That the Bible is true, and really is God's Word, is a subject for another time. For the sake of this article, please be assured that the author has, in fact, studied the geographical, scientific, and historical evidence which proves the Bible to be authentic and inspired by the True God, Himself. Quotes are taken from both a modern English version and the King James "authorized" version. Note that the King James version says the same thing as the modern English version, but in "old English."
There are many misconceptions about Armageddon, based mostly on what one has heard from others, or simply chooses to believe. The most common two misconceptions are (1)That mankind can, or will, start Armageddon (usually believed this will happen with nuclear weapons) and, (2)That Armageddon will destroy the earth, or at least wipe out the human race. Neither is true! The people who teach such things or who believe them, whether they like it or not, are supposedly basing these thoughts on the Bible. But is that what the Bible says? Let's find out! Incidentally, you will NOT find these teachings anywhere in Christendom. The churches of Christendom claim to be Bible-based, but are they? Let the Bible speak for itself:
Ecclesiastes 1:4
"A generation is going, and a generation is coming; but the earth is standing even to time indefinite."
Isaiah 45:18 (King James version)
"For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited..."
Isaiah 55:11 (King James version)
"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."
Does this sound like God intends to destroy the earth he created? Read on:
Psalms 37:29 (King James version)
"The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever"
Matthew 5:5
"Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth."
Malachi 4:1
"...all the presumptuous ones and all those doing wickedness must become as stubble..."
Matthew 24:37-39
"For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. For as they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be."
Revelation 7:14
"...These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
Note here that there were survivors of the worldwide flood of Noah's day. Revelation, among others, tells us that there will also be survivors of the "great tribulation," and Armageddon itself. These are the "righteous ones," who have accepted the True God and strive to live according to his will and his laws. These, among others yet to be resurrected (ANOTHER very interesting and revealing subject!), are the ones who will "inherit the land and dwell therein for ever."
Meanwhile, where are the world nations through all of this?
Daniel 2:44 (King James version)
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." -- Note that this says "in the days of these kings," meaning they will still be in power when God's kingdom is set up...at least for awhile.
Matthew 24:6,7,9,21,22 (King James version)
"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom..."
"Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake."
"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."
Micah 7:16,17
"Nations will see and become ashamed of all their mightiness. They will put (their) hand upon (their) mouth; their very ears will become deaf. They will lick up dust like the serpents; like reptiles of (the) earth they will come in agitation out of their bulwarks. To (you, our God) they will come quivering, and they will be afraid of you."
The above is only the "tip of the iceberg," so to speak. There is MUCH, MUCH MORE to consider if one is to arrive at the final, absolute truth of what is coming. In short, Armageddon will not be started by mankind, nor can they end it. God himself will cause it to start, and he will cause it to end when the last remnants of this world system have been wiped out, along with those who support it. Only those who turn to him now and accept his divine rulership and submit to his kingdom rule will survive. The big difference in this and the flood of Noah's day is that, when the flood came, the ransom sacrifice for humankind had not yet been paid. Now, it has been, with the execution of Jesus, God's son. This will be the FINAL time God will ever have to do this type of thing. Never again will the things that dominate the world today be allowed to crop up.
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