Revelation 12
Notes
Transcript
Introduction to Chapter 12
After the 2 witnesses are raptured there is an earthquake and 7000 political leasers / important people die
This event combined with the resurrection of Elijah & Moses is terrifying and leads to the repentance of many
Remember these events are the part of the back story - details John did not share during the opening of the seals or blowing of the trumpets
Now we return in the timeline to when the demon army kills a third of man in Rev 9:13-20 and there is no repentance
Revelation 11:14 “14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.”
The end of Chapter 11 introduces Chapter 12
The Seventh Trumpet - The end of the 70th week
Revelation 11:15–19 “15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. 18 The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” 19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.”
After the end of the 70th week God’s Heavenly Temple is opened and we are reminded of an eternal truth
What does the imagery of v19 remind us of?
Now we are set for the overview of the great struggle signified in chapter 12
Seven openings in Revelation:
The Temple; A Door (4:1); The Seals (6:1-8:1); The Abyss (9:2); The Tabernacle of Testimony (15:5); Heaven (19:11); The Books of Judgement (20:12)
Therefore, the main point of ch. 12 is the protection of God’s people against Satan because of Christ’s decisive victory over Satan through his death and resurrection.
A great sign - The Women
Revelation 12:1–2 “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.”
John is describing to us the great signs not actual events he saw, he saw signs
He knows the understanding of the signs is in the manual, the Scriptures
Genesis 37:9–11 “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.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.”
Micah 4:9–10 “9 Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pain seized you like a woman in labor? 10 Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you shall go out from the city and dwell in the open country;”
Genesis 3:15–16 “15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” 16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.””
Who is the Women?
Sister - Wife?
This thought is uncomfortable within our social structure today but we must understand this concept
The Patriarchs were only allowed to marry within their family but their decedents were allowed to take gentile brides
Jeremiah 31:31–32 “31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.”
Yahweh is the husband and father; Jesus is the son and brother
Remember Miriam spoke against Moses?
Numbers 12:5–10 “5 And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. 6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed. 10 When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow.”
Numbers 12:15 “15 So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again.”
Notice the illusion of conflict between Jew and Gentile, Israel & the church, and the 7 fold pattern.
Another Sign - The red dragon
Revelation 12:3–6 “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.”
Another great sign - the manual identifies the signs - the dragon is Satan who has attempted to murder the seed of the women since the beginning
Abel - Abraham - Joshua - Moses - Jesus
Matthew 2:16 “16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.”
He fell from heaven like lightning (Lk 10:18)
The male child is Jesus - the only one ever referred to as ruling all the nations with a rod of Iron - see Ps 2:9; Rev 3:27; Revelation 19:15 “15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.”
Despite his effort to kill the son, Jesus was born He defeated death, hell and the grave - Satan’s He ascended to the Father’s throne
The Women fled to the wilderness to be nourished for 1,260 days
These verses allude to multiple prophet patterns
A Battle in Heaven
Revelation 12:7–12 “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!””
Verses 7-9 could describe a future battle that will cut off Satan’s access to heaven’s throne room
It certainly speaks to the efficacy of the cross
Verses 10-12 speak to end of accusations made against God’s children and the celebration of victory of the martyred saints
The Devil’s great wrath
Revelation 12:13–17 “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.”
Now it would seem we have returned to the timeline of Daniel’s 70th week
Satan knows his time is short and he will increase his anger and wrath toward Israel
God preserves and nourishes Israel in the wilderness for 3.5 years
From Gen. 3:16 John would have seen that Eve’s messianic seed has both individual and corporate meaning.
The dragon makes war on the 144,000