Revelation 12

Between an Introduction and Conclusion, Revelation is divided into 7 visions:

Vision

1.     Chs 1-3.      Seven Churches

2.     Chs 4-8:1     Seven Seals

3.     Chs 8:2-11    Seven Trumpets

4.     Chs 12-14     Battle Against Satan

5.     Chs 15-16     Seven Bowls

6.     Chs 17-19     Downfall of Babylon

7.     Chs 20-22     New Heaven & New Earth

Tonight we begin Vision #4, chs 12-14 with a study of ch 12.

God said to the serpent in the garden after the fall in Genesis 3:15:

Genesis 3:15

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.”

There is great enmity or hatred from Satan and his minions against the people of God...there has always been and will always be, until Christ returns and finalizes His victory for all eternity...

Let’s read the chapter and then take a brief look at its interpretation...

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. 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.

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!”

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.

Revelation 12: Interpretation...

There are 4 great truths (Derek Thomas) in this chapter that we see taught throughout the Scriptures...

1. Satan is implacably (relentlessly) hostile to the purposes of Almighty God.

2. Satan is a defeated foe whose doom is already decided by God.

3. We, as the people of God, are inescapably caught up in this great cosmic battle.

4. Satan’s power is limited within the overruling purposes of God.

(This interpretation comes from a message by Dr DA Carson...)

Occasion for Satan’s Rage: vv1-9

1 And a great sign (a great spectacle) 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. 

Does this speak of Mary? NO! It is larger...the messianic community, under the old covenant or the new...Isa 54 (speaking of a woman and her children); Gal 4:26 Jerusalem from above (new covenant and those born under it) is our mother

PLUSE: V17 makes it clear that this woman is the CHURCH: the woman and the rest of her offspring...ie Christians

Clothed with the sun: radiant; moon under her feet = dominion

Crown: reigns, 12 stars = the totality of the people of God, the 12 tribes of the OT and the 12 apostles in the NT...

Pregnant: in travail, the birth pangs leading to Messiah’s birth

3 And another sign (great spectacle) appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 

2nd sign: red dragon = leviathan: all that opposes God

Tied to Egypt in OT, ps 74

Assyrian and Babylon

Satan = v9 the primary identification

7heads: the universality of his power

10 horns = Daniel 7; horn always represents kingly authority

Crowns: not victory wreaths but usurped authority 

How does Satan stand behind ancient Assyria, etc.

-Matt 16 Peter’s rebuke to Jesus

-Jesus = get behind me Satan

-demon possessed? NO, but an opinion so aligned with Satan’s lies and hatred that he was Satan’s mouthpiece...

-Satan is behind and “hiding” behind the evils of this world

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.

 grotesque = women ready to give birth, dragon standing there ready to eat the baby that is born...the slaughter in Bethlehem, drive jesus over hill by Jews

Always seeking to murder, all the way to the cross...

1/3 of stars = nature symbolism in Scripture...when things go bad...stars fall from heaven...Daniel 8:9-10...Antiochus Epiphanes...sets stage for something else in this passage

Child: spared, a male child, a ruler, snatched up to God

Move quickly from Jesus’ birth to His ascension...in between is Revelation 4-5...

Why? Not earthly ministry, cross, etc

This book builds on previous visions...chs 4-5

4: throne room of God: extolling God’s transcendent greatness: worship of God

5:God holds a scroll, sealed with 7 seals: holds all of God’s plans for judgment and blessing for the entire universe...unless seals are opened, the scroll cannot be opened and the plan enacted!

Who is Worthy? No one is found...no being in heaven or earth or under the earth...no one. John weeps...because this means God’s purposes will not be effected...so suffering of church for no reason...

But the Lion has prevailed...as a Lamb! The Lion/Lamb, 100% of each!

The woman and her offsprings...believers.

Woman fled into wilderness to a place prepared by God

Wilderness = in OT place of parched ground, challenge, difficulty before the promised land...& place of wooing to bring her back...

Wilderness...a tough time before the end, but a place of special wooing by God...

