What is Armageddon? It is easy to ridicule the idea of some final
showdown between the forces of good and evil. But it is worth
examining Armageddon in the context of the Bible. The
entertainment industry has made quite a bit of money off of the
idea of Armageddon as some great natural disaster that destroys
life on Earth.
The Bible portrays Armageddon as a grand intervention in human
affairs that preserves human society by changing its direction.
The Watchtower along with other religions, including primitive
Christianity have projected onto this event their own need for
vengeance against those who have persecuted them. When looked at
carefully Armageddon is a painful though necessary crisis in the
evolution of human society.
Life has evolved through selfishness. But there are two kinds of
selfishness. Short term selfishness and long term selfishness.
Short term selfishness is what we like to call "sin". Sin is not so
much "original" as it is intrinsic. The lower animals don't sin
because they can't anticipate alternative futures. Primates seem
to do this to some extent. Humans do this all the time. What is
amazing is the way the Bible deals with this problem. How is man
going to survive his own selfishness? The Bible gives us a history
of the futile struggles of a single Nation to survive. Israel does
all the things Nations typically do to stay alive. It asks for a
King. It demands central worship at its temple. It kills the
pagans that surround them. It forces its God and worship on other
nations.
Christ comes at a point in history where the old world of loosely
connected regional nations was in the process of being integrated
into super empires that were able to bestow advantages in the form
of citizenship to individuals all over the world. The Romans built
50,000 miles of roads to connect its colonies. With the break down
of families, clans, and tribes the Romans filled the void by
granting citizenship, and along with that bread and legal
protection. Conquered nations started to lose their identity along
with their religions. The Jews like other nations that refused to
integrate with the world were crushed along with their temple.
Religion too had to have an international appeal if it wanted to
continue to exist. Jesus promoted a unity based on brotherhood of
man and surrender of personal interests for the benefit of the
many. Jesus spoke about a citizenship in a heavenly realm in
contrast to citizenship in human governments.
What is the significance of this? The Bible, although clearly a
human production, is a record of this social evolution. The theme
is clearly presented that humans are destined to fail if they
continue on their course. The formation of ever greater empires
has not unified humans. It has not changed the local nations from
fighting each other. As super-national groups weaken the local
battles resume. Adding to human terror is the competition between
various super-national empires and the development of weapons of
mass destruction. Christianity, rather than promoting the ideal of
a higher citizenship and world-wide brother hood has proven false
to its founder and joined in the various struggles for domination.
Jehovah's Witnesses, although not perfect, have achieved something
that no other religion has achieved. They have refused to
participate in this worlds wars and politics. Instead they have
chosen to develop an alternative citizenship and remain neutral and
prepared for intervention from the sky.
Sure there is a lot of wackiness among JW's. For a culture to form
it needs boundaries. The objective is to be IN the world though
not PART of the world. Various Christian groups have isolated
themselves from the world by placing themselves OUT of the world on
various communes ie Mennonites etc.. JW's have not done this.
They are IN the world yet because of various - and admittedly
strange- rules they have kept up a boundary that has allowed their
culture to evolve a people who have exemplary love for each other.
Even the JW blood policy - which I find wrong - has served to
cement their bond to one another. The blood policy as a condition
of membership has forced each individual to come to terms with the
idea that love sometimes means the sacrifice of ones own life. If
life were not actually lost occasionally by adherence to this
policy it would be a meaningless exercise. Instead, you have an
organization of 6,000,000 people who are willing to die for their
beliefs.
The Bible says that the world will eventually get to the point
described at Luke 21:25 "on the earth anguish of nations, not
knowing the wa out because of the roaring of the sea and its
agitation, while men become faint out of fear and expectation of
the things coming upon the inhabited earth." This is the prelude
to Armageddon. The book of Daniel, whenever it was written,
foretells a time when the struggle for world domination will be
ended by a Kingdom set up by God. Dan 2:44 "It will crush and put
an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times
indefinite." Very little of all the things modern science and
technology promises will succeed until human effort can be freed
from the issue of world domination. Power plants that bring
electricity to millions of homes are wiped out in seconds during
war. Brilliant researchers are side-lined from their work by war
or economic failure. The issue of world dominance is not a trivial
matter. If it isn't settled mankind is doomed.
The issue of who will finally rule the whole earth is the central
issue of the thousands of words of the Bible written over thousands
of years. In Daniel the final struggle comes down to the struggle
between the King of the North and the King of the South. Most of
the 20th century - after World War II -has been a conflict between
two major powers the Soviet Union and the USA. All the countries
of the earth were grouped in one or the other camp. Even so-called
neutral nations were not really neutral but were countries that
would play these countries against one another for their own
advantage. At the end the King of the South pushes the King of the
North. It is clear that the USA has a policy of world dominance
both economically and militarily. Consider this quote:
"Geopolitics after World War II was at its core about limiting the
reach of the Soviet Union. That goal became so fundamental to
American diplomacy that policy operated almost reflexively and
provided a dependable calculus of American national interest.
Peripheral conflicts were deemed significant mainly on the basis of
whether they helped or harmed the Soviet Union. Our ostensible
commitment to liberal capitalist democracy could be subordinated to
accommodate fairly nasty right-wing regimes (Chile, El Salvador, S.
