What is Armageddon? When will it come to pass?

Armageddon describes a place where a great battle will occur during the tribulation period. In Revelation 16:14 we read that the spirits of devils or demons will "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." Then in verse 16 we read, "And He [God] gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." In this short answer I will briefly mention the following: the place of the battle, the participants in the battle, the purpose of the battle, the outcome of the battle, and the time of the battle.

The place of the battle.

The word "Armageddon" comes from the Hebrew Har-Megiddo which means "Hill of Megiddo." Megiddo is in the large fertile valley or plain of Esdraelon in northern Israel. The valley has often been the location of battles (Judges 5:19; 2 Chronicles 35:20-24), and is itself often called Armageddon. This valley is about sixty to eighty miles north of Jerusalem, very near to the modern seaport of Haifa. It is an ideal place for large armies to gather for battle.

The participants in the battle.

• The beast (out of the sea)—described for us in Revelation 13:1-10 and 17:8-13. He is the personal head of the ten kingdom or nation confederacy. (Note: The word "beast" is sometimes used to describe the person who is the head of the kingdom and sometimes to describe the kingdom. See Daniel 7:17,23).
• The false prophet (or beast out of the earth)—described for us in Revelation 13:11-18, Revelation 16:13, and Revelation 19:20. He is the Antichrist who sets up the image of the beast in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.
• The armies of the beast—mentioned in Revelation 17:12-14 and Revelation 16:14. These would include the ten nations who are joined together in an alliance as well as nations friendly to Israel and the beast. This would, I believe, include the United States.
• The kings of the east—mentioned in Revelation 9:14-16 and Revelation 16:12. This would include the armies of those nations east of the Euphrates River—China, Japan, etc. It is interesting to notice that the number of the army east of the Euphrates is given us in Revelation 9:16 as 200 million. That was greater than the population of the earth in the day that John wrote this prophecy. In April 1961, one estimate of the Chinese army alone was 200 million armed and organized militiamen.
• The Lord Jesus Christ and His armies—described for us in Revelation 19:11-14. The first four participants described above will fight against the rider on the white horse, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His armies, His saints (Jude 14,15).

The purpose of the battle.

The nations will come together to Armageddon to protect Israel from her enemies. But it is because of Israel's allowance and protection of idolatry in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem that God has sent the King of the North, Syria, as a desolator to invade and march through Israel (Daniel 9:27; 11:40-45; Matthew 24:15). Syria, supported, no doubt, by Russia (Daniel 8:23-25) will have brought suffering and death into the land of Israel. God is dealing with Israel because of her sins and idolatry. The western nations and the kings of the East in seeking to fight against Israel's enemies, are in reality fighting against God. It is good to remember that this gathering together, although allowed by God, is really the result of the spiritual activity of demons (Revelation 16:13,14).

The outcome of the battle.

The battle's outcome is never in question. Revelation 19:11-21 gives us a description of this battle. The beast and the false prophet are taken and are cast alive into the lake of fire. They thus become the first occupants of that awful place prepared for the devil and his angels. A thousand years later we see them still there (Revelation 20:10). The armies of the beast are all slain with the sword of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The time of the battle.

This battle will occur sometime after the middle of the tribulation period—no doubt near the end of that seven-year period. The one thousand years' peace begins shortly thereafter (Revelation 20:1-6).

In conclusion I would add that this battle is different from the one that takes place in the valley of Jehoshaphat where Syria and her allies are destroyed (Joel 3:9-17; Zechariah 14:4-15), and also different from the destruction of the armies of Russia described for us in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Both of these occur after the battle of Armageddon. For an excellent pamphlet which describes these battles in more detail, contact the publisher for Major Judgments by Leslie M. Grant.