UNDERSTANDING THE CAMPAIGN OF ARMAGEDDON

IV. The Invasion Of Christ To Establish His Millennial Kingdom

(Revelation 19:1-20:6 et al.)

I. Introduction

A. Due to unsettling conflicts between nations today, many people, including some Christians, are concerned about the oft-noted military campaign of Armageddon, the Antichrist, and the roles of various nations in it.

B. We thus study the whole subject of Armageddon in Bible prophecy, what concludes with the invasion of Christ to establish His Millennial Kingdom. We view this great event for insight and edification (as follows):

II. The Invasion Of Christ To Establish His Millennial Kingdom, Revelation 19:1-20:6 et al.

A. We summarize our studies of the campaign of Armageddon thus far (as follows):

1. The campaign starts with the Russian federation from the north along with Egypt from the south invading Israel just before the middle of the Tribulation Period when Israel is in a protection treaty with the antichrist and some of his occupational forces from Europe are in Israel. (Daniel 11:36-40a; Ezekiel 38-39)

2. God supernaturally destroys the Russian federation and Egypt, so Satan motivates the antichrist to invade Israel and the Middle East, and to seek to destroy Israel. (Ezekiel 38-39; Daniel 9:27; Revelation 12:7-13)

3. Israel flees into the wilderness for protection, and the antichrist hears a report of advancing millions of troops from the east, angering him into trying to destroy many. (Revelation 12:14-17; Daniel 11:44-45a)

B. However, the final invasion of Armageddon involves Christ's Second Coming to end the war (as follows):

1. As the antichrist's forces prepare to fight the armies from the east, the sign of Christ's coming appears in the heavens (Matthew 24:30; J. Dwight Pentecost, Things To Come, 1972, p. 357). The armies of the east and the antichrist's armies of the west then turn to vent their hostility on Christ, Revelation 19:19.

2. Christ will descend with His heavenly angels (Jude 14b) [and the raptured Church that always goes with Christ after the rapture, 1 Thessalonians 4:17] and His feet will land on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:4a), causing that mount to split east-to-west. The mountain halves will move north and south, creating a valley that runs east-to-west through which saved people in Jerusalem will flee from the antichrist's forces that will have taken the city of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:5 with 14:1-3).

3. The antichrist and his false prophet will then be captured and cast alive into the lake of fire, the final place of eternal torment, Revelation 19:20 with 20:10.

4. Christ will then slay all the armies that oppose Him by the spoken word of His mouth (Revelation 19:21a) and the birds of the world will gorge themselves with the flesh of the fallen (Revelation 19:21b). The number of slain soldiers and battle horses will be so great that "the blood . . . will flow 200 miles, to the depth of about 4 ½ feet." (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1987, ftn. to Revelation14:20; Revelation 19:17-18)

5. Satan will then be bound by an angel from heaven in the bottomless pit in the spiritual realm for the thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth that Satan might not then deceive the nations, Revelation 20:1-3.

6. Apparently due to the great amount of wickedness and destruction that will have occurred on the earth in the Tribulation Period, Daniel 12:11-12 reveals that there will be thirty days of judgment for the survivors of the Tribulation period followed by another 45 days to prepare the earth for the start of Christ's glorious earthly reign. (Ibid., Ryrie, ftns. to Daniel 12:11 and Daniel 12:12 respectively)

7. Every person still alive on the earth who has not yet trusted in Christ will be slain by God's angels, his soul being sent to hell (Matthew 24:37-41; Luke 17:34-37) while believers will remain to enter the Kingdom.

8. Old Testament saints (Daniel 12:13) and Tribulation saints who died in the Tribulation will be resurrected to reign with Christ and the Church in His thousand-year Millennial Kingdom, Revelation 20:4-6.

C. Accordingly, Christ's invasion of the earth in His Second Coming puts down all wicked forces and wicked people to prepare the earth for the thousand-year reign of Christ that is God's reward of blessing for the saints of all ages. It is the culmination of human history, the victors being the people of God of all ages of history.

Lesson: Armageddon will be God's tool for judging the nations to put down all wicked entities to reward the saints of all ages with the blessed thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth.

Application: Since the campaign of Armageddon occurs during the Great Tribulation as God's means of judging all wicked entities toward preparing the earth for His reward of the Millennial reign of Christ for believers of all ages, may we NOT DREAD Armageddon, for we Christians will not even be here for that campaign, but in heaven, and Armageddon will be GOD'S RIGHTEOUS means for PREPARING the earth for OUR BLESSING!