Inquiring Minds… Are We on the Cusp of Armageddon?

Part 1

Tim Moore: So, how about it, Nathan? Are we on the cusp of this war that most people know of as the War of Armageddon? That’s the only one they seem to think about when they look at the End Time Scriptures of Bible prophecy.

Nathan Jones: Well, if you look at the Doomsday Clock, which has been around since the 1940s, Einstein put it in, where they have a countdown to the day of the end of the world, just since Donald Trump got reelected, they’ve moved the Doomsday Clock up to 89 seconds to before midnight, and they’re saying we’re getting to the end of the world.

Most people, when they think of the end of the world, they just think of Armageddon, this final battle, rather Bruce Willis is going to blow up a meteor up in the sky or… You know, they have all these different ideas. And even Christians believe that, well, Armageddon is the last and final battle. But we know from what the Bible teaches, that Armageddon is one of nine End Time wars leading up into the eternal state.

Tim Moore: It sure is. And we’re going to talk about those nine wars. Let’s get into this passage where Jesus addresses the wars and rumors of wars, and let’s point out that in Matthew 24, that phrase actually shows up there in the opening portion of the Scripture where Jesus is responding to the disciples’ questions.

In verse three, they ask, “When will these things happen?” talking about the destruction of the Temple. “What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Jesus warns them in response not to be misled because many will come in His name and claim they are the Christ. And then in verse 6 He says, “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. But see that you are not frightened, for these things must take place, and yet that is not the end.” And then He goes on to say in verse 7, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”

What is He talking about? Because the nation state as we knew it, or know it today, for the last probably 100 to 150 years did not exist in Jesus’ day and age. There were empires. But when He says nation against nation, people against people, what’s He talking about?

Nathan Jones: You have to go back to the original Greek and the word ethnos. In other words, ethnicity. People groups, family groups. You go back to the original families that started separating after Noah’s flood and started reforming the families of the Earth. The families became the nations of the Earth. So, it’s not just talking about political nations fighting each other, and certainly it is, but it’s also talking about racial tensions would ratchet up in the end.

And one of these 10 signs that the Lord gave in that passage, that point to His soon return, is in the context that not only will we have always these 10 signs, war, famine, and all these others, but they will increase in frequency and intensity the closer we get to the Lord’s return. So, we know that we’re getting closer to the Lord’s return because have there been wars? Absolutely.

Tim Moore: Always.

Nathan Jones: I was reading that there are only, in all of human history, 289 years without war. War being a thousand or more deaths, certainly we have endless conflicts at all times. But Margaret Drabble, a British writer, said that the 20th century was a beastly century because hundreds of millions of people died in war in the 20th century. And now 25 years in the 21st, it’s not looking much better.

Tim Moore: No, it’s not. And frankly, sometimes the worst wars of the 20th century were fought in parts of the world that were Christian in their orientation, or at least in the historic leanings of Western Europe, the United States. There were even Christians in Japan. People don’t realize that during World War II. So, Russia is considered a Christian nation, especially by the Jews because of the Orthodox Christianity.

So, even the Christian world has been steeped in war, but you’re exactly right, there’s a tribalness to this passage which talks about nation against nation, ethnos against ethnos. And we have seen even in our own country how some want to divide us by ethnicity, by race, and the devil is stoking all of that division because it creates great tension and great destructiveness on the earth.

Nathan Jones: You know, the beautiful thing about America is it’s an exemplar to the world that it’s a melting pot. And yet, we see that to get the Antichrist global kingdom, you can’t have America be a successful melting pot anymore. Hence, the constant ratcheting up of ethnic tensions in the world. But, and again, it’s leading up into these great End Time wars that the Lord has prophesied.

Tim Moore: Well, we’re going to get to those. Obviously, folks, when we talk about the War of Armageddon, most people will recognize that that phrase “Armageddon” or “Har Megiddo,” the valley around the ancient city of Megiddo, appears in Revelation chapter 16 where the sixth bowls of wrath are being poured out.

