The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Satan:
Satan:
While these two passages are referring specifically to the kings of Babylon and Tyre, I believe they also reference the spiritual power behind those kings, Satan.
The five I will’s:
Isaiah 14:12–14 (NKJV)
12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.
16 “By the abundance of your trading
You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones.
17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.
18 “You defiled your sanctuaries
By the multitude of your iniquities,
By the iniquity of your trading;
Therefore I brought fire from your midst;
It devoured you,
And I turned you to ashes upon the earth
In the sight of all who saw you.
His power: he can perform supernatural acts.
His power: he can perform supernatural acts.
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
His plan: his plan has been and will alway be to destroy.
His plan: his plan has been and will alway be to destroy.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
His personality: he deceives by changing his personality.
His personality: he deceives by changing his personality.
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
His persistence: he never quits to destroy all that is of God.
His persistence: he never quits to destroy all that is of God.
While speaking of false teacher, those false teachers are of their father Satan and they are simply emulating him.
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
vv. 1-6) The Symbol
vv. 1-6) The Symbol
[1] We are given as John states, “a great sign.” He seems to give us the main figures of the Great Tribulation and a description.
The woman, representing Israel.
The dragon, representing Satan.
The man-child, referring to Jesus.
The angel Michael, head of the angelic host.
The offspring of the woman, represents believers of God or why else would they continue to be persecuted. Whether or not they are Gentiles or Jews they become the target of the wrath of the dragon. My suspicion is this is all the other Jews apart from the 144,000.
Because John says this is a sign, we do not believe that this woman will appear literally on earth. Women throughout this book seems to represent religious systems.
Jezebel is associated with a religious system promoting sexual immorality and false teaching [Revelation 2:20].
The Great Harlot is associated with the false religion during this time [Revelation 17:2].
The Bride is associated the church [Revelation 19:7-8].
The woman: Israel.
The sun and moon should draw our attention to Jacob and Rachel, Joseph’s parents. The stars in the crown clearly relates to the 12 sons of Jacob [Genesis 37:9-11].
J.B. Smith cites:
1 Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
3 The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
20 Your sun shall no longer go down,
Nor shall your moon withdraw itself;
For the Lord will be your everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning shall be ended.
these verses as proof that the sun refers to Israel’s future glory.
This woman has been associated with many different religious ideas. Roman catholics claim this woman is Mary, pictured as the “Queen of Heaven.” Mary Baker Eddy (the founder of Christian Science) said she was this woman.
[2] Later in this chapter, it is crystal clear that the child born is Jesus:
5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.
The labor and pain: has two possible interpretations. Either it refers to the the travail of Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth under Roman occupation and oppression. Or, and more likely, refers to the emerging nation of Israel in its suffering prior to the second coming of Christ.
[3] We are yet again reminded that this is a sign. This creature is not literally on the earth, but a representation of his nature and character. Symbolically suggesting his power and murderous nature.
7 heads and 10 horns, and 7 crowns on his heads. Similar descriptions in Daniel 7:7-8, 24 and Revelation 13:1. What is being conveyed here is that Satan has control over the world empires during this period of time. Essentially he is claiming to have royal authority against the true King. He wants to be considered a king.
[4] What is being described in verse 4 is probably the one-third of the angelic host in league with Satan:
9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
I think this is important place to park for just a moment and reiterate:
God never made an evil being; but He made angels, principalities, and powers capacitated for mighty joys and distinctions in His glorious domain, yet with free will, implied in the very creation of moral beings, which they could exercise for their everlasting weal or woe [means both in times of happiness and success and in times of sadness and difficulty]. Many have remained steadfast, to wit, ‘Michael and his angels.’ But some abode not in the truth but revolted against the rule of Heaven, and became unchanging enemies of God and His kingdom.”–Seiss
[5] This child is Jesus Christ, the Messiah. He rules the world with a rod of iron.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
[6] Being persecuted by the dragon, the woman is protected by God in a place prepared for her.
This reference to a three and one-half year period connects these events with the final seven years of the Daniel 9 prophecy. Since the previous verse describes the ascension of Jesus, and here in this verse describes the yet-to-come events in the 70th week of Daniel, between these two verses lies hundreds of years (our current time).
Some believe this place in the wilderness is the rock city of Petra, south of the Dead Sea.
What I really found fascinating is this word “prepared.” It is the same Greek word used by Jesus in John 14:2-3
2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
This demonstrates that God’s careful planning works on earth as well as in heaven.
Satan has tried to thwart God’s plan time and time again...
Stan attended to corrupt the human race. If mankind is tainted by sin, and passes on that corruption from parent to child, how can a Savior be born? Virgin birth.
Satan attempts to kill the godly line of Able, and seems to succeed. God raises up another in Seth.
Satan attempt to pollute the bloodlines of the human race. God sends a flood and preserves one chosen family.
Family come which threatens the family God establishes. God protects His people by sending Joseph ahead to Egypt.
In Egypt, Satan tries to kill all of the male children. the midwives disobey because they feared God and the nation continues.
Later the king of Egypt attempts to wipe out the Israelites when they were on the boarder of the Red Sea. God would provide a means of escape along with destroying their enemies in the process.
Satan attempted to use Haman the Agagite to exterminate all Jews from the planet. He got pretty far, even gaining the royal seal of approval of the king. God would raise up both Mordecai and Ester, putting them in the exact place and for such a time as this to deliver His people.
Through Herod, Satan attempted to have Jesus killed going so far as killing all the male children in Bethlehem under two years old. God would send baby Jesus and his earthly parents to Egypt to protect them.
Satan tried to tempt Jesus into sinning but to no avail.
Finally, Satan had Jesus killed, thinking he could stop Jesus from reigning as king. But this was part of God’s plan all along and the method by which He accomplished salvation for all.
2 “I know that You can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
Application: Do not fret about circumstances that seem stacked against you. God is sovereign. His plans will come to fruition. However it would be much better for us to live in obedience to His perfect will rather than being in His permissible will.
vv. 7-12) The Sacredness
vv. 7-12) The Sacredness
vv. 13-17) The Supernatural
vv. 13-17) The Supernatural