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Armageddon: Meaning, Location and Prophecies

In this video you’ll learn all you need to know about Armageddon. You’ll see it’s location, learn about its historical significance, and what is going to happen there at the end of the age.

You’ll also see that the final climactic battle between Jesus Christ and the armies of the world at the end of this age is not called the Battle of Armageddon.

Stick around till the end because the Bible reveals some pretty shocking events that will occur in our future.

And don’t just believe us—but dive into your Bible, look up these verses, and prove it for yourself as we explore this ancient prophecy.

Armageddon Defined in the Bible

1. Armageddon is a hill.

The word “Armageddon” is only found once in the Bible—in Revelation 16:16, which says:

And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

Armageddon is a transliteration of the original Hebrew har megiddon, which simply means the “hill of Megiddo” or “the mountain of Megiddo.”

This “mount” of Megiddo is located about 55 miles north of Jerusalem and overlooks the largest plain in Israel—the Valley of Jezreel, or the Plain of Esdraelon.

It is actually not a mountain, but a “tell”—a mound or hill created by many generations of people living and rebuilding on the same spot.

Throughout history, numerous forts were built at this location to guard the Via Maris, an ancient trade route linking Egypt with Damascus.

So basically, Armageddon is a word used only once in the Bible that describes a hill in Israel.

But this isn’t just an ordinary hill. This location has had a long and bloody history.

The Hill of Megiddo: An Ancient Battlefield Near Jerusalem

2. Megiddo was the site of many ancient battles.

Due to its strategic location, Megiddo has seen quite a few battles over time. It is one of history’s bloodiest battlefields.

In fact, some historians believe that more battles have been fought there than at any other place in the world.

For centuries, Egyptian armies from the south and various empires from the north collided right there in the flat open expanse of the valley.

References to Megiddo in the Bible

But the first biblical mention of “Megiddo” occurs in the book of Joshua. It is listed as one of the cities Joshua and the Israelites defeated during the conquest of Canaan at the end of the 15th century BC.

And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel conquered on this side of the Jordan, on the west... the king of Megiddo (Joshua 12:7, 21).

The land was within the territory allotted to the tribe of Issachar, but Megiddo became one of the cities assigned to the tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 17:11; 1 Chronicles 7:29).

However:

Manasseh did not drive out... the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land (Judges 1:27).

Then during the time of the Judges a few centuries later, it was the site of a major engagement between the Canaanite captain Sisera and the Israelite forces under Deborah and Barak (Judges 4 and 5).

As the song Deborah and Barak sang in victory recounts:

The kings came and fought, then the kings of Canaan fought in Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo (Judges 5:19).

Later, in the 10th century BC, King Solomon fortified the city to be used as a military center and chariot town (1 Kings 9:15).

And three centuries after that, the tragic death of King Josiah took place when:

Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at Megiddo when he confronted him (2 Kings 23:29; 2 Chronicles 35:20–24).

Even in post-biblical times—all the way up to the 20th century—this location has been the scene for large-scale confrontations.

In World War I, British General Edmund Allenby defeated Turkish military forces there in what became known as “the Battle of Megiddo.”

These battles and others mentioned both in the Bible and in secular sources have earned this historical location an infamous reputation. It has become a very symbol for war itself.

The End-Time Battle of Armageddon

So Megiddo has a long and bloody past, but what about its future?

3. Megiddo is where the world’s armies will gather to fight Jesus Christ.

The book of Revelation reveals major prophetic events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ. If you want to know the sequence of these events and understand more about this mysterious book, be sure to check out our video “Revelation’s ‘End of the World’ Timeline Explained.”

We read in the book of Revelation that at the end of the age:

Spirits of demons... 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.... And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon (Revelation 16:14–16).

Satan and his demons will arouse the political and military leaders of the world to mobilize their forces. They will come to the hill of Megiddo and combine their armies at this infamous location.

Armies Gather to Fight Jesus Christ

But notice—the final battle is not called “the battle of Armageddon.” It is called “the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

The battle doesn’t actually take place at the hill of Megiddo. Megiddo is only the gathering spot.

The world’s armies will then march south to fight Jesus Christ at His return just outside of Jerusalem.

4. The final end-time climactic battle takes place at Jerusalem.

God said through the prophet Zechariah:

For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem.... Then the LORD will go forth and fight against these nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east (Zechariah 14:2–4).

When God spoke of this end-time judgment on the nations, He said through the prophet Joel:

For behold, in those days and at that time... I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there (Joel 3:1–2).

God’s Wrath in the Valley of Jehoshaphat

The Valley of Jehoshaphat, also called the Kidron Valley, is located between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. Jehoshaphat, in Hebrew, means “judgment of the Eternal.” God will judge the nations in this final end-time climactic battle, which takes place at Jerusalem.

Again, God says through the prophet Joel:

Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.... Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision (Joel 3:12-14).

Describing Jesus’ return and His end-time fight against the wicked armies of this world, the Apostle John wrote:

Now 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.... 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 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 (Revelation 19:11–19).

Notice the horrible punishment brought upon those rebellious, evil armies who attempt to fight Jesus Christ.

And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths (Zechariah 14:12).

Jesus will totally conquer the greatest military combine ever assembled.

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 (Revelation 19:20–21).

The Final Outcome

At the end of this age Jesus Christ and His armies of resurrected saints (Revelation 17:14), along with His mighty angels (Matthew 25:31), will come to earth to destroy the evil armies of this world, liberate the nations from wicked and evil powers, and then establish the Kingdom of God right here on planet Earth.

A new world government is coming with Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Then at that time, war will be eradicated, and peace will cover the earth for 1,000 years.

As the prophet Isaiah foretold:

He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore (Isaiah 2:4).

So the Bible shows that Armageddon is not what most think. It isn’t a battle at all. It is simply a historical location where the armies of the world will gather at the end of this age.

However, one final climactic battle will take place at Jerusalem. The battle of that great day of God Almighty will occur, and Jesus Christ with His army will finally put an end to the evil rulers and armies of this age. It will be an incredible sight and a sobering event just before the greatest time in all of man’s history.

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