Africa) and even wayward communist ones (Yugoslavia, China,
Cambodia) so long as they blocked Soviet expansionism." The End of
Laissez-Faire, Robert Kuttner, Alfred A. Knopf 1991
When the Soviet Union pulled out of Eastern Europe, allowing the
unifying of Germany it was done with an understanding between
Gorbachev and Bush that Nato would NOT expand into those areas.
Six years after the cold war ended the USA led the effort to get
Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic into NATO. Is this pushing or
not? The United States ignored the world peace organization of the
United Nations and led NATO into a military aggression against
Serbia to settle what was really an internal matter to the
Serbians. This infuriated Russia. Soon NATO is going to include
the Baltic states. Russia is bound to react. You can't ignore the
implications of the book of Daniel.
Revelation portrays the final battle for world domination as a
conflict between The Wild Beast and a Wealthy entity called Babylon
The Great. The Harlot rides the Wild Beast. The Wild beast
destroys the Harlot and dominates the World. By the way - is it
just coincidental that the Wild Beast experiences a death and re-
birth as a military force in the world?
Consider this:
"On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev announced his resignation as
president in a solemn television address. The rump Soviet
parliament passed its final resolution, acknowledging the
dissolution of the Soviet Union, on December 26. On December 31 all
residual functions of the first Communist state ceased: The USSR no
longer existed."
"Union of Soviet Socialist Republics," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98
Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights
reserved.
The revival of the beast is seen as an entity that starts off
peaceful like a lamb but then goes back to its old ways. Rev 13:11-
15.
Armageddon is NOT the final battle between human powers. It is an
intervention in human affairs that finally stops the struggle. It
is an intervention that is carried out for the salvation of the
human race. It is not to be feared but rather welcomed. The
Watchtower portrays it as the FINAL judgement of billions of
people. This is wrong. Final judgment is pictured by the "lake of
fire". The only thing thrown into the lake of fire were the Wild
Beast and the False Prophet. These are political entities - NOT
humans. Of course there will be great loss of life but not
permanent loss. Verse 21 of Rev 19 says "But the rest were killed
off with the LONG SWORD of the one seated on the horse ... And all
the birds were filled from the fleshy parts of them" This grouping
is described just prior to this in Rev 19:17,18 as kings, military
commanders, strong men, freemen, slaves, small ones and great.
These humans didn't get thrown into the lake of fire. They went to
Hades. Hades is described in Rev. 6:8 as being given authority to
kill with a LONG SWORD.
It is not surprising to read about those who come out of Hades
during the resurrection: Rev 20:12 "And I saw the dead, the GREAT
AND THE SMALL...judged out of those things written in the scrolls
according to THEIR deeds...they were judged INDIVIDUALLY according
to their deeds." The final objective is to give everyone an
opportunity to do right. This includes those who get killed in the
battle of Armageddon. Only after this judgement period are any
humans cast into the Lake of Fire and die a second time forever.
It appears that only a third of the earth will be the stage for
this great battle. Rev 8:7 "a third of the earth was burned up".
This is emphasized throughout Revelation chapter 8. It is probably
the portion of the earth where Jehovah's Witnesses have completed
their warning work. The preaching work is finished in the part of
the world that has had the most complete witness. This richest
third of the world is the realm of Christendom and battleground for
this worlds most devastating wars.
There is a hint at the limited destruction that takes place at
Armageddon in the book of Daniel. Daniel 7:11b,12 "I kept on
beholding until the beast was killed and its body was destroyed and
it was given to the burning fire (lake of fire?). BUT, as for the
rest of the beasts, their rulerships were taken away, and there was
a lengthening in life given to them for a time and a season."
It appears that some governments will be allowed to keep order for
a period of time after Armageddon as theocratic rulership is
gradually put in place. This process is further described in Dan
7:13,14 "there! with the clouds of the heavens someone like a son
of man happened to be coming...And to him there were given
rulership...that the peoples, national groups and languages should
all serve him." You may question whether these peoples, national
groups and languages are organized into governments but this is
cleared up in verse 27 of chapter 7 "And the kingdom and the
RULERSHIP and the grandeur of the kingdoms under all the heavens
were given to the people who are the holy ones of the Supreme One.
Their kingdom is an indefinitely lasting kingdom and ALL THE
RULERSHIPS will serve and obey even them." There will have to be
RULERSHIPS around if they are going to obey the holy ones.
Let me summarize these points.
Armageddon is not just a myth. No one knows what the future holds.
Armageddon is ONE possibility that must be considered.
If humans cannot end their struggle for military dominance mankind
is doomed. There is nothing in the history of the world that would
suggest any other destiny. Peace efforts have been feeble at best.
The world is in a more dangerous situation than ever before.
The Armageddon of the Bible does not result in the second death for
those who die as a result.
Armageddon victims will be resurrected and given a chance. NOT a
second chance.. but a chance.
Only after the resurrection can people experience the SECOND death
which is permanent.
Armageddon will be REAL BIG. BUT it will not mean the destruction
of everyone except the "holy ones". Those who remain separate
through the end times will be amply rewarded. But others will not
automatically be damned.
The decreases in the increase of JW's indicates the preaching work
is over. Other great nations, such as China, India, Moslem world,
will remain and learn from the whole western experience.