BELIEF

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THE BELIEVER'S ROLE IN ARMAGEDDON

BY: VIVIAN BRICKER
SITE: iBELIEVE

Armageddon is the final battle in which God will defeat His enemies. The battle of Armageddon occurs at the end of the seven-year tribulation when Jesus returns for His Second Coming. At the Lord’s Second Coming, He does not return alone. Rather than returning alone, the Lord brings His faithful followers—all believers from all time. In this article, I will focus specifically on the believer’s role in Armageddon. 

The Book of Revelation 

Revelation 19:13-16 tells us, “He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.” 

This passage of Revelation is important, but the part we are focusing on is when the text says, “The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean” ( Revelation 19:14 ). This part of the chapter delves into the believer’s role in Armageddon. 

This passage of Scripture tells us that the “armies of heaven” follow Christ into battle. The “armies of heaven” are believers from all times past. Believers who placed faith during the time period of the Old Testament, the New Testament, the past, present, and the future. This means that all believers will fight alongside Christ during the battle of Armageddon. This can sound alarming to us in our present fallen bodies, but when we return with Christ, we will have our glorified bodies ( 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 ). The Bible tells us that our glorified bodies will be similar to Jesus’ glorified body. 

Furthermore, Paul says, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ , who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” ( Philippians 3:20-21 ). It is important to note that when Paul says our bodies will be transformed to be like God's glorious body, this doesn’t mean we will be God. Rather, Paul is referring to the fact that our bodies will be without sin, imperishable, and made holy. The believer’s role in Armageddon highlights the necessity of having our glorified bodies to fight alongside Christ. 

The Believer’s Role

The believer’s role in Armageddon should not be overlooked. Unfortunately, in every academic discussion I have been a part of concerning eschatology, not much is spoken of concerning the believer’s role in Armageddon. While Jesus could easily defeat the powers of evil that will rise up against Jerusalem during the end of the tribulation by Himself, He gives us the honor of fighting alongside Him in the final battle between good and evil. 

Jesus deeply loves us and values us as individuals. He never puts us down, and He never tells us that we are not good enough. In fact, Christ is our biggest supporter and encourager. He wants us to live a life of service to Him and shine brightly for His Name. God never wants you to fall, but He will pick you up again if you do. Psalm 40:2 tells us, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” It should also be noted that as believers, fighting alongside the Creator of our souls means that God immensely trusts us to stand beside Him in battle. 

Trusting God

This might sound odd, but another part of the believer’s role in Armageddon is that we must trust God. It can be hard to trust God sometimes, yet waiting for the time of Armageddon can be challenging. Trusting God fully takes incredible effort on the believer’s part. We have to trust God while we are waiting for Armageddon. Yes, Armageddon is an intense battle, but we should eagerly anticipate it because it will mark the beginning of the re-creation that will be established by God. 

After the battle of Armageddon, the thousand years of Christ's will come into being, where Christ will reign literally on the earth for one thousand years. After the thousand years of Christ, Satan will be released for a short time to test the nations ( Revelation 20:3 ). Satan is released to test the nations to see whose allegiance is aligned to God and whose is aligned to him. Sadly, many will follow after Satan even though they will be physically walking with God.

Believers must have faith in His establishment of the New Heaven and New Earth. The New Heaven and New Earth will be a place of righteousness, love, and peace ( Revelation 21 ). There will be no more tears, pain, or death in the New Heaven and New Earth ( Revelation 21:4 ). This event of the establishment of the New Heaven and New Earth is well worth waiting for, yet a vital piece of waiting is that we trust in God in the process. 

Following God

As believers, our main role is to follow God faithfully throughout our lives. Now, God wants us to follow Him faithfully and look forward to when He will return. Serving and fighting alongside Christ is the greatest honor to be bestowed upon us. 

A believer’s role in Armageddon doesn’t just start once the actual battle begins—it starts now. It is our responsibility now as believers to share Christ and help others come to know Him. Everyone who doesn’t place faith in Jesus will be destroyed in the lake of fire, where they will experience everlasting pain, torture, and agony. We are on the battlefield now in our present lives. It is up to us to take a stand for Christ by helping others know the truth about Jesus, salvation, and the future. 

We should not wait because our time here on earth is relatively short. None of us are promised a set number of years on earth. With the time we have been given, we need to try our best to make a difference for Christ. Because the believer’s role in Armageddon has already begun, we must remember that Jesus is always with us and He will always stay by our side ( Hebrews 13:5 ). In your daily life, try to serve God in everything you do. He has great purposes for your life that only you can fulfill.

It can be hard to focus on eternity in the chaos of our everyday lives, but we must be intentional to be eternity-focused. The believer’s role in Armageddon is important and impacts the future events of eschatology. The very event of the battle of Armageddon attests to the fact that Jesus will destroy darkness and that good will win over evil. Life can be hard for us in the present, but we look forward to better days as we serve God.

The word “Armageddon” can cause mixed emotions for many individuals, yet we can remember this word as a word of hope for the future. The believer’s role in Armageddon will entail that we faithfully serve and fight alongside Christ in the final battle between good and evil. The worries and stresses of this life can fade to gray when we look to Christ and all He will accomplish. As an individual believer, you will stand beside the Lord and fight alongside Him in Armageddon. It will be a true privilege and honor to serve alongside Jesus.

For more information, check out What is Armageddon ? 

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