Winning What's Won

INTRODUCTION

Last week we started a new series entitled “Kingdoms in Conflict.” Today we’re continuing that series with a message from Revelation 12:7-18.

In Revelation 12 John sees a cosmic vision of two kingdoms in conflict. John describes this conflict in apocalyptic language. He tells the story of a

pregnant woman clothed with the sun, moon at her feet and 12 stars on her head

giving birth to a child who rules the nations with an iron rod and was eventually caught up to God and his throne.

This woman and child were persecuted by a fiery red dragon with seven heads, ten horns and seven crowns who sought to devour that child and destroy the woman.

Last week we attempted to define this cast of characters.

We said the pregnant woman represented Israel. The Old Testament covenant people of God. Her labor pains represented her trials and tribulations in anticipation of the Messiah.

Her child represents the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was not just God in the flesh, he was the fulfillment of all of God’s promises about a messiah who would deliver and save. His being caught up to heaven represents his death, resurrection and ascension.

The dragon represents Satan and his attempt to thwart God’s redemptive plans through Jesus Christ and his effort to persecute God’s people so that they shrink back from being obedient to God’s Word.

Last Week & The Main Point

We left last week somewhat in the middle of the story John was telling. So today we’re going to finish chapter 12 and drill home it’s main point.

And that main point is this: God’s people are caught up in the middle of a kingdom conflict. They are simultaneously objects of Satan’s rage and God’s protection. Hated by Satan and loved by God at the SAME TIME.

God’s people live on this earth in the middle of that tension.

And if you’re honest, you can probably sense that tension in your own life as well. You’re caught in a battle of back and forth, victories and defeat.

The key to overcoming our enemy is remember certain core truths about the conflict and the outcomes that have already been secured. All of those things are mentioned in our text today.

Thorny Questions for Context

Before we read our passage, though, let me offer a bit of context.

Remember from verses 1-6 that Jesus has already been raised and ascended into heaven. He has sent that early church into the world to make disciples of all nations.

Revelation 12:6 says, “The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, to be nourished there for 1,260 days.”

How you interpret this verse really situates how you understand the rest of Revelation 12.

Some say between verse 5 and 6 is a 2,000+ year history of the entire church age (we’re living in) and that the wilderness prepared by God for Israel is a reference to God’s protection of Israel from the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation 3.5 years before Jesus returns.

Other’s believe this reference to 1,260 days is a literary tool being used by John to describe an indefinite period of “wilderness wanderings” spanning from the ascension of Jesus to his second coming.

So which is it? An indefinite period or a literal 1,260 days? It’s certainly a literally tool pulled from Daniel’s prophecy about the end of days. On that there’s no debate.

I think John is embedding some intentional ambiguity into this time reference so that it can accommodate the message he’s trying to communicate. He did something similar in Revelation 11.

So it must at least include the final 3.5 years of the Great Tribulation. But I think it could also include this entire period of tribulation from Jesus’ ascension to his second coming.

Revelation 12:7–18 (CSB)

7 Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, 8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say,

The salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God

and the authority of his Christ

have now come,

because the accuser of our brothers and sisters,

who accuses them

before our God day and night,

has been thrown down.

11 They conquered him

by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony;

for they did not love their lives

to the point of death.

12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens,

and you who dwell in them!

Woe to the earth and the sea,

because the devil has come down to you

with great fury,

because he knows his time is short.

Three Reasons We Will Win

God’s people are caught in the middle of war between two kingdoms. We are at the center of the battle. Simultaneously objects of Satan’s rage and God’s deliverance.

This isn’t just true at a macro level. The battle isn’t just cosmic. It’s also personal. You’ve personally experienced Satanic/demonic opposition in your life whether you knew it or not.

So what I want us to focus on this morning is how to WIN THAT FIGHT. And the best way to win against Satan’s schemes in your own life is the fight as though the war has already been won.

You could summarize this chapter and the entire book of Revelation with two words: WE WIN!

When you know how the movie ends you watch it a little bit differently. When you know final score of a football game you haven’t yet watched then you watch it differently.

Christ has already won the victory. We are in Christ which means we too will overcome. The tension of being hated by Satan yet protected by God needs to be held in light of that truth.

We are fighting from a place of victory. Satan is fighting from a place of defeat. Because of that, the nature of our conflict is going to look different.

