“A (Very) Real Cosmic Conflict”

Grab your Bibles and turn please to Revelation 12… 

Do you ever wonder…what goes on “behind the scenes”?

Real things happen out of public view…movies, politics…even in the preparing of a sermon… 

God provides John and the reader with a BEHIND the scenes look into spiritual realities. 

He UNVEILS a very real, but invisible world…that many of us pay no attention to as we live our lives.

A world where God and demons & angels all live and move…a very real world. 

Behind the scenes…

there is A VERY REAL ENEMY who hates you and I.

Satan hates us. Never forget those 3 words…

If you love Jesus and you follow His teaching…

Satan wants nothing more than to SABOTAGE your love for God and for others…

…he wants to tempt you to make moral mistakes…

…to choose a lifestyle of sin rather than a walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we fail…he stands ready to ACCUSE us before God. 

When we have victory over his schemes…he is already planning his next move…

Satan’s hatred of us is RELENTLESS…he sets traps to lure, snare & destroy unsuspecting victims.

This is nothing new…he has been spreading his evil influence for thousands of years.

Since the fall of Satan from heaven, there has been a CONSTANT COSMIC WAR going on in the universe.

This battle takes place on earth…Satan rebelled…got kicked out of heaven…he + 1/3 of the angels fell…were consigned to the earth…dragging Adam & Eve & all humanity into this great cosmic battle.

Revelation 12 is a picture of that conflict…full of symbols…yet it shows a very real literal conflict. 

Revelation 12 shows us from the fall of Satan…

…all the way to the end of the great tribulation.

A passage…ESSENTIAL for us to understand…because it shows us the strategies of the devil. 

My prayer is that we will both BE AWARE and BE ENCOURAGED… 

Paul warned about being…outwitted by Satan…for we are not ignorant of his designs. 2 Corinthians 2:11

We must not be ignorant of his devices.

There are things we must be aware of in this cosmic conflict. 

So this morning we're going to look just today at Revelation 12:1-6. 

I want you to see…

Four CHARACTERISTICS about this invisible war…this Cosmic Conflict. 

1. This Cosmic Conflict…INVOLVES a REAL PEOPLE…Revelation 12:1-2

Revelation 12:1 “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.”

Note that John sees a great sign. “great” = Greek word “mega”. 

It's a mega-sign…used 4x in Revelation 12…

v.1 a great (mega) sign…

v.3 “a great (mega) red dragon.

v.12 the dragon comes in great wrath.

v.14 a great eagle transports this woman to safety. 

What John sees in Rev. 12 is massive.

Who is this woman? Many theories…but there is a CLUE to help us know. (an interpretive key)

Where else in the Bible do you ever read about…the sun, moon, and 12 stars? 

Genesis 37:9-11

Young Joseph dream, tells his dad: “Last night I dreamed that the sun & moon and 11 stars were bowing down to me. Immediately, Jacob, Joseph's dad, reacted.

Listen to what he said."Shall I & your mother & your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?”

Now, why is that important?

Because Jacob interprets the symbolic meaning of the dream.

The dream Joseph had…

The sun=Jacob,

Tthe moon=Rachel,

12 stars=12 sons of Jacob...who would become the 12 tribes of Israel.

So the sun, moon and twelve stars are a symbol of the Jewish nation. 

In the OT…Israel is often portrayed as a woman…a mother, a pregnant woman in labour giving birth.

So a woman clothed with the sun, the moon and the 12 stars…we can safely say…

Based on the only other time it's mentioned in Scripture…that this woman is a symbol of the nation of ISRAEL.

Apoc. lit. like Dan./Rev./Matt.24, we know Israel as a nation plays a major role in end time events. 

Jeremiah 30:7 Jeremiah calls the tribulation period “a time of Jacob's trouble”, aka  Israel's trouble.

Daniel 9:24-27 The angel said to Daniel, “70 periods of seven are decreed about your people and your holy city…” That’s the Jewish people. For your holy city…the city of Jerusalem. 

Ever wondered…WHY is it that of all the nations who have ever existed on earth…

No other nation has been more HASSLED, OPPRESSED, OPPOSED, ATTACKED

More than any other nation…and yet has survived. That's Israel.

