ARMAGEDDON
Sounds
bad doesn't it?
Let us
take a peek at what the scriptures say about Armageddon:
And they gathered them
together at the place which in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
(The Revelation 16:16)
Now lets
see what the spiritual dictionary defines Armageddon as:
Armageddon: hill of Meggido
Meggido: crowded
Psalm 5
Verses 1-12 New American Standard Bible
(NASB)
Give ear to my words, O LORD,
Consider my groaning.
Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to You I pray.
In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.
For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.
The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate all who do iniquity.
You destroy those who speak falsehood;
The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
But as for me, by Your abundant loving kindness I will enter Your house,
At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.
O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me.
There is nothing reliable in what they say;
Their inward part is destruction itself
Their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.
Hold them guilty, O God;
By their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,
For they are rebellious against You.
But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may You shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.
For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.
The New
Living Translation states, in Psalm 5 verse 6, the following:
You will destroy those who tell lies.
The LORD detests murderers and deceivers.
The New
International Version translates it with these words:
You destroy those who tell lies;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
the LORD abhors.
Since God
is changeless, in our opinion, why in the world do some people interpret
that Armageddon is going to be a brutal external humongous bloody killing
field, like I have heard so many
preachers, and evangelists, insinuate.
Our
experience, in anonymous recovery during spiritual growth and development,
is that we have to be willing to take on Armageddon, internally, in
the Family of Christ Jesus. It is just part of the rebirth process,
for those that are to be redeemed, of the earth.
How many
really believe that Jesus gave his life, and experienced the crucifixion,
for all sin, for those that would turn to him?
There are
really no words, to describe what it is like, when this process gets
underway, which lasted a few years, in a variety of types of episodes, for this
scribe. But to say the least, we need our seat belts on, because we
really don't have a clue to identify it, with anything in our past
recovery.
There are
dozens, even hundreds of times, when a very light pressure is put on our
right shoulder, that we come to understand as the Spirit's instruction to
us, "Carry your
cross." We
just accept what is going on, without losing our cool, and focus on what
is in front of us, as our current task, and let the process continue.
There may be a dozen, or maybe even twenty four types of categories that
require the process pertaining to carry your cross. But for sure, no
one else can do it for us. It is each individual's
responsibility to submit to the process, should they like for it to
continue.
The following verses are
taken from the New International Reader's Version. (NIRV)
Acts 24:24; A few days later Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told them about faith in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:24; Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins.
Romans 6:3; Or have you forgotten that when we became Christians and were baptized to become one with Christ Jesus, we died with him?
Romans 6:11; So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:23; For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:1; [ Life in the Spirit ] So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:2; For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.
Romans 8:34; Who then will condemn us? Will Christ Jesus? No, for he is the one who died for us and was raised to life for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us.
Romans 8:39; Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 15:5; May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other--each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other.
Romans 15:16; a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News and offer you up as a fragrant sacrifice to God so that you might be pure and pleasing to him by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:17; So it is right for me to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God.
Romans 16:3; Greet Priscilla and Aquila. They have been co-workers in my ministry for Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:1; [ Greetings from Paul ] This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes.
1 Corinthians 1:2; We are writing to the church of God in Corinth, you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did all Christians everywhere--whoever calls upon the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and theirs.
1 Corinthians 1:4; [ Paul Gives Thanks to God ] I can never stop thanking God for all the generous gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:30; God alone made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Christ to be wisdom itself. He is the one who made us acceptable to God. He made us pure and holy, and he gave himself to purchase our freedom.
1 Corinthians 4:15; For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you.
1 Corinthians 4:17; That is the very reason I am sending Timothy--to help you do this. For he is my beloved and trustworthy child in the Lord. He will remind you of what I teach about Christ Jesus in all the churches wherever I go.
1 Corinthians 16:24; My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians 1:1; [ Greetings from Paul ] This letter is from Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our dear brother
Timothy. We are writing to God's church in Corinth and to all the Christians throughout Greece.
2 Corinthians 4:5; We don't go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ Jesus, the Lord. All we say about ourselves is that we are your servants because of what Jesus has done for us.
Galatians 2:4; Even that question wouldn't have come up except for some so-called Christians there--false ones, really --who came to spy on us and see our freedom in Christ Jesus. They wanted to force us, like slaves, to follow their Jewish regulations.
Galatians 2:16; And yet we Jewish Christians know that we become right with God, not by doing what the law commands, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be accepted by God because of our faith in Christ--and not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be saved by obeying the law."
