"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Transcription

1 TV Program CURRENT EPISODE Planet Earth's Final Battle SERIES: The Appearing #2 of PRODUCTION #: 1062 SPEAKER: Shawn Boonstra The Battle of Armageddon, is this a great military battle, a nuclear disaster? Is it caused by famine or disease or even an asteroid slamming into the planet? And what do a dragon, a beast and a false prophet have to do with it? Right now, get ready for planet earth's final battle. What exactly is the Battle of Armageddon? I could walk into any bookstore in your city and there would be 10, 20, 100 books on the subject of Bible prophecy. I've noticed something. When you open those books and you begin to read them, they don't seem to agree with each other. Nobody seems to know exactly what the Battle of Armageddon is. Some people say the Battle of Armageddon will be a great military conflict. And others say it won't be a military conflict, but it will be a nuclear disaster that wipes everybody out. And still others say it's not going to be a war at all, it will be a famine. Someone else says, no, it's not going to be a famine, it is going to be pestilence, one of those funny new diseases that are going around. And still someone else will disagree and say that Armageddon is when an asteroid or a comet will slam into the face of the earth and wipe us all out. I have heard every explanation you can imagine. And some people say to me, "You know why you're getting all those answers? It's because you can't understand Bible prophecy anyway. Everybody has their own opinion, and they just make up whatever fits." Is Bible prophecy really that unintelligible? Is it like a violin, that you can play any old tune on, because nobody can understand it anyway? Well, frankly, I don't believe that. The very title of the book is Revelation. And that tells you that it's not unintelligible, because it's called "The Revelation." In Greek, it's called "The Apocalypse." That means "the unveiling." You see, God is not trying to confuse you with that book; He is trying to reveal something. In Revelation one and verse three, an angel appears to John and says this (Revelation 1:3): "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near." God says, "Listen, you read the book of Revelation and you keep the words of that book, and I will bless you." You are supposed to understand it. In fact, it says it again at the end of the book of Revelation. The angel comes back to John in chapter 22 and says this (Revelation 22:10): "And he said to me, 'Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand."' That tells me this is not a closed book, sealed up and shut away forever. So the big question is: What does this book actually say about the Battle of Armageddon? Let's take a look at it in Revelation chapter 16, beginning in verse 12. The Bible says (Revelation 16:12, 13):

2 "Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet." Now, let me pause there and point something out. In the last days, the Bible predicts a kind of counterfeit trinity. There are three global spiritual deceptions that hold the world in their grip. So, let's keep going now (Revelation 16:14, 15): "For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. "Behold, I am coming as a thief."' Let me pause one more time. That expression only happens a few times in the Bible and every single time it's a reference to the Second Coming of Jesus (Revelation 16:15, 16): "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame. And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon." So what in the world does it mean? Well, let me give you a key that unlocks the book of Revelation in a way that you may have never seen before. Approximately two-thirds of the language of the book of Revelation is borrowed or quoted directly from other parts of the Bible. When you see something you don't understand in Revelation, chances are you can look it up in the rest of your Bible and it will spell it out as plain as day. That is especially true of the book of Daniel. If there is something in Revelation you don't understand, then go to the book of Daniel and it will likely explain it. The reverse is also true. If you see something in Daniel you don't understand, chances are the book of Revelation will explain it. You see, studying the Bible requires a little bit of work. In order to really understand what you are reading, you have to put it in the context of the entire Bible. You need to gather all the evidence on a given subject before you leap to conclusions. It's a little like doing a jigsaw puzzle. Before you know the big picture, you have to gather all the pieces and put them together. Only when you have them all do you really get to see what's going on. So why don't we do that with the battle of Armageddon. Here is what we already know. It involves a global spiritual deception. There are kings from the east, and the Euphrates River is dried up. And then it makes reference to the Second Coming when it says that Jesus will come as a thief. And then it talks about this place called Armageddon. Now, that word is a very important clue, because the entire book of Revelation was written in the Greek language. But John switches to Hebrew for just one word and says that God gathers everybody into this place called Armageddon. What exactly does that word mean? Well, it's actually two words: Har Meggidon, and it means "the mountain of Megiddo." Megiddo is a little valley in the region of Palestine. It's only 20 miles across, a little tiny place. It was the crossroads of the ancient world. From here, you could take a road north into Europe, and you could take a road east into Persia or a road south into Africa. All the roads of the ancient world met in this valley, and because they did, all the armies of the ancient world ran into each other in the valley of Megiddo. More battles have been fought there than just about any other piece of real estate on the planet. It was in this valley that Debra and Barak defeated the armies of Sisera. It was in this valley that Joshua, leading the nation of Israel, defeated the kings of Canaan. And not only did a lot of military conflicts take place here, but so did a lot of spiritual conflicts. It was in this same valley, on the eastern edge in a little place called Endor, that King Saul went to a spiritualist medium for advice and lost everything he had. And of course, it was at this valley where Elijah confronted the priests of Baal at Mt. Carmel. At Megiddo, many battles have been fought, both literal battles and spiritual battles. So the question is,

