Revelation - Part 14
Notes
Transcript
The Woman, the child, and the Dragon
The Woman, the child, and the Dragon
To Recap where we left off last week, There are 3 primary characters introduced in the first 6 verses. A woman, a child, and a dragon. They are all highly symbolic, and when there is symbolism, we have to remember our rules.
Look closely at every detail and attribute.
A figure has to be tied back to something real, or it is just a figure of our imagination.
It should be tied back to something biblical if possible
It at least cannot contradict something biblical.
It might mean more than one thing.
It might mean some future thing that we don’t know about.
It might mean something other than what you have always believed or taught it meant.
That last rule is hard to follow. It is easy to get set in our ways… and that keeps us from digging deeper. It is called confirmation bias. So, I pray you’ll be open to digging deeper with me. let’s read verse 1-6
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 Woman
The Woman
As we did with the Angel in chapter 10, I want us to look at all the details of the woman.
Let’s see if anything stands out.
Clothed with the Sun
Stands on the Moon
Has a Crown
The Crown has 12 stars
She is expecting a child
She is crying out due to birth pains
The child she is having will be a boy
She flees into the wilderness
She will be nourished for 1,260 days.
Male Child
Male Child
Will rule nations (future tense)
Has a rod of iron
Caught up to God (rapture)
Will sit on the throne in Heaven
Dragon
Dragon
Great
Red
7 Heads
10 horns
7 diadems ( one on each head)
Tail
Casts down 1/3 of the stars from heaven
Desires to devour the woman’s child
Who are they?
Who are they?
There will be more details in the rest of this chapter, but during their introduction here we can already start to draw some conclusions.
The child has the least amount of descriptions, but is also the easiest to identify.
It is clearly Jesus.
But is it more than Jesus alone?
We will see near the end of this chapter a clue that might give more shape to the symbol of the male child.
The Dragon appears to be none other than Satan himself,
But does it represent anything else specific?
The Woman seems to clearly be Isreal at first glance,
But does it also represent Mary herself?
Could this woman not also represent Eve?
Could she represent the church as a whole?
The Woman
The Woman
Let’s dig into each detail of the Woman:
Clothed with the Sun
Stands on the Moon
These two details remind me of one of Joseph’s dreams.
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.”
10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?”
In Joseph’s dream the sun and moon represented his mother and father.
And the 11 stars represented his 11 brothers, who together with Joseph.
In John’s vision, this woman is clothed with the Sun, and Standing on the Moon
and She has 12 stars in her crown.
If the 12 stars represent the 12 tribes like they did in Joseph’s dream
Then it is plausible to assume this Sun and Moon represents Isreal and his wives or Abraham and Sarah.
Has a Crown
Crowns always symbolize Royalty.
so, we are talking about a Royal linage
This points to the Tribe of Judah
And then later the Church, which is a royal priesthood.
The Crown has 12 stars
We already said this symbolizes the 12 tribes of Isreal
But it could also point to the 12 Apostles
remember, symbols in the Bible can mean more than one thing at once.
She is expecting a child
Since we suspect the male child is Jesus, this points to the woman being Mary
But we know Mary doesn’t represent the entire nation of Isreal
And she doesn’t represent the entire Church
So, while Mary is the literal mother of Jesus
The Woman here does not seem to just be Mary.
She is crying out due to birth pains
The detail about the birth pains takes us all the way back to the beginning.
Back to the first mother
Back to Eve.
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
The child she is having will be a boy
This of course points to Jesus
And Eve’s future offspring was called a “he” in Genesis 3:15
She flees into the wilderness
This detail has not yet happened,
and we know this because of the next detail which is…
She will be nourished for 1,260 days.
This time period of 1,260 days is equal to 3 years and 6 months using a lunar calendar.
It is the 3.5 years, or time, times, and half a time, or 42 months that John and Daniel reference over and over again.
So, during either the 1st 3.5 years or the second 3.5 years,
the Woman will hide from the beast in a place prepared by God in the wilderness.
This final detail is why I believe the woman represents the Church during the reign of the antichrist.
The woman represents Eve in the beginning
and She represents Isreal during the OT
But this woman also represents the Church
There is this multilevel symbolism that could only have been contrived by God.
And the same will happen with the symbol of the male child.
Male Child
Male Child
Will rule nations (future tense)
This points to the millennial reign of Jesus Christ
Has a rod of iron
This is also clearly about the Messiah
We talked about how Ps 2 aligned with the 7th trumpet last week, and in that song, there is a reference of the messiah ruling with a rod of iron.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a
potter’s vessel.”
Also, in Rev 2.27
27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.
15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
Caught up to God (rapture)
9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Will sit on the throne in Heaven
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
So, the male child is clearly talking about Jesus,
He fulfils the promise to Eve in Gen 3.15
He also fulfills the promise to Isreal of the coming Messiah
He also fulfills the promise to the church as the returning Messiah
That is how the Woman can represent Eve, Isreal, and the Church
And Jesus can fulfill all three promises by Himself.
But, the male child doesn’t just symbolize Jesus.
It also symbolizes the church
And here’s why
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
So, this idea that the church is really Isreal is taught all throughout Paul’s letters
We are join-heirs with Christ
We are all sons of God now
We are the real Isreal
We have been grafted into the vine and Isreal is broken off.
