Page 110 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

In many battles, the city of Megiddo was overwhelmed by an invading army and destroyed. In each
incident, the city was rebuilt on top of the old ruins. The hill that served as the base of Megiddo became
taller and taller until it was called “Mount Megiddo,” or “Har-Megiddo” in Hebrew. Therefore, the valley
immediately below Har-Megiddo was known as the Valley of Armageddon. With all the blood that had
already been shed there, John must not have been surprised to hear that in the end times, the Valley of
Armageddon would play a central role in the last and greatest battle of them all (Revelation 16:16)

One of the most famous examples of Megiddo’s lure is told of King Josiah attempting to stop Egypt’s
Pharaoh Necho from moving his army to Assyria. The two armies met at Megiddo, and Josiah was
mortally wounded there (2 Kings 23:29-30). Likewise, Ahaziah was also wounded by Jehu at nearby
Ibleam. He escaped to Megiddo, protected walls, but died there of his wounds (2 Kings 9:27). In every
case of military conflict, the lay of the land dictated choices made by commanders as they attempted to
take the most fought-over city of the ancient world.

The Valley of Megiddo (Armageddon) taken from Mount Carmel…looking toward Nazareth

Megiddo and the Future Battle of Armageddon

The word “Armageddon” comes from a Hebrew word Har-Magedone, which means “Mount Megiddo”
and has become synonymous with the future battle in which God will intervene and destroy the armies
of the Antichrist as predicted in biblical prophecy (Revelation 16:16; 20:1-3). There will be a multitude of
people engaged in the battle of Armageddon, as all the nations gather to fight against Christ.

The exact location of the valley of Armageddon is unclear because there is no mountain called Megiddo.
However, since “Har” can also mean hill, the most likely location is the hill country surrounding the plain
of Megiddo, some sixty miles north of Jerusalem. More than two hundred battles have been fought in
that region. The plain of Megiddo and the nearby plain of Esdraelon will be the focal point for the battle
of Armageddon, which will rage the entire length of Israel as far south as the Edomite city of Bozrah
(Isaiah 63:1). The valley of Armageddon was famous for two great victories in Israel’s history: 1) Barak’s
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