In this study we shall find out that the Battle of Armageddon is composed of seven major battles. We shall study them one at a time.

1. The Battle of Armageddon Began In Heaven to Overthrow God's Throne.

We are talking about a battle that took place more than 6000 years ago.

We read,

Here we discover the basic cause of this war. Lucifer was so filled with pride and self-conceit that he attempted to throw Christ from the eternal Throne and place himself on the Throne of the universe.

It was his plan to usurp the power of God, and in order to achieve this goal he promised to change God's Law, which testifies to a God of love and of obedience, to a government based on love of self, in which every subject could obey the desires of his own heart.

But Lucifer hid the fact, that all must surrender to his dictatorship.

We should never underestimate the seriousness of this heavenly cue. A divided heaven and its two opposing sides:

Christ, leader of those 2/3 of all the obedient angels of heaven, against

Satan with the remaining 1/3 of all the angels.

These evil angels who chose to obey the devil in the attempt to overthrow God's government.

This way began the first of seven battles which the scriptures call the `Battle of Armageddon.'

The Bible tells us,

The outcome is very clear. In this first great battle, Christ expelled Satan and all of his followers from heaven itself.

But keep in mind, the issue, the cause over which this first battle was fought, is the same over which each succeeding battle is fought.

For the devil never changes, and God never changes from His Divine Principle.

The devil is still determined, to make himself into a god.

He would change God's eternal law and enlist every created being in his army by using the same successful methods that he used on the angels in heaven - namely deception, flattery, doubt and downright lies.

This takes us now to number ...

2. The Battle for the Garden of Eden.

The battle to capture Adam and Eve. To conquer Adam and Eve may have taken only a short time. We read the issues as follows,

Here we find the detailed account of the Fall of Adam and Eve. A fall which has touched the lives of everyone of us here, for it brought into this world: sorrow, pain, sickness and death.

And in capturing our first parents, Satan was able to achieve the rulership of this world. He was thus able to make himself into a god of this world which he was not able to do in heaven. He was to be worshipped, he was to be obeyed as the dictator of this planet - which brings us to battle number ....

3. The Battle that Ended in the Flood.

This battle lasted hundreds and hundreds of years. It involved the millions, perhaps even billions, as man multiplied on earth.

But Satan was so successful in deploying his counterfeit government, that practically every living soul decided to take his side.

The Bible says it this way,

In those days, when it was time for the Flood, there were only eight souls, out of all those billions or millions of antediluvians -- there were only eight souls who God knew as righteous upon all the earth - eight people who were faithful to God and obeyed His commands.

This teaches us, that God never counts success by numbers, but by love, truth, and obedience.

This fact we need to keep in mind.

So, what does God do, having only eight souls siding for Him?

What does He do to a world that is almost completely dominated by Satan?

No problem.

It says,

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, ... And, he said, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh ..." Genesis 6:5,17.

God was bringing to an end the great wickedness of those times.

That brings us to

4. The Time of Abraham - To Develop a New People for God

His descendants were to eventually settle in the land of Palestine. Jerusalem was to become their capital. All earthly kingdoms were to be attracted to this powerful nation to discover its glory, its power, which was based solely on love and obedience.

No wonder, that Satan was very quick to develop his own battle plan. Satan chose a man by the name of Nimrod. This way began the new kingdom of Satan, called `Babel.'

Through this man, the followers of Satan determined to disobey God - they would build a tower so high, so mighty, that they thought God could not destroy it. But God dispersed them, by confounding their one language into many languages.

And with a mighty stroke of lightening he destroyed that tower of Babel.

Satan salvaged what he could and took his followers that he could get together to build the city of Babylon on the banks of the Euphrates River. He patterned this city after the Jerusalem in heaven from which he had been cast out - with its hanging gardens, large walls and temples, and beautiful architecture.

Babylon became the center and the seat of Satan's government.

These two warring factions had completely different objectives. The Jews, were to display God's government of love, in which God had promised to give His only Son as a sacrifice for man's sins, and thus bring freedom and everlasting life to all of His obedient subjects. While Satan's kingdom of paganism, located in Babylon, demanded the sacrifice of the sons and the daughters of his subjects, to be offered alive to the god of Baal. And they did this in fear to appease the wrath of Satan. In doing so, they would worship and honor the devil as their god.

