The Cosmic Conflict

INTRODUCTION

All leading to the final battle between the forces of darkness and Jesus and his army.

The story of Christmas does not begin in a city called Bethlehem. It begins in a garden called Eden. There is immediately following the fall when Adam and Eve gave into the temptation to sin “the ancient serpent,” God made a promise to send a Savior. In Genesis 3:1 he said to Satan, “I will put enmity or hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and and her seed. He will strike (or crush) your head, and you will strike (or bruise) his heal.

This promise made in the presence of Adam and Eve, is often called the proto-evangelium” or first Gospel promise, which would be further developed in God’s promise to Abraham.

The beginning of the Bible gives us insight into the antagonist of the story. Adam and Eve were created in God’s image to rule as God’s emissaries of the world. Then you had the anti-image bearer enter the world and muddy everything up.

Revelation 12:1–6 ESV

1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

THE IDENTITY OF THE WOMAN

Many have identified her as Mary

Others say is representative of Israel (or the Messianic community’s ideal Israel)

The Dream resembles that of Joseph’s dream.

Genesis 37:9 ESV

9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

Note: The Sun represented Jacob, the moon Rachel, and the stars the tribe of Israel. Perhaps it is best to see her representing the righteous remnant of Israel, the people of God.

vs.2 We see a picture drawn of a pregnant woman in the great pains of child birth this is reflective of the OT imagery that is often applied to the nation of Israel as a mother giving birth. The nation agonized over the suffering for centuries as she longed for her Messiah to come.

1. The Devil Stands Ready to Devour Us

Devour: to eat up, prey upon, enjoy avidly, feed on greedily or ravenously.

THE CHILD

Make no mistake from the moment that you breath air on this planet called earth Satan is standing ready to destroy your life.

John 10:10 ESV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

THE CHARACTERS OF THE STORY

The Child - Christ our Lord and Savior

The Woman - The Remnant of Israel who continues as the Church after His ascension.

The Dragon - The one who seeks to destroy the child, and when foiled turns his anger and frustration on the Church.

THE DRAGON

We see from the book of Genesis we see that in the very forming of man in His own image to rule as kings on behalf, to serve and mediate His glory. An Individual called the devil is one who is labeled the anti-image of God. He has perverted the office God gave to humanity in three ways.

Instead of Ruling on behalf of God, he attempts to rule as god himself.

Instead of preserving the Sacredness of God, he chooses Defile it.

Instead of proclaiming God’s truth he makes it his job to twist the truth.

The descendents of the serpent will continually wage war against God’s people. But at the end of history, the descendent of Adam and Eve will vanquish the evil one.

Satan’s Strategic Move that has Failed.

“He moved Cain to kill Abel.”

“He moved Pharaoh to kill Hebrew baby boys.”

“He moved Saul to kill David.”

“He moved wicked Athaliah to destroy all the royal heirs of the house of Judah.”

“He moved Haman to plot genocide against the Jews.”

But in all of this, he failed. Verse 5 tells us, “But she gave birth to a Son - a male who is going to shepherd the nations with an iron scepter.”

David Platt Says:

“the birth of Christ on that day in Bethlehem inaugurated the death of this ancient serpent, just as it had been promised back in

Genesis 3. The birth of Christ declared the death of the ancient serpent; the death of Christ defanged the adversary.

Revelation 12:7–12 ESV

7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

2. We Fight from a Position of Victory

Remember our Enemy is a Defeated Foe (12:7-9)

War in the Heavenly places with Michael leading his angels to fight against the Dragon.

Satan now no longer has an entrance into the Heavenly places. (apparently, there was a time as we look at Job when Satan still could enter heaven)

Names are given to the Evil one

“The Dragon,” emphasizes the ferocity and terror he brings.

“Ancient Serpent,” identifies him with the snake we find in Genesis 3 seduced Adam and Eve.

“The Devil,” literally diablos, means “the accuser” or “the slanderer.”

