Although chapter 11 verse 15 records the
sounding of the seventh trumpet,
the effects it produces are not described until
chapters 15 through 18. Chapters 12 - 14 restates or summarizes
that same period, but describing events from Satan's vantage point. Including
taking the readers back to the original rebellion as Satan is cast to the earth
along with one third of the angels. (demons)
12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a
woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a
crown of twelve stars:
The woman represents Israel, and her child is Christ;
the Messiah (12:5; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 66:7.8; Micah 5:2; Romans. 9:4,5)
The woman is not the church, since the church did not
bring forth Christ, But rather He brought forth the church.
The sun reflects redeemed Israel's unique glory,
brilliance and dignity because of her exulted status and shows her as God's
chosen nation.
The moon under her feet alludes to God's promise of
dominion, and the crown of twelve stars pictures royalty and relates to the 12
tribes of Israel. Go to Genesis 37 verses 9 - 11 and read about the dream Joseph
had about the sun, moon and 11 stars which were bowing down to Joseph. (who was
the 12th)
In this look toward heaven by John, we are taken to a
different aspect of the battle that has gone on through all ages between Jesus
and Satan. If Jesus is in warfare with Satan, then His people are in battle as
well.
12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in
birth, and pained to be delivered.
Women, who have had children, know that there is pain
involved in birth. This Scripture is spiritually speaking of the birth of Jesus
and of Christianity.
The birth pains refer to the period before the birth
of Christ when Israel was waiting for redemption by the Messiah (Rom. 8:22, 23).
12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and
behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns
upon his heads.
We see here this "red dragon". This is the
devil, and he is shown red all over to show his murderous and destructive personality. This is
the only place in the New Testament that dragon is used. Here it is
not a literal "dragon", but a figure of Satan. (Satan)
These seven are heads of evil governments. This world
power, through these earthly kingdoms, comes from Satan himself. The seven
crowned heads mean universal rule, and the ten horns mean world power to the
utmost.
Five emperors had come and gone by the Apostle John's
time; one ruled during his time; and the seventh represents the Antichrist to
come. We will get into more on this in a later chapter about the 6 empires that
have come which is most interesting.
His ten horns show Satan's connection with the fourth
beast of Daniel 7 (verses 7 and 24) and with the Beast from the sea in Chapter
13 of Rev.
12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of
heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman
which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
When John tells us that the devils' tail drew a third
of the stars of heaven and threw them to earth, he is describing the
original demonic uprising against God.
Satan somehow managed to convince a third of all God's
angels to join him in his rebellion; these beings we now call "demons" or
"fallen angels." They serve Satan and play an important role in the judgments of
the Tribulation.
We see here, also, the woman about to birth, and this
is the birth of Jesus the Christ.
Satan used Herod to try to kill Jesus the moment He
was born. That was not God's plan, so Jesus was protected until the time of the
cross. This also indicates here the birth of the church, which the devil has
tried to devour every way he could.
12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to
rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and
[to] his throne.
This is speaking of Jesus Christ. Jesus was caught up
unto God to set on the right hand of God at the resurrection and is setting at
the right hand of God. When He returns, Jesus will rule all nations as Lord of lords and King of kings.
During
Jesus' earthly, millennium kingdom, this rule is a breaking, and shattering work
of judgment.
An iron
rod is one that cannot be broken and speaks of the resoluteness of Christ's
rule. He will swiftly and immediately judge all sin and put down any rebellion.
12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she
hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two
hundred [and] threescore days.
The wilderness represents anywhere outside Palestine.
During the last half of the Tribulation period (1260 days is three and one half years), Israel
will take refuge among the Gentile nations, where God will care for her.
(Perhaps through the Gentile believers) (Tribulation)
God will
frustrate Satan's attempt to destroy Israel during the Tribulation and will hide
His people just as Jesus stated in Matthew chapter 24 verses 15 - 21.
12:7-8 "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his
angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels," "And
prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven."
The vision of war in heaven anticipates Satan's
exclusion from "heaven" and his restriction to the earth during the last half of
the Tribulation. Michael the archangel is the leader of God's holy angels (Dan
10:13,21; 12:1; Jude 9).
At some point of the Tribulation period, God will
empower Michael and his forces to cast Satan and his forces out of access to
heaven, so that Satan must thereafter confine his activities to the earthly
sphere.
I believe there is an order of command in heaven as
there is here on the earth. We see here, that not only the church of the Lord
Jesus Christ is being attacked here on the earth, but that there is war in
heaven as well. Here we see defeat of Satan to such an extent that he is not
allowed in heaven any more, not even to accuse the believers.
His defeat on the earth is complete as well. His doom
was sealed when Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected.
12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old
serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was
cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
The evil one is given four designations: (1) Dragon pictures his
monstrous character as the enemy of God; (2) Serpent connects him with the
clever deception of Eve in Genesis 3; (3) Devil means "slanderer" (v. 10); (4)
Satan means "Adversary" (1 Pet. 5:8). He also deceiveth the whole world (20:8).
