THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON

Sermon by Rev. J. Frank Norris.
(Stenographically Reported)

I invite your attention to a selection of scripture as found in the 16th chapter of the Book of Revelation: “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”

Why is there interest in the battle of Armageddon? And peculiarly so is it now. The whole world asks, “What will a day bring forth?” The parliaments of the world, the statesmen and diplomats are trying to find some way how they may stop war. We have peace congresses and disarmament conferences, but tonight the world is armed to its teeth as never before. We tremble as we think of the warring conditions in Europe after the World War, only to wake up and find that the interest in Europe is not to be compared with our interest now in the Orient.

The question that confronts us is what says the Word of God on this hour? Indeed, man is like a traveler that is lost in a dense forest, he gropes in the darkness of the midnight hour and the thick clouds hang low and there isn’t a star to be seen. He knows not which way to turn. There is no familiar path that his feet can walk in, no true light to guide him, but we have a Guide, an infallible Guide. The Bible, my friends, is the only Light. I will challenge the skepticism and unbelief of this world to come here tonight and tell us what is the hope of this bloody world in conflict, and the outcome. There isn’t a philosopher that ever lived that has any solution to offer. With all due respect to the eminent scientists of this hour and every other hour, not one has ever ventured to offer any solution. The statesmanship of the world is confused and it fails to solve the question. Then where can we turn? We have a Guide.

“Bread of our souls, whereon we feed;
True manna from on high;
Our guide and chart, wherein we read
Of realms beyond the sky.

Pillar of fire, through watches dark,
Or radiant cloud by day;
When wavs would whelm our tossing bark,
Our anchor and. our stay.

Word of the ever-living God,
Will of His glorious Son:
Without thee how could earth be trod,
Or heaven itself be won?”

The Battle of Armageddon in prophesy is the battle of the last great day of the Lord God Almighty. It is not in the past but in the future. The word Armageddon means Mount Megiddo, which has also given its name to the plain of Jezreel, an ancient name, and it belts across the whole land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Valley of the Jordan. Its name literally means to cut off, to slay, and in the plains of Megiddo or Esdraelon or Jezreel, the world’s decisive battles have been fought – the majority of them.

I want to submit to you five questions that will help to study this question, the Battle of Armageddon:

When will it be fought?
Where will it be fought?
What is the issue or the cause of the battle?
Who will be the leaders of the contending forces?
What will be the outcome?

When Will Armageddon Be Fought?

Now, the first question, when? We do not know the dates, or the times or the seasons which God has placed in His power and reserved as His own secret, and it is a sad fact that there are many cranks going up and down the earth that set dates, and therefore many people instead of inquiring what the Bible says, just back off from it. When you go to talking about the end of things and the coming of Christ that means you are going to set a day, they say. Why I didn’t read it, but I started to – the first paragraph told me enough – a certain well known theological professor was decrying the Second Coming of Christ and ridiculing it and said “Those who believe it are always setting dates.” Now, I’ll excuse the theological professor on the grounds of ignorance, for most of them, I will admit to you, are consummately ignorant. They know their little lesson and that is all’ I say, the time we don’t know. We only know it in relation to certain other events. Jesus said in answer to the question of the Disciples: “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.” (Acts 1:7.) Even concerning His own return He says: “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matt. 24:42 and 44.)

Instead of that being an argument for our ignoring it, the very uncertainty is an argument for our watching: “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

The Battle of Armageddon will be fought as to time in its relation to the coming of Christ to this earth. Now, that much we know concerning the time, and that is sufficient.

In the text, Revelation 16:12-16, the relation of Armageddon to the return of Christ is clearly stated – “Behold, I come.” Immediately before this glorious declaration we have the gathering to battle, “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world” – mark the expression “the whole world” – “to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” And following the announcement, “Behold I come” is the battle, “And He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”

We should not be dogmatic on the order of events that will take place in connection with the second coming but the scriptures are very clear that before Armageddon there will be the first resurrection, the translation of the living saints, and the marriage of the Lamb, and then for a period of time, the duration of which we do not know, the great tribulation will be on earth, the beast, or the anti-Christ will hold sway, and at the close of the Tribulation, Armageddon, and then the second stage of His return, the Revelation in glory and power with His saints, the overthrow of the beast and his armies, the conversion of the Jews, the chaining of Satan and the establishment of His throne.