And prior to the seventh bowl, it says that there was a, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and the mouth of the beast, a whole hoard of unclean spirits like frogs, and that these spirits motivated the world to gather in a place that in Hebrew is called Har-Megadon. They are gathering for a great battle.

Frankly, it’s a battle against the Antichrist, at least that’s why the kings of the East are marching and there’s a rebellion, but there’s an Old Testament prophecy that also points to this tremendous battle. And that’s in Joel chapter 3 where Joel says, “Proclaim among the nations,” verse nine. “Prepare war, rouse the mighty men. Let all the soldiers draw near. Let them come up.” And then in verse 14 it says, “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”

And we know how that battle ends because it says that the Lord comes, He roars from Jerusalem, and just the words of His mouth, just the power of His Word, destroys all those gathered armies.

Nathan Jones: It’s not really a battle when you think about it.

Tim Moore: No.

Nathan Jones: We read at the end of Revelation how the Antichrist will gather whoever’s left alive, and there’s not many by the end of the seven-year Tribulation. And he does this because he wants a civil war to unite all them, anticipating the return of Jesus Christ. When Jesus returns in all His glory and the saints will be following with Him, and Jesus speaks, and the army’s melt in front of Him. So, it’s not really a battle.

He then moves on to the Valley of Jezreel, like you said, which will fill with blood for 184 miles. That many people die in that valley of decision. The Lord then goes to Jerusalem where another segment of the Antichrist forces has besieged the city.

He will land on the Mount of Olives, it will split in two, a new valley will form, and the Jewish people will escape through that, and Jesus will then defeat the Antichrist and False Prophet and send Satan into a pit. And so it’s not really the battle of people. Picture this great nuclear conflagration and so many…

Tim Moore: Clash of swords and spear…

Nathan Jones: Jesus speaks; they melt. The whole thing takes place in a matter of an hour or two.

Tim Moore: It’s important to realize, like you said, the Antichrist has gathered his forces against Jerusalem. And while he is fixated and demonically, obviously, he’s possessed by Satan, so his hatred and rage against the Jewish people is tremendous.

And in his fixation on destroying the Jewish people, all these other nations that are really kind of tired of his dictatorship, they decide to rise against him and they march toward Israel, the beautiful land. And he hears about their coming, and so he turns his attention to battle them. Where? On this great plane called Har-Magedon, the Jezreel Valley.

As a matter of fact, Napoleon looked out upon that valley and said this is the greatest battlefield on Earth because there are certain entry points, there are certain vantage points. But it is a large open plane, and he envisioned a great battle that could, and we know will take place there.

But in the midst of that attempted civil war, Jesus returns and puts an end to all those folks who actually are in rebellion against Him. They’ve all taken The Mark of the Beast.

Nathan Jones: It’s stunning when you go up to the Carmelite Monastery and you look out over the Valley of Jezreel, and you know that one day the largest gathering of human armies in world history will be gathered right there in that valley, and Jesus will break out of the sky and He will defeat them. And it’s just… It’s not a battle. So, I think we need to help people and the inquiring minds get past the idea that the valley of Armageddon is just giant World War III or something.

Tim Moore: Right.

Nathan Jones: It’s Jesus Christ coming back in victory. He doesn’t have to swing a sword. We, the saints, that follow Him aren’t… unfortunate, I’d like to get in the fight, too. But, you know, we’re not fighting anybody either. Jesus does all the work. It’s 100% His victory.

Tim Moore: The Lord will fight our battles. I have to point out one other verse here in Joel before we actually get to the nine wars of the End Time. And that is Joel 3:10. The Lord says to those rebelling peoples of the Earth, “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am a mighty man.'” And He’s calling the rebellious people of the world to gather together so that He can defeat them.

Nathan, I know so many times people take that verse, “Let the weak say I am strong,” and they turn it into a very positive. And indeed in the power of God, we can be mighty in His power. But in the context of this verse, that is a haughty boast from those who are inspired to gather together so that they can ultimately be destroyed by the Lord at His return.

Nathan Jones: Yeah, well, you’ve got to remember in the context that this is the end of the seven-year Tribulation. The world has pretty much been divided. Those who have taken the Antichrist loyalty mark, which is a worship act for Satan, they’re the ones that are gathering, they’re the ones that… They’re the worst of the worst of humanity.

