1. What did Jesus say of the conditions that would prevail on the earth after His ascension?
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet,” Matthew 24:6.
2. What did He say further about war?
“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in divers places,” Matthew 24:7.
3. At the end of the present dispensation and just before Jesus is seen coming in the clouds of heaven, will there be peace on earth or distress of nations?
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity: the sea and the waves roaring. Men’s hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory,” Luke 21:25-27.
4. From the last testimony of Jesus 96 A.D., what does He say of the earthly powers just before the time comes for the dead to be resurrected, and the prophets to be rewarded?
“And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints . . . and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth,” Revelation 11:18.
5. As the above evidence from the witnesses of God who have spoken upon this subject all agree that the coming of Christ, and the end of this age will be at a time of war, when the nations are angry, what is further said of the name and location of the last battle?
“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which 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. Behold, I come as a thief, blessed is he that watcheth . . . . And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon,” Revelation 16:13-16.
NOTE: We note here the injunction, in the midst of these momentous events, “Behold, I come as a thief,” so when this time is reached Christ is going to come quickly. It will be noted also in this account of the last battle, that the war is caused by the elimination of unclean spirits from the dragon, beast and false prophet. These are symbols of the three great false religious systems of the present time which will exist until Jesus comes: Paganism, Catholicism, and Mohammedanism.
6. Following the battle of Armageddon what are the next events in their order?
“And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air: and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices and thunders and lightnings, and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth . . . .
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found,” verses 17 to 20.
NOTE: The location of the last battle as given in verse 16 is at a place called “Armageddon.” The only place of this name now known in Geography is about fifty miles north and a little west of Jerusalem, Palestine. It is on the plains of Esdralon overlooked by the hills of Megeddo. This has in Bible history been the scene of many bloody battles, and there is here a small stream by that name, and also a village. The name dates far back into the annals of history and is supposed to have originated from the battle fought at this place by the Lord in defense of the Army of Gideon, where only 300 select men won a victory over many thousand of their enemy through the intervention of the power of God.
From various scriptural readings as well as of the fact that the word “Gideon” means “the sword of God,” the battle of Armageddon carries with it the significance of the presence of the power of God, with all His angelical hosts, in defense of His people. At this time the power of righteousness will triumph victoriously over the monster sin in all of its varied forms.
7. What does Zechariah say about the location of the last battle of this dispensation?
“Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle,” Zechariah 14:1, 2.
8. In the next verse of this chapter what does the Lord do at this time?
“Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations as when He fought in the days of battle,” verse 3.
9. Will Christ come during the time of this great conflict of the nations?
“And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives,” verse 4, first part of verse.
NOTE: When Jesus ascended to the Father, the message of the angels to the apostles was, that this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go. He ascended from the Mount of Olives, and when He returns this is the place where His feet will stand.
10. How do we know that this prophecy does not refer to the time of Christ’s first coming, when He so often frequented the Mount of Olives?
NOTE: It will be seen from the following verse the first part of which is given above, that when the Lord’s feet come upon the Mount of Olives, at His second coming, the mount divides asunder, and moves away. “And the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west . . . and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south,” verse 4, last part.
11. Who will be king of the earth following this time?
“And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall there be one Lord and His name one,” verse 9.
12. What does God reveal to us through Ezekiel, regarding the location of the last battle, the nations involved in the struggle, and the victory?
“Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal,” (See lesson on Russia in Bible prophecy). “After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them,” Ezekiel 38:2, 8.
NOTE: It will be seen that the power above mentioned is to come against the mountains of Israel, which is the Holy Land and includes the mountains of Israel, which is the Holy Land and includes the mountains sacred to the Israelitish nations during their former history.
Notice particularly the statement, that it would be after many days, and in the latter years. Also this power is to come against a people that have been gathered out of many nations, and into a land that has been desolate but is now inhabited. This speaks in plain terms about the Jewish people, who are of the seed of Israel, and who have been scattered among all the nations of the earth, and are now being gathered back to the Holy Land, which had been truly desolated for many centuries. See previous lessons about Jerusalem, and also about the dispersion, and regathering of these people, to the mountains of Israel, where this battle will be fought.
13. What does God say He will do when Gog comes against the land of Israel?
“And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in My face. For in My jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken. Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel. So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at My presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all My mountains, saith the Lord God, every man’s sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence, and with blood, and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire and brimstone,” Ezekiel 38:18 to 22.
14. What will God accomplish by this miracle, when He destroys the armies that come against the people that are gathered at Jerusalem, and the land of Israel?
“Thus will I magnify Myself, and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord,” verse 23.