conflicts in the Old Testament. It was not a battle of one man versus a nation, but God versus Satan, for on that day ‘The fire of the Lord fell” (I Kings 18:38). One day it will fall again, but in that day the fire will be ac companied by the Lord Himself, “ and his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east” (Zechariah 14:4). Let us look now at the purpose of the conflict at Arma- WHEN CHRIST RETURNS “ . . . and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”—Isaiah 55:12 Sometimes the little leaves move, murmuring Complaints confusing to the troubled tree; Sometimes through pensive pines the wind will sing Its mournful music in a minor key. Then I remember how all nature yearns And travails for redemption. This distress Will turn to triumph when the King returns, And every knee shall bow, each tongue confess. Then will earths glad crescendo swell to meet The paean of the skies, each voice employ The major key to sing God’s grace, complete. And all the trees will clap their hands for joy, All nature join in one exalted strain, When He returns—whose right it is to reign. — Helen Frazee-Bower geddon. I believe Armageddon is the divinely-appointed event through which God will settle once and for all His dealings with the unbelieving Gentile nations of the world who, inspired by the devil and his desire for war, have rejected God’s plan of salvation and have allied themselves with the anti-Christ to make war against Jerusalem. Armageddon canot possibly be averted so long as Satan controls the hearts of unregenerate men. The Jew will be in his land at that time and in control of the world’s wealth. In 1935 we were in the midst of a financial depres sion, yet the following figures estimate the wealth in the Holy Land at that time. In the deposits of the Dead Sea alone there were reported to be: 1,300,000,000 tons of potash valued at $70,000,000,000; 853,000,000 tons of bromide valued at $260,000,000,000; 11,900,000,000 tons of salt valued at $27,500,000,000; 81,000,000 tons of gyp sum valued at $120,000,000; 6,000,000,000 tons of calcium chloride valued at $85,000,000,000; 22,000,000,000 tons of magnesium chloride valued at $825,000,000,000, mak ing a total vaue of $1,267,500,000,000, as much, if not more, than all the wealth of the rest of the civilized world. Triple this figure and you have some idea of the worth of these chemicals at today’s market prices. Con trol of the Near East will be the bone of contention. Zionism and the Jewish issue will be the big factors. The contest, in the eyes of the Gentile world-powers, is for a prize. Satan will use in that day, as he always has done, wealth and power to trap the unwary. And God, foreseeing that day, has planned to put an end to Satan’s rebellion. But the tragedy of it all is the awful judgment that must come to every individual in that day who has not been saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The armies of millions of men will be gathered, but before hell breaks loose, heaven intervenes, and a one sided victory by the Lord Jesus Christ over the hordes of hell will be inevitable. These forces that gather against Jerusalem will come from the whole earth, from among (Continued on Next Page)
was only thirty-three, Christ’s enemies nailed Him to the Cross and buried Him in a tomb. But on the third day He arose. Again the Lamb of God, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, had conquered. And ever since Pente cost Satan has been doing his worst to attack the Church of Jesus Christ. For more than sixty centuries a contest between God and Satan has waged. But time is rapidly running out for Satan and his hordes. He wants to fight, and Until Christ returns to crush his head he will continue to wage war. While God has permitted wars to come because of our sins, Satan has been the one responsible for all wars. One last great conflict, however, will end all wars, and this writer be lieves it is possible that some living on the earth today will be here to suffer and die in the conflict. Arm ageddon This battle is what we know as the Battle of Arma geddon. As to the time of the Battle of Armageddon it will take place at the close of the Tribulation when Christ returns in Person with His saints. All true be lievers in the Lord Jesus Christ will have been trans lated at Christ’s return for His saints (1 Thessalonians 4: 16, 17). The preparation for Armageddon is described in Revelation 16:13-16. The consummation of the Battle is set forth in Revelation 19:11-21. Armageddon will be the fulfillment of the Smiting Stone Prophecy of Daniel 2:35, 44, 45. The prophecies of Isaiah 10:20-34; 34:1-8; 63:1-4; Zechariah 10:10, 12; 13:18; 14:9; show that the Battle of Armageddon will be by divine appointment. While it is true that the armies of men will be mar shalled by Satan, it is by divine appointment neverthe less. The Satan-inspired Beast of the ten-kingdom West ern Empire will call his armed forces for the battle. The armies of the United States will be transported to join them. Think of it! Millions of armed men being moved to a given spot for a war that will be made the last war according to divine plan. Study the fulfilled prophecies of Scripture and learn that the plans of God never go amiss. Consider next the place where the battle will be fought. The “Valley of Megiddo” is situated in central Palestine on the edge of the great plains of Esdraelon or Jezreel, and it is named at least twelve times in Scrip ture. Look at a map and you will see that it lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, a strategic location between Asia Minor and Egypt. That rich valley that has witnessed the rise of many civilizations will one day behold the total overthrow of all Gentile power. Judging by the comments on recent events, there are some eminent observers who believe that a great war is imminent in the East. These men are not all professing Christians nor do they make any claims to belief in the Bible. As far back as the time of Napoleon, that great leader pronounced it “ the most natural battleground of the whole earth.” Frederick L. Brooks in his book Prophetic Glimpses said: “Here many of the most noted military generals have fought. Thothmes fought here in 1500 B.C.; Rameses, 1350 B.C.; Sargon, 722 B.C.; Sennacherib, 710 B.C.; Nebuchadnezzar, 606 B.C.; Ptolemy, 197 B.C.; Antiochus Epiphanes, 168 B.C.; Pompey, 63 B.C.; Titus, 70 A.D.; Khosru, the Persian King, 614 A.D.; Omar, 637 A.D.; the Crusades under St. Louis of France, 909 A.D.; Saladin, who conquered Richard the Lionhearted in 1187 A.D.; the Ottoman Forces, 1615 A.D.” There Satan and his hordes had met God before. Three renowned moun tains overlook this valley: Carmel, Gilboa, and Tabor. It was on Mount Carmel where the contest between Eli jah’s God and the devil-possessed, Baal-worshipping pro phets of Jezebel took place. It was one of the mightiest
JANUARY, 1960
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