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Preached on 09-12-99

ARMAGEDDON

A Sermon by the Rev. Patrick A. Rose

"And he gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon." (Rev. 16:16)

OUR TEXT THIS MORNING deals with the subject of war. War is a terrible thing, a horrible thing. It brings untold misery to thousands, sometimes millions of people. War comes from hell. Nobody in his right mind desires war.

Once war has arisen, though, a good man will not shirk from his duty. If his country is attacked, a good man willingly goes to its defense. If necessary he will even give up his own life in defense of his homeland. He recognizes that his country, and the millions of other people in his country, are more important than he himself is.

This is the essence of patriotism. Patriotism is based upon the principle that "one's country should be loved, not as one loves himself, but more than himself" (TCR 414). And this principle of patriotism is not confined to the battlefield. A country can be threatened and destroyed not only by a sword from without, but also by decay from within. If people forget that their country is greater than they are, and care only about themselves, about their own comfort and welfare, then gradually the entire social framework of a nation begins to crumble. And so it is essential that we continue to serve our country in times of peace. A person should must serve his country by standing up for what is honorable, right and decent. He should serve his country by carrying out the duties of his employment faithfully and diligently. He should serve his country by honoring and obeying its laws. This too is patriotism -- this too is how the common good of a nation is to be protected and defended.

Now this principle, the principle that an individual should consider his own welfare to be less important than the welfare of many, is a universal principle. It applies not only to civil life, but to spiritual life as well. If a man, a true man, is willing to stand up for and dedicate himself to his country, so too should he be willing to stand up and be counted when it comes to the support and defense of his church. A man's country is not the only thing that needs defending. His church needs defending as well.

When we reflect upon it, we can see that the church also has its enemies. Indeed, the church is at war. It is involved in a war far more deadly than any earthly conflict. It is involved in a struggle on the spiritual plane, a struggle in which the forces of evil do direct battle with the forces of good. At stake is not simply the worldly freedom of one particular country, but the everlasting welfare of human souls.

The church itself does not, of course, save people. The work of salvation is the Lord's. Yet in this work the Lord uses, amongst other instruments, His church here on earth. And the church involves the work of individual men and women. Through the church, then, we have the opportunity to work for the Lord, work with the Lord, and so be instrumental, in some small way, in bringing what is spiritual, what is of heaven, to those on earth.

A true member of the church will rise to this challenge, serving the church as best as he is able, working for its welfare, and, above all, defending it when it is under attack. And let there be no doubt, the church does need defending, especially at a time when it is yet to be fully established here on earth. The Writings say that the New Church, which the Lord is establishing here on this earth, is to be the crown of all previous churches. In founding this church, the Lord has revealed the most wonderful truths, truths which have the power to bring spiritual happiness to the human race. The New Church is destined to be a mighty force for good here on earth. And therefore the New Church is something which the devils of hell oppose with an unbelievable fury and vehemence. The hells fight against the establishment of the Lord's church on earth -- they fight with every means at their disposal. And so the stage is set, inevitably, for the most terrible battle in the spiritual history of mankind.

This is the battle of Armageddon, prophesied in the Book of Revelation. Throughout the history of the Christian Church people have speculated about the meaning of Armageddon. Some have thought that it would be some terrible battle here on earth, a battle which would break out at the end of the world. In recent decades some have, not surprisingly, thought of Armageddon as a total annihilation brought about by a nuclear war. Currently there are those who view the new millennium a time when Armageddon might occur.

Armageddon does indeed refer to a terrible battle, but it is not, though, a physical or natural battle. It refers, rather, to a spiritual battle which would arise, not at the end of the world, but at the end of the old Christian Church.

Armageddon, or Harmageddon, as it is written in Greek, is a word which appears only once in the entire Bible. Scholars do not know its precise meaning. It is, however, generally thought to allude to the hill-town of Meggido, and this is confirmed in the Writings.

The city of Meggido, and the plain of Meggido, which the city guarded, is associated with war throughout the Old Testament. There it was that Barak defeated Sisera (Jud. 4). There it was that Gideon beat the Midianites with only 300 men (Jud. 7). In that region Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle against the Philistines (1 Sam. 31). There also King Josiah, a good king of Judah, was killed in battle by the Egyptian king, Pharaoh-neco (2 Kings 23:29). So closely was this plain of Megiddo associated with the horror and sadness of war, that when the prophet Zechariah speaks of grief and mourning in Jerusalem, he says it would be "as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon" (Zech. 12:11).

Now the name Armageddon, being derived from the word Megiddo, is also associated with battle. The name Armageddon, we are told in the Writings, is derived from two words. The first word is Aram or Arom, meaning loftiness. The second is Megiddo, which, in the old Hebrew tongue meant love from loftiness. So it is that Arom-Megiddo, or Armageddon, has to do with a love of being loftier or more important than others. Armageddon thus represents a love of honor, dominion and eminence (AR 707). Armageddon, or the love of dominion, is the love which was to come to rule in the Christian Church towards at its end. And it is said that this love -- this love of having dominion over others -- which would cause the old Christian Church to fight against the New Church and endeavor to destroy it. By the battle of Armageddon, we are told in Apocalypse Revealed, "combat between the Old Church and the New is meant, and the purpose of the combat is to destroy" (AR 707). Such hostility would originate, we are told, with those "of the present church [that is, the Christian Church] who are in faith alone . . . " (AR 700).