“Satan,” is a proper name that means “the adversary” or “the enemy.” He is the one who deceives the whole world, the one Jesus says is “a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him....

Remember our Salvation is a Settled Reality (12:10)

When the accuser Satan accuses you of being a dirty, rotten, sinner, you look him in the eye and say, “You are right I am. But I have a Savior greater than my sin, and He has given me salvation, power, a kingdom, and the authority of my Messiah. I have been delivered from the domain of darkness into His glorious light.

I am free from your accusations now and forever.

Your Salvation is sign sealed, and a settled reality in the Kingdom of God!

Remember our Victory is Through the Blood of Christ and His Gospel (12:11-12)

All those who follow the Lamb, the Christ of God, have already Conquered and become Victorious over the dragon.

HOW DO WE OVERCOME THIS?

The Blood of the Lamb: The power of the blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient to cover all our sins.

The Word of our Testimony: The witness is a faithfulness unto death. (what are we willing to sacrifice for our testimony)

Because our sins have been washed clean in the blood of the Lamb there is no accusation by the Devil that can stand against us. We have not been forgiven because of who we are; we have been forgiven because of who He is and what He has done for us. We now gladly put our lives on the line. He is worth it all and more.

Satan knows that His Time is Short

The reason for the woe is that the Devil has come down to earth to exhibit his great wrath on humanity. Never forget that he knows his time is short and he has a little more than three and a half years at this point before he will find his new home for a thousand years in the abyss.

Satan has raged against humanity since the garden of Eden. He is not letting up one bit in our day. As his time draws to a close, his fury will only increase to proportions beyond our wildest imaginations.

It will seem as if hell has come to earth during these horrible and final days of the tribulation. Sinners can only expect destruction, disaster, and death at the hands of the great fiery red dragon.

But it does not have to be that way, God has accomplished ass that is needed for salvation that is available tand offered to all who will trust in the Lamb, in His Son.

Revelation 12:13–17 ESV

13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. 16 But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

God has His hand on His Servants During the War Against Satan (12:13)

Christmas is the declaration of the war that was promised in Gen. 3:15.

Calvary was the decisive battle where the final outcome of this war was settled.

Satan seeks the Destruction of God’s people (the righteous remnant, fled into the wilderness to be cared for by God)

It is out of faithful Israel that the Messiah will come [ultimately embodied in a particular woman named Mary].

It should cause no trouble that within the same chapter the woman comes to signify the church (v. 17). The people of God are one throughout redemptive history. The early church did not view itself as discontinuous with faithful Israel.

God is a Rescuer of those Who Are His (12:14-17)

The Wings of God’s Protection. (We often see throughout scripture wings used to describe God’s providential protection of His children.

Exodus 19:4 ESV

4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

Chapter 13

The Antichrist

3. God’s People Must do what they have Always Done and Stand Firm to the End

We Hold Fast to Sound Doctrine and Bear up Under Persecution when it comes.

1 Peter 5:9 ESV

9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

What comes to your mind when you hear about the Antichrist? For most people, it conjures up images of pure evil.

One of the most insightful comments on the nature of the opponents to come is in 2 Thessalonians 2, where Paul argues that the second coming of Christ is a future event because that day will be preceded by two events.

2 Thessalonians 2:1–4 ESV

1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

Two Events happen before the second coming:

Apostasy: The total rejection of Christianity by a baptized person who, having at one time professed the Christian faith, publicly now rejects it.

Unveiling of the “man of lawlessness” : This man both opposes God to his face and exalts himself as God to be worshiped.

“That day will not come unless the rebellion comes first. The word rebellion in Greek is (apostasia) speaking of rebellion against God and His word. Consider the attack on scripture today and God’s word as not authoritative.”

“The man of lawlessness refers to a person whose life is characterized by his great opposition to God’s rule and reign.”

