5. How does Habakkuk 3:11 picture Jehovah’s brilliant weapons of warfare?

⁵ While mountains writhe as if in severe pains, Jehovah displays himself as a warrior with superhuman weapons of war. His winged darts of death and his means of propelling them are no mere man-made arrows and bow. They will not be left covered, concealed, as if in a bow cover and a quiver. Roaring thunderbolts and crackling lightnings are in his divine armory. At the flashing of God’s means of death to his enemies the light will be so intense by day and night, that the natural sun and moon will, as it were, feel themselves not needed for illumination. It will be as if they “stood still,” not functioning as light bearers, but letting Jehovah’s radiant missiles put on a display of illuminating power. To add to the awe-inspiring spectacle of speedy flashing missiles of destruction, Jehovah’s larger weapon, like a spear, will be sent streaking through the air and add to the brightness by its lightnings. Imagine the mental effect of such war action upon the foes of Jehovah and of his people!

FOR WHOSE SALVATION THE WAR IS WAGED

6. What warning should the nations take as regards those to be saved at Har–Magedon?

⁶ Let the nations of the earth take warning. The very ones whom they have now for decades made the “objects of hatred by all the nations” are the ones whom Jehovah will save at Har–Magedon, whereas the nations themselves suffer for hating those whom He loves. Under inspiration, the prophet Habakkuk makes this plain, as he goes on to say: “With denunciation you went marching through the earth. In anger you went threshing the nations. And you went forth for the salvation of your people, to save your anointed one. You broke to pieces the head one out of the house of the wicked one. There was a laying of the foundation bare, clear up to the neck. Selah.”​—Hab. 3:12, 13; Matt. 24:9.

7, 8. (a) After what great religious event will this salvation take place? (b) To preserve what on earth will Jehovah perform this salvation, and how will he treat the nations?

⁷ Thus the worshipers of Jehovah God may have confidence that He will come to their aid at Har–Magedon. They are the ones that will be under attack by all the worldly nations. As the book of Revelation, chapters seventeen through nineteen, shows, this will be after the surprising destruction of that international prostitute, Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion, including Christendom. Jehovah’s worshipers who have come out from bondage in that Babylonish religious empire, will be preserved clear through the destruction of Christendom and all the rest of Babylon the Great.

⁸ The irreligious nations who will have brought about this destruction will then concentrate on trying to wipe out from the earth the pure worship of the one living and true God, Jehovah. In order not to let the godless nations succeed in this, Jehovah will have to go forth for the salvation of ‘his people.’ So in “denunciation” of the evil-intentioned nations He will march through the earth and angrily thresh the nations, pounding them underfoot like grain on a threshing floor.

9, 10. Who is the “anointed one” whom Jehovah goes forth to save?

⁹ The “anointed one” whom Jehovah goes forth to save is not his glorified Son, Jesus the Messiah or Anointed One. Revelation 17:14 and Re 19:11-16 reveal that Jesus Christ needs no salvation from the earthly nations, but, rather, leads the armies of heavenly angels against the nations that are attacking Jehovah’s “people” at Har–Magedon. This “people” is composed of the remnant of spirit-anointed disciples of Jesus Christ, and, together, these spirit-begotten anointed members of spiritual Israel make up Jehovah’s “anointed one” at Har–Magedon. As it is written in Psalm 28:8, 9, prophetically, concerning spiritual Israel:

¹⁰ “Jehovah is a strength to his people, and he is a stronghold of the grand salvation of his anointed one. Do save your people, and bless your inheritance; and shepherd them and carry them to time indefinite.”​—See also 1 John 2:20, 27; 2 Corinthians 1:21.

11. Who else on earth will be saved along with the “anointed one” at Har–Magedon?

¹¹ Along with Jehovah’s “anointed one” there will be a “great crowd” of fellow worshipers that will be saved at Har–Magedon. These also will have fled from the Babylonish world empire of false religion before the destruction of Babylon the Great. Although not being of the spiritual Israelites who make up Jehovah’s “anointed one,” they will join the “anointed one” in worshiping and serving Jehovah at his spiritual temple. Revelation 7:9-15 assures us that they will survive the “great tribulation.”

