THE WAR IN HEAVEN
Text: Revelation 12:1 - 11
https://youtu.be/YpgkPBQk8lk
The sermon starts at 34:11 on the link above
1 Then a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant, and she cried out because she was in labor, in pain from giving birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: it was a great fiery red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. 4 His tail swept down a third of heaven's stars and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth so that when she gave birth, he might devour her child. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child who is to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was snatched up to God and his throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the desert, where God has prepared a place for her. There she will be taken care of for one thousand two hundred sixty days. 7 Then there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but they did not prevail, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 So the great dragon was thrown down. The old snake, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, was thrown down to the earth; and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, "Now the salvation and power and kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ have come. The accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them day and night before our God, has been thrown down. 11 They gained the victory over him on account of the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witness. Love for their own lives didn't make them afraid to die.
The pastor of a small town church sent one of his parishioners to the big city to order a Christmas sign to be hung outside on the door of the church. The parishioner lost the note which the pastor gave him which gave the dimensions of the sign and the inscription that was to be printed on it. So he wired the pastor: “Rush copy of motto and dimensions.”
A new clerk in the Western Union office got the reply and almost fainted. “Unto us a child is born. Eight feet long, three feet wide. (Michael Hodgin. 1001 Humorous Illustrartions For Public Speaking. Grand Radpids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing house, 1994, p. 198). It might seem like this story is out of place. I promise it is related to today’s text very well. Today’s text deals with Christmas story and beyond because it is about the birth of Jesus and how the enemy targets God’s children.
VILLAIN
Who is the villain in this story?
1) Dragon: We know who the dragon is in this story don’t we?
2) Other names: Revelation 20:2 tells us that the serpent, the dragon and the devil are all references to the same fallen angel who was once known as Lucifer.
3) Lucifer: He was known as Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12) before the war in heaven. After the war in heaven he is known as Satan. In the Old Testament, Satan means “adversary”. In the New Testament Satan means “accuser”.
What was his beef with God? Was it because of his pride?
1) Pride: We have always heard that pride was his downfall. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:18 that“ Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (NRSV).
2) Jealousy: It has been said that he was jealous: “ The main reason for his rebellion was due to God asking him to bow down to humanity, in particular, Adam. However, Lucifer viewed Adam as inferior and was jealous of God’s love of him”. http://www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-lucifer-and-satan
3) War in heaven: Satan and his fellow fallen angels were defeated by Michael and heaven’s angels (Revelation 12:7 -9). Jesus said He saw Satan fall like lightning from heave (Luke 10:18).
What was his vendetta?
1) Connecting the dots: The serpent does not show up until Genesis 3 when he tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Later in Genesis 3:15 God promises that her seed will crush the serpent’s head.
2) A flashback and a forecast; When John saw the vision of the vents in Revelation 12, he was obviously seeing the past as well as a forecast of the future.
3)The war in Heaven: Satan and his angels went to war with Michael and God’s angels. Why? The reason why was because of his pride and jealousy. If he was jealous of Adam, then it makes sense to see how Satan was jealous of this baby who is obviously Jesus. Satan was envious of God’s only begotten Son (John 3:16) ---“who is to rule all nations” (Revelation 12:5). Satan was out for vengeance with a vendetta!
VICTIM
Who is the victim in this story?
1) The pregnant woman: Who is she? “At face value, we say its Mary. who is the Jewish virgin who gave birth to Jesus. In the big picture, John mentions a sign---the sign, this pregnant woman represents the nation of Israel”. (Amir Tsarfati. Revealing Revelation. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House, 2022, p. 152). Obviously, the pregnant woman who will give birth to Jesus is the natural enemy of this dragon.
2) Prophecy: Genesis 3:15 is a prophecy that becomes fulfilled through the virgin Mary giving birth to Jesus (Isaiah 9:6 & Matthew 1:23).
3) God’s people, God’s children targeted: How would you react if someone were to attack your children and your children’s children throughout every generation? Satan has been targeting God’s children since the Garden of Eden with a vendetta.
4) Herod killing babies: The dragon went after Jesus after His birth through the actions of Herod. Do you remember how God intervened? God told Joseph through angels in a dream to take Jesus and Mary and flee to Egypt because Herod was looking for Jesus to kill Him.
What did Satan do to Jesus throughout His ministry? Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Satan challenged Jesus to renege on His mission by satisfying His physical hunger, putting the Lord to the test, doing a death-defying stunt where angels would rescue Him and by offering Him the world if only Jesus would bow down and worship Him.
Satan targeted Jesus in every moment of opposition through his own people who did not receive Him as well as through religious leaders and gentiles who rejected Jesus.
What does God do to solve the problem? John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (17) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
What did Satan do when Jesus was crucified? Following the crucifixion, Satan rejoiced thinking he won. Jesus said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself" (John 12:32 NIV). “For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him” (Romans 6:9 NIV). “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (I Corinthians 15:26 NIV).
VICTORIOUS
Who makes us victorious? God makes us victorious through His Son Jesus. Jesus makes. Jesus came as the sacrificial lamb of God to take away our sin (John 1:29). Our sins have been cast away as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12)
How do we get that victory? We get that victory through the blood of Jesus that he shed on the cross to wash away our sin.
Revelation 12: 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, "Now the salvation and power and kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ have come. The accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them day and night before our God, has been thrown down. 11 They gained the victory over him on account of the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witness. Love for their own lives didn't make them afraid to die.
Why is Revelation 12 relevant right after Christmas? Satan is a sore loser who will attack God s people until Jesus comes back. Though Satan may attack believers, he cannot defeat those who are covered by the blood of Christ (Revelation 12:11). We must therefore be alert, obedient in our discipleship to make more disciples (Matthew 28:19) until Jesus comes back!
Revelation is filled with prophecy, symbolism, history, judgment and salvation. Revelation tells us about the past as well as the future. Revelation 12 tells us about the war in Heaven as well as the victory through Christ. Revelation 12 tells us all about the who, the what, the how, and the why but it does not specify when Jesus is coming back.
God sent Jesus to take away our sin, give us an abundant life and the gift of eternal life. If God’s love is far greater than anything Satan could ever throw at us! Though the holidays do not exempt us from Satan’s attacks, we are never separated from God’s love!
Jesus is our Immanuel our God with us always! Revelation has encouraged Christians to be faithful and obedient in every generation. Have you been washed by the blood of the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? Is your name in the Lamb’s Book of life?