Revelation 13:1–4 ESV

1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

Satan works through Evil Individuals and Governments to Advance His Kingdom

10 Horns denote great power

7 heads may be drawn from seven-headed monster mythology in Ancient Near Easter text.

10 Diadems convey authority.

The Leopard: represents the Greek empire under Alexander.

The Bear: represents Medo-Persia and symbolized its great strength in devouring power.

The Lion: Was Babylon, with its majesty, and power.

The Antichrist:

Fascination with Evil

The best-selling Left Behind fiction series attempts to describe the various evils that will, according to the authors Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, accompany the last days. It makes for fascinating reading. As any novelist will admit, it's much easier to get people to read about vice than virtue, about unfolding evil rather than pages upon pages of good.

Another example comes from the pages of church history. Historian Richard Kyle of Tabor College, in Hillsboro, Kansas, (and author of The Last Days Are Here Again: A History of the Second Coming,) said in an interview in Christian History magazine, "Through much of history, people have been looking more for the Antichrist than for Christ…. There's more interesting speculation about who the Antichrist is."

Some of the leading candidates in church history have been the Roman emperor Nero, Napoleon, and Hitler. But speculation has gone the other way, as well. Some have announced that the Antichrist was the Reformer Martin Luther, and in our day, some have said it was Ronald Reagan or John Paul II.

Exalting Jesus in Revelation (Antichrist: The Beast from the Sea (Revelation 13:1–10))

On November 1, 1999, Newsweek magazine’s cover story was “Prophecy.”

It reported that 40 percent of US adults believe the world will end in a battle of Armageddon between Jesus Christ and the antichrist. It also reported that 19 percent of Americans believed the antichrist was alive on the earth right now.

One thing is certain: everyone in the past who has made a specific identification of the antichrist has been wrong! That fact alone should give us pause in following in their footsteps.

Satan Desires to Be Worshiped and Treated like God.

Satan has always been the great wannabe imposter cheap imitation God. The word wounded is the same word in Greek translated “slaughtered.” This speaks to the vicarious death of the Lamb. “The Beast has the sword wound” but lived. The word lived is also the very word used in the N.T. to speak of Jesus resurrection.

What we have here is a counterfeit death and resurrection taking place at the end of the age.

Amazed at the apparent resurrection of the beast, the whole earth begins to submit to his authority. “They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast.

Wonder leads to worship Divine worship is substituted with a false worship.

God alone is incomparable, and the beast once more is usurping or trying to steal what belongs to God alone.

WE LIVE IN A CULTURE AN PEOPLE TODAY WHO WANT TO BE THEIR OWN GOD

The one who will disguise himself as an angel of light will provide the world with a copycat of Christ.

Revelation 13:5–10 ESV

5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear: 10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

Two groups of people: Those whose names are written in His book and those who are not. (7 times in the New Testament, believers are identified as those whose names are written in the Book of Life).

Lambs Book of Life

The book of life belongs to the Lamb, the Lord Jesus, is the registry in which God inscribes the names of those chosen for salvation before the foundation of the world.

Unlike unbelievers, those whose names are sealed in His book will not be deceived by the Anti-Christ, nor will they worship him.

The anti-christ will not be able to destroy true believers who have saving faith, for the Lord Jesus Christ promised,

Revelation 3:5 ESV

5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

1 John 5:4 ESV

4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Believers will have been in the keeping power of God since before creation, and they will be there after the destruction of this order and the establishment of the new heaven and new earth.

Believers are doubly secure, because the book of life belongs to the Lamb who has been slain. We are sealed by the atoning work of Jesus Christ forever.

Revelation 13:11–17 ESV

11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.

So, now we will see that it is through this second beast empowered by Satan that a one-world government, one-world religion, and one-world economy will come to fruition.

Notice that humanity will willingly submit to it, This individual called the false prophet will be given power by Satan to perform miracles. He will apparently duplicate the miracles of that one who comes in the spirit of Elijah, perhaps deceiving the world into believing that he is the one who fulfills the prophecy of Malachi 4:5.

