The Great Battlefield's

The Campaign of Armageddon

1. 
   The assembly: The evil empire of the antichrist will gather all his armies with the intent to destroy the Jews. Revelation 16:12-16 (12) "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. (13) And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. (14) For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (15) Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. (16) And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."
   
2. 
   The attack: From the east the army will invade and destroy his capital of Babylon. Ancient Babylon is in present day Iran but this is not where the capital of the antichrist will be. This will happen while he is in Armageddon with his armies. Jeremiah 50:31 "Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee." (See Revelation 18)
   
3. 
   The advance: The antichrist will choose to attack Jerusalem instead of protecting Babylon which will be the city of Rome. Revelation 17:5-9 (5) :And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (6) And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. (7) And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. (8) The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. (9) And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth." Rome is known as the city of seven hills. The antichrist possessed by Satan himself is totally obsessed with the destruction of the Jews. The will be great loss of life and Jerusalem will fall. The remnant will flee Jerusalem.
   
4. 
   The animosity: The antichrist moves south against the remnant. He will seek to kill the Jews that have escaped to the outlying areas. Jeremiah 49:13-14 "(13) For I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes. (14) I have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle."
   
5. 
   The acknowledgement: The remnant will humble themselves before God and admit their sin. They will no longer make excuses, but they will get their heart right with God. The one third left will turn to Jesus when the forces of the antichrist close in on them. (Jeremiah 3:11-18)
   
6. 
   The appeal: To Jesus for help. They will have no other hope. After they have confessed their sin they will cry out for the savior and he will answer and return to their rescue. (Jude v.14-15) (Revelation 19:11-16)
   

2. 
   The Great Carnage of the Army
   

Revelation 14:17-20 (14) "And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. (18) And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. (19) And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. (20) And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."

1. 
   The impotence of the enemy: They will not be able to stand up against the Lord and his army. They will put up no resistance, but be soundly defeated by the Lord Jesus Christ.
   
2. 
   The illustration of the defeat of the enemy: Is pictured by the winepress that squeezes all the juice out of the grapes. Here the enemies of the Lord shall have every last drop of blood squeezed from their bodies. This represents God's divine judgment. Consider Isaiah 63:1-4 "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come."
   
3. 
   The importance of defining our enemy: The devil opposes God in every way. Sin is wicked and it will ruin lives and cause destruction. To those who reject God's mercy today will one day face his wrath. God is a God of love, but he also who is a holy God who will judge sin. Do not mistake is patience for weakness. Christian it is important the we love God and not sin or this wicked world. 1 John 2:15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
   

3. 
   The Coming of the Almighty
   

Revelation 19:11-16 (11) "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (12) His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. (13) And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. (14) And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (15) And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (16) And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

1. 
   His Coming: What a glorious day that shall be. Revelation 19:11 "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war."
   

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  He will come in plain sight: Everyone in the entire earth will see him. Revelation 1:7 "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."
  
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  He will come in powerful strength: He is coming back as King of Kings. He came the first time as a lowly savior and was crucified, now he is coming to conquer. He will come in full glory and honor. The Lord Jesus will come to judge this earth and set up his great kingdom. The picture we see of the Lord Jesus riding in on a white horse is customary to that of the ancient times in the Roman culture. The victorious Roman General would come back from the war riding on a white horse with His faithful army following behind him. You might say everyone is going to "see the light" but in this case it will not be for what they hoped. Consider the following insight from Pastor Glen Spencer Jr. "Bear in mind that the world will be in total darkness as a result of the fifth vial judgment. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain. (Revelation 16:10) The prophet Joel also spoke of this time as A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness.... (Joel 2:2) Imagine the scene! The earth has been engulfed in thick darkness for perhaps months as the fierce judgment of God fell. All at once there is a glow shining in the Heavens, as our Lord appears in the light of His glory. But the hope fades when the wicked of this world realize that they have passed the deadline. He is not coming back to save, So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28) His second coming will be to judge and set up His Kingdom." (From The Expository Pulpit Series – Revelation: Unveiling Christ and His Prophetic Program.)
  

2. 
   His Characteristics: The piercing eyes of discernment will know everything. Revelation 19:12 "His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself."
   

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  He is trustworthy: You can absolutely count on him to keep his promises. Revelation 19:11 "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war." What a difference from the liar who tried to imitate him in Revelation 6:2. The imposter came in deceit and delivered them unto the devil.
  
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  His testing: He will examine with his eyes and discern all the works of each person. No action or thought will escape the his scrutiny. Revelation 19:12 "His eyes were as a flame of fire," God sees everything whether it is good or bad. Proverb 15:3 "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good."
  
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  He is triumphant: The many crowns show his victory over the kings of the earth. Revelation 19:12 "and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself." It was a common custom for in Bible times to take the crown of a king when you defeated him in battle. We see David did this in II Samuel 12:30 "he took their king's crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance." He has a name that no man knew. I will not speculate on that, we will not know unless one day it is revealed to us.
  
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  His titles: He is called The Word of God and on his vesture is written King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Revelation 19:13 "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God." Revelation 19:16 "And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." These titles only apply to the Lord Jesus Christ. No one else is worthy of such praise or honor.
  

3. 
   His Clothing: It will show forth his victory. Revelation 19:13 "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God." This is not Christ's Blood, but the blood of His enemies who are soundly defeated.
   
4. 
   His Company: This will be the greatest army every assembled. Revelation 19:14 "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." This army will win the greatest victory in history. The reason will be because of the greatest leader and that is Jesus Christ himself. Consider who will be in this army as Dr. Spencer describes in his book on Revelation. "The armies of the Lord include all the redeemed of the Church age. (Revelation 19:8), the Old Testament believers, (Jude 1:14-15; Daniel 12:1-2), the Tribulation saints. (Revelation 7:13-14; 20:4), and the holy angels. (Matthew 25:31) (Revelation: Unveiling Christ and His Prophetic Program.)
   
