Armagedon
(Spelled as it should be spelled.)

By Stephen M. Golden
Copyright © 2016-02-23, 2023-02-22, 2024-06-30

Table of Contents

Armagedon – Arema-Gei-Don


This document is based on a lecture by Doug Hamp at the Supernatural Truth Conference, Session 4, in Austin, TX on 11-2-2013.


The Valley of Megiddo


Revelation 16:16

[16]"And they gathered them together at the place which in Hebrew is called Armageddon."


It's a Hebrew word.  It has been interpreted to mean "har Megiddo."  "Har" means mountain.


Revelation 19:19

[19]"…make war against Him and against His army."


So, where is this "har Megiddo"?  Megiddo is about an hour and a half north of Jerusalem.

Valley of Megiddo

The problem is, there is no mountain.  There is no such place as har Megiddo.  There is tel Megiddo.  A tel is not a mountain.  It means the "hill" of a city that has been destroyed, rebuilt, destroyed, rebuilt, destroyed, and rebuilt until it eventually gets higher and higher.  There is no mountain in Megiddo.


Some have described the plain of Megiddo as a place where it can be imagined the armies of the world might gather and wage a massive battle.  However, (44:10) nations fighting one another, nuking each other, etc. has nothing to do with Armagedon.


Not Megiddo


Armagedon will NOT take place in the valley of Megiddo.  It all happens right outside the city of Jerusalem.


The Bible says there will be blood up to the horses’ bridles (Revelation 14:20).  There is no place for that to occur at Megiddo.  It’s not a confined space.  It would flow out to the sea and to all the surrounding land.


Topographically, Megiddo does not fit the place of Armagedon.


Also, "Har Megiddo" doesn’t fit linguistically:


The word "Armageddon" was originally spelled with one delta [Greek d] and not two.  In English, the two "d’s" come from the Textus Receptus.  But in the Byzantine Majority Text, there is one delta.  Other texts also have only one delta.  Only Textus Receptus has two deltas.


Instead of Har Megiddo, Armageddon should be understood as the three Hebrew words Arema Gei Don.

Arema Gei Don:


The Valley of the Judgment of the Harvested Heap (Sheaves)


A Harvest motif:


Throughout God’s revelation of the end, there is a harvest motif: Sheaves, sickles, stomping on grapes, and etc.


Arema —Arema is a pile or a heap of harvested grain


Gei —Gei is a valley, as in "valley of the sons of Hinnom": Gehenna.  It is a narrow, limted valley, not a wide extended plain.


Don —Don, or judgment.  Don is identical in meaning with the word "shaphat."


God tells us where He is going to judge the nations.  He is going to gather the nations to the valley of Jehoshaphat.  The battle will be in the valley of Jehoshaphat. 


Jehoshaphat means Yahweh [YHWH] Judges.  It’s the place where He is going to judge.

Jehoshephat -below Mount of Olives

It’s right down from the Mount of Olives.


The nations will come against Jerusalem. 


Micah 4:11

[11]"Let her be defiled and let our eye look upon Zion."


Zechariah 12:2-3  

[2] "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. [3] "And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.


There is an amazing trap that the Beast thinks he’s setting for the people of Israel, but God is the one setting the trap and He’s going to spring it. (Micah 4:12)


Jeremiah 50:26

"Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left."


Exodus 16:8  

[8]"And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD."


Micah 4:12

[12]"He will gather them like sheaves to the threshing floor."


Joel 3:1-3

"[3:1] For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, [2] I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land."


Zechariah 14:2

[2] 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 forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.


Until all the nations of the earth gather against Jerusalem, this prophecy remains unfulfilled.  When that day comes, Jesus will come back.


Joel 3:11, 13

[11]"Let the nations come to the valley of Jehoshaphat… [13]put in the sickle for the harvest is ripe… for the winepress is full, the vats overflow."


Zechariah 12:9

…destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem


Revelation 14:20

[20]…the winepress was trampled outside the city


All of these things happen in or near Jerusalem.  Nothing happens at Megiddo.


Joel 3:9-12 God is ANGRY. God says,

[9]"…Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: [10] Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. [11] Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. [12] Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about."


The Jews are God's elect.  Christians are not.  Their election does not mean they are saved.  It just shows they are descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  A Jew still must put his trust in the LORD, Jesus.


Valley of Jehoshaphat


Revelation 14:14-16

  "…in His hand a sharp sickle."


The motif of the harvest is all over this event.  That is why Arema Gei Don fits so well as an explanation of Armagedon, because it’s all about the harvest at the end of the age.


The Mount of Olives is right above the valley of Jehoshaphat.  Jesus’ feet will stand on the Mount of Olives when He returns.  (Zechariah 14:4)


Revelation 14:18, 20 indicates there will be blood up to the horses’ bridles for 1600 furlongs (in this valley).   This is a topographical location where it makes a lot more sense.

Jehoshephat

Isaiah 63:2-3

"[2] Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?  [3] I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment."


Jesus is going to get into the fray.


Isaiah 34:2

[2]"For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter."


Isaiah 34:3-5

"[3] Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. [4] And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. [5] For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment."


This is not allegorical.  It’s really going to happen.