This way began the great counterfeit of God's truth, but instead of worshipping the `S-o-n', the Son of God, who with love would give Himself for the human race, Satan instituted the worship of the `S-u-n', the Sun-god, as his subjects lived in continual fear of death.

Of this god speaks Isaiah,

"They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?" Isaiah 14:16,17.

But wonder of wonders, Heaven's Commander, Jesus Christ Himself, came down to this world to meet the devil in a face to face confrontation. God did not ask His subjects to do what He would not do Himself. This way, He would reveal to the universe the kind of being Satan was. Showing that he was a murderer, that he was a liar, that he was determined to destroy Christ that he himself might become God - a tryant.

That is why we read,

"... the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born." Revelation 12:4b.

So, Jesus Christ, who could not die, prepared for Himself a body that could die. He came to this earth, ruled by Satan, to live as a man, and to proof to the universe that man could live without sinning if he would give himself totally to his God.

Satan tried every temptation common to man. He was infuriated at his failure to overcome the Son of God.

What does he do?

He infiltrates the Jewish Church, captures its priests and rulers, and demands that the Romans crucify the Son of God.[400]

Under Satanic pressure, Jesus was nailed to the cross, dying the death that was to be ours. Proving to the universe that everything God had said about Satan was true.

That is why we read,

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." John 8:44.[500]

Thus by murdering the Son of God, Satan tried to keep Christ in that tomb forever that he might cease the throne of this earth, but, thank God, Jesus arose in victory.

We further read,

"I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Revealtion 1:18.

And He adds in John,

"I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." John 11:25,26.

For this reason we may know, by dying for you and me, Christ won the right to redeem you and me. He won the right to recapture the ownership of this world. Satan became bound to this world, never again to leave it to enter heaven's courts. But the battle was far from over. Now began the next great phase of the Battle of Armageddon.

5. The Battle of Armageddon Continuous After the First Love was Lost

The old Jewish Church and the nation were now rejected, for they crucified their Saviour. As Jesus, from the Mt. of Olives, looked the last time upon the City of Jerusalem He cried,

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." Matthew 23:37,38.

This time, God begins anew with the gentiles - with the establishment of the Christian era - based once more on the principles of a changeless God.

Love, freedom of choice, obedience and eternal life.

This good news went like wildfire. These pagans had been taught to fear the god of revenge. A god that they hated and were afraid of; and now, they could see, there was a great difference. Many of us do not realize how the devil had captured the world. Even living within individuals.

When you read the scriptures you find, almost every day Jesus walked about it, it says, he was casting devils out of people. This was really a terrible situation,

"The bodies of human beings, made for the dwelling place of God, had become the habitation of demons. The senses, the nerves, the passions, the organs of men, were worked by supernatural agencies in the indulgence of the vilest lust. The very stamp of demons was impressed upon the countenances of men. Human faces reflected the expression of the legions of evil with which they were possessed." DA., p. 36.

There was no hope!

They were devil possessed!

And now came the great and wonderful truth, that God was a God of love!

That He would forgive! That He loved so much that He would die for you!

And this gospel spread throughout the whole world in one generation. Satan was stunned. He was amazed. He saw his subjects become converts to the cause of Christ. He saw, like a mad-man, that he was losing - and so what was he going to do about it?

He attacks the church with a relentless persecution. The blood of Christians spilled by the sword and by that beasts did not proof what he looked for. It proofed only to be the seed for new converts. Satan was so concerned, that now he commenced the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind.

Failing to win by persecution, he now ordered his pagan subjects to join the Christian church. Thus through infiltration, he could change the gospel. And so it was the Apostle Paul who warned of this danger,

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition:
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2.Thessalonians 2:3-12.

Satan was gaining ground when Paul wrote this. But this warning was overlooked by the Christian church, for they were tired of persecution. They were amazed at the millions of new converts. The church was faced now with a greater danger than ever before - for now the unconverted converts demanded a compromise of its blood bought doctrines.