3 why does God refer to that valley in the prophecy of Armageddon? What is the point that God is trying to make? Well, for the answer, I want to invite you, in your imagination, to travel back with me 2,500 years to the city of Babylon, the center of the ancient world. And as you and I are standing outside this marvelous city, coming from inside, we can hear the voices of partying and carousing and carrying on. There is a party going on in the city of Babylon. But the strange thing about it is that there is an army gathered outside the city and everybody inside knows it, which proves to be one of the important keys to understanding the Battle of Armageddon. Here is what the Bible says (Daniel 5:1, 2): "Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels, which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them." Inside the city, they knew the Persian army had gathered. They knew there was an attempt to take down the city of Babylon. But the king said, "Conquer Babylon? That's not even possible. Our walls are so high, no army will ever go over them. Our walls are so thick you can drive two chariots side by side on top of the wall, and no army will ever be able to dig through them. We have enough food for 20 years and we have the River Euphrates that goes right through the middle of the city. We'll have all the water we'll ever need." History tells us they were so confident that at some points, they were actually throwing food off the walls to the Persians. They were secure in themselves, even though the armies from the east were outside the city. And as they were partying, the Bible says that suddenly, a severed, bloodless hand appeared in mid-air and in flaming letters wrote four words on the wall: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin." That's when the party suddenly ground to a halt. The king's knees began to knock together. He called together the wise men of the kingdom: "What in the world does that mean," he asked, "that writing on the wall? I want to know what it means!" Well, nobody could interpret it. But one older queen said, 'You know, we have someone here who used to interpret things like these. His name is Daniel." So they sent for Daniel, and he came in to read the writing for the king. "King," he said, "it says on the wall, 'Numbered, numbered, you are weighed in the balances and found wanting. Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and the Persians."' Belshazzar was confident that nothing could happen to him. He was so confident that he had taken the sacred vessels out of God's temple in Jerusalem, and he was using them for a blasphemous party. And it was at that moment he discovered that God is very real. The Persian general Cyrus knew the walls were too high and too wide to do anything about them, but he wondered if he could go under the walls. So he went upstream and dug 180 channels on both sides of the Euphrates River, and as the water went lower and lower, he created a virtual highway under the wall into the city. The only obstacle left was a set of walls that ran the whole length of the river, and the walls included a series of locked gates. But that night, when everybody was so busy drinking, they forgot to lock the gates, and Cyrus took the city. Now here is what is really stunning: In the book of Isaiah, more than 100 years before Cyrus was born, the Bible told us it was going to happen: "Who says to the deep, be dry and I will dry up your rivers." "Who says of Cyrus?" Now, this is amazing, God actually named Cyrus 100 years before he was born (Isaiah 44:28, Isaiah 45:1): "Who says of Cyrus, he is my shepherd and he shall perform all of my pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, you shall be built and to the temple, your foundation shall be laid. Thus says the

4 Jerusalem, you shall be built and to the temple, your foundation shall be laid. Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings to open before him the double doors so that the gates will not be shut." It was prophesied in detail more than 100 years before Cyrus was born. Now, let's think about this story, because it is the key to the Battle of Armageddon. In this story, the Euphrates River is dried up so that Cyrus can go under the wall. In this story, kings from the east marched on the city. In the Bible, Cyrus is called God's "anointed one." In the Hebrew that is the word for Messiah. Then after Babylon falls, the Persians let Israel go back to the Promised Land. God's people go home. Now, this is important to understanding both the Battle of Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ. Let's look at the prophecy one more time, Revelation 16, verse 12 Revelation 16:12): "Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared." When John wrote this prophecy he was thinking back 1,500 years to the fall of the city of Babylon. He was saying, "If you want to understand something about the appearing of Christ, go back in time, and look at the fall of Babylon." This prophecy is telling the story of God defeating a last-day spiritual Babylon so that He can take His people to the heavenly Promised Land when Jesus appears. Matthew 24 says that Jesus is the king from the east (Matthew 24:27): "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." And when Jesus comes, the Bible says, He conquers the spiritual city of Babylon. Just a few verses later, John actually says it (Revelation 16:19): "Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath." This is a prophecy about spiritual Babylon in the last days. The Battle of Armageddon is primarily a spiritual conflict. John is saying, go look back in history. There was a literal nation of Israel and a literal city of Babylon. God had Babylon fall so that Israel could go home to the Promised Land, and in the last days there will be a spiritual Babylon that also falls. Not only will there be a spiritual Babylon, there will also be a spiritual Israel. In Galatians chapter three it says that everyone who is Christ's is Abraham's seed, and those are the people that God will bring home after spiritual Babylon falls. But why the valley of Megiddo? Well, it is because the primary mountain in Megiddo is Mt. Carmel, where Elijah called the prophets of Baal to task. He stood on the mountain and called a people who had once served God, but then had gone away. "Come back," he said, "come back before it's too late." The Bible records his message (1 Kings 18:21): "And Elijah came to all the people, and said, 'How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him."' The issue in Armageddon is a spiritual issue. We have gotten so wrapped up in a little piece of real estate that we have missed the point. The issue is not a military issue, it is a spiritual issue. The Bible says God calls the entire human race up to the mountain of Megiddo. And the message on that mountain is, 'How long are you going to halt between two opinions? If the Lord is God then worship