586 BC…Babylonians came in and effectively destroyed them, took them captive…

70 AD…Romans came later.…not only destroyed Jerusalem, but massacred 1.6 million Jews. 

135 AD…under Hadrian, Roman emperor…oppressed, persecuted, dispersed around the world.

15th C…Spanish Inquisition…targeted Jewish people expelled them from Spain.

1940’s…Nazi extermination of 6 million Jews during World War II.

It happened over and over and over again. Yet that tiny little nation still exists today in the Mid East. 

INTERESTING FACT…And it was birthed almost instantly as the prophet…

Isaiah predicted in Isaiah 66:8, “…shall a nation be born in a single day?”

And Israel was born in a single day, May 14, 1948. 

WHY has this one group of people been hassled, opposed…oppressed…

and yet they still exist today?

Why? Because there's something going on in the background…

A COSMIC CONFLICT…involving Israel. 

Why? Because God made unique promises to the Jewish nation…Genesis 12…to name a few:

He promised He would make them a great nation…

He promised they would be a blessed nation…numerous as the stars…Genesis 12

He promised them a land to be theirs…He promised to provide & protect them…

He promised that from them would come an eternal throne and the promised Messiah…Jesus

So here John sees a GREAT SIGN appearing of …a woman clothed with the sun, the moon, and the 12 stars. 

Revelation 12:2 “She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.”

It's not too hard to figure out who this child is…no doubt…Jesus Christ.

The Jewish nation longed for this for generations…remember Simeon & Anna…

Every faithful Jewish mother longed for…the Messiah…the Deliverer who would come.

Remember Genesis 3:15, “…the seed of the woman will come & crush the head of Satan.” 

v.5 is more proof…this woman gives birth to a male child…who will rule all nations with a rod of iron.

That can only refer to one person…and her child was caught up to God and His throne.

So after the incarnation…was the ascension of Jesus into heaven before His coronation and His second coming.

So this COSMIC CONFLICT involves a PEOPLE…the people of Israel, the Jewish nation.

2. This Cosmic Conflict…INCLUDES a REAL ENEMY…Revelation 12:3-4a

Revelation 12:3 “And another sign appeared in heaven, behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.”

Revelation 12:4a “His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth…

v.3 another sign appeared in heaven “a great red dragon” 7 heads, 10 horns, 7 diadems on his heads

v.4 tells us “…his tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth.

a. Who is the dragon?

We don't have to guess as to who the dragon is. HE IS NOT A CUTE LITTLE DRAGON CALLED TOOTHLESS

Revelation 12:9 tells us: “And the great dragon…that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan….the deceiver of the whole world.”

13x in Revelation…Satan is referred to as a DRAGON.

It is important for us to understand…this is a symbol of a reality…

It is not a physical description of the devil.

It's a MORAL DESCRIPTION…speaks of his vile, evil, cruel and fierce character.

***This is important to note here…our world has this idea that Satan is running around wearing red tights with little horns, pitch fork…so they make fun of the whole idea of a literal devil. 

This “dragon” is symbolic…to point us to how reprehensibly vile and evil a creature he truly is.

CS Lewis: "humanity falls into two equal and opposite errors concerning the devil…

Some take him too seriously….others don't take him seriously enough.” 

Many do not take the devil seriously…even questioning his existence…they laugh at the thought.

But you can't have a more powerful enemy than the one you don't believe exists.

If you have an enemy that you don't know about, he's got you. You are under his control.

On the other hand…others have an obsession…they blame the devil…for every little thing..

We fail to realize…greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world!  1 John 4:4

QUOTE: John White wrote The Fight…an excellent book on Christian living gives a balanced: “…have no delusions about demons' reality or their hostility. They will oppose you as you obey Christ. If you play it cool, and you decide not to be a fanatic about Christianity, you will have no trouble from them. But if you are serious about Christ being your Lord and your God, you can expect opposition.”  John White “The Fight: A Practical Handbook of Christian Living” (1976)

b. The dragon described…

7 heads…10 horns…a 7-headed monster…one ugly, fierce dragon. 

What does all this mean? We know that 7 is a significant number in Revelation…and the Bible. 

7…speaks of totality, completion. i.e. 7 days make a total or a complete week, 7 notes in a scale

7 heads…speak of a comprehensive intelligence…Satan has an IQ that is off the charts. He was an intelligent being that crafted a mutiny in heaven. It got him kicked out of heaven, but he managed to take 1/3 of the angels with him. You've got to be pretty intelligent to pull that off. 

