very foolish. God through this "voice from heaven" is saying, "Come out of her my people".
This is speaking of the apostate church.
He leaves no doubt what a person should do if they are caught in these apostate churches.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was talking to a very good friend of his on a Monday morning breakfast. This friend goes to a large liberal church downtown.
He said, “Preacher, you want believe what happened in our church this past Sunday.”
Dr. Belger said what happened?
He said our church this past Sunday voted that we no longer believe in the virgin birth of Christ.
Listen every child of God in that church should have got up out of their seats and walked out of that church and never return again.
Illus: God’s Word leaves no doubt what a person should do if they are caught in these apostate churches.
We should have nothing to do with such churches that are peddling false religion.
Illus: Dr. Belger tells the story also several years ago the Mormon Church built this large temple to serve South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia near his church.
On their dedication Sunday they were expecting forty thousand people to show up from these three states.
They came and asked Dr. Belger if the First Baptist Church if could use their parking lot to the crowd they were expecting.
Dr. Belger said in a nice way, “No, they could not use their parking lot to dedicate a Mormon Temple!”
They said, “Why not?”
He said, “Because what you folks teach and promote will send people to hell and we will have no part of what you teach and promote.”
God’s Word makes it leaves no doubt what a person should do in promoting something that will cause a person to die and go to hell.
Let me give you one more example…
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger had a member of his church that got saved.
He worked for the largest liquor company in the South. This fellow that got saved was a very high-level employee of this large liquor company.
He became very sick and was put in the hospital. Dr. Belger would visit him often in the hospital to pray for him and disciple him in the Lord as a new convert.
But one time when he was there the president of this large liquor Company was there.
One day when Dr. Belger was alone with the man who recently got saved said to him, “My boss really took a liking to you, and he would like to donate ten thousand dollars to the church.”
Dr. Belger commented he seem to be a nice fellow and change the conversation.
The next visit the conversation of the donation came up again and finally Dr. Belger could no longer ignore the conversation.
He said to this new convert, I hope you will understand this, but we cannot accept the donation.
Of course, the new convert wanted to know why?
Dr. Belger said for several reasons:
(1) Liquor has destroyed lives, careers and homes for many and for us to take the donation would be like telling a hooker on the street we do not approve of your deeds, but we will gladly take the money from your evil deeds.
(2) Second reason I really like your boss man and if we accept the donation, he wanted to give it would make him feel like what he was doing for a living was a good thing because he was able to give ten thousand dollars to the church.
God’s Word God’s Word leaves no doubt what a person should do in promoting something that promotes evil and destroy lives and homes.
Everybody did not agree on the stand I took.
In fact, one Christian man said, “Preacher, I think we should accept the gift, the devil has had that money long enough, let God have it!”
But based on the Word of God I know I took the right stand!!!
Look again at 2 Cor. 6:14-17 again: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.(17) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you.
God is going to wage war on this crowd Armageddon and every Christian should not want to be a participant of their evil in any shape or form.
God’s Word tells us to ABSTAIN FROM ALL APPEARANCE OF EVIL.
We have looked at THE REASON FOR ARMAGEDDON but now let us look at…
II. THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON
To this point in Revelation, the earth has been subjected to a series of judgments by God.
(1) These were first described as seven seal judgments (Revelation chapter 5—8),
(2) Then through the seven trumpet judgments (Revelation chapter 8—11),
(3) And finally, the seven bowl judgments (Revelation chapters 12—16).
But now we come to Revelation 19 and life on earth comes to and end as we know it to be.
Look at Revelation 19:17-21 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 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. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant was slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
In these verses John sees an angel standing in the sun, crying with a loud voice speaking to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven:
• "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God."
• "...eat the flesh of kings...captains...mighty men...horses ...all people, free and slave, both small and great"
In Revelation chapter 19:19-21 he saw THE END OF THE BEAST AND FALSE PROPHET
In Revelation chapter 20 Satan is bound for a thousand years and God will set up His Kingdom on earth where He will rule and reign during the Millennial.
Chapter 21 the saints of God will enjoy a NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH after the Millennial. We will be talking about that next week.
We have looked at:
I.THE REASON FOR AMAGEDDON
II. THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON
