Revelation 16:14 –16 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to 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 am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

Armageddon—the word alone invokes fear and uncertainty for the times ahead. It has been used by journalists, songwriters and poets as expressing the inevitable end of all things—a final climatic battle to bring life, as we know it to a close. In the closing prophecies of Revelation this great battle is depicted, but not much else is said about it in God’s Word. Men have made up for the relative silence in the Bible by writing and speaking much about the location of Armageddon, but this is rather moot in comparison to the issues at stake. God’s Word reveals two paths, two roads, leading to Armageddon. Every nation and individual is on one of these two roads and our eternal destiny will be sealed by which road we choose and where it leads us. Which road is America on? Which road are you on?

Two Paths to Follow

Matthew 7:13, 14 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

There are two paths that we can follow. Our journey through prophecy has brought us to a parting of the ways. There are two roads, not three or four. They both lead to Armageddon, but the fate to each at Armageddon is drastically different. The roads don’t look like they diverge so far, but in the end they are miles apart. One is a narrow rocky road. There are steep ascents to climb and dangers to brave, but the toil will be richly repaid. The other road has millions crowding down its slopes. Its gate is wide and no sacrifice is required to travel down this path, but it leads to the doom of the wicked. Every person alive today is headed down one of these two ways. Which road have you chosen?

The Narrow Road

Luke 14:26-30, 33 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.”… So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

Many refuse to scale the heights of the narrow road, because there is a cross at the beginning. It is not easy to travel; there is a cross involved in walking up the narrow way. The cross can take on many different forms. For some, it is a cross to leave behind their sinful habits. Struggling with tobacco or alcohol is not easy. It is a cross to change habits developed over a lifetime or tendencies inherited through the centuries. Another cross that makes it difficult for many is the opposition they face from their friends and families. When a husband ridicules and threatens to leave his faithful wife for her desire to follow the Lord, that definitely is a cross. Jesus asked us to count the cost. It will not always be easy. There will be difficulties to bear and trials to meet. Many, because of these trials and difficulties, will give up along the way, like the seed that fell by the wayside. Nothing can bring more grief than to see those who start up the narrow way, give up when trials come because they did not stop to count the cost of following Jesus. Jesus never told us that the pathway to heaven would be a bed of roses or a slide that we slide down. His promise is that He will help us to endure. He will go along beside our way, and nothing could be greater than His presence beside us.

Jesus Does Not Make the Cross

I John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

When the trials and difficulties come, some are tempted to think that Jesus placed the obstacles in their way, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Jesus does not make their hardships. We have the strong promise that God’s commandments are not burdensome. The commandments themselves are not a yoke of bondage dragging us down; they are not dead or arbitrary weights that the Lord asks us to carry. There is no bondage in not killing one another; it is a blessing to preserve the peace and happiness of society. It is not a hard grievous requirement that we are not to bow down to idols; it is just a simple prohibition that the Lord knows will make us happier. The Lord did not make the cross in keeping the Sabbath. He made it a day of rest and spiritual refreshment, but the world has made it a day of work and pleasure. It is the world’s deviation from God’s requirements that creates the cross. The Lord does allow the crosses to test our faith and prove how much we really love Him, but His requirements are not the cross. It is the world that produces the cross.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

II Corinthians 12:9, 10 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong

Even though Jesus did not make the cross, He helps us to bear our difficulties. He calls to all inviting them to come to Him and be yoked up with Him. Bearing a yoke has no connotation of ease, but Jesus bears the brunt of the load for those who are yoked with Him. The only true secret to peace and rest in the world is in working together with him and allowing Him to help us bear our burdens. When we come to Him, He will give us the grace to endure whatever trials or burdens the devil may throw our way. So although there is a cross involved in following Jesus, the road is not as rocky as it might seem. Jesus has gone before us and He has pressed down every protruding thorn with His own feet. Jesus has overcome every obstacle we will encounter, and He promises to give us the power that enabled Him to endure.

The Joys of the Narrow Way

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Deuteronomy 6:24, 25 And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.

Psalm 84:10, 11 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Although the narrow way is fraught with difficulties and trials, it certainly is not all trials. There are such joys and pleasures in the Christian pathway that I would not trade it for anything. Yes, there are heartaches, sorrows and grievances, but this is not the sum of the narrow way. The Lord has promised to fill our hearts with peace and assurances such as we have never before known. He promises that the peace, which He gives, passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). There are pleasures in the service of God that compare with nothing else. David knew the benefit of walking in the Lord’s ways. He said that he would rather have the lowliest position in God’s service than to have the most honored position apart from Him. There is nothing that is for our own good that God will withhold from us. Anything that He asks us to do is for our own best interests, and anything that He asks us to give up is for our own good as well. We must realize that, as a loving parent, He knows what is best for us and has given us the best for our happiness, both in this life and in the life to come.

Mark 10:29, 30 So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.”

Although our travel up the narrow road begins with a cross, the Lord helps us to bear that cross, and all along the way it becomes more joyous and wonderful. At each step of the way the Lord gives us more grace to overcome whatever obstacles there might be. If you are facing a crisis and you do not know how to deal with it, the Lord has a way. If it looks like your family is about to break up or your job will be terminated for following the Lord, do not despair. The Lord will provide for your needs and He only allows the furnace to burn hot enough to consume the unlovely character traits in your life. The broad road may look easier at the beginning, but the time is coming when the millions headed down the wrong road will long with all their being to be on the narrow road of God’s protection, but then it will be too late. Only those who have chosen to lift the cross and follow Jesus will have His protection and His comfort. Is there anything else in the world more important than this? Is it worth it to follow your own way only to realize too late that you are caught without a shelter?

In the narrow road there are trials and difficulties, but along the way the Lord carries us when we cannot walk alone. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. Anything that we are required to give up for Him, He has promised to restore one hundred times, and that is just the beginning. Imagine, whatever it might be that we are struggling with; we will receive one hundred times greater than we have given up! What better promise could be given?

A Choice Must be Made

Matthew 12:30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

We must make a decision. If we are just hoping to slide into eternity without making a decided stand, our hopes are in vain. There is only one gate to the narrow road and the fence is too high to climb. There may be those who think they have scaled the fence and come into the narrow way without making a decision, but they will be sadly mistaken in the day of final reckoning. If we do not make a decision, we will be lost! We are born into the kingdom of darkness headed down the broad way. The only way that we can be delivered from our doom is to choose to follow the Lord. In following Him, we must lift our cross. We must take a stand upon the Lord’s side. There will be no neutrality in the final crisis. We will either be wholly for the Lord or determinedly against Him.

II Corinthians 6:2 For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Not only has the time come that we must make a decision for our Lord, but there is no time to delay. If we think that we have years or even months before we take our stand on the Lord’s side, we may be sadly mistaken. None of us knows how much probationary time the Lord has granted to us. We have all had friends whose cases are sealed for eternity through death’s cold grip. We do not have forever to turn around. Dear people have come to seminars like this one, and have been intending to make a decision, but the next time I came back to visit them, their lips were cold and their minds were stopped. It was too late. God’s Word exhorts us that today is the acceptable time. We do not know what will come tomorrow. Our only certainty is that today is our day of salvation. The longer we put off taking up our cross, the harder it will become. Have you made that decision today? Is there anything in your life that is hindering you from following our Lord? Will you make the decision to follow Jesus all the way in obedience to all of His Law? Will you choose to walk up the straight and narrow road today?

The Broad Road

Proverbs 13:15, KJV Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

The devil seeks to make the broad way seem easy and inviting. There is no cross at the beginning. It takes no effort to slide down the broad way. No decision needs to be made, for we are already there. We can go along with the rest of the world. We do not have to be different because almost the entire world is headed down this dreaded way. We can eat like the world, dress like the world, talk like the world, and live like the world, but if we are doing this we will never gain the next world, this world will be the only world we know. Although it seems easier, the broad road gets harder and harder the farther down a person goes. There are still bumps and trials in the broad way, the difference being that no one is there to help you over the hurdles. There is no hand uplifting your spirit. No words of peace and comfort in the time of sorrow. Jesus’ light and easy yoke is nowhere to be found, only the hard, grueling yoke of the world. The way of the transgressor truly is hard. It looks appealing in the beginning, but grows harder and harder the farther a person travels down that way.

