Mount Carmel D5 on the Map Jebel Mar Elyas.

Mount Carmel is a ridge of mountains which rises to 1740 feet above sea level. It is a continuation of the hills of Samaria which extend NW to the Mediterranean Sea. Carmel was the southern boundary of the territory of Asher (Josh 19:26) and the S.W. border of the plain of Esdralon (I Kings 18:42-46). At the foot of Mount Carmel flows the Kishon River (I Kings 18:40). The mountain drops steeply into the Mediterranean Sea and around its cliffs are numerous caves, some of which have many wall paintings from ancient times.

Most of the land around Carmel contains thick rich soil and therefore producing abundant vegetation. The Bible mentions it as a symbol of beauty (Is 33:9; Song 7:5) and is often compared with Lebanon and Bashan (Is 29:17; 32:15; Jer 50:19). It was on this mountain that Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal (I Ki 18:17-46).

During Hellenistic times Mount Carmel remained a place of worship where a Temple to Zeus stood on the mountains. There was also an altar and an oracle there with inscriptions found there mentioning a cult of Zeus Heiopolitanus.

According to Christian tradition the event of Elijah and prophets of Baal and the altar that was built was located at the S. W. side of the mountain.

Josh. 19:26; 1 Kgs. 18:20 ff; Amos 9:3; Jer. 46:18.

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Chris t
At Granby, MO The Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16)
For centuries mankind has been interested in the battle of Armageddon. Countless books have been written about this topic. This battle is and has been the subject of so much controversy over the years that entire doctrines have been contrived around it. It is not the purpose of this study to determine what the battle of Armageddon is not. Rather, the goal of this study is to shed light on what this battle really is so that informed students of scripture can determine for themselves what it is not. First, we must bear in mind that John wrote this book directly to the churches of Asia in the latter half of the 1st century. At the time of this writing the Lord's church was undergoing some of the most severe organized persecution it would face in all the Christian age. Christianity was outlawed by the Roman Empire. Emperor Domitian demanded to be worshipped as a god on earth and any who refused became enemies of the Imperial Roman Empire. Violators were ostracized from society, forbidden to buy, sell or participate in any kind of government program. Not only was it illegal for a Christian to buy or sell within the empire, it was illegal for the Roman citizens loyal to Domitian to sell to or buy from them. All commerce with Christians who refused to worship the emperor was forbidden by the state. These economic sanctions were focused primarily on the Christians and excluded the Jewish people still worshipping under the Mosaic system. The Jews comprised such a large part of the Roman economic engine that Domitian permitted them a degree of religious freedom but, they were forbidden to trade with their brethren of nationality who were Christians. Those who were even suspected or accused of being Christians or even aiding them were imprisoned, their property seized by the state, their children were often sold into slavery, and the prisoners of the state were often subjected to various tortures up to and including their use in the Roman games for the public entertainment of the masses. Publicly slaughtered by gladiators and wild beasts

they became a grim example to the rest of the citizenry of Rome of the consequences for refusing to bow down to Emperor worship or for helping anyone who refused to obey their authority. It was a dark time for God's faithful. The conditions under which the recipients of this letter received it forms the backdrop for how we are to understand it today. Revelation was a book of comfort, exhortation and hope to a severely oppressed group of God's people. It is only logical that they would be able to understand John's letter. They would know the Battle of Armageddon and what it meant to Christians. They would be familiar enough with the imagery to understand and apply it to their situation. Nobody would write a letter of encouragement to a suffering loved one that they could not understand. So with this in mind, to the best of our ability, let's look at the Battle of Armageddon through the eyes of those to whom Revelation was written. What the battle of Armageddon meant to John and the first readers of his book is what it was, is, or will be. In the original text, the word Armageddon is "Harmaggedon." This a compound word derived from the Hebrew word "Har" which means a mountain or range of hills, (See Strongs OT 2022). This word is a shortened version of the Hebrew word "harar", (Strong's OT 2042), which means to loom up; a mountain or hill. "Meggedon" is derived from the Hebrew word "Megiddown" or "Megiddow". These words originate from the Hebrew word "gadad" which means to assemble, gather troops for battle, or to cut or gash oneself. The latter meaning being of no apparent connection to this context. The ASV renders this as "Har-Magedon." which literally means the "mount of Megiddo" or the "looming" or perhaps "rising" of Megiddo. This would suggest the imagery of the rising presence of an impending battle of particular relevance to Megiddo. There are numerous references to Meggido in scripture but nowhere else is this place referred to as a mountain. The Bible speaks geographically of "Megiddo and its three heights" (Joshua 17:11), "Megiddo and its towns" (Judges 1:27), the "waters of Megiddo" (Judges 5:19), and the "valley of Megiddo" (2 Chronicles 35:22; Zechariah 12:11). Geographic Megiddo was a battlefield beginning on the Northwest side of Palestine at Mount Carmel, extending across Palestine to Mount Gilboa on the southeast. Megiddo was a strategic point in the protection of Israel and Judah, since it guarded the northern entrance into Israel. See Map Several decisive historical battles were fought in this area. There were battles between the powers on the northeast and those on the southwest, between the

