Massacre at Megiddo

Revelation chapter 16 is where we are as we make our way verse by verse through the key book of the Bible that reveals to us Jesus Christ like no other book. Hopefully, tonight I can help you understand a little bit about what's going to happen when Christ returns. Let me read for you Revelation 16, verses 12, down through verse number 16, because that's what we're going to cover this evening.

And then we'll spend some time talking about them. It says, And the sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river, the Euphrates, and its water was dried up, that the way might be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are spirits, demons of demons, performing signs which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God the Almighty.

Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his garments, lest he walk about naked and men see his shame. And they gathered them together to the place. Which in Hebrew is called Har Mag. This is a fabulous passage of scripture. And the more I study it, the more I realize how much I don't know about the end return of Christ. In what the Lord has revealed to me even this day as I prepared for this evening. Let me begin by giving to you what John Phillips said in his commentary on the book of Revelation about the end times.

He says the Holy Land has been chosen by God as the stage upon which two crucial events take place: one on a mountain and one on a plain. Mount Calvary and the plain of Meg are the two altars of sacrifice that dominate the history of the world. On Mount Calvary, grace redeemed the world by the sacrifice of God's Son. On the plains of Megiddo, vengeance offers up the armies of the world in a sacrifice of doom. Both are blood baths. Both are the descent of wrath upon sin. Both are brought about by God's bitterest foes that work out despite themselves God's perfect and sovereign will.

Across both can be written the words of Peter, The Gentiles and the peoples of Israel were gathered together for to do whatever thy hand and thy counsel determined for. To be done, Acts 4, 27 and 28. From each proceeds a supper, one a feast of remembrance for the people of God. and the other, a feast of retribution for the Carrion. At Calvary there rang up to the gates of heaven a victorious cry, It is finished. And at Armageddon there rings down to earth an answering cry for the temple gates in glory.

It is done. What happens at the end means that it's over. It's done as far as God Himself Is concerned. If you were with us last time as we began our study in Revelation chapter 16, we talked about the first few bowls of wrath.

The first one was upon the earth. That was in verse number 2 of chapter 16. And that was the malignant sword that came upon the whole earth. Then, upon the sea, there was the fact that the ocean itself was polluted. Upon the waters, it was the third bowl, and that was meaning that the fresh waters themselves were polluted.

And then the fourth bowl was upon the sun, with which scorching sunlight came down upon mankind. And then, of course, Bull number five was upon the throne. That is, darkness covers the entire ear. That sets the stage for bull number six and bull number seven. Bowl number six, of course, is upon the Euphrates, and bowl number seven is poured upon the air. So everything that's on the planet Receives something from the bull of wrath. And remember, the Bible says that God is just.

In doing all of this, Revelation chapter 16, verse number 5. And I heard the angel of the water saying, Righteous art thou, who art and who was. O Holy One, because thou didst judge these things. For they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink. They deserve it. And I heard the altar saying, Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true, and righteous are thy judgments. And yet, the final two bowls are the worst of all. At Calvary, Jesus Christ died for sinners.

At Megiddo, sinners die themselves. At Calvary, the death of Christ brought deliverance. At Megidd, the death of man brings damnation. With that in mind, I want to draw your attention to four things. Number one, the place.

Number two, the purpose. Number three, the players. Number four, the promise. About the massacre at Megiddo. First of all, the place.

Let's investigate it. Two things I want you to see. Number one, the river. Number two, the region. The text says, And the sixth bull poured out his bowl, or the sixth angel poured out his bowl, upon the great river, the Euphrates, and its water was dried up. That the way might be prepared for the kings from the e. But the significance of it is Rather astounding because the Euphrates itself is called Great. Why is that? Well, first of all, it's 1 miles long.

It runs north to south. It begins on a very famous mountain. That mount is Mount Ararat, located, of course, in modern Turkey. Most of us know through our study of the book of Genesis on Sunday morning that that's, of course, where the ark was laid to rest. It's 17,000 feet high. That's very significant. Why? Because it's snow-capped all year around. There is never a time in which there is not snow and ice on top of Mount Ararat. The water from that mount runs downhill to the Gulf of the Arabian Sea, clear down the Middle East, what we know now as the Fertile Crescent.

Some parts of that river are 3, feet wide and as deep as 30 feet. As you recall in Genesis chapter 2, the ancient Garden of Eden was located In the vicinity of the Euphrates River. And this river has always played a very significant part in the plan of God. So, what does God do? He dries up the great river, the Euphrates. Why? That, text says, the way might be prepared for the kings from the east. We'll talk more about that in a minute. For the river, I want you to notice the region.

This is very significant. Go down to verse number 16. And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har Mag. If you've been to the land of Israel, there is a little mountain called the Tell of Meg. B 4000 B and 400 B, there were 25 different c built on that little mountain. A tell is where they build a city on top of a city, on top of a city, on top of a city, on top of a city. You got the point? There were 25 of them built on the tell of M Megid, why Why is At of Megiddo such a significant strategic place in the land of Israel?

