Reply #34: What Bible actually says about Armageddon (not RW fantasies) [View All]

If they actually read the Bible instead of believing what freaky preachers tell them about it, they'd discover some interesting things.

Point 1.
ALL the armies of ALL the nations of earth are on the same side at Armageddon, and they're all opposed to the Word of God! Maybe they think they're battling each other, but in doing so they're actually warring against G.

Rev 19:14 and Rev 19:19 talk about the armies of the earth, all opposed to the Word of God, and the armies in heaven who are on G's side. The only "armies" on G's side are in heaven, not on earth, and they go into "battle" clothed in white linen. Know any earthly armies that go into battle in white linen? (Side note: Later in the story, heaven comes down to earth, but at this point in the story, "in heaven" is not "on earth.")

Rev 19:19 says, "And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him..." Not some of the kings, all them, and there is never any mention of earthly armies on G's side. (Side note: Throughout Rev, he uses "kings" to mean "nations." If you try to make kings mean literal individual kings instead of nations, great swaths of Rev and the fundies' story about Rev become nonsense.)

Point 2.
The only weapon that the Word of God uses to defeat all the armies of earth is TRUTH!

The only weapon mentioned that G's side uses is a double-edged sword coming out of the mouth of the Word of God. The beast and false prophet are captured (Rev 19:20) "and the rest were killed with the sword that proceedeth from the mouth of Him..." (Rev 19:21).

(Side note: These verses don't include the word "double-edged" although some of the oldest manuscripts do include it. However, elsewhere in Rev, it mentions this sword being double-edged.)

Okay, this double-edged sword from the mouth of the Word of God is interesting. Obviously, it's not a literal description--if Jesus actually rode around a battlefield killing millions of soldiers by sticking and slashing them with a sword held in his mouth, it would look more like a 3 Stooges routine than Armageddon. So the sword is obviously symbolic.

Everyone assumes the sword is symbolic of military power, but think about it. It's singularly inept as a symbol of military power and makes no sense that way. For one thing, it's the 3 Stooges effect of the imagery. For another, if it really were a symbol of military power, it would be in the right hand of the Wrath of God or the Will of God or something like that. In the mouth of the Word of God, it just doesn't make any sense.

However, the way this double-edged sword coming out of the mouth of the Word of God makes perfect sense is as a symbol of Truth! How often have you heard something like "truth is a double-edged sword"? Paul uses the metaphor in one of his letters. I think the only places anywhere in the Bible that refer to two-edged swords use them as a metaphor for truth. Coming out of the mouth--again truth makes much more sense than military might. The "Word of God"--also makes more sense as truth than as military might.

God's truth is the one thing strong enough to defeat all the armies of the earth.

Point 3.
Therefore, the real story of Armageddon is not a war to end all wars. It is a TRUTH to end all wars. All armies are opposed to the Word of God. The story of Armageddon is actually a call to pacifism! Not surprising at all for a story about a guy who refused to make war against Rome and also put back and healed the Roman soldier's ear when one of his disciples cut it off.

RW fundies don't read the Bible carefully. They just buy whatever the freakiest, angriest, most hateful preacher is selling.