As to the time of the battle Joel says:

“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.” (Joel 2:1.) “The day of the Lord cometh” – this is man’s day. Then Joel tells us of the terribleness of that day – “A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations” (Joel 2:2) – that mighty army, the army of the beast, which has never been equaled before nor shall there be any more after it, devours like a fire all before it – “A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the gardens of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.” (Joel 2:3.) Sometimes we hear little aping German rationalists say the Bible is out of date. Twenty-five hundred years ago Joel saw the heavens filled with airplanes in the time of battle – “Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array,” – how helpless are the people in the presence of such destruction which sweeps the earth and covers the heavens – “Before their faces the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.” What a disciplined army is the army of the beast – “They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war ;and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks. Neither shall one trust another; they shall walk every one in his path, and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.” Earth will quake and heaven tremble – “The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble, the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” A dark picture, you say. Indeed, it is true, but there is something else that is true and gloriously true. Present terrible conditions cannot be denied – we need no Bible to tell us the awful facts that confront us, but we do need a Bible, the Word of God, to tell us of the glorious message of hope, and here it is: “And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army: for His camp is very great: for He is strong that executeth His word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?'” (Joel 2:5-11.

When will the battle of Armageddon take place? Its time is fixed by the return of the Lord, it is fixed by the turning again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem: “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem.” (Joel 3:1)

It is in that very chapter, where war is declared. What war? Let the Scriptures answer: Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather your selves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. 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. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.” (Joel 3:9-14.) As we hear this prophetic declaration of war whose heart is there that does not tremble? Every mother holds her boy to her bosom in fear and trembling. What a dark picture. What despair would grip us if that were all, but praise His name in that same prophecy the Lord declares victory is certain: The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.” (Joel 3:15-16.) (Voices: Amen.)

All the prophets agree as to the time. Zephaniah, an unread and unheeded prophet, says: “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.” (Zeph. 1:14-17.)

Notice how often he refers to “that day.”
“The great day of the Lord.”
“That day is a day of wrath.”
“A day of trouble and distress.”
“A day of wasteness and desolation.”
“A day of darkness and gloominess.”
“A day of clouds and thick darkness.”
‘A day of the trumpet and alarm.”

This is not a pessimistic view, it is simply a statement of the true conditions, but, indeed, it would be hopeless if the day ended in darkness, but not so, the day of darkness on the earth is followed, like the resurrection of our Lord followed the night of darkness of the tomb, for He shall rise as the Sun of righteousness with healings in His wings.

“O’er the gloomy hills of darkness,
Look, my soul, be still and gaze;
With a glorious day of grace:
Let thy glorious morning dawn!”
Blessed jubilee,
All the promises do travail

Where Will Armageddon Be Fought?

The second question, let the scriptures answer. Where will the Battle of Armageddon be fought? Palestine, my friends, is the battleground of the world. It is strategically located, midway between ancient Egypt on the south and ancient Assyria on the north. Marching and contending armies met there and settled their issues. The kings of Egypt and the kings of Babylon there met and vanquished each other. Every mention of that battle ground suggests to every student of history these names as world conquerors: Thotmes, Tiglath-Pileser, Sargon, Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Cambyses, Alexander, Pompey, Caesar, Augustus, Titus, Hadrian, Omar, Saladin, Tamerlane and Napoleon. Napoleon reached half way to the northermost part of that land, met with reverses and then turned back. I say it is the battle ground of the world. Fifteen hundred years before Christ Thotmes III, so we read from tablets that have been dug up, vanquished the cities in all Asia-Minor, what is ancient Syria, and names 19 towns in Palestine. Old Ramases II, thirteen hundred and fifty years before Christ subdued the Hittites in that land. In the scriptures we read how that Deborah and Barak with their hosts from Mt. Tabor overwhelmed the nine hundred iron chariots of Sisera. It was in this same place in the plains of Megiddo that good king Josiah was slain by Pharaoh-Necho of Egypt. It was in 722 B. C. that Sargon captured and destroyed Samaria. It was in 586 B. C. that Nebuchadnezzar captured and destroyed Jerusalem and took the Jews to Babylon where they wept for seventy years in captivity. It was 197 B. C. that Ptolemy of Egypt fought the decisive battle and captured that land. It was 168 B. C. that Antiochus-Epiphanes fought and won a decisive battle in that same land. It was 63 B. C. that Pompey the Great fought and won the decisive battle and brought Palestine under Roman rule. It was in the year 70 A. D. that the Romans under Titus marched through that land and captured and destroyed Jerusalem. In the year 614 A. D. the Persian king Khosru captured that land and only a short time afterward the greatest of all the Moslem conquerors, Omar, captured that land in 637 A. D., and to commemorate his victory he built what now stands and is known as the Mosque of Omar on the site of the ancient temple of Solomon. In the year 1099 A. D. the Crusaders led by Saint Louis of France won the decisive battle and brought it from under the reign of the Crescent to that of the Cross. It was in the year 1187 A. D. that it ceased to be under the Crusaders’ rule and went back under the rule of the Crescent, when the blade of Saladin vanquished the sword of Richard the Lion Hearted. It was in the sixteenth century that the Ottoman Turks – 1516 – overran the land and it remained under the heel of the Turk until December, 1917, when General Allenby unfurled the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes at the Joffa gate.

