OPEN: Many Americans dislike Daylight Savings Time, but back in the early 1800s in America had 1000s of time zones. Back then, every city set their clocks based on when the sun was at “High Noon”. One city might have their clocks set at 12 Noon, while another city several miles away might say the time was 12:08 or 12:44.
Now that wasn’t much of a problem until the railroads came along.
In 1869 the US completed the first transcontinental railroad line connecting the country from coast to coast. But they soon had a headache with scheduling because of multitude of time zones across the nation. Every city had its own PERSONAL time zones and the railroad never knew what time it was from city to city. It led to a lot of confusion.
So, in 1883 the Railroad companies divided the nation into 4 times zones and basically forced all the local cities to set their clocks by Railroad time. That way everybody knew exactly what time it was, and no one had to guess as to when the next train was going to arrive.
The railroads learned firsthand how impractical it can be for people to have their “own” time zones.
APPLY: Now, when it comes to reading the book of Revelation there’s a multitude of different views on what the book is saying - and many of those views depend upon folks using their own “time zones”. In fact, prophetic teachers are so committed to their own personal “time zone” on prophecy that they have literally stopped the Bible clock in order to make Scripture fit their theology.
For example, consider this chart about Daniel 9.
http://frankdimora.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83534afe169e20134854dac9b970c-pi
Daniel 9 is perhaps one of the most powerful and impressive prophecies in the Old Testament. It covers a prophetic period of 490 years in the Old Testament era... and it accurately depicts the date the Temple was rebuilt and it also accurately gave the date when Jesus’ earthly ministry began.
It’s great stuff!
But I want you to notice something on this chart.
Do you see that term: “Time Gap”
The “Time Gap” on the chart is also called the “Church age”.
Now… what is all this about a Time Gap????
What the creators of that chart are saying is that God stopped the Biblically clock right here (at the beginning of the final week of the prophecy) and that God won’t turn the clock back on until then end of time.
The end of time is what they believe Revelation (including chapter 12) is describing.
But why? Why would they think God would “stop the clock”?
Well, it's NOT because the prophecy in Daniel 9 even hinted at such a “time gap”.
Then why?
Because their theology dictates that there’s no other way to make the prophecy in Daniel make sense.
You see, essentially their theology is that God had an original plan for the prophecy.
His plan (they maintain) was that - when Jesus died and rose from the dead - the Jews would flock en masse to His banner, and thus all Israel would be saved.
But that didn't happen.
Somehow God did not foresee that the majority of the Jews would reject Christ… and so he fell back on plan B, which was including the Gentiles in salvation. This is what the chart calls "the Church age". Schofield (in his Scofield’s study Bible) called it the “Great Parenthesis”.
At the end of time (however) they teach that God will fix that oversight by saving all the physical Jews.
God will get back to Plan A.
This is the foundation of most prophetic teaching in America today.
Now I used to buy into this thinking until I realized how unbiblical so much of it was.
1. There’s nothing in Daniel’s prophecy that justifies their interpretation. You have to impose a “time gap” where none was indicated.
2. Their “Time Gap” or “Great Parenthesis” presumes that God was caught by surprise here. I don’t know about you… but my God is never caught by surprise. The Gentile’s inclusion in the church was not a mistake or a “plan B”… it was exactly what God planned.
Piggy-backing on this this “gap” theology is the national sport of predicting when Jesus will come back. Several years ago a man wrote a book entitled “88 Reasons Why Jesus Is Coming Back in 1988”.
It sold like hotcakes.
Of course, didn’t work out that way.
Undaunted, the author came out with another book “89 Reasons Why Jesus Is Coming Back in 1988.”
That one didn’t sell as well.
Jesus said “about that day or hour (of His return) no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Matthew 24:36
So… who knows when Jesus is coming back? (THE FATHER)
That’s what you’d think isn’t it?
But there are prophetic teachers out there who will tell that you THEY know.
