(Rev. 16:12-16.)

Substance of an Address by J. B. Jackson.

What I have to say at this time about the battle of Armageddon may be taken as an attempt to answer four distinct questions, viz.:- 1:Where? 2:Who? 3:Why? 4:When?

These questions will be answered from the Word of God, save a little geographical information in connection with the first question, and a few general observations at the end.

1:Where is Armageddon? The name is really Megiddon with har prefixed, and means " Mount of Slaughter"- har being the Hebrew word for " mountain; " and " megiddo " is the intensive participle of ga-dad, meaning "to cut," "invade," " crowd."

The modern name of Megiddo is Lejjun:it is situated about twenty-two miles S. E. of Haifa, which is at the base of Mt. Carmel, where the Mediterranean cuts into the western coast-line of Palestine, forming the Bay of Acre (Accho). The valley is noted as the scene where Barak discomfited the Canaanite hosts of Jabin under Sisera, celebrated in Deborah's song (Judg. 5:19). Near here the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal were slain by Elijah (i Ki. 18:40). Ahaziah king of Judah was slain there by Jehu (2 Ki. 9:27), there also the good king Josiah lost his life by meddling with strife which did not belong to him (2 Chron. 35:20-24).

This valley of Megiddo extends from the Bay of Acre in a south-easterly direction, and unites with the Valley of Jezreel (called by moderns "the plain of Esdraelon").

The highway from Acre to Damascus passes through these valleys to the Jordan, which it crosses near the S. E. corner of the Sea of Galilee. The Bay of Acre is the only landing-place of importance in northern Palestine, so that with the plain of Esdraelon it offers a natural entrance for the Western nations into Palestine.

2:Who are the belligerents? This is an interesting and important question. It is " the time of the end " when the Jews will have returned to their land under an agreement or covenant confirmed with them by the "prince" spoken of in Dan. 9:26). In this passage it is the people of the coming prince (1:e., the Roman people who under Titus destroyed the city and the sanctuary), but in verse 27 "the prince " himself confirms a covenant with the mass of the Jews for one week – the last and still unfulfilled week of Daniel's seventy.

This "prince" is the last head of the Roman Empire revived, the " Beast " of Rev. 13:1-8. The Jews' king is the second beast of the same chapter, also called the "false prophet." He is the wilful king of Dan. 11:36-40 (compare Rev. 19:20). He is also called " the man of sin," "the son of perdition," "that wicked one" in 2 Thess. 2:3-10; the '' bloody and deceitful man "of Ps. 5:6; " the idol-shepherd " of Zech. ii :17; the "one coming in his own name " of John 5:43.

The "Beast" will be there to defend his deputy, "the king," in the land (Rev. 17:12-14; 19:20); he is also the "little horn " of Dan. 7:8, 19-26.
The "King of the North" will be there (Dan. 11:40), "the Assyrian." "The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him underfoot" (Isa. 14:24-27).

The "kings of the East" will be there (Rev. 16:12; 19:18,19); indeed "all nations" are to be gathered together to this "mount of slaughter." (See Isa. 28:21,22; also chap. 29:7,8 and chap. 66:15-18.)

"And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth . . . for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts" (Jer. 25:26, 29-33). "Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey; for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth, shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy" (Zeph. 3:8).

" For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle:and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south … and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee " (Zech. 14:2-5). It is safe to say that this has never yet come to pass. It is the "day of the Lord "and comes suddenly and unexpectedly, as a thief in the night (1 Thess. 5:2,3).

The powers which shall assemble the nations are revealed in Rev. 16:14, "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" (Rev. 16:14; see also 19:15-21).

The three unclean spirits as frogs coming from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet may symbolize-

(1) Satan's allurement to universal empire (comp. Matt. 4:8, 9).

(2) The Beast's incitation of men's lusts for gain (comp. Dan. 11:38, 39).

(3) The false prophet's spurious religion, offering an opiate to man's conscience, with the gratification of his lusts.

(To be completed, D. V., in next issue.)