Revelation 12:10-12 (p. 867) December 22, 2013
Introduction:
I think some of the most amazing words written is Scripture are found in John’s Revelation, and verses 7-9 of Revelation Chapter 12 are up there in the amazing category.
“Then war broke out in heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.”
That’s not how any of us picture heaven. Heaven is God’s home, a place of glory, beauty, absolute perfection and peace. Earth is a place of wars. Earth is a place of sin and rebellion, not heaven!
But in Revelation 12 it is. It’s a place where mutiny occurs. A place where Satan tries to use God’s authority. Sin finds its origin in heaven, not in the Garden of Eden, but sin and rebellion cannot exist in God’s presence. Therefore:
“He was not strong enough and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the Devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to earth, and his angels with him.” (Rev. 12:8-9)
Wait a minute. I thought Satan was in Hell, surrounded by fire, dressed in a red suit with a big pitchfork. I thought he tried to make deals with people. “I’ll give you the Mercedes, all you have to do is sign your soul away.”
Nope, Hell, the 2nd Death, the Lake of Fire, all the same thing, all I truly believe are real, are reserved for a future date, at the final judgment before the throne of God. “The Devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur.” Death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire. The Lake of Fire is the 2nd death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the Lake of Fire.” (Rev. 20:10, 14-15)
But after Satan’s rebellion, and before his final punishment, He’s right here on earth “leading the whole earth astray.” No wonder the loud voice from heaven says in our text “woe to the earth and the sea because the Devil has gone down to you. He is filled with furry, because he knows that his time is short. Here’s an important truth:
I. WE SHOULD KNOW OUR ENEMY
Folks I’m not gonna talk about Arch Angels and the name “Lucifer” (Angel of Light) which is only mentioned once in scripture in Isaiah 14:12 when speaking of the King of Babylon he says “How you have fallen from heaven, Morning Star, son of the dawn.” The King James translates Morning Star as “Lucifer.” Could Isaiah 14 apply to Satan’s pride and the results? Yep, but I don’t know.
What I do know is this, our text says He is the ancient serpent (presumably the one in the Garden of Eden, The Accuser of our Brothers and Sisters). The Devil, or Satan, the one Job mentions in his first 2 chapters). “The Great Dragon” (mentioned in Revelation chapter 12) is the one who tries to devour the woman’s child the moment He was born. (This child is “the one who will rule all nations”), but God protected this child and the woman flees into the wilderness to the place prepared for her by God. Remember Herod, the slaughter of little boy infants and Mary, Joseph’s and Jesus’ escape to Egypt.
Jesus describes Satan better than anyone else. While speaking to a group of Jewish people who were arguing about who he was, and also believe they had a special eternal birthright through Abraham, He said,
JOHN 8:42-47 (p.746)
Satan is a murderer. He had nothing to do with truth. He is a liar and the Father of Lies. (He gave birth to lies literally). Our text says 2 things “He’s filled with wrath, because he knows his time is short.”
Hatred and anger create “fury.” Satan’s furious like a “hungry lion longing to attack an antelope.” He has one goal, devour. (1 Peter 5:8) He prowls around earth looking for weakness and then he pounces.
God’s Word says he does this in 2 ways:
1. He blinds people...2 Corinthians 4:4 “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ.”
Paul is talking to the Corinthians, they live in one of the most cosmopolitan, wicked, dark cities on earth. The gospel shines the light, it pierces the darkness, but Satan focuses people on themselves. Even when the gospel is planted before it takes root. He snatches it off the hard ground of a darkened heart. (Matthew 13:19) Like blinders on a racehorse, Satan keeps an unbeliever fixated on what’s right in front of them, not what surrounds them. “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you die.” He lies about our past. He lies about our present and he lies about our future.
And secondly God’s Word says this about our enemy:
2. He masquerades as an angel of light...He pretends to be something good and beautiful. 2 Corinthians 11:14 says “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It’s not surprising then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”
Pretending is one of Satan’s greatest weapons, inside the church and out.
Ask Saul what he was doing before he met Jesus. Ask Ananias and Sapphires what they were doing after Barnabas gave his gift and they lied about theirs. Ask God why His judgment was so harsh in the church’s infancy. Pretending you are an angel of light or a servant of righteousness is deadly. Be hot or be cold, DON”T PRETEND! It makes Jesus want to vomit.
Masquerades demand that you wear a mask. The ugly, terrifying, furious, dragon would never be invited to the party. So, he puts on a mask, a smile and a checkbook gets him invited in, but he’s still furious. His goal is still the same, He’s still a liar and a murderer of souls. He just looks safer...”like a teacher who shares knowledge, but never asks for application and faith, like a preacher who says “God wants you to be wealthy, healthier, all you need is faith, more faith. “A seed of faith” like $1,000 to my ministry.
Like someone who says, “just believe in God, that’s all it takes, Jesus never really demands obedience. Discipleship isn’t required,” or maybe the biggest lie, “be good, just do nice things, do more nice things than bad things and you’ll go to heaven.”