Paganism, now within the church, claimed that man could save himself by works.[550] Thus opening the door to idol worship.

And they agitated Sun-day, a day to the pagan sun god to take the place of the holy seventh day Sabbath, and thus set aside the blessed day that God had given.

Soon every eternal doctrine was compromised to the traditions of paganism. Thus began the papal reign. A religion, which God calls Babylon - the same type, for the devil never changes, in Babel and Babylon.

Being a mixture of Christianity and Paganism, now it plunged the world, into what we know from history as the Dark Ages.

During this period of time, Satan removed the Word of God from all people.

But God raised up some mighty man, who believed and taught the scriptures. These were men such as John Wickliff, Huss, Tyndale, Luther and others ...

Thus began the Protestant Reformation. The Bible was again given to the people. This brought the papacy to its knees and made it possible for Napoleon to inflict a deadly wound, ending the reign of papal power of some 1260 years.

But Protestantism failed to finish the work that God had given it to do. It still clung to many of the traditions of Paganism. But God was prepared. He startled the world with a great earthquake in 1755, followed by the darkening of the sun, and the moon looking like blood in 1780, and finally the falling of the stars in 1833.

Suddenly, the world was awakened to the news of the soon coming Saviour. This way began the last message of warning to be given by a faithful few who would keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

This was the beginning of the `Three Angels Messages' of the Book of Revelation chapter 14, declaring a Judgment is come, that Babylon is fallen, with a warning, do not have anything to do with the Mark of the Beast, and to call for everyone to get ready for the Second Coming.

Again Satan became alarmed. Now he sees that he is fighting a remnant church which has the blessings of the Lord Jesus, and what does he do?

He enters the church and lulls its people to sleep, while at the same time he is feverishly preparing a world to fight the return of Jesus Christ. Even now he is marshaling the entire world into a new world order, in which, once again, the papacy with its deadly wound being healed, once more will control the entire world, making it possible for Satan to rule this world, and, still more, as an angel of light, he will deceive the world to think that he is the Christ who has returned. The inhabitants of the entire world will accept him and his rulership, except a faithful few called the remnant.

Satan will demand of all of his subjects to prepare for a fight to the finish - the Return of Jesus Christ. The Lord of Lords, and the King of Kings.

This brings us to the next phase, the decisive phase. This is,

6.The Great Battle of the Lord

... in the midst of which Christ is going to come to make war against Satan and his globally united religion which long has been foretold in the scriptures, and we read,

the beast - all of catholicism,

the false prophet - all of apostate Protestantism,

the dragon - all of paganism and spiritualistic followers,

All these will be joined together against God.

But God has His `army,' a remnant church which keeps the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus.

Two opposing sides.

"Only two classes will be recognized in the Judgment,--those who violate God's law, and those who keep His law. Two great opposing powers are revealed in the last great battle. On one side stands the Creator of heaven and earth. All on His side bear His signet. They are obedient to His commands. On the other side stands the Prince of darkness, with those who have chosen apostasy and rebellion." R&H, May 7, 1901.

And each side will have a distinctive uniform, just as soldiers, the revealing of the `Seal of God,' the Almighty God of the `Seventh-day Sabbath' will be the seal to be found on all of God's people. - The others, the Bible teachers, wear the `Mark of the Beast', first day Sunday keeping.

Each side will consider the other as treason to its government. In other words, if you obey God, the papacy will consider that as treason against its global world power. And if you obey the papacy, God will consider that as treason against Him.

"The third angel's message is to be at this time regarded as of the highest importance. It is a life and death question. ... All the world will be tested. ... The propensity to do wrong will be tried. ... Those who bear the seal of the living God will be tested; for we read: "The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." [9MR 290.1; 17MR 23.1; 20MR 146.4; 20MR 221.2.]

Let us read this startling statement in Manuscript 1, p. 1890, where it says,

"The faith of individual members of the church will be tested as though there were not another person in the world." 7BC 983 (1890)

This means that in this last great battle, we are going to have to stand alone. While we have God on our side, we will be severely tested. [600]

These tests are not only over doctrines. They are about all the great points of Christian living which keeps His church pure. That means we must turn away from all wordliness.

