Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. – Revelation 16:16

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 30, 2015): Revelation 16

Armageddon. Just the name fills us with images of war. Maybe it is the pounding of horse’s hooves as the combatants move to begin the fight. Or maybe it is the tanks of modern warfare with missiles and bombs going off all around the Middle Eastern plain that comes to mind. The battle itself is supposed to take place at Tel Megiddo in Northern Israel. By the way, this would seem to be a verse where the translators seem to have tried to help us out a little. The Hebrew name for the place is not really Armageddon – that would be the Greek name. The Hebrew name is Har-Magedon – or Mount Magedon, but there is a whole belief system that has grown up around the Greek name – Armageddon – so that is the one that is used here. And Armageddon, according to all the propaganda, means that the end of the world is coming. The only problem is that there really isn’t a Mount Magedon. There is only a tell, a small hill that has been built up through centuries upon centuries of people living on that spot.

And maybe the other problem is that this is the only verse in the entire Bible that mentions Armageddon. We have built a whole end times theology over a single verse which provides us with very little information. And that is usually a sign that we might be right, but there is probably just as much of a chance that we are very wrong – because we just don’t have enough information to make the right judgment.

So, since you probably already know about the idea of a great battle at Armageddon, let me suggest another interpretation for this verse. First, note that in this verse there is no battle. There is a battle a few verses earlier, but not here. But having said that, Mount Magedon literally means Mountain of Conflict. If Mount Magedon is symbolic for something, it must be symbolic for some kind of conflict. But what if we aren’t supposed to find Mount Magedon in Tel Megiddo? What if Mount Magedon is purely a symbolic place? I mean, think about our understanding of this battle – the kings of the earth fighting a war against the armies of God. Why would God need an army? He is God! And what chance would the kings of the earth have against the armies of the Creator of the earth?

So where exactly is Mount Magedon or this Mountain of conflict? If John is indicating the place of final struggle between the powers of evil and the powers of this world against the kingdom of God itself, then that can be only one place – the battle is taking place in our lives. Every time we are forced to make a choice between good and evil, this choice becomes our Mountain of Conflict – it becomes our Armageddon.

But wherever and whatever this battle might be, the one thing that we know is that in the end God wins. If it is a battle between two great physical armies, the armies of God will win. But, if the battle is being fought in our lives; if it is between the truth of Christ and the propaganda of Satan, then it will be the truth of Christ that will win in the end. But either way, we do know that it will be an epic battle.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Revelation 17