We need to know our enemy, to be aware of his methods, His time is short, but so is ours.
II. VICTORY COMES THROUGH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST AND OUR TESTIMONY
“They triumphed over him.” They = “our brothers and sisters.” Him = “Satan.”
Christmas is the welcome of someone who wore red and white, but it’s not Santa. It’s Jesus. His perfection is unstained whiteness. His blood flowed red from Calvary to cover the sins of mankind. All sin!
Isaiah the prophet foretold of Jesus’ birth 800 years before he was born in Bethlehem he said, “therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
Earlier in his book, Isaiah records the Lord’s promise. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)
When did “salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God” appear, through the authority of his messiah.
Satan’s plan: devour, destroy that which God loves the most. His motive: hatred spurred on by fury. Day and night he accuses.
God’s plan: save the world, redeem my fallen creation, give mankind a Savior, bring them from death to life, from darkness to light, fill them with my Spirit. God’s motive: He loves us. He gave His son as the atoning sacrifice because that was the only way sin is paid for. And that son was raised to life so death is defeated...triumph. victory comes only through Him. As John the Baptist said “The Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) God’s people “triumph over sin by the blood of the Lamb.”
Marv & Marybeth Rosenthall wrote:
Mary had the little lamb, who lived before His birth;
Self-existent Son of God, from Heaven He came to Earth. (Micah 5:2)
Mary had the little Lamb; see Him in yonder stall –
Virgin-born Son of God, to save man from the Fall. (Isaiah 7:14)
Mary had the little Lamb, obedient Son of God;
Everywhere the Father led, His feet were sure to trod. (John 6:38)
Mary had the little Lamb, crucified on the tree
The rejected Son of God, He died to set men free. (1 Peter 1:18)
Mary had the little Lamb-men placed Him in the grave,
Thinking they were done with Him; to death He was no slave! (Matthew 28:6)
Mary had the little Lamb, ascended now is He;
All work on Earth is ended, our Advocate to be. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Mary had the little Lamb-mystery to behold!
From the Lamb of Calvary, a Lion will unfold. (Revelation 5:5-6)
When the Day Star comes again, of this be very sure:
It won’t be Lamb-like silence, but with the Lion’s roar. (Psalm 2:12; Revelation 19:11-16)
John the revelator was writing to people under great trial. Some had even been but to death. In fact, John is in exile on the Isle of Patmos when he writes “I John, your brother and companion in the suffering and Kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus.” (Revelation 1:9)
In Pergamum, Antipas a faithful servant of Jesus was put to death – “where Satan lives.” (Revelation 2:13)
The book of Revelation is written to God’s people to shout “We are victorious.” People argue about unknowns but never forget John is writing to hurting, persecuted believers who were right in the middle of it. His message, Hang on! Stay faithful! Jesus is coming back for us! We win!
When the Morning Star comes again, it won’t be lamb-like silence, but the lion’s victory roar!
We have that hope because of Christmas. The word Incarnation means “God became flesh.” “Immanuel.” Isaiah says, “God with Us.”
God who left the hails of Heaven so that he could experience the nails of Calvary.
A wooden manger was a prophet concerning a wooden cross.
But there is a second essential that provides triumph, victory over “the accuser.” It’s
2. The Word of our Testimony, that we do not love our lives so much we shrink from death.”
This week I’d ask you to write your story down. When you come to the parts you don’t want to put on paper, force yourself to be courageous.
Whether your story is, more peaceful like “Dorcas on the riverside” or more informational, like the Ethiopian Eunuch who responds to Philip’s teaching and preaching. You could be like Timothy whose faith first lived in his mother and grandmother Lois and Eunice.
Or maybe you are the prodigal like me who came to his senses in the pig sty, far from home.
You see our testimony isn’t just history. When our story intersects with the cross of Jesus, when our past, present and future is secured by his blood, our story becomes His story.
And whether you are the prodigal or the older brother, like Paul the Apostle, our testimony is about our Father who welcomed us home. Our testimony is about the grace of Jesus who set us free from the law of sin and death.
[Most of us will not be put in the situation of Cassie Bernall at Columbine High School. Her killers asked her “if she believed in God” right before they pulled the trigger.
Most of us won’t be put in the place of Jim Elliot in Ecuador who said, “He is no fool who surrenders what he cannot keep for that which he cannot lose” right before he and 5 others were hacked to death on a deserted beach. By the way Elizabeth Elliot would be part of those missionaries who would lead her husband’s killers to new life in Christ.
Confessing Christ as Lord here at Gardenside is relatively easy. Yes it’s a little scary to stand in front of a few hundred folks and say “I believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God and I accept Him as my Lord and Savior.” But this is the easiest place to confess your testimony. It will be much harder at school, at work, with your non-believing family and friends.
The word confess simply means “I AGREE.”
Do you know who we’re agreeing with that Jesus is the Son of God? It’s God Himself who said “this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, listen to him.”
Tomorrow (if Jesus tarries) your testimony will agree with that truth or not. It’s when we live in agreement with God that we find victory. Here, and before the Great White Throne!
