Revelation for Now & Future Part 25

Last time we ended with the departure of the woman into the wilderness for 1260 days.

Of course this time frame is either literal, symbolic, or figurative.

There are well meaning scholars on each side of this issue.

We are about to view the “heavenly counterpart”, as G.K. Beale calls it, of vs. 1-6.

Revelation 12:7–17 ESV

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.

Heavenly Counterpart of the Victory of Christ

Revelation 12:7–9 ESV

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.

War began in Heaven.

Michael and his angels vs. the dragon and his angels

Satan was defeated.

Until this point, Satan was allowed to go up to heaven with the other angels.

AS a matter of connection we can see the evidence of Eph 6 as it had taken place.

Ephesians 6:12 ESV

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

We grasp that the enemy had been, has been, and will be at work against us until this point.

When is the point alluded to of this final defeat?

At the end of the Church Age.

As we Pick up in vs. 9, we can see the enemy being cast out of heaven and the place of his landing.

He and his angels tossed down to earth

Do you see the connection to Gen. 3:1

Genesis 3:1 ESV

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

In Rev. 12:9 he is described as the ancient serpent or serpent of old.

The Accuser Is Taken Away

Revelation 12:10 ESV

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.

When Michael casts Satan down, there is no place for him in heaven.

Notice the loss of place is more than a physical unit of space, but a loss of position.

The position of accuser.

He had been temporarily allowed to remain in this role, but it has come to an end in this final defeat.

His job even in Job

Job 1:6–11 ESV

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”

Notice this right has been removed.

You might even say that he accused not only man, but God.

His accusation back in Job was that if God had not paid Job off or bribed him then he would not be faithful.

Victory Has Come, But Is Coming

Revelation 12:11–12 ESV

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!”

They have conquered.-

But the victory in heaven will be followed by a necessary ending to come.

He has been cast from those in heaven and can no longer accuse them

This does not mean he is not still at work.

“great wrath, because he knows that his time is short”

Don’t miss the imperative or command to “rejoice”

in essence, there is the great idea of the saints in heaven who are know able to go back to Rev. 6:9-11 and see their prayer answered.

No more accuser.

The Enemy Continues to Destroy On Earth, But Only to the Degree Allowed by God

Revelation 12:13–17 ESV

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.

vs. 13 is a persecution of the Church, because of its association with Christ who defeated the serpent.

Vs. 14 quite possibly alludes to Is. 40

Isaiah 40:27–31 ESV

27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for 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.

God will care for the church during its wanderings.

Look at how vs. 16 reminds us that the earth swallows up the waters that came from the serpent, which compares or alludes to the Exodus experience and the protection of Israel. The waters that had parted came back together to swallow up pharoah and his army.

Most scholars believe vs 17 goes from the corporate church to individual believers.

Walking Away, But In...

Remember who our battle is against.

Remember that the enemy may attack, but God is still sovereign.

There will be good times and bad in this life. The nourishment spoken of in the end reminds us that God prepares us for both.