One of the most recent and bizarre predictions has had to do with Revelation 12.
https://socioecohistory.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/23sept2017-once_in_7000years_fulfilment_of_revelation12_v1n2.jpg
What this chart shows is that the constellations of Virgo (Revelation 12 speaks of a sign in heaven of a woman) and Leo (Jesus is the “Lion of Judah”) will be in conjunction for the first time in 7000 years (they say) and this is an indication that Jesus will return to rapture Christians on September 23rd, 2017.
Folks, you can’t make this stuff up.
I’m not questioning their salvation… but I am questioning their thinking.
This is pure insanity.
The only way you can arrive at this kind of thinking is if you ignore what Revelation 12 actually says. Revelation 12 is very clear about WHEN this prophecy was fulfilled. Verse 12 is literally God’s clock that tells us what time zone we’re in. Notice what it says:
“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…” Revelation 12:10
If you could figure out when the salvation, power, kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ would (or did) come, then you’d be able to piece the rest of the prophecy together.
Well, you’re in luck. Scripture tells us these things have already come.
Now let’s take that one step at a time:
• Has salvation come?
YES! Paul tells the Christians in Corinth -
“… now is the time of God’s favor, NOW is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2
And again he writes the Ephesians: “… you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation…” Ephesians 1:13
Salvation exists… right now! You received it when you became a Christian.
• So salvation has come… has power come? YES!
Romans 1:16 says: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the POWER of God for the SALVATION of everyone who believes…”
The power of God exists… right now! And that power exists to bring us salvation.
• Has the Kingdom come?
(PAUSE) Again YES!
Colossians 1:13 tells us that God “… has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the KINGDOM of the Son he loves”
In 1 Corinthians 4:20, talking about the present church, Paul wrote: “… the KINGDOM of God is not a matter of talk but of POWER.”
We are in the KINGDOM… right now. And that Kingdom gives us God’s power and His salvation.
• And how about Christ’s authority come? YES!
Ephesians 1:19-22 That power (that God has given us) is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, FAR ABOVE all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God PLACED ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET….”
Jesus has authority RIGHT NOW. When He Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of God… and NOW HE has AUTHORITY over all things.
So, the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ HAVE COME. And that means, that the prophecy of Revelation 12 has already taken place.
So, let’s look at the prophecy.
First, we have a woman who about to give birth to a “male child” Revelation 12:1-2
“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. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.”
She gives “… 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. Revelation 12:5
First, who’s this man-child?
Its Jesus isn’t it?
Jesus IS caught up to God.
Jesus IS seated at the right of God and has everything under His feet.
He RULES with a rod of iron.
But WHO is this woman?
Remember – this is a SIGN or a symbol.
It’s not real person.
This is NOT meant to be taken literally. It’s symbolic.
In other words… it’s not Mary.
Well, if it’s not Mary… who is it?
Notice, this woman in Revelation 12 not only gives birth to Jesus, but she is the mother of all Christians. Revelation 12:17 says
“… the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring— those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
Who could this WOMAN be?
Well, I think we can find the answer in Galatians 4:22-26
“it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman (Hagar) and one by a free woman (Sarah). But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.
Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants.
One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar.
Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the PRESENT Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
But the Jerusalem ABOVE is free, and SHE IS OUR MOTHER.”
Now I don’t want to get too deep in the weeds here, but essentially this is what Paul’s saying:
Jerusalem represents God’s Kingdom.
It used to be God’s Kingdom was centered around physical Jerusalem.
Before Jesus came, Physical Jerusalem was the center of God’s Old Covenant.
It was also the center of God’s PROPHECY about the coming Messiah.
That’s why the Wisemen came looking for the new-born king, they showed up at Jerusalem.
But what Paul is telling us in Galatians 4 is this:
After Jesus died and rose from Grave… Jerusalem changed.
Physical Jerusalem was no longer the center of God’s plans.
Heavenly Jerusalem was NOW God’s major focus.
And that heavenly Jerusalem is called “our mother”.
It's the church.
We are children of God thru the church, and the church’s headquarters (the Jerusalem above) is located in heaven.