1260 days = 42 months = (11:2), = 3.5 years...all the same...why?

-a period of time that resonated for Israel...167-164bc...Antiochus Epiphanes...

-he attempted to paganize Israel...but Israel has guerrilla war for 3.5 years...and as a result, the Jews were free to structure things their way, and a century later Rome came into power...

It was a limited period of time in which evil has remarkably free course until there is a final triumph of good

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. 

7: heavenly counterpart of Christ’s triumph on the cross...Satan has a all-out final rebellion to usurp God’s place and is throne out of heaven...

“I saw Satan cast out of heaven...” Luke 10:18

Satan defeated in principle...

The REASONS for this SATANIC RAGE...there are three...

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!”

Reason 1

-Satan knows his time is short

*v12: WWII war over when Allies landed in Normandy...but Hitler did not give up...knowing His time was short...Battle of the Bulge 

-this a time of Satan’s vengeful wrath...defeated in principle...knows he is defeated, but furious because he KNOWS his time is short...

-as we think about Satan’s wrath...we must remember it comes BECAUSE SATAN IS DEFEATED...HE’S DONE...

-BUT THIS FIGHTING can be the bloodiest of all!

Reason 2

-Satan’s sphere is restricted

-12a: woe to the earth & the sea...out of heaven, thrown out...banished...cannot come to God like in Job 1

-all of Satan’s wrath is because his sphere is restricted and he is hellishly mad! 

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.

Reason 3

-Satan’s success is limited

-vv14-17

-Exodus typology: wings of an eagle, Deut 32

-opening of the earth: Numbers 16

-Isaiah 43 when you pass through the waters

-Satans hatred for the church is because of his hatred for Jesus!

-so...the CHURCH faces this rage

-God provides some measure of relief but the rage goes on until the end of time...when Christ returns

Jesus’ parables: wheat and weeds...let both grow until the end, and then a final separation

There will be times of revival and reformation and great salvation as well as war and calamities and sorrow...bloodshed...both will grow until the end

So we can expect greater revival than we’ve ever seen and greater war than we’ve ever seen...BOTH GROW UNTIL THE END!

MAIN POINT...

-here is how believers overcome:

***v10: 

1 by the blood of the Lamb

-the great redemptive act that freed them from their sins...Rev1:5; 5:9

-Satan accuses and accuses and accuses before God...& to our consciences...He makes much of our rebellion and sin

-but we overcome him by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB

Illus: 2 Jews...discussion before first Passover in Egypt...Smith to Brown...aren’t you nervous? No need to be, haven’t you done what God told us to do...of course...I am not stupid...but it’s scary...I only have one son...other: bring it on...that night: angel of death passes through...which lost his son? NEITHER!

Death did not pass over them because of the perfection of their faith but on the ground of the blood of the Lamb! The Blood silences the accuser! It silences our consciences!

I have no other argument, I have no other plea, it is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me!

This is the ground of all human assurance and faith...the object of our faith.

2 by the word of their testimony

-11b: not just that they give their testimonies a lot...God rules through His Word...the cause of the victory is the sharing of the Word, the gospel

-the kingdom advances THROUGH the word of our testimony...talking about the gospel

-want Satan to win...shut up! Don’t share the Word...to lose? Talk about the gospel...talk it

3 because they did not love their lives even to death

-willingness to die

-what do you do with people that are convinced when they die they go to be with God face to face...kill them?

-death is still the last enemy...but it does not have the last word...

-Christians need to be taught how to die WELL

-what can silence them?

Conclusion:

Applications

1. We must analyze our situation in every generation biblically and theologically and not just sociologically, historically, psychologically, etc.

We must see God at work and Satan at work...all the struggle of our lives to obey and serve Christ, share the gospel, etc is in the context of Christ having already winning over Satan and the mop up battle that is going on...

-God has willed His word to triumph through us

2. We must recognize and use our God-given weapons....all based on the death of Christ, and the Word of God, and a willingness to die for Christ...ALL secured by the blood of the Lamb...ALL...

And we preach it! We think in eternal ways, not of present security.