And he gathered them together into a place
called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Revelation 16:16

I know a place. A lovely, terrible place.

Here are 7 quick facts about it:

1. It sits on a hill formed by layers of ancient cities, called a “tell.”
2. It began as a village around 7000 BCE and became a fortified Canaanite city by 3000 BCE.
3. In 1479 BCE, Egypt conquered the Canaanite Kings in history’s first recorded military conflict.
4. For centuries, Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Romans all fought over this land, situated on a strategic trade route.
5. The Bible mentions King Solomon fortifying it, and battles there involving Kings Ahab and Jeroboam II.
6. In World War One, British general Allenby’s surprise attack there led to the fall of the Ottoman empire.
7. The city? Its name is “Har Megiddo”.

You may know it by another name: Armageddon.

That’s right. This is a real location, in the northern part of Israel. A place so rife with conflict that when people talked about the end of the world, they thought it would take place right there.

Today the name Armageddon has taken on a much larger meaning, referring to an imminent final battle between good and evil.

Isn’t that interesting? When we talk in such celestial terms about the end of the world, we’re actually referring back to millennia of violent conflict, all of human origin.

Apocalyptic literature, like the books of Revelation and Daniel, and a couple statements from Jesus, was prevalent in the culture of the times. It features divine visions of cosmic clashes between good and evil, leading to a final triumph.

These writers looked at the battles of the current age and cast them against a backdrop of ultimate judgement and victory.

Do we still do this today?

Yep. I hear people across the political spectrum hinting at current events as a decisive battle between good and evil. Believe me, I understand. There are moments like this, when it seems so much is at stake for our future, it’s hard not to think like this.

I have just 2 thoughts to share:

1. You might be right. As history shows, there have been many conflicts that have altered the course of human history. There are times when the stakes really are that high.
   
2. You might be wrong. If you find yourself wondering if this is it–if this is the moment in history where God and Satan finally duke it out in some once-and-for-all cage match, remember where Armageddon came from.

It was a human conflict. No, a TRADITION of human conflicts that seemed to epitomize the very worst that humans had to offer. Violent struggle continues today, but it is of our own making. We humans don’t need to point to some ultimate battle to understand our human nature. We fight with each other. We argue about who is right and who is wrong.

We do it to ourselves.

Today Megiddo is a protected UNESCO world heritage site. I visited there several years ago and found it to be almost peaceful. But the ongoing battle between Israel and Palestine is yet another reminder of a fallen humanity.

As such human-caused battles continue, there will be human-caused suffering, and hopelessness, and divisiveness. We would do well not to look away, but rather lament, and persist.

If Armageddon turns out to be humans’ doing, what does that say about God? What exactly is God doing up there?

My best guess?

God’s not “up there” at all. God’s right here with us.

Weeping. But never giving up.

Have a great week,

Mitch