(check Revelation 21:2 where the Heavenly Jerusalem is referred to as the "Bride" - a term understood to refer to the church)
That brings us to the LAST character in this vision… the DRAGON.
Who’s the dragon.
Revelation 12:9 tells us he is “that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan”
According to the vision, Satan knew Jesus was coming and he camped out in front of the woman.
“… “the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.” Revelation 12:4
Did Satan actually do that?
Oh yeah.
There were a couple times when Christ was born and several times during His ministry that Satan tried every trick he had to take Jesus out. He tried killing Him, deceiving Him, discrediting Him… but nothing worked.
When all else failed Satan unleashed his ultimate plan.
He arranged to have Jesus… crucified.
Of course, what Satan didn’t know was that that was part of God’s plan all along.
It was in the crucifixion of Christ that Satan sealed his own doom.
Hebrews 2:14 says: “through death (Jesus destroyed) the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil”
Jesus died for our sins… and broke the back of Satan’s power over us.
However, once Satan realized he’d been had.
Once he realized that Jesus had NOT STAYED in the grave but had risen from dead and ascended on high… the Devil apparently decided he could take heaven by force.
But he failed.
Revelation 12:7-9 tells us “there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But 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 the earth, and his angels with him.
Satan was defeated in heaven and he fell from heaven.
He was thrown down to earth… and he decided to turn his rage on us.
He wages war against us because we have obeyed God’s commands and we held to the testimony of Jesus.
(Pause)
Now why tell us this story?
Why tell us what happened to Satan?
Why tell us how Lucifer planned to destroy Jesus… and that he now has plans for us?
Well, a couple things come to mind.
1st – forewarned is forearmed.
We need to know that Satan IS REAL… and he is a dangerous enemy
The story here in Revelation 12 tells us about what motivates Satan - He’s out to get you!!!
1 Peter 5:8 says it this way: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
He’s looking to take you out - so be aware, be alert, and be self-controlled.
Satan doesn’t like you because he doesn’t like Jesus.
So don’t be surprised when he comes knocking on your door.
BUT… there’s something else God wants us to see here.
• Satan is a dangerous enemy, but he’s always operated under a disadvantage.
Revelation 12:4 tells us “(Satan’s) tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.”
Most scholars believe that the stars refer to the fallen angels who followed Lucifer in rebellion.
You know what that means?
It means that Satan’s outnumbered --- 2 to 1.
But even if he weren’t outnumbered… he was never a match for God.
But now he’s been thrown down from heaven and he’s coming after us!
And WE are no match for Satan.
It doesn’t matter how well you know the Bible, Satan knows it better.
It doesn’t matter how strong you are, Satan is stronger.
It doesn’t matter how clever you are… yeah, he’s cleverer.
But there’s one thing we have that he can’t deal with.
There’s one set of weapons that will stop him in his tracks.
As Revelation 12:11 says “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony”
Our weapons of choice against our enemy are these –
Blood of Lamb and our testimony.
These weapons will bring him down.
They will OVERCOME him.
CLOSE: A writer told of watching a wildcat in a zoo.
"As I stood there," he said, "an attendant entered the cage through a door on the opposite side. He had nothing in his hands but a broom. Carefully closing the door, he proceeded to sweep the floor of the cage."
The worker had no weapon to ward off an attack by the beast. In fact, when he got to the corner of the cage where the wildcat was lying, he poked the animal with the broom. The wildcat hissed at him and then lay down in another corner of the enclosure.
The writer remarked to the attendant, "You certainly are a brave man."
"No, I ain't brave," he replied as he continued to sweep.
"Well, then, that cat must be tame."
"No," came the reply, "he ain't tame."
"If you aren't brave and the wildcat isn't tame, then I can't understand why he doesn't attack you."
The man chuckled, "Mister, he's old -- and he ain't got no teeth.”
(Today in the Word, April 3, 1993, quoting an article by Carl Armerding in Moody Monthly)
That’s the message of Revelation 12
Satan is dangerous and he’s not tame.
But because of the blood of the Lamb and the power of our testimony… he ain’t got no teeth!