That is just a bird’s-eye view to call your attention to how the decisive battles of the world, the historic and conflicting armies, of Europe, Asia and Africa have settled their issues in this land. Now, the question is when will the final issue of the world be settled there? I call your attention to the prophesy of Ezekiel on the question: Where will this battle be fought? “After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou and all thy bands, and many people with the.” (Ezk. 38:8-9.).

Now I want to again refer to the prophesy of Joel: “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. 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.” (Joel 3:2 and 12.)

“Let the heathen be wakened.”

Oh, my friends, I wonder, I wonder if that scripture has not a deeper significance tonight. Will the heathen be awakened? Will the heathen gather their armies and march to Jerusalem? Will China be awakened and India and Japan, the islands of the sea? Isaiah in speaking of the place in the 63rd chapter says: “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? 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. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.” (Isa. 63:1-6.)

Daniel in describing the last conflict tells us exactly where it will take place: “And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” (Dan. 11:45.)

Zechariah locates the place, as well as the time:

The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundations of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem, a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. In that day saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.” (Zech. 12:1-4.)

Zechariah says in the fourteenth chapter: “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 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. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle.” (Zech. 14:1-3.)

What Is the Cause or Issue of Armageddon?

The third question, what is the cause of this final great battle? The cause is the conquest of restored Jerusalem. The Jew is the cause of it, though he is not responsible for it – better I should say, the occasion of it. He was the occasion of the great war, the World War. Out of that great conflict came one clear cut result – only one – not confederations, not disarmament, not territorial settlement but out of it came only one thing and that was Palestine restored to its rightful owners, even according to the metes and bounds and the field notes as recorded in the book of Joshua, and for the first time in nearly 3,000 years that land has been to the world what no other land has been, for the first time in 3,000 years, we witness one Jewish ruler reigning over united Palestine with the power of life and death in his hands. Now, the issue is what? Jerusalem restored. The Jew, with the wealth of the world in his hands – don’t blame him for it – he tried and succeeded – you tried it and failed. The Jew is the banker of the world tonight. The Jew owns the theatres. The Jew owns the press and the Catholics run it. Someone has well, said that the Jew owns New York and the Roman Catholics run it. The Jew is in power throughout the world. No wonder they are succeeding! Now, as it has ever been, the Jew provokes the envy of all other peoples. It isn’t that other peoples have anything against him, but they want what he has got. This is tremendously significant that that land has now been restored to the Jew.

“Come near, ye nations,” says Isaiah, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. 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. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, and the year of recompense for the controversy of Zion.” (Isa. 34:1-3 and 8.)

Restored Jerusalem is the cause – “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem.” (Joel 3:1.)

Jerusalem, the cup of trembling to all the people round about. “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.” (Zech. 12:2.)

All nations shall be gathered against Jerusalem: “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.” (Zech. 14:2.)

“O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem” – what a tragic, what a glorious part that city of all cities has had in shaping the history of the world, but its greatest history is yet to come. It will yet be the capital of the world: “The word that Isaiah the son of Amos saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.” (Isa. 2:1-5.)

The Leaders

The fourth question – Who will be the leaders of the contending forces? One of them is a man, a human being, a great military leader, and the other is the Son of Man, the Son of God. That is what David saw when he tuned his harp and sang of the coming kingdom.

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, the rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.” (Ps. 2.)

Now, the scriptures are abundant on the character that shall lead the armies of this world. Daniel says: “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces: and a God whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.” (Dan. 11:36-38.)

Do you see anything like this prophesy headíng up? Who is the leader of the federated forces of the world? What is his character? He comes up out of the sea of troubled humanity; “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon the heads the name of blasphemy.” (Rev. 13:1.) He is beastly in his destructive power: “And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” (Rev. 13:2.) He is Satan incarnate and the greatest military ruler of all times: “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Rev. 13:4.) He is the arch blasphemer: “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies: and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.” (Rev. 13:5-6.) He makes war against the saints: “And it was given unto him to make war with the saint, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues and nations.” (Rev. 13:7.)

Who will he be? I don’t know. He will be a man, some power after that of Caesar. Who will he be? Some power after Napoleon Bonaparte. What dictator now might arise we don’t know. Where will he come from? Italy, Japan, China? We don’t know. but he will be Satan incarnate, leading the martial hosts of earth. Going where? Against Jerusalem.