And so Satan has this old, tired strategy that if he can just get enough angels, enough people, and he does this throughout history. If I can just get enough together, we’ll have the strength to overthrow Jesus. And time and time again, Jesus steps in at the end of the Millennial Kingdom.

We’ll get to that a little later, but Satan will be released, he’ll lead the children of the Millennial Kingdom saints against Jerusalem. Jesus sends fire down and incinerates him, and that’s it. There’s never a war… Jesus doesn’t have to use a sword because He’s got one that comes from His mouth, His Word.

Tim Moore: Satan has to be the most frustrated being in all of Creation because every scheme that he forms, the Lord turns it into something for His own good and glory. Even as he saw that Christ was crucified and thought he’d won the ultimate battle, he actually was defeated because that was God’s plan all along, and it gave us the privilege of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Well, let’s dive into these wars of the End Times. Nathan, you and I believe that the first war, we might be seeing some of the skirmishing right now, and that’s what we call the war of extermination. Where does this come from?

Nathan Jones: Well, the first war of the nine wars of the End Times would be what we call the Psalm 83 War. It’s a prophetic theory of the nine wars, eight of them we’re dead sure. This one is a little confusing, but it’s a prayer by the seer, Asaph, so we know it’s prophetic. And it’s an imprecatory prayer calling upon the destruction of the nation’s surrounding Israel. That would be Jordan and Syria and Gaza and Egypt and all that.

It could be that over the last few decades as Israel’s been subjugating the nations around them, that that’s a fulfillment of Psalm 83 or it might be a big surprise and Israel has to subjugate them all and control their land all at once. We don’t know. But it answers some of the questions for the next war we’ll get into, which is the War of Gog and Magog.

Tim Moore: Exactly. One of the keys on this war of Psalm 83, and again, we’re seeing that right before our eyes today with attacks from Hezbollah and Lebanon, from the Palestinians in Jordan and beyond, and the Palestinians over toward Gaza. Of course, Egypt has always been a frenemy even lately.

And so these near end, this inner ring of nations that eventually will be subdued and there will be peace, and that brings us to the setup for the next war, the War of Gog and Magog that we’ve really been trying to get to today.

But that is when an outer ring of what is today Islamic nations, together with a couple of allies from the north, come in to seize plunder because Israel has kind of let down its guard. It’s living in unwalled cities as Scripture describes, and it seems to be at relative peace.

Nathan Jones: Yeah, Ezekiel 38 and 39, two whole chapters. We think of Armageddon, there’s a lot about… there’s not a lot about Armageddon, but we have two whole chapters on Gog and Magog where Russia will lead an Islamic coalition of nations, including Turkey, Iran, most of Northern Africa against Israel in a surprise for the purpose of plundering Israel.

Now, there hasn’t been a reason to plunder Israel until the big gas fines. So we know the hook that will drag Russia down, and it’s going to be a surprise. And this is a war that’s different than the Psalm 83 War, which the IDF wins.

This is God’s stepping in and supernaturally destroying this huge hoard of invaders by hail and earthquakes and the armies turn on each other, and the Bible says that the world will then know there is a God. So I think this is a war that’s after the Rapture of the Church because God’s revealing Himself not through the Church but directly through Israel.

Tim Moore: Very good point. And as a matter of fact, we also believe that whenever this war takes place, it is before the Tribulation begins. And a lot of people mistakenly think, “Well, the Tribulation begins at the Rapture.” We don’t believe that. We believe there will be such chaos in the world that the Antichrist will emerge after the Rapture, not immediately, and eventually he will consolidate his power and sign a peace treaty with Israel.

But when the Lord supernaturally defeats these axis forces against Israel in the War of Gog and Magog, they will collect the weapons of war and use them for fuel for a period of seven years. Well, if they’re going to use them

for seven years, then this war essentially has to occur prior to the Tribulation because halfway through the Tribulation, the Jews are under attack and fleeing Israel.