I want to show you that in our text under two headings:

How Satan Fights

How We Can Win.

Understanding The Opposition

Let’s start with understanding our opposition. This passage illustrates why Satan lost and how his strategy has changed.

Revelation 12:7–9 (CSB)

7 Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, 8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was thrown out...He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.

These verses describe a spiritual battle in heaven that parallel certain historical events on the earth. The question is when the battle took place and what event is it associated with.

Timing The Cosmic Battle

When it comes the question of “when” there are various options.

One view is that this heavenly battle transpired during the historical events of Jesus death, resurrection and ascension.

Others suggest that this heavenly battle is depicting something that happens during the Great Tribulation (the final three years before Jesus returns.)

Still others suggest this cosmic battle took place even earlier than the death of Christ and describes that original fall of Satan and his angels.

I believe the this heavenly battle needs to be understood alongside of the historical events of Jesus death and resurrection. The cross of Christ revokes Satan’s access to the court of heaven.

There are several passages in the New Testament that link Jesus’ death on the cross with the defeat of Satan and his being cast from heaven.

John 12:31 (CSB)

31 Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

Colossians 2:15 (CSB)

15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

Hebrews 2:14 (CSB)

14 Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil—

So over and over we see a connection between the death of Jesus on the cross and the triumph of Christ over Satan, demons, and the powers of darkness.

Some say that the reference to Michael the arch angle is a reference to Jesus Christ himself. I don’t necessarily buy that.

I think Michael is an incredibly powerful arch angel who’s job it is to overcome the resistance of Satan against the redemptive plans of God. He is also described in Daniel 12:1 as Israel’s protector. His actions here could be seen through that lens.

It’s a reminder, isn’t it, that the battle between good and evil isn’t really a battle between God and Satan. That gives Satan too much credit! God doesn’t fight Satan because there wouldn’t be any contest whatsoever. God doesn’t have to fight he just DOES.

Same Strategy, Different Sphere

As a result of Satan’s loss, the sphere of his destructive strategy changed. His strategy remains the same but the sphere in which he can apply that strategy has been drastically shrunk. Same strategy. Shrunken sphere.

Revelation 12:10; 12(CSB)

10 ... the accuser of our brothers and sisters,

who accuses them

before our God day and night,

has been thrown down....

12 ...Woe to the earth and the sea,

because the devil has come down to you

with great fury,

because he knows his time is short.

The sphere of Satan’s rage has been limited in two ways:

He has a shortened amount of space.

He has a shortened amount of time.

Those two decreases result in an even great INCREASE of his RAGE.

Satan has less space because he’s been tossed from the court of heaven and can no longer accuse God’s people in God’s presence.

Satan has less time because as soon as Jesus ascended into heaven a timer got started that culminates in Jesus second coming and Satan’s destruction.

I don’t know if you’ve ever taken a predator and put him in a very small place with nothing left to lose but it’s not a pretty sight. The level of chaos and destruction is incredible!

How That Changes the Fight

You need to understand this if you want to be effective in your fight against the devil. Satan knows he can’t win and that changes the way he fights.

If you’re in Christ he knows he can’t have your soul. He can’t barter with God to try and get you to lose your salvation. He can’t accuse you before God or try and deceive God about you.

What he can do it get you to ....

doubt yourself.

choose a life of sin over a life of joyful obedience to God.

be undisciplined with your time and energy becoming unproductive.

be fearful and silent when given an opportunity to share the Gospel.

cause you to isolate yourself instead of surrounding yourself with love/encouragement.

He may not be able to keep someone from hearing the Gospel and responding in faith to God’s free offer of grace.

But what he can do is...

use confusion and cultural craziness to blind them to the sweetness of the Gospel

use guilt and shame to sink them into a pit of despair so that reject God’s love for them

use distractions and diversions to busy people so that they’re indifferent to the Gospel

use pleasure and human appetites to gorge their soul on junk food instead of what it truly craves.

Just because Satan’s sphere has been limited doesn’t mean he cannot do some damage. It just changes the goes about it.

Satan’s Tools: Accusation & Deception

Knowing how things have changed is important for the fight. But it’s also important to know what hasn’t changed.

Though Satan’s methods may have changed. The tools he uses are always the same: accusation and deception.