He has studied human nature and human character for thousands of years. He knows all of your weak points. And he can craft temptation specifically suited for you. Seven-headed dragon.

10 horns…the animal's horn is the animal's strength…what he used to fight with…a weapon. 

Satan has dominated the world…he is called “the god of this world.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)

7 diadems…authority was given to him…the world’s has given him authority to rule

So we have to mega-woman…symbol of Israel and a mega-dragon…Satan himself

God is very clear here…God reveals the devils true colours here… 

The Bible also says Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)

He wants people to think he's harmless…or he doesn't exist, or he's not that bad, or that people under his sway aren't that bad, et cetera, et cetera.

Make no mistake…he is an angel…he is a very, very crafty…massively ugly, vile and evil dragon.

There's a third characteristic…

3. This Cosmic Conflict…INVOLVES a RELENTLESS PURSUIT…

Now, this is where it is important for us to see…who this dragon really is…and what he is all about.

If we fail to see this…history will not make any sense…the Bible/prophecy will not make any sense…

Unless we realize this conflict between the woman, (Israel), and the dragon, (Satan),

…has to do with a third character introduced here…and that is the male child.

Look at v.4 again:

Revelation 12:4b “…And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.” 

Do you see the dramatic picture that John is seeing?

The dragon stood before the woman…intends to devour the child as soon as it was born. 

She bore a male child who was to rule all the nations with a rod of iron…

And her child was caught up to God and to his throne. 

The picture is evident…this dragon…Satan…HATES this woman…Israel.

Why? Because of the Child.

It's all about the Child…getting the child & destroying Him. 

Why? Because this child will one day…

…Rule the world and take away Satan's own authority he usurped. 

Remember prophecy of Isaiah 9:6-7. “For unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, the everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government there will be no end…

In other words…this Child born…will be the King who reigns forever!! 

Satan not only knew that prophecy…

But he was there in the Garden of Eden after Adam fell…he heard the curse uttered.

And he heard the prophecy that a seed of a woman would crush his own kingdom.

And ever since that promise was given,

…he has been p-lanning a counter-strategy to destroy that child, that seed, who would destroy his own kingdom. (Genesis 3:15)

So the cosmic conflict has been a pursuit to destroy the Seed that would crush his own authority and kingdom.

There are many examples.…let me give just a few:

Genesis 4 (first murder) Cain kills Abel…Abel righteous son of Adam & Eve See: 1 John 3:12-15

I believe Satan inspired Cain to kill Abel.

Satan was a murderer from the beginning. (John 8:44)

And John, in his writing, said it was Satan who inspired him to do that. Why would he do that? It's an attempt to destroy the seed. “Maybe this is the seed who will destroy my kingdom.” Well, it wasn’t.

And even though Abel was dead, God raised up Seth to continue that godly line.

Genesis 6 …Satan caused evil…to cover the whole earth…God had only one choice, to destroy everything & everyone on the earth…and they all perish except for 8 people.

And that line that would bring us the seed of the Messiah continued.

Genesis 27 …Esau tries to kill Jacob... Why Jacob? Because from Jacob would come 12 tribes of Israel …and the tribe of Judah who would eventually bear the Messiah. 

Exodus 1 …Pharaoh…gives a strange order to kill all male Hebrew babies…trying to wipe out an entire race of people. Pharaoh was an agent of Satan trying to destroy the Jews. 

1 Samuel …King Saul…like a madmen, sometimes for no reason at all, tried to kill David. 

David would be the royal line through which Jesus, the son of David, would come. 

Esther…Haman… wants to kill every Jew in the kingdom.

And there are so many more examples in the OT…but let's go to the NT.

Matthew 2:16 No sooner Jesus is born…

Herod decides every child 2yrs and younger were to be exterminated from Bethlehem.

What’s happening?

Satan trying to get rid of the Seed who would become the Ruler who will one day crush his kingdom and destroy it. 

Matthew 4 Satan tempts Jesus to throw Himself from the top of temple…probably hoping He’d die.

Luke 4:29 Jesus had just proclaimed Himself as Messiah in the synagogue in Nazareth…

What do the people do? They take Him to the brow of the hill and want to throw Him over. 

This pursuit continues all the way until one Friday afternoon at 3:00 PM. 