There is no doubt, then, that the Writings do speak of a battle, a war, between the old church and the new. And yet the idea of such a war does not seem to tally with experience. The New Church has actually suffered very little in the way of persecution in this world, at least so far. What is more, we are now living at a time when there is great toleration towards all religions. Besides, we all know wonderful people -- good, kind and sincere people -- who are part of what might be called, "the Old Church." What, then, are we to make, of the prophecy of Armageddon -- the prophecy of an attack by the old church upon the new?

Perhaps this conflict has already taken place, in the spiritual world, at the time of the Last Judgment. Perhaps by now there is little real strength left in the established Christian churches. On the other hand, it may be that in the future, the New Church, as it begins to grow, will face increasing resistance and external hostility from these churches. Whether or not this will happen, we cannot know for certain. Neither can we make specific judgments about particular individuals in these churches. Some of them are undoubtedly evil; but many of them are good people, people who are kind, gentle and upright.

We cannot, and neither are we allowed, to make specific judgments concerning the spirits of those around us. But one thing that we must recognize is that we are living in a world which was, for hundreds and hundreds of years, dominated by false doctrines, doctrines which came from hell. Doctrines, beliefs and attitudes which are completely opposed to the New Church are still very much alive in the world today. And behind these ideas and attitudes there lies a love, a love which more than any other breathes destruction against the Lord's New Church. This love is the love of dominion, represented by Armageddon.

Armageddon is a love, a state, in which a person views himself as all-important, a state in which all things are subservient to his own selfish ends. This love, a selfish and dominating love, came to pervade and ultimately to destroy the spiritual life of Christian Church, and this same love now endeavors to destroy the New Church.

In one sense it can be said that false doctrines, false ideas, are what destroyed the Christian Church. Two doctrines in particular -- the doctrine regarding three persons in one God, and the doctrine regarding salvation by faith alone -- completely undermined what the Lord had taught in the Gospels. But these falsities did not originate in a vacuum. They arose from a desire on the part of some to use the church for their own purposes. Such doctrines produced confusion in people's minds -- distracting people from the worship of the Lord, and distracting them from a life of charity. And the greater the confusion, the easier it was for evil men to gain dominion over the Lord's church. These evil men cared only about themselves. Their only interest in Christianity was in being able to use it to serve their own interests.

We cannot doubt that such an attitude, the attitude that people are somehow more important than the church itself, and that the church exists solely to serve their own purposes -- has worked against, has delayed, and continues to delay the establishment of the New Church upon the earth. Such an attitude of selfishness leads to scepticism, apathy and even cynicism in spiritual matters. The effects of such apathy and cynicism are more than evident in the world around us. But the greatest danger of all lies in the fact that such attitudes can strike the Lord's church from within, causing the members of the church themselves to weaken and vacillate in their allegiance to the church.

It is similar with a church as it is with a country. The most obvious threat to a country is when an enemy attacks from outside. But just as dangerous, indeed more dangerous in the long run, and something far more difficult to deal with, is a threat from within.

If we are honest, we must admit that within ourselves there are loves, and there are attitudes, which work against the church. And the most dangerous love of all, the most dangerous attitude, is that of Armageddon -- a feeling that we are high and lofty, that we are important -- and that the church is here solely to serve our own purposes. In this regard there is a very important question we should ask ourselves. What is more important to us: the church, or ourselves? To put it another way, does the church belong to us, is it our church? or do we, rather, belong to the church, with the church itself belonging to the Lord?

In essence this is the very same issue as that involved in patriotism. Which is greater -- our own welfare, or the welfare of our country? Which is greater -- our own welfare, or the welfare of the church? And our answer to these questions will determine whether or not we will show true dedication, support and courage in upholding and defending a cause that is greater than ourselves.

When all is said and done, it must be recognized that the New Church stands in direct opposition to a "me-first" attitude. The New Church confronts a person. It confronts him by pointing out that he is not as important as he might think he is. It points out that many of the things a person does, many of the things he loves to do, are wrong. The New Church asks him to reject these things -- to reject evils and false attitudes he might dearly love. In fact the New Church demands that he fight -- fight against the most difficult enemy of all -- his own self.

In many ways one's country and one's church are very similar in the dedication they require. When necessary, a country will require that men come forward to do their duty on the battlefield, even though it might mean giving up their lives. And our church also demands that we give up our lives -- not our physical lives, but our lives of selfishness.

It is so easy to fall into the mistake of thinking of the church, of our religion, as just one other interest in life -- almost like a hobby -- something to dabble in when we have the time and interest. It is so easy to make the mistake of thinking that is our church, that it is there to serve us when we decide that we want its services. But this is, in essence, a very false and destructive attitude.

Of course the church is here to help us. Indeed, the church is a primary means by which the Lord reaches down to bless us. But more important than this is the fact that the church is here to serve more than just ourselves -- it is to serve others as well -- many other people besides ourselves. The Lord has founded His New Church in order that it might serve untold myriads of people -- not only those in the church at present, but those who will be born into or join the church in the future. Let us never forget that we are called to serve this church, and that we should serve it, not only in an organizational sense, but also by learning and living its truths ... truths which come from the Lord Himself.

It is not an easy fight we are called to. It can seem extremely difficult to deny ourselves and to dedicate ourselves to a greater good. The battle against self is the most difficult battle a person will ever fight. But it is not as difficult as we might imagine. In this fight the Lord is with us. He is with us, to feed and protect us, to uplift us and to encourage us, as we strive to live lives of good, not just for ourselves, but for others as well. With His help we can win the battle, win on the battlefield of Armageddon. We can become true servants of the Lord, upholding and defending the wonderful church which He is seeking to establish upon this earth.

Amen.

Lessons: Exod. 8:1-6; Rev. 16:12-16; AR 707 (part)