In Revelation 12:9 Satan is described as “that ancient serpent, the one who deceives the whole world...” That’s actually a throwback to Genesis 3 and the serpent in the garden of eden. Satan is the master deceiver. The Father of lies!

Before the cross, Satan would approach the court of heaven and try and deceive the Lord and accuse God’s people to God’s face. He no longer has access to do that today. However, that doesn’t mean he can’t accuse you and try and deceive the world!

Deception

He uses deception by wrapping little truths around a big lie or by wrapping little lies around a big truth. It’s always just enough of one or the other to lead people astray. He’s so good at deceiving the world.

An angel of light… makes things have the appearance of being truthful and right.

“Did God REALLY SAY you couldn’t eat or even touch it less you surely die...” (twisting God’s Word)

“God is just afraid you’ll be like him… knowing the difference between good and evil...” (misrepresenting God’s character)

Accusation

As soon as you take the bait and buy into Satan’s deception then he turns the tables and becomes your chief accuser.

I can’t believe your such a loser… who could ever love you?

You deserve the abuse and suffering you’re going through. It’s your fault.

You’ll never overcome this habit… it’s become core to your identity.

You’re a terrible mom/dad.... you’re an incompetent employee/boss...

Satan’s sphere has been limited but his strategy remains the same. He uses deception and accusation to shipwreck your faith.

Embracing a Winning Strategy

That leads me to the second heading which is embracing a winning strategy. To overcome Satan’s rage in your own life you must learn to fight from a place of victory instead of defeat. To live as if we’ve already won because the truth is we have.

The winning strategy I see in this passage can be summarized under two headings:

Offensive Strategies.

Defensive Strategies.

Offensive Strategies

We briefly looked at our two offensive strategies last week. John describes them as the “blood of the lamb, the word of our testimony and not loving our lives to the point of death.”

Revelation 12:11 (CSB)

11 They conquered him

by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony;

for they did not love their lives

to the point of death.

To help you understand these three things I want to rephrase them as three actions.

Apply the Gospel to your life.

Proclaim the Gospel through your words.

Display the Gospel no matter what.

Apply The Gospel

First, apply the Gospel to your life.

We talked about this last week so I won’t spend much time on this. The blood of the lamb is a reference to the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross. Jesus died in our place for our sins. He was rejected so we could be accepted.

The reality that we were dead in our sins but Christ died and rose again so that we could be forgiven of sin and cleansed from our unrighteousness is a POWERFUL weapon against the strategies of Satan.

He comes at you with accusations of your sin and brokenness. Instead of those jabs wounding your soul and enslaving you to despair you apply the Gospel to those words and receive the healing of grace.

“Satan you’re right I AM broken and sinful and doomed to destruction but God loved me enough to send Christ to the earth to die for my sins and I believe in Jesus! I was lost but now I’m found.”

When Satan tries to deceive you into thinking your identity is based in what you do for a living or how well you’ve done as a mom or a dad you reply back to him with the truth of the Gospel. It doesn’t matter who I was or what I do or how well or poorly I’ve done those things. What matters is WHOSE I am and I am a child of God. I’m not longer a slave to fear!

Proclaim The Gospel

The second offensive strategy is to proclaim the Gospel with your words.

That’s what John means by “the word of our testimony.” He doesn’t mean “how you became a Christian...” He means the testimony about Jesus. He means the Gospel.

Proclaim the Gospel that God loved us but we blew it. So Christ came to the earth to pay the penalty for our sins and we must believe on him if we want to be saved from hell.

The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation for anyone who will believe.

You can restrain evil through external means. You can legislate morality. You can penalize bad behavior. You can have people externally conform to whatever standards you want with enough fear and pressure.

But the only way to transform somebody/some society from the inside out is through the Gospel.

When the Gospel is preached then the Spirit of God takes the Word of God and convicts the heart of sin. When a person hears the Gospel and responds in faith then the Spirit of God replaces that heart of stone with a NEW heart that loves God and follows after God.

The only way to change a society is through changing people’s hearts. That’s why we must preach the Gospel.

Display The Gospel

Finally we display the Gospel no matter what.

Even if God does lead us into the wilderness so that we can die we die in such a way that we display the truth of the Gospel.