Notice we are told here, that the serpent that tricked
Eve was the devil as well. You can call him by any name you want to. If whatever
you call him is evil, it is the devil or his handiwork.
Here we see that he deceiveth (is continually
deceiving) the whole world. The devil runs to and fro throughout the earth
seeking whom he may devour. The devil does not even bother the lost at all. He
already has them. He is after the believer.
He comes to church regularly, trying to coax you away.
He brings false doctrine and strife in the church. Check everyone and everything
they say by the Word of God. The deceiver will come dressed in sheep's clothing,
Matt. 7:15 He plants doubt and fear wherever he goes.
The devil is the very one who brings in the "feel
good" religion. Beware, he is a destroyer, he appealed to Eve's flesh and
destroyed her. The flesh is at war with the Spirit. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE FLESH.
12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now
is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of
his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them
before our God day and night.
The words salvation, strength (Greek dunamis, "power"),
kingdom, and power (Gr. exousia, "authority") all refer to the coming of the
millennial kingdom of Christ. Kingdom
He (the devil) is tossed out once and for all time.
His day is over. The last half of the Tribulation will be a time of terrible
trouble on earth (Jer. 30:7; Dan 9:27; 12:1; Zeph. 1:15; Matt 24:15-22). It will
be Satan's final attempt to prevent the return and the reign of Christ. He has
only a short time to try to prevent the establishment of Christ's kingdom so his
wrath intensifies of his persecution of Israel, God's chosen nation.
12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,
and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the
death.
Victory is Theirs - Thank God that His Word does not
leave the story of the Tribulation saints with their earthly demise, but loudly
proclaims their ultimate victory through the blood of the Lamb. The "they" here
are the Christians. When Jesus shed his blood on Calvary and became the perfect
Lamb sacrifice once for all time, Satan was defeated.
You can see here the word of our testimony is when we
open our mouths and declare that we believe Jesus Christ is Lord, and also
believe He rose from the grave; we will be saved. We must proclaim this, even if
we know it will mean our life. We are not to regard life here on this earth as
very valuable. The life that is important is in heaven. This world is not the
Christian's home. We are just passing through.
12:12 Therefore rejoice, [ye] heavens, and ye that
dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil
is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a
short time.
Here we Christians are told to look up and rejoice
when we see terrible things happening, because our redemption draweth nigh. The
devil, even now, is in an all out push to destroy the church as it used to be
fifty years ago. He realizes his time is running out, and he is working on the
believers, trying to convert them to his way. His scheme is to tell us not to be
a radical Christian. He is trying to make us not take God real seriously. He
doesn't mind going to most churches, because he hears very little pure Word of
God and no sermons on the blood. Watering down Jesus is one of his favorite
tools to destroy the church.
It will be Satan's final attempt to prevent the return
and the reign of Christ. He has only a short time to try to prevent the
establishment of Christ's kingdom. Therefore he has great wrath and intensifies
his persecution of Israel, God's chosen nation, which setting up his own
counterfeit kingdom through the Beast, the false messiah.
12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto
the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child].
Satan's persecution of Israel is apparently an attempt
to exterminate God's chosen people, thereby preventing the fulfillment of God's
promises to Abraham and David in the messianic from persecution.
12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is
nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
The wings of a great eagle represent swift escape from
persecution. The eagle in many instances in the Bible is symbolic of God. I
believe, it means that God will protect us in the midst of the problems. This I
believe is what the "sealing of the believers" is all about.
That
phrase comes from Dan. 12 verse 11. This refers to the second half of the
Tribulation which begins by the abomination of desolation. In Matt. 24 verse 15
Jesus said "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let
him understand)." Abomination of Desolation
During this time, God
protects Israel from the Satan who may know where the Jews are hiding, but will
be unable to get at them because of God's divine protection.
12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a
flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
The flood symbolizes overwhelming evil and
persecution.
This imagery symbolizes
trouble in general. Satan's forces will sweep towards the Jew's hiding place
like a great flood so as to be drown, killed or consumed by them.
12:16-17 "And the earth helped the woman, and the
earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of
his mouth." "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with
the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ."
This is liken to the army of
Pharaoh's went all of his chariots were destroyed in Exodus 15. Verse 12 states:
You stretched out Your right Hand, the earth swallowed them."
This really angers Satan. He cannot get to Jesus, as
we said before, so he is venting his anger on the followers of Jesus. Notice
here that there is only a remnant left that has not fallen for the devils false
doctrine. A remnant means a very small portion that is left.
You see here, that this small portion (remnant) of
Christians are still keeping God's commandants, and even though the opposition
has been great, they still have given the testimony of Jesus Christ. These two
names (Jesus, Christ) together mean The Savior, the Anointed One.
The remnant may be a reference either to (1) Jewish
believers, who have refused to worship Satan and his Beast or (2) Gentile
Believers, who are the seed of Abraham through Christ.
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