Egyptians and the Assyrians, the Egyptians and the Babylonians, and the Egyptians and the Medes and the Persians. On one occasion, Pharaoh Necho, on his way to fight the Assyrians encountered Josiah, a good king of Judah. Pharaoh Necho tried to dissuade Josiah from the battle, but he refused to listen and was killed, (2 Chronicles 35:20-24). Barak and Deborah defeated Sisera and the Caananites "by the waters of Megiddo" (Judges 5:19-20). Saul and Jonathan fought their last battle with the Philistines and died on the eastern side of plains of Megiddo, (1 Samuel 31:1-6). It was in the valley of Jezreel, "west of the hill of Moreh." that Gideon took 300 men and defeated the Midianites, ( Judges 7:1). It was at Megiddo where Ahaziah, king of Judah, in league with Joram of Israel was slain at the command of Jehu, (2 Kings 9:27). At Megiddo a small army of Israelites defeated an overwhelming force led by Antiochus Epiphanes IV, as prophesied in Daniel 11. The Hebrews of the first century recognized any reference to Megiddo as a place where countless hundreds of thousands of their countrymen lost their lives in numerous battles over centuries of time in conflicts that often decided their fate on earth. The best blood of the Israelites soaked that battlefield along with the blood of their mortal enemies since the time of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Was the battle of Armageddon a literal battle, fought between the Lord's people and the forces of darkness, on a literal battlefield, with literal weapons of war? To answer this question we must first look to what Paul wrote in Colossians 3:17, "And whatsoever Ye do, in word or in deed, (do) all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." No matter what the Christian does whether it be in peace or at war, they must have authority from Jesus Christ to do it. So if a Christian is going to wage war with earthly weapons and shed the blood of their enemies then this must be done with proper Biblical authority. How does scripture teach the Christian to deal with their enemies? Christians are to love their enemies, (Luke 6:27), blessing those that curse them, doing good to all that hate them, praying for those who use and persecute them, ( Matthew 5:44). Paul taught: "If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men. Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath (of God): for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord. But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:18-21). Paul refers to Christians as soldiers in his second letter to Timothy where he also said that they must contend lawfully, ( 2 Timothy 2:4-5). The only scripturally approved offensive weapons of the soldiers of Christ are described in Ephesians 6:13-17, "Wherefore take up the whole armor

of God, that Ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith Ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil (one). And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Nowhere in scripture is the faithful child of God instructed to take up a manmade weapon of war and use it to shed the blood of the enemies of righteousness in the post cross Christian age. John 18:36 "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." Whatever the battle of Armageddon was, is, or will be, it must be fought with the spiritual weapons of the soldiers of Christ, it must be fought lawfully using only the approved methods and means for spiritual warfare as authorized in scripture. This battle cannot be a literal conflict where the righteous shed the blood of their enemies. Such an interpretation of this battle would be to create a direct conflict with the rest of scripture which plainly teaches that the weapons and armor which the righteous use against evil is the word of God and their faith, (Ephesians 6:13-17; Hebrews 4:12). Furthermore, if the battle of Armageddon were a literal physical battle, one would expect to see three literal frogs going out from the mouth of a literal dragon into the world to rally the forces of evil and to lead them in their crusade against the Christians. The symbolism of Armageddon was simply used by John to indicate there will be a battle between evil and righteousness and that the righteous will prevail in the end. In Edward Gibbons book, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, he wrote concerning the plight of the Christians that by the time of Trajan (AD 98-117) any one who could not prove an accusation brought against a Christian suffered the penalty of death. Gibbon further stated with regard to policy under Trajan, "The answer of Trajan, to which the Christians of the succeeding age have frequently appealed, discovers as much regard for justice and humanity as could be reconciled with his mistaken notions of religious policy. Instead of displaying the implacable zeal of an Inquisitor, anxious to discover the most minute particles of heresy, and exulting in the number of his victims, the emperor expresses much more solicitude to protect the security of the innocent than to prevent the escape of the guilty. He acknowledges the difficulty of fixing any general plan; but he lays down two salutary rules, which often afforded relief