5. 
   His Control: Jesus will reign in full power. Revelation 19:15 "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron." This sword speaks of the Bible as it is referred to in Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." It is also spoke of as the sword of the spirit in Ephesians 6:17. He will rule in the millennium with absolute power and authority.
   
6. 
   His Condemnation: God will judge this earth in his anger. God is Holy and justice will be given. Revelation 19:15b "And he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." To mock God is a foolish thing for those who doubt his existence or power. Revelation 14:20 "And the winepress was trodden without the city, and there came out blood from the winepress, even unto the bridles of the horses, as far as a thousand and six hundred furlongs." A river of blood, up to the horses bridles, which will be 4 feet deep and almost 200 miles long will come from the enemies of God.
   

[Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum has some interesting insights on this topic. You can find them on conservative prophetic sights such as Lamb and Lion Ministries and Rapture Ready.]

Lesson Eight The Battlefield of Free Will

Text: Revelation 20:1-10

(1) "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (3) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (4) And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (5) But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (7) And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, (8) And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. (9) And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. (10) And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

Introduction: This would be the most privileged group of people to ever live. They have incredible living conditions and the greatest ruler of all time leading on planet earth. You would think that man would rejoice in this but we will see that they plunge to a sad low and so many miss the great opportunity before them.

Illustration: It may be true that there are two sides to every question, but it is also true that there are two sides to a sheet of flypaper, and it makes a big difference to the fly which side he chooses. Traditional.

The Mason Jar:

The old mountaineer had lived a full but not exactly saintly life and now was on his deathbed. He summoned his weeping wife. "Sara," he said, "go to the fireplace and take out the third stone from the top."

She did as instructed.

"Reach in there," said her husband, "and bring out what you find." Her fingers touched a large Mason jar, and with some effort she pulled it up. The jar was full of cash.

"Sara," said the old man, "when I go, I'm going to take all that money with me. I want you to put that jar up in the attic by the window. I'll get it as I go by on my way to heaven."

His wife followed his instructions. That night the old mountaineer died. After the funeral his wife remembered the Mason jar and went to the attic. There was the jar still full of money and by the window.

"Oh," the widow sighed. "I knew I should have put it in the basement." Source unknown

1. 
   The Plan at Creation (Genesis 1-2)
   

1. 
   Designed - the freewill of man: God created man and gave him a freewill. He did not want robotic love, but he wanted to fellowship with man. Genesis 2:7 "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Man was spiritually alive and had direct fellowship with God. Consider the following aspects of the freewill of man.
   

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  It involves choice: Man does not act by instinct like an animal, he can choose right or wrong. Consider the following two biblical examples. Proverbs 1:29 "For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:" Joshua 24:15 "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Man must accept or reject the gospel. Those who teach God chooses some for heaven and hell are teaching a false doctrine and it is an abomination unto the Lord. John 1:12 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"
  
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  It involves communication: Man can communicate with God. Psalm 4:3 "But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him." We also have an invitation to do so by God himself. Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
  
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  It involves creativity: Man alone has the ability to make or create things from raw materials. Exodus 28:2 "And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty." Man can write poetry, music and display creativity in architecture and many other areas. How he uses this ability is dependent on how he exercises his free will.
  
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  It involves a conscience: Of all God's creation on earth only man has conscience. John 8:9 "And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst."
  

2. 
   Detoured - the fall of man: Man sadly chose to sin and lost his fellowship with God. Genesis 3:8 "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden." Sin will cause us to run from God. Man did not lose his freewill when he sinned, but his judgment became corrupted and tainted by sin.
   

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  The plan: Was for man to live in perfect harmony with God. To walk with him each day and enjoy the presence of God. Revelation 4:11 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
  
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  The problem: Man sinned and listened to the lies of Satan. Genesis 3:6-7 (6) "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. (7) And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."
  
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  The penalty: Because of their sin they and everyone born after them would be condemned to hell. Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"
  
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  The promise: God did not forget or forsake man, but made a way for them to be redeemed and restore the broken relationship. If man would accept God's Son as their payment for sin by faith they could be reconciled back to God. 2 Corinthians 5:18 "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;" Fellowship can be restored and our original purpose for creation can now be fulfilled by faith. Romans 5:1-2 (1) "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (2) By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
  

2. 
   The Price of Corruption (Deuteronomy 28:58-68)
   

1. 
   They were put on a shelf: Israel rejected him as their Messiah and King on his first advent. John 1:11 "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." They wanted a political revolutionary, rejected the plan of God and put Jesus below the man they hated the most and that was Cesar. John 19:15 "But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar."
   
2. 
   They were scattered: They were dispersed from their homeland. Deutoronomy 28:64 "And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone." After the Roman General Titus destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD the Jews were scattered from their homeland and ceased from being a nation until May 14, 1948.
   

3. 
   The Prisoner is Confined (Revelation 20:1-3)
   

1. 
   He is identified: He is exposed for who he is really is and the complete picture is given as to who is and what great evil he has wrought.
   

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  His administration: The word dragon refers to him his organizational power structure. He is power behind the antichrist and this wicked world system. He is clearly exposed by II Corinthians 4:4 "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." His ultimate goal was to dethrone God, but thankfully he failed miserably.
  
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  His aggression: Back in the Garden of Eden where the battle of good and evil began, the "old serpent" launched his aggressive attack on mankind. He deception caused Adam and Eve to sin and they were driven from the Garden of Eden. Praise the Lord on the battle of good and evil will end on this battlefield.
  
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