Revelation for Now & Future Part 24
Revelation For Now & Future • Sermon • Submitted
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The first 11 Chapters and the next 11 chapters tell the same story.
The first 11 are a synopsis and the next 11 are greater detail.
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.
What we will learn tonight as we are reading through the text is that the vast majority of chapter 12 deals with the destiny of believers as the church age plays out.
Be mindful that this time frame is understood as the time from the resurrection until the return of Christ.
We see a continued alluding to the OT.
Christ wont the victory over the enemy, God protects those who follow Him over the wrathful harm of the enemy.
God Protects His Followers Against Satanic Harm.
God Protects His Followers Against Satanic Harm.
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.
Notice the OT imagery being played out in this verse.
Woman
with the sun
With the moon under foot
a Crown of twelve stars
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.”
Jacob, His wife, and the eleven tribes (Joseph makes 12).
Do you see the connection of who this woman is in vs. 1.
She is the faithful community, which has been and is.
Before Christ and after the coming of Christ.
So we can see her as the entire community of the old covenant and the new covenant.
The crown should represent the Revelation of Christ, and her brightness should give us the image of God’s glory.
2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.
The Catholic Church notoriously taught the woman as Mary, but this does not fit as the primary idea of the narrative of the vision at all.
Notice the idea of her pregnancy and the crying out in pains.
What should we say? The woman is persecuted and flees to the desert and has other offspring. (Not sure how the Catholic church handles that understanding as they believe Mary had no other children.)
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 woman may allude to Mary, but must be the church as the primary.
This also helps us to understand the true meaning behind the text: that the woman is the church as a whole.
3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.
Once again we have OT imagery.
Look at the dragon.
Notice how often the word dragon or sea monster would be used as a symbol of kingdoms who oppress Israel.
Pss. 74:13-14; 89:10
but also.
1 In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.
Notice how we can see a replay of Exodus.
as in Rev. 15:2-4
2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.
3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!
4 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
We should also see the connection from here to Daniel 7
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings.
But we should realize that this dragon is more than a kingdom, but represents the devil.
Notice also the crowns which give us a picture of the enemy’s false claims of sovereign/universal authority.
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.
We should connect this verse to Daniel 8:10
10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them.
The stars are God’s people according to Daniel 12:3.
We conclude that the 12 stars in verse one and the stars here are connected. They are representation of Israel and the faith community who follow Jesus as Messiah.
Look at the last part of vs. 4 it says:
“so that when she bore her child he might devour it.”
This is the picture of the persecution from the enemy towards Christ.
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,
Here we are given a quick synopsis of the life of Christ.
We may also see the OT prophecy coming to fruition here.
7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Notice the picture of the ascension of Christ in the idea of being caught up to the 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.
Once again the picture of the people of God on Earth and the fleeing of persecution.
The wilderness does not protect, but it is an invisible place where divine protection occurs.
The time is a reference to tribulation and is a picture of the time from the Ascension till the Return.
Walking Away, But In...
Walking Away, But In...
Notice the picture of Israel & the Church— they are one.
We must realize, in spite of the persecution that may rise—Christ protects His church eternally.