Armageddon

Today I was blessed to be able to go with a couple of friends to the northern part of Israel to visit the ancient fortress city of Megiddo, which overlooks the famous Valley of Armageddon. We got up at five to catch the seven am bus north. When we got there, we had about a twenty minute hike up through the hilltops to reach the Tel, or plateau-like hill, of Megiddo. This place has 25 different layers of construction and cities, meaning that over history, this place has been destroyed and then rebuilt 25 separate times. The Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Canaanites, Israelites, Persians, and others all built fortresses on this hilltop. The reason they did so was because it sat on the crucial north-south road connecting Egypt with Mesopotamia. Throughout history, armies going one way or the other would need to control Megiddo in order to control the roads going north or south. The Valley of Armageddon, which lies at the base of Megiddo, has seen more battles than any other spot in the world, because of its strategic and critical location. This valley puts the plains of the Dakotas to shame: for miles and miles, as far as the eye can see, there lies completely flat land. The Israelis have turned the valley into a agricultural paradise, with farms stretching off into the distance. Armageddon is incredibly important to me as a Christian and believer in Christ, because it is here that the final battle between good and evil is foretold to take place. The apostle John wrote in the book of Revelation that the Devil will gather all the armies of the world to this valley in Northern Israel in order to face off against the return of Christ at the end of the period known as the Tribulation. This is where the 2nd coming of Christ will occur, and unlike His first coming, He will return as a conquering king, backed up by the armies of heaven. Scriptures say that He will destroy the armies of Satan through the power of His voice, which is described as a "double edged sword". This part of the text is difficult to understand, and several explanations have been given. It has been postulated that this means that He will simply speak a word or words that will destroy His enemies. Others say that He will quote scripture and that that will somehow be too much for Satan's hoards to cope with. Regardless, Scripture is quite clear on who the victor is: Jesus will triumph, Satan will be defeated, and Christ will set up His millennial kingdom on Earth, with His capital at Jerusalem. The last time I was at Armageddon, a friend of mine was moved to tears at the site of it. When asked why she was crying, she said "This is the most famous battlefield in history, and the battle hasn't even started yet." I'm glad that we as Christians can rest secure in the knowledge of our Lord's certain victory before it actually takes place. I was thrilled to be able to see Armageddon again, and I'm glad the opportunity presented itself to go.