We die speaking the truth that man might kill the body but they cannot kill the soul. They may take my house but they will not destroy my faith.

I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords to me!

Defensive Strategies

In addition to these offensive strategies we also see some defensive strategies described in our text. To refresh your memory lets read again Revelation 12:13-18

Revelation 12:13–17 (CSB)

13 When the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, times, and half a time. 15 From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth.

It’s almost as if verse 13 picks up where verse 6 left off. Again we’re introduced to this concept of 3 and 1/2 years in the wilderness.

Just like the blood of the Lamb harkens back to God’s deliverance of Israel through the exodus so also does this passage describe the wilderness wanderings of the people of God.

f you go back and read the Exodus a consistent theme begins to surface. It’s a theme we see in our text today.

Even in the face of insurmountable opposition, God is faithful to care for his own! This is true of every generation. True then. True today. Will be true in the future.

What and When Was This Persecution?

With that big idea in place, let’s unpack this paragraph. Who is this woman and when do these things happen?

Who is the woman? In a word, it’s Israel. That early, Jewish messianic community that heard the preaching of Jesus and believed the Gospel of the Kingdom. When Jesus died and rose again that early Christian community was hunted and persecuted like you cannot imagine.

If you remember the book of Acts it eventually got so bad in Jerusalem that the Christians had to flee to Judea and Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth.

It’s possible this passage describes that persecution. It’s possible it describes the persecution of the Jewish people during the reign of antichrist in the Great Tribulation 3.5 years before Jesus comes again.

It’s possible John is using the phrase “time, times and half a time” to refer to both of those seasons as well as the entire period of Israel’s persecution and preservation from the ascension of Jesus until he comes again in glory.

When we get to chapter 13 I think the focus is more narrowly applied to that final 3.5 years under the brutal oppression of the Antichrist. Here, however, it seems to be a broader reference.

Exodus Typology

The other question is what John means by the apocalyptic imagery.

What were the two wings of the great eagle.

What does the water spewed from the dragons mouth represent?

How does the earth “help the woman” and “swallow up the water?”

I’m actually not 100% sure. There are so many different possible explanations. I DO know where John is pulling them from. Each of these images are pulled from the experience of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.

In that case, Pharoah was the dragon (Exodus 14:8),

the wilderness wandering was in a literal wilderness,

God’s deliverance was described as “carrying Israel on eagles wings” (Exodus 19:4)

The water flowing from the dragon may allude to Pharaoh’s drowning of every Jewish boy in the Nile. (Exodus 1:22)

The earth swallowing up the river might allude to the earth swallowing the children of Korah in Numbers 16:31-33.

It might also be a reversal of themes. God destroyed the armies of Egypt with water from the red sea after he delivered the people of Israel. Now Satan is using something similar to destroy the people of God.

Some commentators say there will be an actual flood and supernatural deliverance.

Some say this is just a metaphorical way of describing attempts by Satan to mislead the world through false teaching and God will sovereignly protect his people through providential actions on the earth.

Some say the water from the dragon is even more broad than that. It’s just a general reference to Satan’s rage against Israel and God’s providential provision and protection to sustain them while they wait.

Whatever the particulars the point is the same. Even in the face of insurmountable opposition, God is faithful to care for his own!

Trust God’s Protection & Provision

And that leads us to our defensive strategy. Walk by faith. Take up the shield of FAITH. Trust God. Trust in the Lord for protection and provision at every step in the journey..

And this isn’t just something those early Jewish Christians had to do. Why? Because Satan’s rage wasn’t just against the woman and the child. It was also against her other offspring.

Revelation 12:17 (CSB)

17 So the dragon was furious with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep the commands of God and hold firmly to the testimony about Jesus.

Who are the other offspring? People debate. I think it’s a pretty obvious reference to the Church. People like you and me.

Because we are “in Christ” we have been grafted into that branch that is True Israel. We are brothers and sisters “in the Lord Jesus Christ” but we are also brothers and sisters “of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

So Satan’s rage will not just be against the Jews (whether first century Jews or the Jewish hatred we see today.) It will also be against the Church.

Even those who believe this is a reference to the Great Tribulation and that the Church will no longer be on the earth submit that this is likely a reference to “Tribulation Saints.”

What are we encouraged to do? Walk by Faith. Entrust ourselves to God’s provision and protection.