Revelation 14:9-11 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

There is not a promised land at the end of this road, only continued suffering and misery. Those who go along with the rest of the world, those who continue to break God’s Law, while knowing what His Word says, will end up receiving the dreaded mark of the beast. The road that seemed so pleasant at the crossroads has grown weary and now the wrath of God begins to drip upon those who have refused to keep God’s holy day. It may seem easier now, not to cause a ruckus at your workplace, but think of where you are heading. It may seem appealing now; that in order to keep peace in the family you do not obey the Lord, but where is the final destination of the path you are taking? Those who have compromised and thought that God was not particular about what He said, are going to find out too late that they have received the mark of the beast, and are ripe for the wrath of God.

Revelation 15:1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.

The wrath of God is nothing other than the seven last plagues. God does not delight in suffering. It hurts Him more than we can know, but at the same time God is a God of justice. He will not allow those who have despised His Law and love to go unpunished. The seven last plagues are the beginning of God’s justice upon those who have rejected Him through His Word and His people. When the plagues are poured out, probation is closed. No longer does the voice of mercy plead. Each case is decided for or against eternity. The fate of every man woman and child is forever sealed. God’s wrath, so long restrained, is now poured out in full force. Woe to those who are without a shelter in this fearful time!

Faithful Preserved

Revelation 15:2-4 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.”

Psalm 91:9, 10 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

The seven last plagues are based upon the plagues that were poured out in Egypt. In Egypt, God’s people were still present in that country, but, for the last seven plagues of the ten, God’s people were preserved. So it will be in the last days. Although God’s people will be present for the final events before Jesus comes for His people, God will miraculously preserve those who have chosen to follow Him. Those who have been willing to do whatever God requires will be under His protecting wings. God has promised that none of the plagues will even come near our dwellings. Just as the plagues in Egypt were a terror and reproach to the wicked, at the same time, they were actually God’s means to set his faithful people free. So it will happen again. While the wicked receive their just due for their persecution of God’s people, God will be a protecting shield for the righteous and will work through the plagues to finally deliver His people who have longed for Him.

1st, 2nd, and 3rd Plagues

Revelation 16:1-4 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.” So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died. Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.

Terrible are the plagues that fall upon those who have refused to love the Lord enough to obey Him. They laughed, they scorned, or maybe they just did not think that they had the strength to make a stand, but their fate is the same. God pours out a foul and loathsome sore upon those who have compromised with the beast. Only those who have the mark of the beast are afflicted, and so it is for the rest of the plagues as well. Only those who have refused God’s seal and received the beast’s mark will taste of the dreadful wrath of God. Those who have rejected the Sabbath will pay the price for their disregard of God’s special sign now, but this is just the beginning. They are given blood to drink. Can you imagine turning on your faucet and out comes a stream of blood? What would it be like to be in the middle of the ocean when this takes place?

Revelation 16:5, 6 And I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.”

The Lord tells us why He gives them blood to drink. It is because they have killed those who clung to God’s Law. They have shed the blood of God’s faithful people and now He gives them blood to drink.

4th Plague

Revelation 16:8, 9 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.

Each one of the plagues strikes a little closer to home. The fourth plague is the smiting of the sun. The inhabitants of the world have chosen their god. They have decided to follow the sun rather than their loving Creator. They have worshipped the sun and chosen to worship on the “venerable day of the Sun.” Now God turns the heat on and smites them with the god they have chosen. They saw the difference between God’s holy day of rest and Sunday, but they paid no heed. They sought to take the lives of those who held fast to the Word of God.

5th Plague

Revelation 16:10, 11 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

After the sun scorches men with great heat, God turns off the sun on the throne of the beast. From blazing heat to the darkness of midnight the world can now see whom it is that has brought the trouble and calamity upon them. It was not the small band of Sabbathkeepers that they despised. It was the beast that they followed and worshipped by receiving his mark.

6th Plague

Revelation 16:12-16 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to 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 am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

Revelation 17:15 Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.”

