The Battles Of Megiddo

The English rendering of "Megiddo" is derived from the Hebrew word pronounced meg-id-do which means rendezvous, or place of troops. "Megiddo" is found numerous times in Bible History, while "Armageddon," from har-meg-id-do, which means mount of Megiddo, is found only once, in the book of Revelation: "^16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon" (Revelation 16:16 KJV). The adjacent valley of Megiddo is one section of the plain of Esdraelon.

"Megiddo" is first specifically mentioned in the Scriptures as one of the numerous Canaanite cities taken during the time of Joshua (see also Joshua's Timnath and Joshua's Warning). Note from the list how many of those Canaanite cities became well-known Israelite cities, including Bethel, Jerusalem and Hebron, just as the LORD declared (see also Milk and Honey and The Two-Way Promise Of The Promised Land): "^6:10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, ^6:11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full" (Deuteronomy 6:10-11 KJV).

"^12:7 And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west [see also Beyond Jordan], from Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions; ^12:8 In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:

^12:9 The king of Jericho [see also The Jericho Curse], one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; ^12:10 The king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron [see also A View Of Heaven And Hell From Hebron], one; ^12:11 The king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; ^12:12 The king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; ^12:13 The king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; ^12:14 The king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; ^12:15 The king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; ^12:16 The king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one; ^12:17 The king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; ^12:18 The king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; ^12:19 The king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; ^12:20 The king of Shimronmeron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; ^12:21 The king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one; ^12:22 The king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one; ^12:23 The king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one; the king of the nations of Gilgal, one; ^12:24 The king of Tirzah [see The Kings Of Tirzah], one: all the kings thirty and one." (Joshua 12:7-24 KJV)

"The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo"

Megiddo was the scene of the victory of Israel, under the leadership of Barak and Deborah, over of the Canaanite king Jabin "by the waters of Megiddo."

"^5:19 The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. ^5:20 They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. ^5:21 The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. ^5:22 Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the prancings, the prancings of their mighty ones. ^5:23 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty." (Judges 5:19-23 KJV)

By the time of King Solomon (thanks mostly to the military victories of his father King David), Meggido was economically, but not entirely politically, included in the Israelite kingdom (see The United Kingdom), within the tribal territory of Manasseh (see The Israelite Patriarchs - Manasseh; also Why Did Jacob Adopt Ephraim And Manasseh?), west of the Jordan (Manasseh was unique in that it was the only Israelite tribe with assigned homelands on both sides of the Jordan River).

"^4:7 And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision. ^4:8 And these are their names:

The son of Hur, in mount Ephraim: ^4:9 The son of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Bethshemesh, and Elonbethhanan: ^4:10 The son of Hesed, in Aruboth; to him pertained Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher: ^4:11 The son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife: ^4:12 Baana the son of Ahilud; to him pertained Taanach and Megiddo, and all Bethshean, which is by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Bethshean to Abelmeholah, even unto the place that is beyond Jokneam: ^4:13 The son of Geber, in Ramothgilead; to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brazen bars: ^4:14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo had Mahanaim: ^4:15 Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he also took Basmath the daughter of Solomon to wife: ^4:16 Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and in Aloth: ^4:17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar: ^4:18 Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin: ^4:19 Geber the son of Uri was in the country of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only officer which was in the land." (1 Kings 4:7-19 KJV)

Ahaziah, the king of Judah (see Ahaziah Of Judah), "fled to Megiddo, and died there" after the nearby battle that saw his ally Joram, the king of Israel, killed (see Joram Of Israel).

"^9:23 And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.

^9:24 And Jehu [see Jehu Of Israel] drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. ^9:25 Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him; ^9:26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD.

^9:27 But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. ^9:28 And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David. ^9:29 And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah." (2 Kings 9:23-29 KJV)

The plain of Megiddo has long been a place where troops gather, as a staging area, or to pass through, as was the case when Necho, the king of Egypt, sent his army through the area on the way to battle in Mesopotamia (most of which is today known as Iraq). It was during the crossing that Josiah, the king of Judah (one of the few righteous Israelite kings - see Josiah's Reforms), involved himself in the battle which was not his - the Egyptian king even warned him "What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not." Josiah didn't listen, and was killed "in the valley of Megiddo."

"^35:20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. ^35:21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.

^35:22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.

^35:23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded. ^35:24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

^35:25 And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations." (2 Chronicles 35:20-25 KJV)

The LORD (see 'Before Abraham Was, I AM') also spoke of Megiddo (in this rendering of the same Hebrew word that is elsewhere translated as "Megiddo," "Megiddon" is an expanded form of "Megiddo" and/or an abbreviation of "Armageddon") in a Prophecy about His return, before He even came the first time: "they shall look upon me whom they have pierced." That will be fulfilled after the yet-future "battle of Armageddon" (see the Fact Finder question below).

"^12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. ^12:11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. ^12:12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; ^12:13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; ^12:14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart." (Zechariah 12:10-14 KJV)

Fact Finder: Who will go to battle in the coming Battle Of Armageddon? Will it merely be nations of the world against other nations of the world? Or will it be nations of the world against Jesus Christ on the day of His return? Who is going to win?
See Who Will Win The Battle Of Armageddon? and The Coming World Dictator

This Day In History, March 28

193: The accession of Didius Julianus, 20th Roman emperor (see also New Testament Roman Emperors).

1800: The Act of Union with England was passed by the Irish Parliament.

1849: Frederick William IV of Prussia was elected Emperor of the Germans by the German National Assembly (see Emperors and Popes).

1854: Britain and France declared war on Russia in the Crimean War.

1917: Jews were expelled from Tel Aviv and Jaffa by Ottoman/Turkish authorities (listen to our Sermon The Ottoman Empire).

1930: Constantinople (which was named after the Roman emperor Constantine; listen to our Sermon Constantine's Papacy) and Angora changed their names to Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey.

1933: The Reichstag (German parliament) gave dictatorial powers to Adolf Hitler (see Presidential Quotes On War, Terrorism, Religion). That same day, the Nazis banned Jews in all businesses, professions and schools in Germany.

1939: The Spanish Civil War ended when Madrid fell to Francisco Franco.

1945: Germany launched the last of the V-2 rockets against Britain.

1968: The U.S. lost its first warplane in Vietnam when an F-111 vanished on a combat mission over North Vietnam. According to most reliable estimates, by the end of the war, all branches of the U.S. military had over 2,000 fighter aircraft and 7,000 helicopters lost in Vietnam. The U.S. involvement in the Vietnam civil war was very profitable for a few manufacturers of weapons and machines of war - as warned in 1961 by retiring President Dwight Eisenhower who stated that the "military-industrial complex" would get the U.S. into endless and needless wars for the business of war - until the war profiteers ("the disastrous rise of misplaced power") would eventually "bleed" the U.S. dry.

"Our military organization today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peacetime, or indeed by the fighting men of World War II or Korea.

Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

1979: Equipment failures and human error led to a partial core meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor in Middleton, Pennsylvania.