12. What, however, will happen then to the “house of the wicked one”?

¹² In dramatic contrast with the salvation of the “anointed one” and the “great crowd” there will be the complete desolation of the “house of the wicked one.” Like a house that is laid bare and destroyed from the roof to the foundation, the wicked system of things that they established under the unseen influence of Satan the Devil will be knocked to pieces. The head ones of this international “house” will be crushed in, broken to pieces, and those making up the underpart of the worldwide structure will be demolished clear to the base, not even the “foundation” being left covered in the ground as a base for a new building thereon. The foundation will be laid bare, exposed in a wrecked condition. The “house of the wicked one” will be no more on earth.

13, 14. (a) When speaking of the nations moving tempestuously to scatter “me,” of whom is Habakkuk speaking? (b) Who is the “afflicted one” whom the nations expect to devour gleefully in a place of concealment?

¹³ At the battlefield of Har–Magedon the nationalistic enemies of Jehovah’s “anointed one” will be thrown into suicidal confusion. In a prophetic vision of this, the prophet Habakkuk says in his prayer to Jehovah as a Warrior: “With his own rods you pierced the head of his warriors when they moved tempestuously to scatter me. Their high glee was as of those bent on devouring an afflicted one in a place of concealment. Through the sea you trod with your horses, through the heap of vast waters.”​—Hab. 3:14, 15.

¹⁴ When speaking of the international attempt to “scatter me” with tempestuous force, Habakkuk is speaking of himself as representing or standing for Jehovah’s “anointed one,” His people in need of salvation from the attackers. Like marauders who lie in wait in a concealed place for a victim, the nations assembled in full array at Har–Magedon will leap out upon Jehovah’s “anointed one” and the “great crowd” of fellow worshipers to destroy all these as they destroyed religious Babylon the Great. The “afflicted one” whom they expect to devour in high glee at their “place of concealment” is Jehovah’s “anointed one,” whom the worldly nations have always afflicted in their hatred of Jehovah’s worshipers. But their concealed place is not hid from Jehovah God.

15. (a) How is it that the heads of the warriors of the wicked one are pierced “with his own rods” by Jehovah? (b) How is the destruction of the enemy forces brought to a completion by Jehovah?

¹⁵ Jehovah will not be taken by any surprise. He will not lead his afflicted “anointed one” and their loyal companions into any ambush of the enemy. When the anti-God nations storm out tempestuously to scatter the practicers of the true, pure religion, Almighty God will turn the weapons of the attacking nations against themselves to fight among and against themselves. (Zech. 14:13; 2 Chron. 20:22-24) However, Almighty God will do more than just cause the international enemies to use their own military rods to pierce the heads of their own warriors. He will also himself use superhuman forces at His command to carry the destruction to a completion. With the “horses” of his heavenly armies under Jesus Christ, he will push onward victoriously through the “sea” and the “heap of vast waters” of the surging, roaring enemies. Thus His own people will not be overwhelmed in destruction at Har–Magedon. They will be eyewitnesses of Jehovah’s sublime victory!

Still describing the exploits of Jehovah God as He enters into the “war of the great day of God the Almighty” at Har–Magedon, the prophet says:

² “Is it against the rivers, O Jehovah, is it against the rivers that your anger has become hot, or is your fury against the sea? For you went riding upon your horses; your chariots were salvation. In its nakedness your bow comes to be uncovered. The sworn oaths of the tribes are the thing said. Selah. With rivers you proceeded to split the earth. Mountains saw you; they got to be in severe pains. A thunderstorm of waters passed through. The watery deep gave forth its sound. On high its hands it lifted up. Sun​—moon—​stood still, in the lofty abode thereof. Like light your own arrows kept going. The lightning of your spear served for brightness.”​—Hab. 3:8-11.