The way is prepared for the kings of the east to come under the sixth plague. The waters of the great river Euphrates run dry. The Euphrates was the river that flowed through the heart of Babylon. When Cyrus conquered ancient Babylon, he turned the river aside and dried up the Euphrates so that he could march underneath the city and overcome it. So when Christ rides forth from the east, the drying up of the river Euphrates precedes His coming. Water in the Bible represents people and since the Euphrates was the lifeblood of Babylon, so the symbolic Euphrates is the people who support mystery Babylon. The support for Babylon dries up. The world can now see whom it is that has brought the suffering and war upon them. No longer do they believe the lies they have been fed. They turn upon their pastors, their friends and whoever might have convinced them to follow the world instead of Jesus. What a fearful day that will be for those who have tried to pacify the consciences of those who knew what Jesus was calling them to do, but refused to listen. The waters of Babylon drying up is something I surely do not want to experience, because while the waters of Babylon are drying up, the Lord is providing bread and water for those who have made a covenant with Him by sacrifice.

Revelation 17:16 And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.

Jeremiah 8:20 “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!”

Under the sixth plague thousands and even millions realize that they are lost. They realize that they have been deceived and now there is nothing they can do. They long for another chance, but their opportunity has come and gone. They did not make their decision in their day of salvation. They plead for mercy, but it is too late. Probation has closed and every case is sealed. The mournful cry is heard all around, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!”

7th Plague

Revelation 16:17-21 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.

When the seventh plague is poured out, the cry is heard, “It is done!” The plagues are finished. Earth’s history has come to its close. Jesus is coming with the clouds of heaven to rescue His faithful people and to execute justice upon the disobedient who have survived the dreaded seven last plagues. The earth shakes before its coming King. The mountains and islands flee from His presence while hail pelts the earth. Jesus is coming to rescue His faithful people, but the final battle must still take place. The sixth plague had just prepared the way for Armageddon by drying up the great river Euphrates, just as Cyrus had prepared for his victory by the drying up of the Euphrates. Now under the seventh plague comes the battle of Armageddon.

The Two Roads

Indeed there are two and only two roads that we can follow. They both lead to Armageddon, but they both take a different route and the two roads culminate on the two opposing sides of Armageddon. As a country and as individuals we can choose to lift our cross and follow God’s commands or we can go with the flow down the “easy” broad road. In the beginning, the broad road appears appealing and inviting but in the end it results in misery and disaster. The narrow road has a cross, but more importantly it has a loving Savior helping to bear the cross that the world and the devil create. How many in the great and final day of reckoning will mournfully wish that they had been willing to brave the hardship of the narrow road. The path that they despised will not look so bad then. After the plagues have decimated the earth only those who have walked in the narrow road will have had a hedge of protection about them, then obedience will not seem like such an old fashioned idea, but alas, it will be too late. The two roads begin and end at the same place, but the fates are very different. Now as we stand at the parting of the ways, which way will we turn? Our decision today leads us one step closer to Armageddon, one side or the other.

Armageddon

Revelation 16:14b, 15, 16 to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. “Behold I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

Revelation 19:11-21 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Most today want to make Revelation as literal as they can even though the very first verse states that it is given in symbols and signs. Man wants to say that the mark of beast is an implant in the hand, while God says it is a mark of character. Man wants to say that Armageddon is a literal battle to be fought in the Middle East, while God’s Word uses spiritual connotations for this spiritual battle. (Although the Bible does predict increasing worldwide strife and tension, this does not necessarily constitute the Battle of Armageddon.) Armageddon is couched in spiritual terms; it is not like the other battles of this world. This battle is the battle between the devil and his unholy coalition and Jesus Christ our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The armies are those who follow their leader, either our loving Lord or the cruel tyranny of the devil.

The only place in the Scriptures where Armageddon is mentioned by name, it is mentioned in the context of Jesus’ coming again. Then a couple chapters later, the final fatal war between the two opposing sides is described in detail. It does not describe Russia against Israel or China against the United States, but Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords against the agents of the devil here on this earth—the beast and the false prophet. The real battle is not a Middle Eastern conflict, but a final battle that involves the entire world for all have taken one road or the other. Christ is depicted as returning with the armies of heaven (the ten thousand times ten thousand of angelic warriors that Jesus said would return with Him, Matthew 25:31, Daniel 7:10) and a sharp, double-edged sword proceeding from His mouth with which he strikes the nations of the earth. Just as Jesus was the “Commander of the Lord’s army” at Jericho (Joshua 5:14, 15) and the angels his armies when the walls came tumbling down, so He leads them forth again to rescue and reward His people. Despite the power and glory of Jesus returning for His people, the beast and the kings of the earth set forth their feeble array against the Creator of all things. They make war against Christ in the person of His faithful, obedient people, but they shall not prevail. In this final battle there is no question who is the conqueror.

