Future Wars Described in the Bible

The Bible describes at least three future wars. These wars will be far more cataclysmic than anything the world has ever witnessed. Each war will be progressively greater and more destructive, until the last one—Armageddon. In this final war 1/3 of mankind is killed. These future wars will result in:

• Annihilation of huge armies
• Destruction of entire nations
• Extensive destruction making these lands uninhabitable

For my study series on the book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, at least the last war of Armageddon must be considered. It is described as one of the major events at the end of Revelation's Tribulation stage, in 16:14-16.

A closer look shows this war is a culmination of at least two (or may even more) preceding wars that build up towards the final all-out Armageddon war.

The following charts represent these future wars by summarizing the situation and outcome in two different columns. Scripture references are provided to the right.

In this first of the future wars, the prophet Isaiah describes Iraq (called Babylon in 13:1) "the whole country" as being destroyed "like Sodom and Gomorrah." The Palestinians are said by another prophet, Obadiah, to be wiped out by fire, leaving no survivors. Just the results in these two instances alone sound like catastrophic results of a nuclear attack.

These are not all. In Zephaniah and Isaiah, the total destruction of what we now know as the country of Jordan is foretold. Joel and Ezekiel tell of the complete destruction of Egypt, with even the Nile River being stopped. In Isaiah, again, what we know today as Syria and Hezbollah, and northwestern Saudi Arabia are also completely destroyed.

The end of Isaiah 17 explains that this is the resulting fate of those nations surrounding Israel who "plunder" and "ravage" it. In Isaiah 17:3, "Ephraim" which is another name for Israel loses a "fortress," or part of its fighting power.

In the second future war, other nations respond to this massive complete destruction of the countries surrounding Israel. Included in this list are the rest of the Islamic countries.

Turkey, Iran, Libya, Morocco, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Greece and part of eastern Europe end up destroyed. When they advance against Israel with a tremendously huge army "like a cloud," Ezekiel describes such a terrifying earthquake hits that fellow soldiers kill each other (38:19-21). Then such heavy rain and hail with "fire and brimstone" falls on the attacking army (38:22) that their attack is stopped and the fallen are left as plunder for Israel (39:3-10). God then send every kind of bird and all wild animals to feast on their carcasses (39:17-20). This is also described in Revelation 19:17-18, as a precursor to the final war where "the rider on the horse," Christ, comes on scene.

It may be that this war is alluded to in Revelation 6:12-17 by a shift from seeming man-made destruction—in the fourth and fifth Seals—to God-made disasters, like earthquake. Should this be the case, then this second war carries over through the first five Trumpet judgments, just before the point where the 200 million mounted troops in the sixth Trumpet come into play.

The third future war begins by a huge army of 200 million unified to attack Jerusalem. They assemble in a valley 70 miles north of Jerusalem near the mount of Megiddo. Even as this huge army is amassed, one-third of mankind is killed (Revelation 9:15-16).

Zechariah provides a fuller account of what Revelation 16:18-19 references, when the seventh vial or bowl of judgment is poured out. Half of Jerusalem will be captured, looted, raped and go into exile (Zech. 14:2) and then the Lord will come with his saints (14:5). He will stand on the Mount of Olives, splitting it making a valley for a way of escape for the remaining city inhabitants (14:4-5). The Lord will then destroy the attacking nations with 100-pound hailstones (Rev.16:21; Zech. 12:9).

I have explained above where in the line of events in Revelation the second and third wars appear to occur. It is less clear where the first war occurs. However, it may well be that the first war occurs after authority to kill is given with the opening of the fourth Seal of 6:8. As this war results in the destruction of nations close to Israel, this could mean that it is those nations who are given this authority to kill and Israel responds by destroying those nations. This war then triggers another, the second war.

Should this be the case, the slaughter of the witnesses of God’s Word referred to in the fifth Seal (6:9) would seem to have been the result of this first war. The souls of these slaughtered are told to wait a little longer (6:11). It could be the wait for fellow servants to be killed is because the other nations are to gather in response with a huge army for a second war, where more of God's servants die before those nations are destroyed by the foretold natural disasters.

This would then suggest those natural disasters are the same events of the violent earthquake, black sun, blood moon, falling stars and separation of the sky of the sixth Seal (6:12-17). Terror strikes the governments of the nations. This then calls for God's response and the “Day” of God’s wrath comes.

The seven Trumpets of God's judgment then sound one after another, ending with no one left who repents. The seven Vials culminate at Armageddon, and ends with the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus’ return.