Armageddon is a Battle on Earth, but Satan is Destroyed “1000 years” Later in the Spiritual Realm

Joshua 11

Click for a description of the image and mark of the beast.

In the conquests of Joshua, it is common for a major battle to take place, then afterwards the king responsible for leading the attack against Israel is put to death. That theme is common in the Bible. It mirrors the major Battle of Armageddon taking place, and Jesus destroys the beast and second beast (false prophet). Then after that, the destruction of the king, Satan himself. From the book of Revelation, the two events are clearly written, where one is an earthly battle of the flesh, and afterward the beast and second beast are destroyed by Jesus Christ. The other is in the spiritual realm where God destroys Satan “1000 years” later.

• Battle of Armageddon in Earthly Realm, then Beast and Second Beast Defeated by Jesus Christ.
• Satan is Defeated in the Spiritual realm.
• Armies of the world gather for the Battle of Armageddon.
• Jesus Christ causes the defeat of the earthly global armies of Armageddon.
• Satan will be destroyed by the God of Jesus Christ, the King of kings.
• The followers of Jesus Christ inherit the booty of eternal life.

Battle of Armageddon in Earthly Realm, then Beast and Second Beast Defeated by Jesus Christ. Armageddon is the Sixth Plague Revelation 16:16, and Sixth Trumpet Revelation 9:13-21. Jesus returns during the Seventh Plague/Seventh Trumpet. There is the first Battle of Armageddon, which takes place on this earth as we know it today. There is a massive body count during that global war, which is obviously a battle involving the flesh, flesh and blood people. It corresponds to the collapse of this present world government of the beast, which is when the first beast and the second beast (false prophet) are killed and thrown into the eternal lake of fire by Jesus Christ. Without flesh, the beast and second beast cannot function because they operate through thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors. At this time, Satan is still alive but is restrained from any activity for “1000 years.”

“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun;
and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, 
“Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 
that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men,
the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them,
and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”

And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 
Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence,
by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. 
These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 
And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. 
And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”
Revelation 19:17-21

“Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, 
who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands.
And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
Revelation 20:4

Satan is Defeated in the Spiritual realm.. There is the second battle which takes place after the first resurrection, which takes place after the Battle of Armageddon. During this time, the followers of Jesus Christ have been resurrected and lives with Jesus for “1000 years” on this earth. This battle has nothing to do with flesh, no flesh and blood people. After those “1000 years,” Satan is released from his restraints and he brings all of his armies against the resurrected people of God. The battle doesn’t even get started because God destroys Satan before he can lift one finger against His people. There is not a body count at all, but this is when Satan is killed by being thrown into the eternal lake of fire to join the beast and second beast (false prophet). The new heaven and new earth of the New Jerusalem is created after this.

“Now when the thousand years have expired,
Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations
which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle,
whose number is as the sand of the sea. 
They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.
And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. 
And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
Revelation 20:7-10

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.
Also there was no more sea. 
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
Revelation 21:1-2

Armies of the world gather for the Battle of Armageddon. The following verses refer to the world powers coming against Joshua and all of Israel in a “world” war. It symbolizes the gathering of the global government of today to mobilize in a world war, the Battle of Armageddon. “And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heard these things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph, and to the kings who were from the north, in the mountains, in the plain south of Chinneroth, in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor on the west, to the Canaanites in the east and in the west, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite in the mountains, and the Hivite below Hermon in the land of Mizpah. So they went out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots. And when all these kings had met together, they came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.” Joshua 11:1-5

In Revelation 16:12-16, which is the Sixth Plague, it speaks of that as being the Battle of Armageddon,

“Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, 
and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon,
out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 
For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth
and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, 
lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”
And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.”
Revelation 16:12-16

Jesus Christ causes the defeat of the earthly global armies of Armageddon. The global war will be an absolute time of terror for the followers of Jesus Christ. The world is already filled with lawlessness, chaos, and has totally collapsed as a functioning government, and now the global war unleashes more terror. In that war, the followers of Christ, the people of God, will be hunted down with the intent to slaughter and leave to die in the streets. This is just before the return of Jesus. But Jesus Christ tells us not to be afraid, the victory will be His and we will inherit eternal life in the new heaven and new earth. This world will be destroyed in a fleshly bloodbath.

To hamstring a horse is to cut the tendon around its hip so that it can no longer walk, which relates to setting chariots on fire. During the Battle of Armageddon, somehow the military mobilization will be crippled allowing them to be destroyed.

“But the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You will hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.” So Joshua and all the people of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters of Merom, and they attacked them. And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who defeated them and chased them to Greater Sidon, to the Brook Misrephoth, and to the Valley of Mizpah eastward; they attacked them until they left none of them remaining. So Joshua did to them as the Lord had told him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.” Joshua 11:6-9

The king Satan will be destroyed by the God of Jesus Christ, the King of kings. What Joshua did to the king of all the earthly powers and the people who followed him, is what God is going to do to Satan and all those who followed him. “Joshua turned back at that time and took Hazor, and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor was formerly the head of all those kingdoms. And they struck all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them. There was none left breathing. Then he burned Hazor with fire.” Joshua 11:10-11

The followers of Jesus Christ inherit the spoils of eternal life. This present heaven and earth will eventually be totally destroyed, and a new heaven and earth will be created where the New Jerusalem will be. In a sense, that is the spoil we take for being victorious over this world and holding to the testimony of Jesus Christ. As symbolized in the verses below,

“So all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua took and struck with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. But as for the cities that stood on their mounds, Israel burned none of them, except Hazor only, which Joshua burned. And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the children of Israel took as booty for themselves; but they struck every man with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they left none breathing. As the Lord had commanded Moses His servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.” Joshua 11:12-15

Summary of Joshua’s Conquests. “So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war.” Joshua 11:23

Jesus Christ gives us (the Gibeonites) the land of the eternal New Jerusalem, as promised by God, and there will be eternal peace.

“Thus Joshua took all this land: the mountain country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, and the Jordan plain—the mountains of Israel and its lowlands, from Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, even as far as Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings, and struck them down and killed them. Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.” Joshua 11:16-18

“There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All the others they took in battle.” Joshua 11:19

There are only a faithful few who make peace with God, and they are the ones who come to Him through Jesus for the remission of sin. Salvation is for whoever believes in Him, and we are given eternal life. The masses of the world are hardened against Him, “For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, and that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.” Joshua 11:20

We are given a choice to live for Jesus or to reject Him, that is of the Lord. Rejecting Him makes a person hardened to the Holy Spirit and they come against God and Jesus Christ. When that happens, God will utterly destroy them with no mercy.

“And at that time Joshua came and cut off the Anakim from the mountains: from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. None of the Anakim were left in the land of the children of Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod.” Joshua 11:21-22

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11