Although the beast had gathered together his armies to strike the final decisive blow against God’s people, Jesus rode forth on His white horse to deliver justice to those who have so long rebelled against His Law. The battle of Armageddon is not a war fought between the United States and Afghanistan. It is not between the Arabs and Israel. It is between Jesus and the devil working through the beast and his other agents, but when Jesus rides forth, the battle is over. The glory and power of the One who was born a lowly baby in Bethlehem is more than what they can endure. The glory of God bursts the cities and manmade structures into flames. The beast and all those who followed Him are cast into this burning lake of fire. The battle is won. The contest is over. The plagues have wrought their work of justice and the battle of Armageddon has been fought. Jesus then returns with His people to that glorious land He has been preparing for them. For one thousand years they reign in peace with Him.

The Dazzling Display of Armageddon

Matthew 24:30, 31 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Luke 9:26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.

Psalm 50:3-6 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people: “Gather my saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge.

II Peter 3:10-12 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

II Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

II Thessalonians 1:7-10 And to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes in that Day to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

I Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

When the Lord Jesus comes with the power and glory of heaven, it will be a day like our world has never seen before nor will ever see again. All heaven will be ablaze with the glory of God and the earth will melt and give way before its coming King. The mountains and islands will shake and quiver. A fire will devour before and behind Him turning this world into a virtual lake of fire. Every building will collapse and every wall will be thrown down at the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Those who have compromised down the broad road will then realize the woe they have brought upon themselves. They have chosen the easy way in this world and lost the world to come. What a sad and mournful day for those who nearly made a decision to follow our Lord and Savior all the way, but turned back because of a cross. On the other side, there will be many who have left all to follow Jesus. Their families opposed them, they lost their jobs to keep His Law, but it doesn’t seem like such a sacrifice now. The trials and difficulties here pale into insignificance as they look upon the face of the One who died for them. Whatever they had to give up seems like nothing as they are rising to meet their Lord in the air. “Heaven is cheap enough!”

Two Responses

Isaiah 25:9 And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

Revelation 6:14-17 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

God’s Word has recorded what the two responses will be in that day. One will be the greatest shout of joy and victory ever heard. It will be the shout of triumph. God’s people so long fugitives and wanderers in this earth, now see their coming King. They know Him. By faith they have talked with Him for hours and now they see their very best friend coming forth to win the battle of Armageddon for them. They see the sky wrapped in flames of fire from His presence. They know that their deliverance has come. They are saved. Nevermore will they be tried and tempted again. Their enemy is a beaten foe. Their rescue has come. “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him and He will save us.”

From the other side of the mountains are heard shrieks of terror. This is no happy throng. They had gone down the broad road thinking that it was the easy way, but the further down they got the harder they realized it was. The pain, the suffering, the heartache they had to bear alone, but still down the road of rebellion they raced. Instead of denying themselves and keeping God’s holy day they went on in reckless violation of the plain command of God. It seemed easier then, but it doesn’t seem so easy now. They see the One whom they have rejected. They look upon His face and it searches through their innermost being. They hear the voice that spoke to their hearts, but they refused to listen. Now in abject terror they flee from the presence of their Creator and Redeemer. They run to the mountains in hope of finding a hiding place, but there is none. In hope that they will be hidden from the Savior, they cry to the rocks and mountains to end their life. All because they chose the broad way, because they refused to lift their cross and follow Jesus. “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Two Roads to Armageddon: Which are You On?

Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

There are two roads you can travel. You will be on one or the other. One looks easy and inviting, but beware it leads to the seven last plagues and Armageddon. The longer you travel down that road the harder it becomes, but there is another path. A path that is open to all. It is a path that Jesus has stained with His own blood. A path that involves a cross, but it grows lighter and brighter until eternity dawns. Which path are you on? Which path do you want to be on? Choose you this day whom you will serve.