Are You Dressed For Armageddon?
Steve Wohlberg
“And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16). The exact word, “Armageddon,” is used only once in the Bible. Right here. Much speculation exists, and this study will not attempt to explore every detail. The context of verse 14 says “Armageddon” is “the battle of the great day of God Almighty.”
Our focus is Revelation 16:15 - a passage often overlooked between verses 14 and 16 - that contains great meaning. Significantly, it’s a key verse that comes from Jesus Christ and tells people how to stand “in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Eph. 6:13). Notice carefully:
“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 16:15,16).
“Behold, I am coming as a thief”: This is Jesus Christ’s clear encouragement to His Church as we see the devil’s forces sweeping the earth. He is coming! Hold on! Don’t give up, become discouraged, and lose your faith. King Jesus will someday crush all satanic opposition.
“Blessed is he who watches”: To “watch” doesn’t mean spending countless hours in front of the TV set watching Hollywood movies. The night before Jesus Christ died, He urged His disciples to “watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Matthew 26:41, italics added). To watch means to pray a lot, to keep one’s spiritual discernment sharp, and to remain alert to Satan’s subtle temptations leading to sin. When Jesus told His disciples to “watch and pray” they were asleep. May God keep us awake during Earth’s final hours.
“Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments”: These “garments” are the spotless garments of Jesus Christ’s perfect righteousness; the “white garments” (Rev. 3:18), “white robes” (Rev. 7:9), and “fine linen” which He mercifully places upon His “saints” who truly believe in Him (Rev. 19:8). Man’s righteousness isn’t enough. We need Jesus Christ’s righteousness to stand before God at Armageddon. Jesus will place His garments on every repentant sinner who forsakes sin and trusts in Him. According to Revelation 16:15, we must not only be clothed, but must keep His garments. This implies an ongoing, daily walk with Christ by faith, constant vigilance, and watching.
“…lest he walk naked and they see his shame”: This is what happened to Adam and Eve in Paradise when they yielded to the serpent’s subtle temptations. After they sinned, “the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked” (Gen. 3:7). They lost the sense of God’s Presence; and a cold, clammy sense of shame crept over their guilty souls. Adam and Eve disobeyed God, lost His favor, and were ashamed. Naked, terrified, and alone, they hid amongst the trees of the garden “and sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings” (Gen. 3:7). Wrong garments. “Fig leaves” represent man’s attempts to cover his guilty soul with his own righteousness, works, efforts, theories, opinions, and behavior. It won’t work. Only perfect garments will meet God’s test.
The message of Revelation 16:15 – a message directly from Jesus Christ - is a clarion call to God’s people the world over to make sure they have a living, watchful, obedient, ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the Lord’s direct counsel before the battle of Armageddon.
My wife Kristin and I were married April 9, 2004 inside a large church in California. I still remember that life-changing day when, standing at the altar and surrounded by groomsmen, I beheld my bride-to-be walking down the aisle in a gorgeous white dress! She’s the most beautiful woman in the world, I thought to myself. After exchanging our vows, the long-awaited moment came. “Do you, Steve Wohlberg, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, until death do you part?” the minister asked. “I definitely do!” was my instant reply. She said the same, and we’ve been happily married ever since.
A woman’s white wedding dress represents the spotless white garments Jesus Christ longs to place over each of us - to cover our sin and nakedness. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, mixed-up human beings have developed their own methods of coping with guilt and shame, but only one method works.
It’s not really a method, but a Person: Jesus Christ and His righteousness. But the subtle serpent still lives and is doing his diabolical best during Earth’s last days to keep mankind deceived, deluded, occupied, and entranced until “battle of the great day of God Almighty.” Then the Lord will rip off the world’s fig leaves, exposing its shame.
Are you dressed for Armageddon? How’s your daily walk with Jesus Christ? Have you permanently said, “I do” to Him? Do you realize your desperate need of His spotless righteousness, or do you imagine your flimsy fig leaves will suffice? Earth’s last battle is on the horizon. The devil is gathering his forces. May God help us to take special heed to this end-time message of King Jesus:
“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 16:15,16).