He will apparently call some lifeless beast to life again and force the world to worship it.

Paul pointed out in 2 Thessalonians 2:11

2 Thessalonians 2:11 ESV

11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,

That during this time, the day of the Lord, God will send the world a powerful delusion so that they should believe the lie. I believe the lie is that the antichrist, who will rule over a one-world government, religion and economy, is actually the world’s long-awaited Messiah, the world’s god.

The False Prophet will be a Deceiver: The beast had two horns like a lamb but it spoke like a dragon.

Matthew 7:15 (ESV)

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

I believe this is one of the most damaging false teaching today. 2005 book by Melina Lundquist Denton “book Soul Searching”

5 Characteristics of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.

A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth. (Not just a God but the God of the Bible)

God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions. (God does not just want people to be nice, he demands our obedience. He is the one who defines good and nice. He calls sin “sin” and promises to judge sin.

The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. (The central goal of life is to bring God glory. The byproduct may be that we feel good about who we are in Christ, but that is not the goal.

God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem. (we are called to pray without ceasing, not just when things are falling apart).

Good people go to heaven when they die. (NO one is good not one, all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. The wages of sin is death.)

The False Prophet will promote False worship of the Antichrist

The False Prophet will use Miracles to Deceive the World

Not everything that appears to be a miracle is from God. That is true today, and it will clearly be true during the reign of the antichrist. Our text tells us that the false prophet ‘performs great signs.’

The False Prophet will persecute those who Follow the Lamb

Idols normally cannot hear or speak, walk, or see. They also do not murder.

However, this is not a normal idol. Breathing and talking, it goes on a vicious campaign, a Christian holocaust, a Christian pogrom. Duvall is on target:The demonic idol demands worship on penalty of death (cf. 16:14; 19:20). Christians may either give allegiance to false gods and ‘live’ or stay faithful to Christ with the real possibility of physical death.

(Remember the story of the fiery furnace.)

The False Prophet Will Mark Those who Worship the Antichrist

John MacArthur tells us the mark will consist of either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Antichrist will have a universal designation, his name within a numbering system. The exact identification of that phrase is unclear. What is clear is that everyone will be required to have the identifying mark or suffer the consequences. (Revelation 12–22, 63)

David Platt is right: “Mark it down: there will always be a price to pay for believers who do not worship the idols of this world. Life will not be easy in this world when you fight the idolatry of this world, plain and simple” (“Fighting”).

UNWITTING SERVANT OF OUR SANCTIFICATION

CONCLUSION

God intends that part of our preparation for heaven is a life of warfare with hell. He calls it a “good warfare.”

1 Timothy 1:18 ESV

18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,

And a “Good Fight”

1 Timothy 6:12 ESV

12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

It is good not because we might be killed (which might! - Revelation 2:10

Revelation 2:10 ESV

10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

but because these fire-fights refine the gold of our faith. 1 Peter 1:7

1 Peter 1:7 ESV

7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

John Piper (Bethlehem Church)

“God is the great General in the warfare. He has given us the walkie-talkie of prayer to call for help: “Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at ll times.”

He see’s behind enemy lines, and knows exactly the strategies that will be used against you. He has written them down in a wartime manual “so that we would not be outwitted by Satan.” The reason that you will not be outwitted is that you are not ignorant to his plans.

2 Corinthians 2:11 ESV

11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

THERE IS NO NEUTRAL ZONE IN THE BATTLE

The question is not whether you want to be in this war or not. Everyone is in it. Either we are defeated by the devil and therefore, following, like cattle being led to slaughter, “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), or we are resisting - resist him, firm in your faith! (1 Peter 5:9).

There is no neutral zone. You either triumph “by the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony,” or you will be enslaved by Satan. Therefore, “share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” And “wage the good warfare.”

Learn to say “He trains my hands for war.” Psalm 144:1.