5 mountain is, 'How long are you going to halt between two opinions? If the Lord is God then worship Him.' And the Bible says that the Battle of Armageddon ends as Jesus comes back (Revelation 19:11-14): "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." God gathers the whole world onto the mountain of decision and He says, "How long are you going to halt? You are just about out of time. Jesus is coming. Why would you choose anything but the kingdom of heaven? Why would you choose anything but a God who loved you enough to give His life for you?" A reporter was in the city of Chicago, staying up on the 18th floor of a hotel. And as he was working in his room one afternoon, he heard a terrible ruckus in the hallway. He stuck his head out in the hall and he heard people yelling, "Fire, Fire!" So he closed the door. He got a towel, wet it and put it under the door. Then he called his editor and said, "You are not going to believe this! I'm up here on the 18th floor of this hotel and it's on fire! This is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. I'm going to report what it's like to be in a burning hotel, and then you can print the story in the paper." The editor said, "You are a fool. Get out of that hotel!" "No, there's no convincing me," he said, "I'm going to stay and I'll get out on time because I have an exit plan." So he sat there and reported on what it was like to hear the noise in the hallway as people panicked to get out. He reported what it was like to feel the door of his hotel room get warm. He reported what it was like to smell smoke, and then the time came to get out. So he hung up the phone, opened the door, got on his hands and knees, crawled down the hallway to the fire exit, and discovered it was completely blocked off. He couldn't get out. So he crawled very quickly back to his hotel room, closed the door, put the wet towel back, went over to the window, opened it and looked down to some firemen down below. "Help!" he yelled. The firemen looked up. They couldn't believe there was still somebody up there when there had been time for everybody to get out. They looked up and said, "Listen, we don't have a ladder that goes up that high. You are going to have to jump!" So he got up on the ledge, braced himself between the two sills and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and thought about where the net was and then jumped. History tells us he missed the net. The issue in the last days is a spiritual issue. There is all the time in the world to get out now. So what in the world keeps you from trusting Jesus with your future, at this moment? PRAYER: Father in heaven, we sense today that you are calling us to a decision. Thank you for caring so deeply about us, and thank you for making it possible to be part of the kingdom of heaven. Today, we want to make a decision. We don't want to halt between two opinions. So take us, we ask, and draw us ever closer to your throne as we learn to trust in Jesus, for we pray it in His name, amen. Scriptures Used in Planet Earth's Final Battle "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near." Revelation 1:3 "And he said to me, 'Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand."' Revelation 22:10 "Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet."

6 prophet." Revelation 16:12, 13 "For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 'Behold, I am coming as a thief."' Revelation 16:14, 15 "'Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.' And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon." Revelation 16:15, 16 "Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels, which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them." Daniel 5:1, 2 "Who says of Cyrus, he is my shepherd and he shall perform all of my pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, you shall be built and to the temple, your foundation shall be laid. Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings to open before him the double doors so that the gates will not be shut." Isaiah 44:28, Isaiah 45:1 "Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared." Revelation 16:12 "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." Matthew 24:27 "Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath." Revelation 16:19 "And Elijah came to all the people, and said, 'How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him."' 1 Kings 18:21 "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." Revelation 19:11-14 Keywords: Apocalypse armageddon Battle of Armageddon Belshazzar Cyrus Daniel Har Megiddon Megiddo Revelation Shawn Boonstra The Appearing It Is Written Box O Thousand Oaks, CA USA Tel: (805) Fax: (805) Copyright 2010, It Is Written International Television. All rights reserved. Webmaster