Sermon Tone Analysis

Revelation Series # 17

 

*The Woman and the Dragon p1*

*Chapter 12*

* *

Remember that "in the days of the 7th trumpet" … the end of the last chapter gave us a preview or overview of what was to come and now we are about to get into the details of what is to come …

 

*READ chapter 12*

 

Of course the further we get into this book, the wider the gap becomes between some of the different viewpoints on Revelation

 

So let's look quickly at the viewpoints on the first part of this chapter

 

VIEWPOINTS

 

*Historicist* - they would see this and referring to events that have already been recorded in the Revelation but referring to them in different ways

The WOMAN - is the true church at a time of promise and growth since she is "about to give birth"

The sun, moon, stars in the Heaven … are the political climate and authority and hierarchy

The Male child - the children of the church … raised to dominant power

The dragon - imperial rome … 1~/3 of the stars that their persecution only dominated 1~/3 of the political "heaven"

The persecution couldn't prevent the destiny of the church … the child caught up into God and his throne is symbolic of Constantine's empire in 324 being caught up to a place of supremacy … and they ruled with an iron rod

 

*Preterist* - there are TWO preterist viewpoints and they part ways here …

1)   believe that the remainder of Revelation refers still to the Destruction of Jerusalem and just restates in more detail the same information as before.

They would see the 1st half of the book dealing with the Lamb of God and the 2nd Half revealing the church in conflict with the world

2)   the second group believe that Babylon is Rome and the remaining chapters assume the judgment of Jerusalem is complete and now Jewish Christians are fleeing Jerusalem

The woman is the faithful remnant of OT Israel

The child is Christ

The Dragon is just restating the 4 parts of Daniels prophesy of empires

The woman as in chapter 11 leaves for the desert for 3 ½ years until it is safe again and is the length of the Jewish War AD 66-70

 

*Futurist* - Will be covered in our study tonight

 

*Spiritual ~/ Idealist* - Ch's 12-13 are the 4th Act in this drama.

They are descriptive rather than prophetic.

The birth of Christ is shown, but his life is skipped over and tells of Satan's attempt to destroy Jesus

The woman in labor is either the Remnant OT Israel, or All of God's people in History

The dragon's heads~/horns, speak of universal authority and political strength.

The 1~/3 Stars cast down are the portion of angels who fell originally.

The dragon is frustrated with Christ's ascension and takes it out on the church.

The Flight of the woman for 3 ½ years is a picture of God's care for the church during the entire church age

 

 

Well … that's a widely differing viewpoint as you can see

 

Let's just break down these Characters that are Revealed tonight and focus a bit on the woman and then we will pick it back up next week

 

So we learned that in the days of the sounding or the voice of the 7th trumpet, the mystery of God is finished … so now we are in the middle of the tribulation and receiving MORE details about this time period and we are being introduced to the critical players in this drama.

Today we will talk about 5 of them,

 

1.The WOMAN clothed with the sun

2.The Great Red Dragon

3.The Male Child

4.Michael

5.The Offspring of the Woman

 

We are going to begin today as in one book I read and start with the 2nd character in this Drama

 

The Second Character is

 

*2.

The Great Red Dragon*

 

Remember that this picture is a SIGN appearing tells us that we are viewing something symbolic … Showing us something that means something or someone else

The word appears for the first time in Revelation - the word /seimeion ~/say-*mi*-on~// -= a sign, a mark, a token … something that distinguishes one from another

These signs are given us so we would KNOW who it was and what it refers to

 

Description

a.   *great* red dragon - powerful, exalted, higher

b.   that ancient serpent (the garden of eden)

c.   the Devil - /diabolos ~/dee-*ab*-ol-os~// = prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely, a calumniator (one who utters false statements, charges or imputations)

d.   Satan - adversary

 

So … no doubt we aren't talking about a system of evil, or evil people, or an evil government … we are talking about only one person … Lucifer, the Fallen Arch Angel, a real spiritual being, just as real as Jesus, just as real as you and I.  If he is NOT real, the Jesus is not real, then Peter is a liar because he taught of us him.

*3.

The Male-Child*

 

"the woman gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.

And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne."

Psalm 2 says - ?6? "I have installed my King

on Zion, my holy hill."

?7? I will proclaim the decree of the Lord:

He said to me, "You are my Son

today I have become your Father.

?8? Ask of me,

and I will make the nations your inheritance,

the ends of the earth your possession.

?9?

You will rule them with an iron scepter;

you will dash them to pieces like pottery."

Who is THIS?

The Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, 2nd Person of the Trinity.

More on this later

 

*4.

Michael *

Appears several times in the Old Testament …

 

He is Israel's great Prince defending her against the Prince of Persia in Daniel's prophesy

He is also an archangel and is the only NAMED archangel … we will talk of him more later … perhaps next week

 

*5.

The Offspring of the Woman *

 

these are the remnant Children of God … who they are will be most clear as we define who the woman is ….

SO … who IS She

 

*1.

The Woman Clothed in the Sun*

 

 

There have been quite a few offerings as to who she Is.

 

  A.

Mary?

    1.

The Catholic Church says that she is Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus

    2.

not really possible

    3.

well Mary went into Egypt to protect Jesus … but Egypt wasn't the wilderness it was the most modern of countries in that day. 

    4.

v6 says that she fled for 3 ½ years as does verse 14 … to a place God prepared for her

    5.

it says that the dragon went to war against the woman and the rest of her offspring … well that right there should trouble the Catholic church because it refers to MORE offspring than just the child …

 

  B.

The Church?

    1.

if TRUE, this would reverse the prophesy … Because JESUS gave birth to the CHURCH, the CHURCH didn't give birth to Jesus

    2.

The church came from the SIDE of Christ like EVE came from the SIDE of Adam and Adam said "you are bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh"

    3.

so we are out of Christ's side "bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh" so the Church was born from the spear opened and bleeding side of Christ, the blood and water flowing mixed together and thus we are born of water and born from above, we are not of his blood but mixed into his blood.

4.

Some would say that the Church is not birthing Christ but birthing Christ INTO the lives of unbelievers

    5.

others say that it's the churches work in evangelism that speeds the coming of Christ in judgment

    6.

BUT … all of these are a misinterpretation of this simple picture this SIGN to show us this woman, child, dragon, Angel, and Remnant children

 

  C.

Who is She?

    1.

Romans 9:4,5 /the people of Israel.

Thers is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises 5 theirs are the patriarchs, and FROM THEM IS TRACED THE HUMAN ANCESTRY OF CHRIST, who is god over all forever praised.

Amen/

 

Paul, under God's inspiration that the one who gave birth to Christ is the people, the family, the nation of Israel. 

    2.

you won't read far through the OT without seeing Israel referred to as a woman baring a son.

And that he will rule.