Nelly Favis Villafuerte       By Nelly Favis Villafuerte From beginning (creation) to end of the Bible story (end times), we see earthquakes highlighting the happening of important events. In the end times, there will be great earthquakes that will herald the return of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem. Revelation 6:12 and 16-18 says the great earthquake (referred to as the Armageddon earthquake) that will occur during the end times. * * * The word Armageddon appears only once in a single verse (Revelation 16:16) in the Holy Bible. In the Living Bible version: “And they gathered all the armies of the world near a place called, in Hebrew, Armageddon — the Mountain of Megiddo.” The other versions of the Holy Bible like the New International Version, the Good News Bible, the King James Version, and the Everyday Bible Version also mention the word Armageddon. In the Prophecy Book by David Jeremiah, the Hebrew word “harmageddon” means “the mount of Megiddo.” Har means “mount” and maggido means “slaughter,” so Armageddon is the “Mount of Slaughter.” * * * To Bible-believing Christians, the word Armageddon is fraught with frightful speculations of the end-epoch of our present age before the second coming of Christ. It is in Armageddon where the bloodiest war will take place, the Holy Bible prophesies. The Battle of Armageddon is one of the prophecies in the Bible that is NOT yet fulfilled. * * * It will be the battle of all battles because it will be antichrist who will lead the evil forces against God. The fighting nations will come from all directions. This battle will make the past wars look like minor skirmishes. From the Books of Zachariah, Revelation, and Isaiah, we can glean that the battlefield will stretch approximately 200 miles (1600 furlongs). At the center of the fighting area will be Jerusalem. Millions of men, some speculate that about 200 million will gather in the battlefield. Compare this figure with the total number of the soldiers in World War II on both sides of the conflict which did not exceed 50 million. * * * The site of Armageddon is also the site where a number of Biblical battles took place. This is where David defeated Goliath, as narrated in the Book of 1 Samuel of the Old Testament. It is also where Gideon defeated the Midianites, as told in the Book of Judges and, it is in the same place where the Philistines killed Saul, as told in the Book of 1 Samuel. * * * People are talking about Israel’s role in the Battle of Armageddon. While people’s assessment of the political, economic, and military situation on Israel vary, one thing is certain. Israel has repeatedly been threatened as a nation in the past. In the future too. Small as it may be, Israel is the nation to watch. From the perspective of a Bible-believing Christian, it is as if the world stage is being set in Israel for the fulfillment of the terrifying prophecies on the Battle of Armageddon. The nations playing major roles in the Battle of Armageddon are now also taking their places as predicted in the Bible – as if an unseen world stage director is directing the events taking place. * * * In the meantime, many of us are unmindful of the awesome world events now happening. Instead, many of us keep on complaining on what’s happening in our lives, in our families, and in our country. This should not be so. Life is like a breath. Our times are in God’s hands, whether we are rich or poor. The Battle of Armageddon is a reminder to all of us that we should live the day as if it were our last day. And continue to thank our Lord God for our blessings, especially the gift of life. * * * This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5233 Fahrenheit St., Palanan, Makati City. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano Bible that is preferred. Be joyful and forgiving! (Comments may be sent to Ms. Villafuerte’s email: [email protected].)