"Understand The Vision"

[John317]

Armegedon is largely a spiritual battle but may incorporate physical countries and real armies when it happens.

Yes, that's the current SDA position and has the best Bible and Spirit of prophecy evidence to support it.

There's excellent, well documented material on the development of the SDA doctrine in a book on Armageddon by Donald Ernest Mansell. It is titled, Adventists and Armageddon: Have We misinterpreted Prophecy?

http://www.amazon.com/Adventists-Armaged...ntt_at_ep_dpi_4

[12tribes]

My understanding of Amegedon is that it is the last great conflict that occurs during the last seven plagues. I hesitate to proclaim which plague because some of us have differing views on the exact order of things incurring in any given plague. But I think it's after the 5th plague.

Armegedon is largely a spiritual battle but may incorporate physical countries and real armies when it happens.

Is this close to the correct, present truth, understanding on the matter?

The battle of Armageddon begins during the 6th plague when the river Euphrates dries up:-

Revelation 16:12

(12) And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

This is a reference to Babylon cause the river Euphrates went through the middle of Babylon also in Revelation 17 is a women sitting on waters with the name Babylon on her head:-

Revelation 17:1, 5

(1) And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

(5) And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Since the waters represent people then that means the support of the people dries up and the result will be:-

Revelation 17:16

(16) And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

Cause note that it is a plague angel that gives the message of Revelation 17

But the battle is not just a physical battle but a spiritual one as well:-

Revelation 16:14

(14) For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

[12tribes]

There is another battle that happens when Jesus returns:-

Zechariah 14:1-4

(1) Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

(2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

(3) Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

(4) And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

This battle begins when Jesus returns and is continued at the end of the 1000 years.

"HALF OF THE CITY".

Is it not significant that Jerusalem is today a divided city? The old city is largely inhabited by Arabs and professed Christians, while the other half is settled by Jews. , This could explain the reason why half of the city is mentioned. It is still divided in the minds of millions of Moslems.