That is why we read,

"`Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.' Our life is to be a trial of faith. We are to recognize that a heavenly hand is reached out to us. In laying aside our tenth for God, we shall be able also to present gifts and offerings. This is the Lord's method of saving our souls from worldliness, from greed, and from selfishness." [2MR 326.1]

You and I are going to participate in this last war. We are going to have to fight - fight much against our own inclinations to sin.

How is that done successfully?

While I am not a total expert on this, I know, it is done first of all by reading God's letter to us (the Bible) every day and come before Him and pray. That opens up a channel of communication with God. It also helps to have quiet reign in our homes so as not to disrupt our spiritual connection with God who wants to impress us with heavenly thoughts - to sanctify you and me. When you drive in your car - shut the music off and contemplate godly things - who knows, God may want to impress you with something you need to do.

Therefore, always strife to leave the connection to God open - no matter where you are.

That is all part of the battle against the roaring lion, the devil, the war we are finding ourselves in.

That is also why we read, there will be martyrs,

"There stood revealed the throne of God. Around it were ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands upon thousands, and close about the throne were the martyrs. Among this number I saw the very ones who were so recently in such abject misery, whom the world knew not, whom the world hated and despised." [21MR 326.3]

Are we ready for this?

Today it is not a question of getting ready. We live at a time when we are to be ready. Then, when it comes, as war does - and no other generation knows more about the fear of the atomic bomb than we do - suddenly it will come, quickly God says the last great battle will take place.

And remember this. Look back at Jesus. He was rejected by his own church. He, who knew no sin was charged with treason by his church.

And then he was rejected by pagan Rome and crucified for treason.

Can you sense today the battle that we have to face alone as Christ stood alone at calvary?

That is when we need to remember His Words we have learned and which He will bring back in to memory - words of faith and trust and His love - even in the midst of severe tests and trials.

Charged with treason, not only by our church.

This is what God is trying to impress us with who have arrived at the end of the world. Get ready! Be ready!

If there is even one doubt in your mind about what God has revealed in His prophecies, as to what takes place in our life time, you must search and study these matters if you want to remain standing in this last great battle.

Yes!

We have no more time - young or old - to occupy us with frivolous things, with all the sports (except to stay healthy and minus competitive sports), with all the television and music, all those things which take our time away from thinking godly thoughts - all that must end if we are to be serious about our faith and wanting to be a part in God's kingdom.

So don't knock it,

It also means we stop yelling at others, are more and always courteous, step back instead of pushing on the gas, let the other person get ahead instead of trumping him, leave earlier so we don't have to rush - come on folks, let us change our life - whatever it takes.

Yes, we want to win souls. But we all must be so positive in our knowledge of God so we are not in doubt anymore. Doubters can hardly win in this battle. Doubters must work overtime to acquaint themselves with His Word - if they want to be positive in their faith.

Doubt is a great instrument of the devil to keep us unready. We must fight it with all we have.

"Well," you say, "that is easier said than done."

Right.

So, look at your budget, see if you can obtain some tools. Make sure you have a Bible or more. Have you ever heard of a Concordance? Check your local bookstore or if nothing else works, Amazon.com.

God has given His remnant church a heavenly messenger. Have you read her books? It really does help and we should.

We read,

"The substitution of the false for the true is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal, God will reveal himself. When the laws of men are exalted above the laws of God, when the powers of this earth try to force men to keep the first day of the week, know that the time has come for God to work. He will arise in His majesty, and will shake terribly the earth. He will come out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity. The earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." [R&H, April 23, 1901]

Again, we ask, `Are you ready?'

We must correct perhaps a wrong impression, that, yes, God is love and Jesus loves us - but we shall also face a battle - we shall have to fight for our spiritual life to remain in tune with God. We are not sleeping on a bed of roses. We must bestir us and get ready for the fight of our goal to be with God.

That promise does not just fall into our lap without us lifting a finger.