and support to the distressed Christians." After Domitian was assassinated in AD 96, it appears that the Christians found relief in the subsequent reigns of the Roman emperors. The beast, having at long last been defeated by God was dead and gone from the scene. God wasn't done with the Roman Empire yet and persecution was still horrific, but at least Domitian was gone and the tide of persecution against the Christians took a decisive turn for the better. To the first century Christians, the battle of Armageddon could only have been a battle between themselves and forces of evil opposing them. They would read John's letter and relate his writings to their immediate situation. At the time of this letter, they were engaged in a life and death struggle with the Roman Empire under the reign of an evil emperor dedicated to their eradication. Their immediate concerns were not some dim and distant futuristic battle to be fought some time in the obscure future. The battle of Armageddon for them was being fought in their lifetimes. They were fighting the Christian fight of righteousness. They were being persecuted for their beliefs and they were dying for their faith in God. They lived their lives on the battlefield of oppression and they fought the battle of Armageddon every single day of their lives and we today owe them a debt of gratitude we can never repay. Because it is upon their faith and steadfastness that the future of all Christianity hung. Just like the real battles fought in the valley of Megiddo where the future of God's people was decided by the outcome, so also did the outcome of the first century battle of Armageddon assure for all Christians of all ages yet to come that righteousness will prevail and God's faithful people will be triumphant. The first century Christians who remained faithful till death fought their battle of Armageddon and won. For us the war between righteousness and evil still rages. Satan's hatred of mankind has not abated one bit in the last 1900 years. Until heaven and earth pass and the great day of the Lord is come upon us, we will fight against the forces of darkness, using only the spiritual weapons of warfare. There are still plenty of forces out there hostile to Christianity. Islam is the fastest growing religion on earth right now. Denominationalism and religious division is running rampant over the globe. True Christianity is always represented by the minority or a remnant. In third world countries, Christianity faces poverty and oppression from the government. In wealthy countries, Christianity faces the problems brought on by opulence and wealth. The unrighteous in fat and happy societies feel no need for God in their lives, being wrapped in a false security of wealth and ease. The faithful watch as the unrighteous force God out of their societies inch by inch.

While the battle of Armageddon may be over for those who lived in the first century, it rages still today against the righteous, and our enemy is no less opposed to us as he was against them. Christians today wage a war against the forces of evil just like in the first century. Satan's weapons today are the same as they were then; Trickery, deception, lies, fleshly pleasures, oppression and division. Satan knows that the kingdom of God divided is like a house divided. It cannot stand, (Matthew 12:25). Our battle of Armageddon today is no less important than the ones fought in previous times. It is on our shoulders that the future of Christianity sets. It is our resolve and dedication to the truth that will someday have a part in the preservation of the Lord's church for all future generations for as long as earth remains. Our duty is solemn and of vital importance to all who may live after us and seek God's truth. So with this thought anchored in heart and soul, let us set our hand to the plough, never looking back and run with patience the race that is set before us. Let us contend earnestly for the faith, of Jesus Christ, taking heed to and teaching no other doctrine but the one that was received by the apostles. Let us forget those things which are behind and reach forth unto those things which are before, pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us put on the whole armor of God that we may be be able to stand against Satan, girding our loins with truth, wearing the breastplate of righteousness, having our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, taking up the shield of faith while wearing the helmet of salvation and wielding the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. Let us fight the good fight to the end, girding up the loins of our minds, with sobriety, finishing the course and keeping the faith, with hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought to us at the coming of Jesus Christ. For we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Therefore let us stand united under the banner of truth and righteousness, holding forth the word of life, using spiritual weapons and fighting the battles of Armageddon wherever they may be, defending the church of the living God which is the pillar and ground of the truth, and laying up for ourselves and for our children, a good foundation against the time to come. The battle of Armageddon in the first century was the conflict between righteousness and evil. Those battles are still being fought today. Those who emerge victorious from their battles of Armageddon will win the war and lay hold on eternal life. (c.f. Luke 9:62, Jude 3, Galatians 1:8-9, 1 Timothy 4:16; 6:19; 3:15, Philippians 3:13-14, 2:16, 2 Timothy 4:7, 1 Peter 1:13, Ephesians 6:11-17)

Related studies in Revelation:

Comfort for the Saints (Revelation 15)

The Sickle and Winepress (Revelation 14:14-20) The Bowls of Wrath (Revelation 16)

University of Haifa atop Mount Carmel in 1996 Mount Carmel (Hebrew: , , , Har HaKarmel ISO 259-3 Har ha Karmell (lit. God's vineyard); Greek: , Krmlos; Arabic: , Kurmul or Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wine and oil presses at various locations on Mt. Carmel.[1][2] The range is a UNESCO biosphere reserve and a number of towns are located there, most notably the city of Haifa, Israel's third largest city, located on the northern slope.

