A place name found only in Revelation 16.16, where it is identified as the “Hebrew” name for the location where the kings of the earth will assemble to fight against God. Scholars generally explain Armageddon (NRSV: “Harmagedon”) as a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew phrase har mĕgiddô (“the mountain of Megiddo”). The city of Megiddo, strategically located in the western part of the Esdraelon valley at the crossroads of two trade routes (Map 1:X3), was the site of several important battles in ancient times. The reference to the “mountain” of Megiddo is, however, more problematic, corresponding to no evident geographical feature in the area. Although Armageddon appears only once in the Bible, it has become a familiar designation for the future final battle between the forces of good and evil.
William H. Barnes