If you've been there. It overlooks this huge valley called the Valley of Ezdal or the Valley of Jezreel. Megiddo is located some 60 miles north of Jerusalem up the Jordan Valley. As you understand the typography of the land of Israel, you have the Jezreel Valley or the Ezdralon Valley. That valley moves down and moves its way into the Jordan Valley. The Jordan Valley moves its way into the valley of Jehoshaph, which another term is called the Kid Valley, as you recall, the Kid Brook. In which Christ and his disciples walked over, that was filled with blood, the night in which Christ him was captured because of all the sacrifices of the animals that were being offered during Passover.

That plays a very significant part in the return of Jesus Christ. There have been over 200 battles. At Meg. It's called the Place of Blood because of so many battles. Napoleon saw it and said it was the greatest battlefield He had ever seen. If you read through your Old Testament, there fought the Canaanites in Judges 4. Gideon overcame the Midianites in Judges 7. Samson triumphed over the Philistines. Saul's death occurred in that same region in 1 Samuel 31. Josiah also d in that area in 2 Chronicles 35, verse number 2.

The great war gathering is there, but listen, it won't only be there. Turn back with me to Revelation chapter 14. Verse number 20. As you recall, and the wine press was trodden outside what? The city. What city is that? That's the city of Jerusalem. And blood came out from the winepress up to the horses' bridles for a distance of 200 miles. Listen very carefully. You've heard the phrase the battle of Armageddon. I want to let you know there is no battle in Armageddon. There's not going to be a battle there.

The text says they gather together in a place called Har Meg, the valley of Megidd. They gather in a place called the Valley of Esderlon. It doesn't say they fight the battle there, it says they gather there. How do we know the battle is not fought there? We know because of Isaiah chapter 63. Turn there with me, if you would, please. I've read this to you before, but I need to read it to you again. For those of you who are going with us to the land of Israel, We will show you where the Lord Jesus Christ will return at his second coming.

It is not the Mount of Olives. We've said this to you before. Jesus Christ is not going to return to the Mount of Olives. Just because in Acts 1. The angel said, Why do you stand gazing up into heaven? Don't you know that this Jesus will return in the same manner in which he left you? Doesn't mean he's going to return to the same place. It just says the same manner, the same way. Okay? Very significant. We've read this to you before. You need to understand it. Who is this, verse number one, who comes from what?

Edom. Edom is south of the Dead Sea. Who is this who comes from Edom? With garments of glowing colors from Boz. Bozra is the capital city of Edom. Bozra is known for stained garments. Read on. This one who is majestic in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength. It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Why is your apparel red and your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? I have trodden the wine trough alone. This is Christ speaking. And from the peoples there was no man with me.

I also trod them in my anger, and trampled them in my wrath, and their lifeblood is sprinkled on my garments, and I stained all my raiment, for the day of vengeance was in my heart. And my year of redemption has come. And I looked, and there was no one to help me. And I was astonished, and there was no one to uphold. So my own arm brought Salvation to me, and my wrath upheld me, and I trod down the peoples in my anger, and made them drunk in my wrath. And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.

Folks, listen, when Jesus Christ returns, he returns to Bozra. Why? Because from Beaujois is Petra, which is seven miles away. And Petra is the Red Rose City of the Dead. Petra, Bozra are all located in Edom. Edom and Moab are represented as the wilderness. In Revelation 12, verse number 6, when the lady fled from the beast, Where did she flee to? The wilderness. The wilderness in the Old Testament always refers to Edom and Moab. So, why is it that Jesus Christ is going to return there? He's going to return there because that's where the remnant of Israel is hiding.

That's where they are. So, that's where He comes down first. And he gathers his people. And that, my friend, is where the battle takes place. Not in Arm. Now, you won't read that in very many textbooks, probably not in any. You won't hear very many preachers say that, but that's exactly what's going to take place. How do you know that? You got to read on with me, and I'll explain it to you in its entirety by looking at the point number two: the purpose.

Look at the place, the river, the region. Now we're going to look at the purpose. You with me so far? Just bear with me, and you'll understand everything. The purpose. What was the purpose? Initially, Satan has a plan, but ultimately, there's a sovereign plan. Those are your two points. Initially, Satan has a plan, but ultimately, there is a sovereign plan. Look what it says. Back to Revelation chapter 16, in verse number 13. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, like frogs.

For they are spirits of demons performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world to gather them together for the war of the great day of God the Almighty. This is Satan's last-ditch effort. So, what does he do? In a very supernatural way. It can only be done in a supernatural way. What person in his right mind, having his body full of boils, having been scorched by the sun, having no water to drink, is going to be fit to fight anybody? Think about it. So, in a very supernatural way, through demonic influence, his last-ditch effort is to gather the kings of the world to come together.

to fight in the middle of a world that is completely black, completely dark. The only light they can muster up is the light that they have through electricity or through fire because the sun has been darkened. Initially, it looks like it's Satan's plan, but ultimately it's a sovereign plan. It's God's plan. Why? Because it's a trap. God dries the river up. That's the significance of the sixth bowl. It's a trap. He spoke a word, and the universe came into existence. He spoke a word, man came into existence.

