The battle of Armageddon #3

By way of concluding our series of articles concerning the battle of Armageddon, the figure is employed not for the literal, physical location of Armageddon in Israel, but for the battle imagery for which the place was famous. People today desperately want it to be literal. In Revelation, the “battle of Armageddon” is the figurative term describing the symbolic overthrow of all the forces of evil by the might and power of God. In the context of the final chapters of Revelation, “Armageddon” represents the complete defeat of the Roman Empire and paganism behind which Rome threw its total power (19:11-21).

One must respect of figurative language when it comes to interpreting Revelation. For example, if one takes “Armageddon” literally, as so many do, what will one do with “three unclean spirits like frogs” or the island which “fled away” and the mountains which were “not found?” It is obvious that the elements in Revelation 16 are figurative. Why do most religious people not see this?

If we say this is a physical battle between human armies, we violate the purpose of Revelation. As far as practical application is concerned, “Armageddon” is any decisive battle between good and evil or between right and wrong. Whenever Christians fight a spiritual battle and win, they have fought the “battle of Armageddon.”

Kyle Campbell