So, we don’t know the exact timing, but we believe we have the sequence down. And even today, isn’t it amazing how Russia, Turkey, Iran are beginning to align as an axis power, and oftentimes they’re turning their animosity against Israel.

Nathan Jones: And when you read Ezekiel 38 and 39 and compare it to the Armageddon passages in Revelation 19 and all, it does, the latter years or last days, there are animals that are eating the dead. Israel does acknowledge God. But look at the differences.

The peaceful precondition before the Gog and Magog War can’t happen during the Tribulation. The nations and the battles are different. And Armageddon, it’s all the nations, not just that Islamic coalition.

The locations are different. Armageddon’s in the Valley of Jezreel, while the Gog and Magog takes place on the mountains, the leaders are different, there’s different opponents, the accounts of the defeat are different, the nation’s protesting doesn’t exist at Armageddon, and Israel burning invaders weapons for seven years into the Millennial Kingdom. That doesn’t make sense. There are so many differences between Armageddon and Gog and Magog.

Tim Moore: Obviously. And, folks, these things can begin to blend together in your minds, so we have a tremendous resource that you can get to help you understand at least the sequence of the wars of the End Times. What is this all about, Nathan?

Announcement

Most people are aware of the End Time war prophesied in the Bible called the Battle of Armageddon. But did you know Bible prophecy also reveals eight other wars? Arm yourself with Dr. David Reagan’s book, 9 Wars of the End Times, and read about the truth of what God’s prophetic Word says about the End Times. Make sure you’re ready for Jesus’s soon return. To get your copy of this book, just call the number you see on the screen and ask for it by name or visit our website at lamblion.com.

Part 2

Tim Moore: Well, we hope you will get a copy of 9 Wars of the End Times, and that it will be a great blessing to you. But Nathan, we talked about the Antichrist, and that brings us to another series of wars, at least two here on the Earth, that I think most people have in their minds. And that’s the first that we see in Revelation chapter 6. Which one is this?

Nathan Jones: We like to call it the conventional war of the Tribulation. This is really technically World War III, where the Antichrist consolidates his empire, declares war on the world and conquers those nations that don’t get in line. When people think of Armageddon, Tim, I think they’re thinking about this conventional war. It is basically the next World War.

Tim Moore: It really is. And as you said, the Antichrist, people think he’s going to rise to power. Well, he’s going to be very cunning and sly, and some will gratefully accept his authority, but others will be very reluctant. There are some nations of the world that don’t want to be recolonized, quite frankly.

And so the Antichrist will use war, and that’s when initially a quarter of the world will be destroyed or killed, and then a third of the world. So 8 billion people in the world today, that means first 2 billion, then another 2 billion killed in some of these wars of the Antichrist consolidating his power.

But we believe that this conventional war will eventually morph into another kind of war that’s outlined in Revelation 8 and 9. And that’s where people are covered in loathsome sores because, potentially, it could become a nuclear conflagration.

Nathan Jones: Well, they’re hiding in the caves and asking for the rocks of the mountains to cover them and protect them from the wrath of the Lamb. Where do people go when they have nuclear war drills? Not under your desk like back in the 1950s, but, no, they hide in caves and all.

And so we also see the physical condition of the world after that to be the Earth’s ecosystem is pretty trashed. So, yes, this would… These hundreds… Excuse me, tens of thousands of nuclear weapons that have been on standby for the last few decades will eventually be let loose. And while there’s war on Earth, then the fifth war, there’s a war in Heaven, right?

Tim Moore: Yeah, war in Heaven. And frankly, there’s a war raging right now, battles all around us in the spiritual realm. We don’t see it, but Scripture tells us they’re occurring. And quite frankly, sometimes we can feel it. We can feel that we are under attack because Satan is raging about like a roaring lion. But we’re told in Revelation chapter 12 that Satan who, mysteriously, still has access to Heaven. Nathan, I don’t quite fathom how that’s true, but Job tells us…

Nathan Jones: To accuse the saints, right?