He speaks a word, and man goes out of exist. That 's how it happens. Put number three. Who are the players involved? Well, number one, there's the kings of the East.

That's the monarchy. The kings of the East. Literally, the kings of the rising of the sun. Who's that? Well, that's India, China, and Japan. It's a good thing we're sending Bruce to India, isn't it? Got to get them ready. Bruce is going to India. Those are the kings of the East. In chapter 17, verses 12 to 14. There are ten kings involved, whoever they are, ten nation confederacy, they will all be involved. But it's the monarchy who comes. All nations are gathered there. An Armageddon to fight against the king.

The mon, number two, the army. The whole world, the text says. The whole world is gathered together. For the great day of God. It says in verse number 14, to the kings of the whole world. The kings will gather, their people will gather, the godly, the ungodly will gather together. They come to do business with God. They come to overthrow God. You think that's far-fetched? There are many people today who believe they are better than God and greater than God, that they can override God. At this time, that's what they will think.

And they will gather together to do business with God. So you have the monarchy, you have their army, and then you have the adversary. You have the false prophet. You have the beast and the dragon. The un tr is behind everything, and he really believes. Satan is such a master deceiver, he has deceived his own self. He has deceived himself into believing that somehow he can overthrow the God of the universe. And their destiny? Well, their destiny is recorded in Zach 14, verse number 1. Behold, the day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you.

For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. And that's why I believe that those just few verses right there help me understand why when Satan gathers the nations of the world together to fight against God on the great day of God. Their motive is to destroy finally the end of Israel, the end of the Jewish race, believing that somehow that will get God to return, that will get Him to come back.

Maybe. Or maybe they believe that all the Jewish people are killed, God won't come back and everything will be over. And Zach says in verse number 3: Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations. As when he fights on a day of battle. And in that day, his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. This is where people get the place when Christ returns, he returns to the Mount of Olives. That's not what it says. It says, on that day, he will stand on the Mount of Olives. He will have made his way from Bozra with a garment dipped in blood.

He will go to the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley. So that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. The valley of Jehoshap is the valley of decision. Jesus Christ makes his way from Bos, he makes his way north to Jerusalem. And he stands in the Mount of Olives, he splits the Mount of Olives, and He splits. And that, my friend, is the valley of decision.

Remember, the Valley of Jehoshaphat is the Kid Valley. Jesus Christ and his men. And if you go to Israel with us in March, we'll point this out to you. You can see the eastern gate from the Mount of Olives, it's not that far away. And as Christ and his disciples came down over to Gethsemane that evening, to the Mount of Olives, they had to cross over that Kid brook, that valley of Jehoshaphat, which is called the Valley of Decision. And as they crossed over that Kid brook that flowed with blood, they had to cross back over it again with the guards.

Remember, the guards had to cross over too. Cross back over that Kid brook, over that blood with the Messiah, the Lamb of God. Why does Christ stand on the Mount of Olives? Why does Christ split the Mount of Olives? Why is that called the valley of dec? For this simple reason. Because man did not respond to the blood of the Lamb that was slain for them 2,000 years ago. In that same valley, because they didn't make a decision about that bl, God will dec. For them, and they will perish in hell forever.

That's why he splits the Mount of Olives. That's why there's a valley of decision in the Kid Valley. In the very same valley that would flow with the blood of lambs that would represent the ultimate sacrifice, the Lamb of God. Because man has rejected that sacrifice, Christ says, at that point, at that place, I will make the decision.

And there, he will put the sheep on his right. He will put the goats on his left. He'll say to the sheep, Enter into my everlasting kingdom. To the goats, he will say, Depart from me. I never knew you. Never knew you. Amazing, amazing scenario. Which leads us to the promise. There's a promise included here in verse number fifteen. Behold. I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his garments, lest he walk about naked, and men see his shame. There's a promise included here.

Two things I want you to see. Number one, behold, be amazed. It's that phrase, be astonished. Be utterly amazed. Christ says, I am coming like a thief.

I am coming like a thief. How does a thief come? Suddenly, unexpectedly, speedily, rapidly, dangerously, to do what? To do harm. You know, if it's true that the Jewish remnant is hiding someplace at Petra, someplace in Edom, someplace around Bozra. And they know that the Antichrist is coming to kill them? Could it be they're not expecting the Lord to return? They're fearful for their lives. Some of them have been hiding for three and a half years. Others maybe for a short time. That's why Christ says, No man knows the hour.

And just the time when the world is pitch black. Man is full of sores, scorched by heat. And Satan is about ready to destroy that woman, Israel. The Son of Man returns. Then, the second aspect, the blessing.

Be amazed at this, but be assured of this. Blessed is the one who stays awake. And keeps his garments, lest he walk about naked and men see his shame. But when he comes back, there will be many un. The question for you tonight is: if he comes today, are you ready for his return? Are you prepared? Do you understand that He became sin for you? That you might become the righteousness of God, that you might be clothed in His righteousness, having the proper garments on, so that you're not ashamed when He comes.

Not ashamed, but you're ready to be received into his kingdom. Let's pray.