There must have been a party in hell when Jesus' limp body was taken off of a cross in placed in a tomb.

And Satan thought, “We've done it, boys. We've done it. We've destroyed the male Child/Seed!

But Satan, didn't know that Jesus made a promise:

Jesus had said “no one takes My life from me. I lay it down of Myself. I have the power to lay it down…And I have the power to take it up again. John 10:18

And 3 days later, that’s what He did. Easter morning,

Let me tell you…there was no Easter party in hell!! 

So now…Satan turns all his wrath and fury on the new followers of this resurrected Messiah…

And so now the church gets persecuted throughout history…

But not only the church, but Israel. You say, why Israel?

I mean, the promises, he couldn't overturn. The Messiah was born.

Why wouldn't he stop persecuting Israel?  

Why is there still today continual anti-Semitism like never seen before?

Well, that's very good question, I'm glad you asked. Think of it strategically…as chess game!

If God's promise of redemption requires the existence of a nation…and for that nation to the continue

If you can destroy that nation…you will have thwarted God's promise and His purpose.

If God requires a nation to establish a literal kingdom…

God made several promises in the OT that Israel would be reigned from by a messiah in Jerusalem,

Of course that has never happened yet. 

But if Satan can destroy that nation…God can't keep all His promises.

So the conflict entails a pursuit…even to this day.

4. This Cosmic Conflict Ends IN VICTORY…

Revelation 12:5 “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…”

Revelation 12:6 “…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.”

Jesus Christ will rule…He will reign.

Whatever the conflict is, Satan will lose and Jesus will win.

Make sure you're on the right side. 

v.5 she gave birth to a male child who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron.

And her child was caught up to God and His throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God that they should feed her there 1,260 days.

That's the last 3 and a half years of the tribulation period.

So we go from the fall of Satan all the way to the end of the tribulation period in six verses. More on that next week.

But think of this as we wrap up…Jesus Christ will rule with a rod of iron.

What does that mean?

A rod of iron is, in antiquity, the strongest metal was iron…unbreakable.

An iron rule meant absolute authority. 

Remember, when Jesus comes back as King of kings and Lord of lords…

He won't be voted into office. He will just take over.

He created this world and He will rule it and He will reign over it. 

He will rule the nations with a rod of iron. Something about that word.

The word rule is the Greek word poimeno…which doesn't just mean to rule or to reign…

But the word poimeno is the NT word for shepherding or to shepherd.

A pastor is called a poimen in the Greek language.

Paul said to the elders of Ephesus in Acts 20:28 shepherd the flock of God which is among you.

The word is poimeno, tend them.  This is the tender side of Jesus' eternal rule and reign. 

He is the tender enforcer…He is the gentle warrior….He is the firm shepherd.

Satan the dragon…couldn't stop Jesus from being born…

Satan the dragon…couldn’t stop Jesus from accomplishing His plan of redemption…

Satan the dragon…couldn’t stop Jesus from ascending to the right hand of the Father…

You must know…Satan will NOT be able to stop Jesus’ eternal rule and His reign forever!

PERSONAL REFLECTION & ACTION…

Let me say this…Don't let Satan stop Christ from ruling over you.

He's going to rule over the world.

But individually, God has given to each of us the power to choose…to say yes to Him or to say no to Him.

To reject Him or to receive Him. Don't let Satan stop Jesus from ruling over you. 

So the war that began in heaven made its way to earth. You and I are involved. No need to be scared.

Too many frightened believers forget that: “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 

Yeah, but David, a third of the angels fell with Satan. That's a pretty big number. Yeah, that's right. 

1/3 did fall. But don't forget…they’re outnumbered 2:1.

2/3 didn't fall, those are the good guys that help you out.

So you're on the right side. You're on the winning side. Satan is outnumbered 2:1. 

WRAP UP… Martin Luther wrote many things, including hymns. One hymn written by Martin Luther, there's a stanza in it. "And though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, we will not fear for Christ has willed His truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure. One little word will fell him.” 

Just one word from Christ…and he's down…he’s finished. 

The question is…the most important question to leave with now is,

Are YOU on the side of victory? 

Are you under the dominion, the rule of Jesus?

I know one day every knee will bow. I know that every tongue will confess.

But then it will be enforced. How about doing it willingly now?