Tim Moore: To accuse the saints. He went before the throne of God to accuse Job. He’s still accusing us. But there will be a time when Satan is banished from the heavenly realm and cast out completely. And so this war describes him coming down to earth in great rage. And in his rage, he turns his hatred against the saints. Well, those are Tribulation Saints, and the Jewish people.

Nathan Jones: Yes, yes. So, he’s kicked out of Heaven. No more access. And, well, now that the Antichrist by the midpoint of the Tribulation will be possessed by Satan, he goes into this great wrath against those who are saved, the Tribulation saints and the Jewish people. And he succeeds in just three and a half years of murdering two thirds of the Jewish people.

Tim, that’s 14 million today. About 8 million Jews will die. This is going to be worse than the Holocaust. But the Lord will keep a certain remnant protected likely in Jordan. And there, that remnant will be protected and saved, while the Antichrist goes out and kills all those people.

Tim Moore: You know, that is heartbreaking to me. It’s bad enough to hear about the quarter and the third of the world’s population that are killed. But when you think two thirds of the Jewish people, they have suffered so much. And yet, I have an element of hope even in that number, or that percentage.

As our friend Olivier Melnick said, “The Lord never tells us how many Jews.” And so if we are able to share the Gospel and if more and more Jewish people come to their Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ, and confess faith in Him, then they will be removed from the world when Jesus comes for His Church, because they’re part of the Church by profession of faith in Christ.

And so if the number of Jews are dwindled because more and more come to Christ, then there will be fewer people actually killed in that two thirds number. And that is our great hope.

Nathan Jones: That is a great hope. We hope that happens. Well, Antichrist is obviously insane with the rage and the nations, the king’s underneath them, the 10 kings, begin a civil war, a rebellion against him. And that’s where we get to the seventh war, the Middle East campaign of the Antichrist.
He goes against the king of the south, likely the king over Africa or at least Egypt. And he goes down, puts down that rebellion. But like you said, they hear the kings of the East are marching across the dried up Euphrates River and heading to Armageddon, which is exactly what Satan wants.

Tim Moore: It really is. So Satan is opposed to Jesus Christ, he’s opposed to the people of God, but he wants to receive worship. And so when anybody rebels against him during this day and age, then in his rage, he will turn from the Jewish people and the saints to anyone who would dare rebel against him.

You can think of some of the despots and dictators in the past who have had great anger and rage against those who would dare question their authority. That will be the Antichrist and dwell by the Satan himself. And so this Middle East campaign of the Antichrist morphs into the war of Armageddon we already discussed.

Nathan Jones: Which is interesting that Satan, and the Antichrist, and the False Prophet, will release three demons that look like frogs, and they go out and they gather the remnants of world. Now, the world is teetering on the brink of ecological destruction.

So with the wars and the death, that he’s able to manage to get all these….so there’s a little bit of a time period where Satan’s able to get whoever they can, the ragtag remnants of humanity into this one valley in preparation for Jesus to return. Like we said, we went through the Battle of Armageddon. And frankly, it’s not really a battle at all.

Tim Moore: No, it’s not.

Nathan Jones: Jesus steps and wins. But people say, “Okay, well that’s the final war,” but there’s one more, right?

Tim Moore: There is one more. And, of course, there’s an intervening period of a million, or, excuse me, a Millennium Reign of Jesus Christ, a thousand years. Nathan, in your latest book, you talk about that Millennial Kingdom and how much we’re anticipating it when peace, righteousness, and justice floods the earth.

But then Satan who is bound during that thousand years is released, and we think, “Why would he be released?” I think the Lord’s going to demonstrate that people in their own natural sinful inclination are seeking to rebel.

And so once again, he will lead many on this repopulated earth who have lived in perfect harmony with nature and each other into rebellion, and that will bring about the second battle of Gog and Magog.

Nathan Jones: Yes, because it’s kind of a reference or… Revelation 20 makes a tip to the Gog-Magog war. It’s not the Gog-Magog war. It’s like the Gog-Magog war.

Tim Moore: Yes.

Nathan Jones: Lots of differences between the two of them. But in the end, Satan, as he rallies the children of the Tribulation Saints that were born in the Millennial Kingdom up to Jerusalem, like we said, it’s not a battle at all.

