God's Protection in the Midst of Satan's Fury
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Over and over again throughout Scripture we see the enemy of our soul, Satan himself on the offense attacking, accusing, tempting, discouraging and provoking God’s people.
Today we are going to back up to where we ended last week:
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child.
Think about this. He knows his time is short. He is now focused on inflicting as much damage as possible upon the earth before he is cast into the bottomless pit. Now we see...
The Focus of the Dragon (vv. 12-13)
The Focus of the Dragon (vv. 12-13)
The loud voice that John had heard from Heaven (v. 10), proclaims a “woe” to those who are left on earth. The word “woe” is an interjection and refers to “GRIEF” and/or “DENUNCIATION.” It’s never good when a “woe” is pronounced.
The woe is pronounced on the inhabitants of the earth and the sea, because the devil has been cast down from Heaven and he realizes his time is short. As I said a few weeks ago, it has been said that the most dangerous animal is not a Cape Buffalo, but an injured Cape Buffalo.
At this point Satan is in his death throes if you will, and is going to seek to pour out unspeakable carnage upon the inhabitants of the world, especially the “woman” (v. 13). His rage will be intensified!
Not only will his rage be intensified, but his focus will also be intensified—upon the “Woman.”
A few weeks ago we established that the “woman” was the nation of Israel (12:1). It seems at this time, the peace treaty that the Antichrist has been able to get signed, will become null and void, and he and his minions will unleash “hell on earth” on the Jewish people.
But notice what happens in
But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
The Freedom Provided by the Father (vv. 14-16)
The Freedom Provided by the Father (vv. 14-16)
Scripture tells us that during this time God will give the “woman” who we have identified as Israel, “wings of a great eagle.” This is a metaphorical reference much like we see in
‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.
You may remember when the Children of Israel were fleeing Egypt that God made a way for them to escape through the Red Sea. He didn’t literally give them eagle’s wings, but provided them safe passage and protected them.
We also see something similar in Deut 32:9-11
For the Lord’s portion is His people;
Jacob is the place of His inheritance.
“He found him in a desert land
And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;
He encircled him, He instructed him,
He kept him as the apple of His eye.
As an eagle stirs up its nest,
Hovers over its young,
Spreading out its wings, taking them up,
Carrying them on its wings,
Probably the most well known reference in regards to eagle’s wings is found in Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
So God is going to supernaturally deliver His people into what He calls “the wilderness” and while there she is going to be nourished. While Scripture doesn’t specifically tell us where this is, some believe it may be a literal place such as Petra, while others believe that God is just going to supernaturally protect His people during this time and it will be as if they are living in a wilderness.
Verse 14 also tells us how long this is going to be:
A time: 1 year
Times: 2 years
1/2 a time: 1/2 year
Total of 3 1/2 years, which is also a reference to the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation Period.
They will be NOURISHED during this time AWAY from the presence of the serpent.
This supernatural protection is also seen in Revelation 12:15-16
So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
I believe the dragon spewing water from his mouth is also metaphorical. Regardless of what this water represents, whether literal or figurative, there is no doubt the intention of the dragon!
The intention is to “cause the woman to be carried away by the flood.” The intention is destruction.
As He has done on so many occasions God intervenes and uses His creation to “swallow up the flood.” We know God has done this before quite literally!
Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.
Aren’t you thankful that no matter what the enemy unleashes against you, that nothing can touch you unless it goes through God first?!
No one, no power in the universe can thwart God’s promises or plans!
But that doesn’t mean the dragon isn’t going to try. Notice Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Notice
The Fury Unleashed by the Serpent (v. 17)
The Fury Unleashed by the Serpent (v. 17)
It appears that while the vast majority of the Jewish people, represented by this “woman” are in this wilderness place, her “offspring” are scattered throughout the world and that’s who the dragon turns his attention to next.
That leads to the logical question, “Who are her offspring?”
Let’s go all the way back to Genesis 12 and God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants:
Now the Lord had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Here we have the promise that God is going to make of Abraham a “GREAT NATION.” The Jewish people would be descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
But notice again verse 3: “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
How would all the families in the world be blessed through Abraham? If you follow Abraham’s lineage far enough you will find a virgin named Mary giving birth to the Messiah in the village of Bethlehem.
Notice what the Angel of the Lord had told them
And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
The rest of the woman’s “offspring” are those who have been born again by faith in God’s Messiah and Son: the Lord Jesus Christ.
Satan can’t get to the “Woman” in the wilderness, so his attention is now going to be turned to those who have benefited from the descendant of the woman’s seed: the Lord Jesus and he is going to seek to unleash his wrath on every believer alive at this time!
Thankfully you and I can REST in the promised victory we have in Jesus.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We’ve seen today how the enemy’s rage is real and focused, but we’ve also seen something far more powerful: God's protection. For us who are believers, the "offspring" of the woman, we can rest and have confidence in the midst of any persecution. The world may rage, and the enemy may try to unleash a flood of destruction, but we can stand firm because, as the Scripture says, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." No one and nothing can touch us unless it goes through God first.
We can say, along with the 3 Hebrews boys in the fiery furnace
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”
No matter what happens, whether God delivers us on this side of Heaven, or whether God delivers us by TAKING us to Heaven WE ARE A WINNER EITHER WAY!
We have the promised victory in Jesus.
But maybe as you’ve listened to this, you've felt a sense of fear or uncertainty. Perhaps you don't feel like you have a personal relationship with Jesus, then that "woe" pronounced in verse 12 is for you. The good news is that you don't have to face the wrath of the dragon alone. Jesus is the promised Messiah, the descendant of Abraham, born to save His people from their sins. He lived a perfect life, died on a cross to pay the penalty for your sin, and rose from the grave, defeating death and the devil. He is offering you a way out of the coming wrath.
Salvation isn't something you earn; it's a gift you receive by faith. If you want to be protected, to be adopted into God’s family, and to have the promised victory of Jesus, you can make that decision right now. All you have to do is turn from your sin and place your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
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