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.
The church is the Sons of Abraham
The uncountable stars in heaven that were promised to him.
People who forget this concept will see things that represent isreal in the book of Revelation, and think that it applies to Jewish people only.
But… Paul said…
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
So, if the male child in Rev 12 refers to a Son of Eve, a Son of Isreal, and a Son of God… then that’s me. and that’s also you.
And I’ll fast forward to the end of the chapter to show you that this is exactly what the vision means.
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.
So, it says “offspring” here, and it literally means “seed”. And It is singular
seed, not seeds
And Paul makes a big deal about the promise to Abraham, and really to Eve too, being to Abraham’s seed or Eve’s “seed” singular, and not “seeds” plural.
16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
This is in the same chapter we read from earlier, and Paul is making a point that there is only one “seed” or “offspring”, singular,
And therefore, we are all one in Christ.
So, You are just as much the seed of Eve, and later Abraham as Issac was, and as Jesus was.
And therefore, when our text refers to “her offspring”, it is talking about us… the church.
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.
The dragon is not going to make war on Seth, Eve’s Literal son.
And the dragon is not going to make war on Issac, Abraham’s literal son.
And the dragon is not going to make war on Jesus alone, but all of us who are in Christ Jesus.
So, the woman refers to the Eve, Abraham, and the Church.
And the Child refers to Seth, Issac, Jesus, and all of us who are buried with Christ in baptism.
Finally, let’s look at the dragon…
Dragon
Dragon
Great
Red
7 Heads
10 horns
7 diadems which are crowns( one on each head)
Tail
Casts down 1/3 of the stars from heaven
Desires to devour the woman’s child
We don’t have to wonder long about who the great red dragon is.
John tells us in just a moment.
In this vision, John is taken back to when Satan is cast out of heaven
Along with his angels…so the 1/3 of the stars represent 1/3 of angels that fell with satan.
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.
So, we are fortunate to get the interpretation right away. The dragon is Satan. 100%, and the stars are the fallen angels which are now demons.
After the vision of Satan’s fall from heaven John hears a voice…
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.
The devil was conquered by two things.
The blood of the Lamb (cross)
Word of their testimony.
A bonus thing was not loving their lives even unto death.
We know what the blood of the Lamb is.
We are celebrating that this week.
But the second thing is important too.
The word of our testimony.
Remember, if the Gospel is hid, it is hid to them that are lost.
Your testimony is important
It could save someone from satan’s grasp
If someone overcomes the power of Satan
It will be because of the blood of the Lamb AND
because someone testified to them
Someone shared the gospel with them
Someone gave them a Bible
Someone took them out to lunch and told them about Jesus
The 3rd thing was not loving our lives.
That sounds extreme
But Jesus said it was the mark of a disciple
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Love not your life.
Also, Satan isn’t going to stop fighting until the end
Don’t forget that
We don’t get a day off from being a witness of Jesus
Because Satan isn’t taking a break either.
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!”
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.
Here we see that 3.5 years again. 1,260 days, or 42 months.
God is going to protect the woman who gave birth to the child
This could mean that God is going to protect Isreal as a nation
And it could mean that God is going to protect the church
Or it could mean both.
I’ve historically considered this to be talking about Isreal as a nation
Some people see the eagle’s wings to represent the United States
And the US has been a great ally to Isreal in our lifetime
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.
To me, this means that some flood will either put the nation of Isreal, or the church in danger during those 3.5 years, but God will intervene with a earthquake to save them or us from that flood.
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.
Here, I think this is when Satan will turn from attacking Isreal, and start really attacking Christians.
This could line up with the 5th seal
Now, in the next chapter we will see two other beasts, one of which that looks almost identical to the Great red dragon from this chapter, but with one small difference.
If you read ahead, be sure to compare the amount of heads, horns, and crowns.
Now, I’ve talked a little bit about how the book of Daniel has many prophecies that line up with Revelation.
In chapter 7 Daniel sees a beast that is the same one John sees in Rev 13 for example.
But, I want to talk a little about that 3.5 years we keep reading about.
Daniel mentions is in a few place, but the last chapter really hones in on something that I think is very interesting.
6 And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?”
7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.
8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?”
9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.
10 Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.
11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days.
12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days.
So, we know 1,260 days is 3 years and 6 months.
That is when the antichrist will be revealed
But Daniel says that the abomination of desolation will happen after 1,290 days.
That is 3 years and 7 months.
So, the antichrist will be known, and then will wait one month to perform the AoD.
But then Daniel is told that whoever makes it to the 1,335 day mark will be blessed…
What does that mean?
The CSB says it this way.
12 Happy is the one who waits for and reaches 1,335 days.
1,335 days is 3 years 8 months and 15 days.
This would be 45 days after the AoD
And 55 Days after the antichrist is revealed.
I don’t know if this is when the rapture happens, or what
But if we are still here
and the Antichrist is revealed
and he starts persecuting us for not taking the mark
Just wait 55 days.
Use this promise from the book of Daniel to get you through it
Something good is going to happen 55 days after we find out who the AntiChrist is
and I’ve never been taught about this because most people have their minds made up that we won’t even be here at this point… but what did Paul say?
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.
