Significance of the Defeat

The defeat of the Armada instilled confidence in the Protestants of Northern Europe, even though religious wars continued unabated. That Protestants believed their triumph to be proof of divine favor is evidenced by a Dutch medal that commemorates the event. Its inscription reads, Flavit יהוה et dissipati sunt 1588, that is, “Jehovah blew and they were scattered 1588.”

Looking back, it is evident that what happened in the summer of 1588, when efforts at conquest by the Spanish Armada proved unsuccessful, is very significant. Nearly 200 years after the defeat of the Armada, Great Britain rose to world prominence and, in time, came to have a key position in fulfillment of Bible prophecy.