Micah 4:11, 12 The trap that the nations set for Israel, God will turn upon them. He will "gather them like sheaves to the threshing floor."

"[11] Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. [12] But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor."


Luke 3:17

"[17] Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable."


Zechariah 14:1-2 "…For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem…"

"[14:1] Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. [2] 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 forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city."


Two thirds of the Israelites in Jerusalem will be killed (Zechariah 13), one third will be captured until after the time of Jacob’s trouble they will accept the one they have rejected.  If the population is then like it is today in Jerusalem, there will be 100,000 people left in Jerusalem.


Jesus Will Not Help Until…


Jesus will not help them until they acknowledge their offense:


Matthew 23:39

"[39] For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."


Luke 13:35

"[35] Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."


Hosea 5:15

  "[15] I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offense, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early."


It will take the time of Jacob’s Trouble for them to see their offense.  Then they are going to realize the one they have rejected.


Zechariah 12:6

"[6] In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem."


In that day (the day Jesus comes back)… (the governors of Judah) shall devour the surrounding peoples.


Zechariah 12  There will be great mourning.  They are going to be totally devastated.  There will be no consoling them.  It is not "all right."


Hosea 6:1-3  On the third day, He will raise us up

"[1] Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. [2] After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. [3] Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth."


Once they realize Jesus is their king, on the third day after great mourning, they will be raised up.  They will go down to the valley of Jehoshaphat because they will remember Zechariah 14, that His feet will touch down on the Mount of Olives:

14:1] Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. [2] 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 forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. [3] Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. [4] 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 they will wait for Him to return.


All the while, the Anti-Christ [Nimrod, Apollo, Apollyon…] is still out and about.  His forces are out looking for Jews to kill.


Satan is not out to defeat God by overpowering Him, he is out to get a tie on a "legality." It’s never been a battle of force, it has always been a battle of "legality."’ 


If he can contradict one of God’s necessary conditions (eliminate the Jews, corrupt the blood line, etc.) he believes he will win.   Satan believes it will be a "tie" if he can kill every last Jew on the planet.  That would contradict Daniel 7:18.

"[18] But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever."


The nations will come upon the remaining Jews and Jesus will give them the supernatural ability to shoot out fire.


Zechariah 12:8

"…like the Angel of the LORD before them."


Habakkuk 3:4

"He had rays flashing from his hand…"


God is indeed a "man of war".  He is a God of fire.


Jerusalem will be devastated.  Then from the "residue," God will fight the nations.  Just like with Pharaoh going after the fleeing Israelites, God likes to make His enemies think they’ve won.


Zechariah 4:3

[3]"Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle."


Zechariah 14:4-5 The Mount of Olives will split asunder from east to west when His feet touch it.  Then they will flee through His mountain valley (Gei).

"[4] In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. [5] You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him! "


When Jesus’ feet touch the Mount of Olives, isn’t that the end of the story?  No.  Like the Red Sea crossing (Exodus 14:3), the Israelites flee through the valley.


Their enemies will follow.  Jesus interposes between.  He will gather them like sheaves on the threshing floor.


Habakkuk 3:4-5

"[4] He is as bright as lightning; a two-pronged lightning bolt flashes from his hand. 


This is the outward display of his power. Plague goes before him; pestilence marches right behind him."

Yeshua destroys Israel's Enemies

Zechariah 14:13

[13]"On that day there will be great confusion from the LORD among them; they will seize each other and attack one another violently.”


They try to run, but they run into the men behind them and begin to fight them in order to flee.


Zechariah 12:4 Blindness.  Jesus is bright.  There is mass confusion.


Zechariah 14:12 Their flesh shall dissolve… just by being in the presence of Jesus.


This is not a nuclear blast or a neutron bomb.  This is the presence of our LORD.  They don’t have celestial bodies to be in the presence of our LORD and they literally begin to melt.


He begins slicing and dicing.  Their blood splatters everywhere. He then begins to advance upon them begins to trample them like grapes


Isaiah 63:2-4

"[2] Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? [3]  "I have trodden the wine trough alone, And from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath; And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My raiment. [4] "For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come.”


Revelation 19:17-18 Carrion birds come for the supper of the great God.  Migratory birds of the region fly directly over Israel on their route.


Summary


• Antichrist gathers to destroy Israel (Revelation 16:16)


• Jesus rends the veil [between the spirit world and the physical world] and comes down to fight on behalf of Israel (Isaiah 64:1; 2 Peter 3:10)


• Governors of Judah fend of attackers briefly (Zechariah 12:6)


• Jesus touches the Mount of Olives, and it splits (Zechariah 14:4)


• Israel flees through the newly created mountain pass (Zechariah 14:5)


• Jesus fights the attackers, gets bloody, squishes them like grapes (literally) (Isaiah 63:1-6)


• Lots of bodies; birds come and feast (Revelation 19:17, 18, 21; Matthew 24:28)


• Judgment of sheep and goats immediately afterward (Matthew 25:31-41)


Conclusions


• The heavens passing away is the un-veiling which happens the day Jesus returns.


• The Day of the Lord is the "thief in the night” event


• Armagedon is Arema-Gei-Don "Valley of the Judgment of the Harvest”


• Jesus comes personally and fights for the remnant of Israel


• The Biblical imagery is literal