Geography and geology

The phrase Mount Carmel has been used in three distinct ways:[1]

To refer to the 39 km-long (24-mile long) mountain range, stretching as far in the southeast as Jenin. To refer to the northwestern 19 km (12 mi) of the mountain range. To refer to the headland at the northwestern end of the range.

The Carmel range is approximately 6.5 to 8 km (4 to 5 miles) wide, sloping gradually towards the southwest, but forming a steep ridge on the northeastern face, 546 m (1,810 ft) high. It is named Rom Carmel.[not in citation given][2] The Jezreel Valley lies to the immediate northeast. The range forms a natural barrier in the landscape, just as the Jezreel Valley forms a natural passageway, and consequently the mountain range and the valley have had a large impact on migration and invasions through the Levant over time.[1] The mountain formation is an admixture of limestone and flint, containing many caves, and covered in several volcanic rocks.[1][2] The sloped side of the mountain is covered with luxuriant vegetation, including oak, pine, olive, and laurel trees.[2] Several modern towns are located on the range, including Yokneam on the eastern ridge, Zikhron Ya'aqov on the southern slope, the Druze town of Carmel City on the more central part of the ridge, and the towns of Nesher, Tirat Hakarmel, and the city of Haifa, on the far northwestern promontory and its base. There is also a small kibbutz called Beit Oren, which is located on one of the highest points in the range to the southeast of Haifa

As a strategic location
Due to the lush vegetation on the sloped hillside, and many caves on the steeper side, Carmel became the haunt of criminals;[1] Carmel was seen as a place offering an escape from Yahweh, as implied by the Book of Amos.[1][9] According to the Books of Kings, Elisha travelled to Carmel straight after cursing a group of young men because they had mocked him and the ascension of Elijah by jeering, "Go on up, bald man!" After this, bears came out of the forest and killed 42 of them.[10] This does not necessarily imply that Elisha had sought asylum there from any potential backlash,[1] although the description in the Book of Amos, of the location being a refuge, is dated by textual scholars to be earlier than the accounts of Elisha in the Book of Kings,[11][12] and according to Strabo it had continued to be a place of refuge until at least the first century.[13] According to Epiphanius,[14] and Josephus,[15] Mount Carmel had been the stronghold of the Essenes that came from a place in Galilee named Nazareth; though this Essene group are sometimes consequently referred to as Nazareans, they are not to be confused with the "Nazarene" sect, which followed the teachings of Jesus, but associated with the Pharisees. Members of the modern American groups claiming to be Essenes, but viewed by scholars as having no ties to the historical group,[16] treat Mount Carmel as having great religious significance on account of the protection it afforded to the historic Essene group. During World War I, Mount Carmel played a significant strategic role. The (20th century) Battle of Megiddo took place at the head of a pass through the Carmel Ridge, which overlooks the Valley of Jezreel from the south. General Allenby led the British in the battle, which was the turning point in the war against the Ottoman Empire. The Jezreel Valley had played host to many battles before, including the very historically significant Battle of Megiddo between the Egyptians and Canaanites, but it was only in the 20th century battle that the Carmel Ridge itself played a significant part, due to the developments in munitions.

[edit] As a sacred location

In ancient Canaanite culture, high places were frequently considered to be sacred, and Mount Carmel appears to have been no exception; Thutmose III lists a holy headland among his Canaanite territories, and if this equates to Carmel, as Egyptologists such as Maspero believe, then it would indicate that the mountain headland was considered sacred from at least the 15th century BC.[1] According to the Books of Kings, there was an altar to God on the mountain, which had fallen into ruin by the time of Ahab, but Elijah built a new one.[17] Iamblichus describes Pythagoras visiting the mountain on account of its reputation for sacredness, stating that it was the most holy of all mountains, and access was forbidden to many, while Tacitus states that there was an oracle situated there, which Vespasian visited for a consultation;[2] Tacitus states that there was an altar there,[1] but without any image upon it,[1][2] and without a temple around it.[2]