Tim Moore: No.

Nathan Jones: They’re raging, they’re ready to take it over. But since the Millennial Kingdom is a time without war, there can’t be a war. So God just sends down fire and incinerates them, and that’s the end of the Millennial Kingdom. And that is the very last war of the End Times.

Tim Moore: It is. And sometimes these wars may seem to morph together. We’re trying to delineate them, which is why the book that we’ve offered is such a great resource for you to understand.

I think it’s important to realize two things about some of these wars. We mentioned the War of Gog and Magog and what the despots and the kings of the north, in this case, Gog, which we think is up toward Russia and Turkey are looking for, is to seize spoil down in Israel.

I’m reminded of Ahab who looked out upon the vineyard of Naboth and said, “I’d love to have that for myself.” And this jealousy and covetousness is what has inspired so many throughout history to long for the possessions of someone else, the wife or husband of someone else, and it leads to grave sin.

Nathan Jones: That’s why I look so forward to the verse that talks about that we one day will all sit under our vine or under our tree and be at peace with no fear of another person. No war, no ethnos against ethnos anymore. It’s like that scene from Lord of the Rings where Frodo is sitting under a tree reading. He doesn’t know about all that’s going on outside of the Shire.

Tim Moore: No.

Nathan Jones: I long for that day, Tim, where we could sit down and not worry about getting mugged or shot or some war somewhere, we’re truly living at peace, and only the Prince of Peace can provide that.

Tim Moore: Only the Prince of Peace. And, you know, we don’t have to wait till the War of Armageddon or the War of Gog and Magog. There are people right now who are in rebellion against Jesus Christ, who are shaking their fist at Him, rejecting the offer of salvation, and essentially cursing God. And some would say, “Well, I haven’t cursed God.”

You know what? If you haven’t accepted the offer of salvation, then the wrath of God abides on you, John 3:36 says, “because you are in rebellion against God.” Well, folks, we hope that this conversation about the End Times has been a blessing to you and that you are not in rebellion.

Closing

Tim Moore: I am reminded when I was a young cadet, I was required to memorize a quote by John Stuart Mill, asserting that war is not the ugliest of things. Mill went on to describe a people whose moral and patriotic sensibility was so decayed that they thought nothing was worth fighting for. As followers of Christ, we can say that an eternity in Hell is uglier and far more horrific than war will ever be.

Nathan Jones: We cannot guarantee that war will not descend on our world or touch our own nation or our families. Both Tim and I have sons who are serving in the military, so we speak as fathers when we say that we pray that those we love will never have to experience the devastation of war.

Tim Moore: Yet, even as we pray that, we know that Christians in other parts of the world are fighting for their homes, their families, and their lives right now. On behalf of all of us, we long for the true peace that will cover the world when the Prince of Peace reigns from Mount Zion.

Nathan Jones: And until He comes, there will be other wars. We may be witnessing the skirmishes leading up to the War of Psalm 83 right now, and the first War of Gog and Magog could break out at any time. In that regard, we’re on the cusp of Armageddon, but again, we do not believe that the Church will be here when that infamous war occurs.

Tim Moore: More important than discerning the timing and progression of the wars described in Scripture is knowing that your eternal destiny is secure. There is a battle raging for the souls of every man and woman on the planet right now. Those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ are guaranteed to be on the winning side because the Lord has already won the battle.

Don’t wait until the fool-hearted rebels of this world convince you to claim, “I am a mighty man,” and march to the valley of decision. Make your decision today to join forces with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, for the day of the Lord is indeed near. As the prophet Joel says, “He is a refuge for His people.” Until next week, Godspeed!

Announcement

Most people are aware of the End Time war prophesied in the Bible called the Battle of Armageddon. But did you know Bible prophecy also reveals eight other wars? Arm yourself with Dr. David Reagan’s book, 9 Wars of the End Times, and read about the truth of what God’s prophetic Word says about the End Times. Make sure you’re ready for Jesus’s soon return. To get your copy of this book, just call the number you see on the screen and ask for it by name or visit our website at lamblion.com.

End of Program