Bible or Biblical Terms Everyone Should Know

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Armageddon (ahr muh GED duhn)
The word occurs only in the New Testament of the Bible in the Book of Revelation 16:16 as a Greek transliteration of the term claimed to be Hebrew, Mount Megiddo: "And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." (King James Version)

Megiddo, situated at the north end of the major pass through the Mount Carmel range, was the site of many ancient battles.

The archaeological data reinforce the literary portrait in showing frequent extremely heavy defense facilities at the site; therefore, it may have appeared to be an excellent symbol to the apocalyptic writer for the ultimate conflict he saw as the culmination (climax) of history.

—Compiled from information provided by Harper's Bible Dictionary;
General Editor, Paul J. Achtemeier; Harper & Row, Publishers; San Francisco; 1985; page 64.