[edit] Elijah

The Grotto of Elijah

In mainstream Jewish, Christian, and Islamic[1] thought, Elijah is indelibly associated with the mountain, and he is regarded as having sometimes resided in a grotto on the mountain. Indeed, one name for Mount Carmel is Jabal Mar Elyas Mount Saint Elias. In the Books of Kings, Elijah challenges 450 prophets of a particular Baal to a contest at the altar on Mount Carmel to determine whose deity was genuinely in control of the Kingdom of Israel; since the narrative is set during the rule of Ahab and his association with the Phoenicians, biblical scholars suspect that the Baal in question was probably Melqart.[18] According to the Bible in 1 Kings 18, the challenge was to see which deity could light a sacrifice by fire. After the prophets of Baal had failed to achieve this, Elijah had water poured on his sacrifice to saturate the altar and then he prayed; fire fell and consumed the sacrifice, wood, stones, soil, and water which prompted the Israelite witnesses to proclaim, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!". In the account, Elijah announced the end to a long drought; clouds gathered, the sky turned black, and it rained heavily. Though there is no biblical reason to assume that the account of Elijah's victory refers to any particular part of Mount Carmel,[1] Islamic tradition places it at a point known as El-Maharrakah, meaning the burning.[2]
[edit] Carmelites

A statue of Elijah in the crypt of the monastery on Mount Carmel. According to Carmelite tradition, the crypt was originally the Cave of Elijah

A Catholic religious order was founded on Mount Carmel in the 12th century, named the Carmelites, in reference to the mountain range; the founder was a certain Berthold (who died at an unknown point after 1185), who was either a pilgrim or crusader. The order was founded at the site that it claimed had once been the location of Elijah's cave, 1,700 feet (520 m) above sea level at the northwestern end of the mountain range;[1] this, perhaps not coincidentally, is also the highest natural point of the entire mountain range. Though there is no documentary evidence to support it, Carmelite tradition suggests that a community of Jewish hermits had lived at the site from the time of Elijah until the Carmelites were founded there; prefixed to the Carmelite Constitution of 1281 was the claim that from the time when Elijah and Elisha had dwelt devoutly on Mount Carmel, priests and prophets, Jewish and Christian, had lived praiseworthy lives in holy penitence adjacent to the site of the fountain of Elisha, in an uninterrupted succession. A Carmelite monastery was founded at the site shortly after the order itself was created, and was dedicated to Mary, in her aspect of Star of the Sea (stella maris in Latin) - a common medieval presentation of Mary;[1] although Louis IX (of France) is commonly referred to as the founder, he was not, and had merely visited it in 1252.[2] The Carmelite order grew to be one of the major Catholic religious orders worldwide, although the monastery at Carmel had a less successful history. During the Crusades the monastery often changed hands, frequently finding itself to have become a mosque;[2] under Islamic control, the location came to be known as ElMaharrakah, meaning place of burning, in reference to the account of Elijah's challenge to the priests of Hadad.[2] In 1799 the building was finally converted into a hospital, by Napoleon, but in 1821 the surviving structure was destroyed by the pasha of Damascus.[2] A new monastery was later constructed directly over a nearby cave, after funds were collected by the Carmelite order for restoration of the monastery;[2] the cave, which now forms the crypt of the monastic church, is termed Elijah's grotto by the monks.[2] One of the oldest scapulars is associated with Mount Carmel, and the Carmelites. According to Carmelite legend, the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was first given to Simon Stock, an English Carmelite, by Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Carmelites sometimes refer to Mary as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in honour of the legend, and celebrate a feast day dedicated to her in this guise, on the 16 July.
[edit] Bah' Faith

The Shrine of the Bb and its Terraces on Mount Carmel, 2004

Mount Carmel is considered a sacred place for Bah's around the world, and is the location of the Bah' World Centre and the Shrine of the Bb. The location of the Bah' holy places has its roots to the imprisonment of the religion's founder, Bah'u'llh, near Haifa by the Ottoman Empire during the Ottoman Empire's rule over Palestine. The Shrine of the Bb is a structure where the remains of the Bb, the founder of Bbism and forerunner of Bah'u'llh in the Bah' Faith, have been laid to rest. The shrine's precise location on Mount Carmel was designated by Bah'u'llh himself and the Bb's remains were laid to rest on March 21, 1909 in a six-room mausoleum made of local stone. The construction of the shrine with a golden dome was completed over the mausoleum in 1953,[19] and a series of decorative terraces around the shrine were completed in 2001. The white marbles used were from the same ancient source that most Athenian masterpieces were using, the Penteliko Mountain. Bah'u'llh, the founder of the Bah' Faith, writing in the Tablet of Carmel, designated the area around the shrine as the location for the administrative headquarters of the religion; the Bah' administrative buildings were constructed adjacent to the decorative terraces, and are referred to as the Arc, on account of their physical arrangement.
[edit] Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

The Kababir Mosque

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has its largest Israeli mosque on Mount Carmel known as the Mahmood Mosque in Kababir. It is a unique structure composed of two minarets.[20] The mosque was once visited by the President of Israel, Shimon Peres for an Iftar Dinner.[21]