Yes, there will be joy when we finally see our Lord in the clouds. But before that day our faith will be tested. Starting with those of responsible age in your house, church or neighborhood, to the oldest. All, no exception, will be tested. We must raise our children differently - like Jochebed raised Moses, like Hanna raised Samuel, like Mary raised Jesus. They raised their children with the Word of God - Oh, not just the children's stories, NO. The unchanged Word as it reads. All of the books in the Bible. Even the hard to understand passages so you learn to understand them.

Yes, we have no more time for funny stories and fiction - none at all.

Do you realize how terrible and demanding this last great battle will be?

Do you know how cleverly Satan can use the media, books, music, preaching, formerly thought of as innocent things of the world and turn them against our goal to remain committed to God?

Have you heard of Spiritualism?

Do you know what it is?

We need to be careful not to fall into its claws reaching out for us.

You see, the prophet John the Revelator was a witness of the terrible scenes which will take place before Christ's coming. John saw armies mustering for battle - well, do we see that today?

How about satanic armies?

Ah, now we must be more discerning.

Men's hearts, are they failing them for fear?

Oh, yes, just ask some of those who live in the midst of the trouble.

Even the earth itself is affected by the end time events.

John saw the vials of God's wrath opened.

Do you know what that means?

If not, study, study and study.

We must put on the armor of God - now.

That is why we read,

"We need to study the pouring out of the seventh vial [Revelation 16:17-21]. The powers of evil will not yield up the conflict without a struggle. But Providence has a part to act in the battle of Armageddon. When the earth is lighted with the glory of the angel of Revelation eighteen, the religious elements, good and evil, will awake from slumber, and the armies of the living God will take the field." [7BC 983 (1899)]

Why is it, that the religious harlot is coming down on us today?

Why is it, that the church today is not on spiritual fire?

Many are asleep. But they will be aroused, suddenly wake up, and then "... the armies of the living God will take the field."

Go, study chapter 19 of Revelation. It says,

"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."

He tells us that his clothes are "... dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him ... " and he shall "... smite the nations ..." and we go on further down in this chapter and read, He comes as "... King of Kings, and Lord of Lords." ... and what will the armies of the world do? ... "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." ... Look at the final results. Suddenly, in the midst of this battle, the King and Lord - Jesus - Comes and "the dead in Christ shall rise ..."(1.Thess. 4:16) as numberless "as the stars of heaven ..." (Gen. 22:4) will be resurrected to see heaven's commander in the clouds of glory.

The living righteous, with the resurrected saints will be changed "in a moment" and given immortal life. ... together ..." we shall "... meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

But what about the hosts of Satan, who are then going to be totally defeated?

The living followers of Satan will be consumed by "... the brightness of his coming ..." (2.Thess. 2:8)

The wicked dead, of some 6000 years of human history will remain in Satan's "prison house." Only Satan and his angels will be chained to this old world, according to Revelation 20, for a thousand years,

"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit ... And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years." Rev. 20:1,2

7. The Battle of Armageddon, the final show down.

This battle will take place after the thousand years, the Millennium. During the 1000 years the wicked are to be judged for their punishment, Rev. 20:12.

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."

Then, with the saints within the city - the New Jerusalem - with their risen commander, The King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, the New Jerusalem will descend from heaven to this earth as John saw it,

"And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven." Rev. 21:2.

And Christ will proceed. He will touch that very spot that he left some 2000 years ago, and then will take place the Second Resurrection of all of the wicked. Once again for the last time, the two opposing warring factions will stand face to face, with Christ, the commander of heaven, and Lucifer, the commander of all evil.

As Lucifer surrounds the city of God, as the saints are with Christ within the city, we read,

"And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." Rev. 20:9.

But what about Satan?

"... I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more." ... "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone." Ezekiel 28:18,19; Rev. 19:20.

Thus the Great Battle of Armageddon will come to a final conclusion. God will recreate this earth, making it more beautiful than when it was created. The earth will be the center of the universe and the devil will be gone forever.

"The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love." GC 678.

God has given us a picture.

What part will you and I have in it?

Will we be among those who will crown Him as Lord of Lords and King of Kings?

..............

"Crown Him with many crowns ......"