But I love to turn from that dark picture and see the brightest picture of all time and eternity, indescribable, inexpressibly glorious – let all heaven and earth hear it, let three worlds behold it, no man could have invented it – here is our glorious King:

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev. 9:11-16.)

The ruler over all the powers of the earth, the Lord of this universe, that is the leader that I know and that is the one that is going to conquer, and that is the One whose reign shall be from the river to the ends of the earth. Yes, my friends, Jesus, the Thorn-Crowned, Rejected. Despised One, shall reign! (Hallelujah.)

“Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretcch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.

Behold the islands with their kings,
And Europe her best tribute brings;
From north to south the princes meet
To pay their homage at His feet.

There Persia, glorious to behold,
There India shines in eastern gold;
And barbarous nations at His word
Submit, and bow, and own their Lord.

People and realms of every tongue,
Dwell on llis love with sweetest song;
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their carly blessings on His name.

Blessings abound where’er He reigns,
The prisoner leaps to loose his chains,
The weary find eternal rest,
And all the sons of want are blest.

Where He displays His healing power,
Death and the curse are known no more;
In Him the tribes of Adam boast
More blessings than their father lost.

Let every creature rise, and bring
Peculiar honors to our King
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud Amen.”

My friends, these two leaders, the Christ and the Anti-Christ, coming for two bodies, the body of Christ, and the body of the Anti-Christ. For every Cain there is an Abel, for every Pharaoh there is a Moses, for every Ahab there is an Elijah, for every Herod there is a John the Baptist, for every Nero there is a Paul – believer and unbeliever, justified and unjustified, saved and unsaved – to which body do you belong?

What Will Be the Result?

Now, the last question briefly, what will be the result? You have already anticipated the answer. We have seen that the scriptures tell us where, and when, and the cause, and the leaders. It takes no prophet to know what the result will be, with Christ, the crowned King of the Universe, the armies of heaven following Him.

The prophets foresaw the results. Ezekiel says: And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain. and great hailstones. ire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.” (Eze. 38:21-23.)

But the seer of Patmos gives us the vision of the glorious triumph of our Christ and the doom of the beast and the false prophet: And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of ‘mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of all men both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” (Rev. 19:17-21.)

Kings are slain, armies are vanquished like it was the night when Rabshakah, who the day before had blasphemed the city of God and sent his wicked demand to good king Hezekiah, and he spread it before Him in the temple and God said to Isaiah, “Go tell Hezekiah to wait,” and that night the angel of judgment swept through the army of Sennacherib and 185,000 horsemen the next morning covered the ground when the sun rose. By the breath of His power, by the brightness of His presence, by the sword of his mouth. He utters His voice, the earth trembles, mountains give way, islands are drowned in the sea, nations come to the judgment, and the King of kings establishes. His throne. I haven’t time, but I will in future sermons tell you some of the results. Then will nations and races that are now in blindness see Him and accept Him and the Jew will be converted in a day, and then shall we see the resurrection of the righteous. My friends, this is a day of great solemnity. Yes, we wonder what a day will bring forth, but Jesus says, in the 21st chapter of Luke’s gospel when we see these things know that your redemption draweth nigh.

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring:; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke 21:25-28.)

“Lift up your heads, rejoice,
Redemption draweth nigh;
Now breathes a softer air,
Now shines a milder sky;
The early trees put forth
Their new and tender leaf;
Hushed is the moaning wind
That told the winter’s grief.

Lift up your heads, rejoice,
Redemption draweth nigh;
Now mount the laden clouds
Now flames the darkening sky;
The early scattered drops
Descend with heavy fall
And to the waiting earth
The hidden thunders call.

Lift up your heads, rejoice,
Redemption draweth nigh;
O note the varying signs
Of carth, and air, and sky;
The God of glory comes
In gentleness and might,
To comfort and alarm,
To succor and to smite.

He comes, the wide world’s King,
He comes, the true heart’s friend,
New gladness to begin,
And ancient wrong to end;
He comes, to fill with light
The weary waiting eye:
Lift up your heads, rejoice,
Redemption draweth nigh.”

This word, my unsaved friends, I asked you a moment ago which body do you belong to? In an hour that ye think not – read the signs, read the handwriting on the wall – what will a day bring forth? What will your answer be?

“Day of Judgment – day of wonders!
Hark the trumpet’s awful sound,
Louder than a thousand thunders,
Shakes the vast creation round!
How the summons
Will the sinner’s heart confound!

See the Judge our nature wearing,
Clothed in majesty divine!
You, who long for His appearing,
Then shall say, “This God is Mine!’
Gracious Saviour!
Own me in that day tor Thine.”

Who will accept Him tonight?