Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

Revelation is a book of sevens:

- In chapters 2 and 3 we have the seven churches.

- In chapter 5 - the seven-sealed book.

- In chapter 6 - the beginning of the seven seals.

- In chapter 8 - the beginning of the seven trumpets.

- In chapters 12 and 13 - the seven personages.

- In chapter 16 - the seven vials.

- In chapters 17, 18, 19 - the seven dooms.

- In chapters 21 and 22 - the seven new things.

Seven is God’s number of completion - the divine number of divine completeness.

In Revelation God is making a complete end of sin and sorrow.

He will complete His wonderful plan of redemption for all creation.

Paradise, with all of its original glory, and more, is restored in Revelation, chapters 21 and 22.

In the first few chapters of Genesis, Paradise is lost; in the last two chapters of Revelation, Paradise is restored.

[Oliver B. Greene, Revelation, A Verse by Verse Study, Commentaries and Writings of Oliver B. Greene (The Gospel Hour, Inc., 1963), 240–241.]

Main Thought:

May I tell you, these are dangerous days in which we live, and the storm clouds are gathering, and a storm is about to descend, the lightning is flashing, and the lighting rod is Israel.

Now Israel is on the front page of every major newspaper in the world today.

And Bible-believing Christians cannot deny or ignore the significance of the nation Israel.

If you pick up your Bible and read Bible prophecy, you will find out that Israel is in 100% of all Bible prophecy concerning the future, if you read it carefully enough.

I want to tell you that the eyes of the entire world are upon this tiny state of Israel, and your eyes need to be upon the land of Israel, because the Jew and Israel are the people and land of destiny.

As the Jew goes, so goes the world.

Israel is God’s yardstick.

Israel is God’s measuring rod.

Israel is God’s blueprint.

Israel is God’s program for what He is doing in the world.

Now we want to ask this question: Has God turned His back on Israel?

Has God forgotten Israel?

Has God somehow abrogated the promises that He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

Indeed not!

Absolutely not!

The passage that we have before us deals, therefore, with the nation Israel, and I want us to notice some things about Israel this morning from Revelation chapter 12.

[Adrian Rogers, “Why I Love Israel,” in Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust, 2017), Re 12.]

Sub-intro:

Chapter 12 opens with these tremendous words (verses 1 and 2): “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: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.”

This woman (the “great wonder”) is clothed in a very extraordinary manner.

She is wearing the sun - and for shoes she wears the moon.

For her hat she wears a crown studded with twelve stars.

She is a mother-to-be, and her delivery is imminent.

[Greene, 241.]

Body:

I.

The Radiant Woman (Rev.

12:1-2).

Woman = Israel

Woman Does not equal Mary (Rev.

12:13-17—persecuted during Tribulation)

Second of four “women” in the Revelation

Rev. 2:20- Jezebel

Rev. 12:1- Israel

Rev. 17:4- the Harlot

Rev. 19:7- Bride, Lambs wife

Satan hates Israel

A. Her Clothing (Rev.

12:1a).

1.

The Sun About Her

2. The Moon Beneath Her

B. Her Crown (Rev.

12:1b).

Twelve Starry Jewels

C. Her Cries (Rev.

12:2).

1.

The Baby in Her Womb (v.

2a).

2. Her Birth-pangs of Labor (v.

2b).

But praise God, Jesus fulfilled every demand of God the Father, He paid sin’s debt in its fulness.

He conquered death, hell and the grave.

He arose, He appeared to men, He ascended back to the Father and He is coming again in power and great glory.

Jesus will personally supervise putting Satan into the lake of fire, where he will be tormented with fire and brimstone forever and ever.

[Greene, 244.]

II.

The Red Dragon (Rev.

12:3-4).

Red = Bloodthirsty

A. His Infamous Power (Rev.

12:3).

1.

Seven Crowned Heads

2. Ten Horns

Power behind Antichrist

Crowns (diadems)- authority/ Power (limited)

B. His Influencing Pride (Rev.

12:4a).

1. Drawn

2. Downcast

Tail swept 1/3 “stars” threw- aorist, completed action

• Meteors?

(perhaps)

• 1/3 of the angels

• Nations?

Probably not.

C. His Insatiable Passion (Rev.

12:4b).

1. Behold, Satan Is At the Door

2. He Seeks to Devour

III.

The Raptured Prince (Rev.

12:5-6).

A. The Rightful Heir (Rev.

12:5a).

The Shepherd's Iron Rod (see Ps. 2; 22-24)

B. His Rapture to God (Rev.

12:5b).

The Ascension of the Son of God to Glory (see Acts 1)