Galatians 3:14; Through the work of Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, and we Christians receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.
Galatians 3:26; So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28; There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians--you are one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 4:14; But even though my sickness was revolting to you, you did not reject me and turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself.
Galatians 5:6; For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, it makes no difference to God whether we are circumcised or not circumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.
Galatians 5:24; Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
Ephesians 1:1; [ Greetings from Paul ] This letter is from Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ
Jesus. It is written to God's holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:6; For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms--all because we are one with Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:7; And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:10; For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:13; But now you belong to Christ Jesus. Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to him because of the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:20; We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.
Ephesians 3:1; [ Gods Secret Plan Revealed ] I, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ Jesus because of my preaching to you Gentiles.
Ephesians 3:6; And this is the secret plan: The Gentiles have an equal share with the Jews in all the riches inherited by God's children. Both groups have believed the Good News, and both are part of the same body and enjoy together the promise of blessings through Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:11; This was his plan from all eternity, and it has now been carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ephesians 3:21; May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.
Philippians 1:1; [ Greetings from Paul ] This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ
Jesus. It is written to all of God's people in Philippi, who believe in Christ Jesus, and to the elders and deacons.
Philippians 1:6; And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.
Philippians 1:8; God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:26; Then when I return to you, you will have even more reason to boast about what Christ Jesus has done for me.
Philippians 2:5; [ Christ's Humility and Exaltation ] Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.
Philippians 3:3; For we who worship God in the Spirit are the only ones who are truly circumcised. We put no confidence in human effort. Instead, we boast about what Christ Jesus has done for us.
Philippians 3:8; Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ
Philippians 3:12; [ Pressing toward the Goal ] I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be.
Philippians 3:14; I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.
Philippians 4:7; If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19; And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 1:1; [ Greetings from Paul ] This letter is from Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.
Colossians 1:4; for we have heard that you trust in Christ Jesus and that you love all of God's people.
Colossians 2:6; [ Freedom from Rules and New Life in Christ ] And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him.
Colossians 4:12; Epaphras, from your city, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident of the whole will of God.
1 Thessalonians 2:14; And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way, you imitated the believers in God's churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews.
1 Thessalonians 5:18; No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:1; [ Greetings from Paul ] This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and by Christ Jesus our hope.
1 Timothy 1:2; It is written to Timothy, my true child in the faith. May God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.
1 Timothy 1:12; [ Paul's Gratitude for Gods Mercy ] How thankful I am to Christ Jesus our Lord for considering me trustworthy and appointing me to serve him,
1 Timothy 1:14; Oh, how kind and gracious the Lord was! He filled me completely with faith and the love of Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:15; This is a true saying, and everyone should believe it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--and I was the worst of them all.
1 Timothy 1:16; But that is why God had mercy on me, so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.
1 Timothy 2:5; For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 3:13; Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 4:6; [ A Good Servant of Christ Jesus ] If you explain this to the brothers and sisters, you will be doing your duty as a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is fed by the message of faith and the true teaching you have followed.
1 Timothy 5:21; I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the holy angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing special favor to anyone.
1 Timothy 6:13; And I command you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate,
2 Timothy 1:1; [ Greetings from Paul ] This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, sent out to tell others about the life he has promised through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:2; It is written to Timothy, my dear son. May God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.
2 Timothy 1:9; It is God who saved us and chose us to live a holy life. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan long before the world began--to show his love and kindness to us through Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:10; And now he has made all of this plain to us by the coming of Christ Jesus, our Savior, who broke the power of death and showed us the way to everlasting life through the Good News.
2 Timothy 1:13; Hold on to the pattern of right teaching you learned from me. And remember to live in the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:1; [ A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus ] Timothy, my dear son, be strong with the special favor God gives you in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:3; Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:10; I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.
2 Timothy 3:12; Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
2 Timothy 3:15; You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 4:1; And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus--who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom:
Titus 1:4; This letter is written to Titus, my true child in the faith that we
share. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace and peace.
Philemon 1:1; [ Greetings from Paul ] This letter is from Paul, in prison for preaching the Good News about Christ Jesus, and from our brother
Timothy. It is written to Philemon, our much loved co-worker,
Philemon 1:9; but because of our love, I prefer just to ask you. So take this as a request from your friend Paul, an old man, now in prison for the sake of Christ Jesus.
Philemon 1:23; [ Paul's Final Greetings ] Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings.
