A thorough study of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show his servants things which must shortly come to pass. (Rev. 1:1)
Welcome to our study of the Revelation of Jesus Christ given unto Apostle John.
I am Phillip Smith, your host and fellow servant of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
As we continue our study in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, as given to John, we begin in chapter 12.
In our study of chapter 12, we transition from the general descriptions of the spirit realm and the increasing punishment of the unrighteous up to the end and judgment closer to the creation of the earth. It seems Jesus is telling John about his spirit birth, the war in heaven with Satan, and the casting down of Satan and his angels to earth. Let us read.
Rev. 12:1. 12 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:
We immediately notice in heaven a woman who is esteemed higher than all the celestial bodies; clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet. She is one to be recognized as special. With twelve stars in her crown, she belongs to God (twelve meaning belonging to God) and she is crowned meaning found righteous.
Who is she? As we continue we will be able to determine who she is.
Rev. 12:2. 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
The woman is to become a mother; being crowned with twelve stars in her crown, she is to become the mother of all righteous. Yet her birth pains are perhaps pains of despair over the conditions she is found and the future of her offspring. NOTICE:
Rev. 12:3-4. 3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
A very troubling time is at hand. A great red dragon is waiting to devour her child as soon as it is born. This dragon is described with seven heads with crowns and ten horns. Seven means complete. This dragon is complete and is entirely evil. He has power and authority upon himself and underlings with authority and power (ten horns) We recognize the horns as strength and power. They also indicate kings or kingdoms. Therefore, these ten kings or kingdoms will exist to bring evil into the world and propagate evil.
In a moment we will identify exactly who this great red dragon is.
Rev. 12:5. 5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
The woman delivered a man child ‘who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron’. Who is to rule all nations with righteous judgment? Jesus, the son of God.
Now, who is the woman? She is the spirit mother of Jesus. To further prove this, John is told to write: ‘her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne’. Who is on the throne of God? God! Who is at the right hand of the throne of God? Jesus!
We have now been told of the spirit birth of Jesus. Jesus wanted all men to know of his spirit birth to believe in his deity and his spirit which dwells in the spirit realm.
Rev. 12:6. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Because of the pursuit of the woman who gave birth to the successor of the throne, by the great red dragon, she was protected from the dragon by fleeing to the wilderness; a place prepared by God. This appears to infuriate the dragon because war broke out in heaven.
Rev. 12:7-8. 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
It appears the great dragon wanted authority and to rule. With a male offspring to the king to inherit the throne, the kingdom would be handed down to the descendant, not another. The dragon was in no position to be given the throne unless he could overpower the king and take the kingdom. So war broke out. But the dragon and his angels could not prevail. He could no longer remain in heaven.
Who was this great red dragon who brought war in heaven?
Rev. 12:9. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Notice the past tense used in the writing. The previous writing of the story was as if present tense. The story is told of a past event in the spirit realm. The event is now spoken as having already happened. We now find out who the great red dragon was, or is; Satan, the old serpent, the Devil. At some point the earth was formed and inhabited with a man and a woman, Adam and Eve. When Satan could no longer remain in heaven because of his defiance against God, he and his angels were cast out to the earth.
Recognizing the participants in this story: a woman–spirit mother to a male child; the male child–Jesus; and Satan, the great red dragon, we can put together the spirit events either prior to or simultaneous with the creation of the earth.
John 1:1-4.1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Jesus is the Word. he was with God and he was God. All things, every thing ever made or created, was made by him. Nothing was made without him. And, he was life, the light of man. The term ‘light’ means righteousness and life. Therefore, Jesus was the light of the world.
John 8:12. 12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
This light was made in the beginning of the creation of all things. Gen. 1:1, 3. 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
God created the heavens and the earth; God was God the Father, God the son–Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit. All are one in the same. When John wrote, ‘In the beginning was the Word, …and the Word was God’, when unto God was born a male child by the woman, the ‘Light’ came into existence. With His son to help, they both created the heavens and the earth.
Seeing as Jesus helped create the earth and all in it, we can see and believe when Jesus speaks these words, Luke 10:18. “...I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven”. Jesus had been born into the Spirit realm prior to the fall of Satan.
Now a descendant to the throne came into existence and Satan was no longer a possible contender to inherit the throne and all things created. In his anger he pursued the woman and all women who bore children unto God the Father on earth. We know all children born are precious and innocent of unrighteousness. This puts a strong desire in the heart of Satan to cause all men to turn against their creator and become a servant of his. So, he pursues them, tempting them to choose a master. He even tempted Jesus trying to make him choose against Jesus’ father. (Mt. 4; Luke 4)
Great rejoicing was found in heaven because the war and tribulation had ended. Rev. 12:10. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Within the kingdom of God, we see it is in heaven and upon the earth. Notice the writing in verse 11. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
The author returns to the past tense describing what has happened in the lives of the children of God on earth for all time. The blood of the lamb; the blood of Jesus shed upon the Roman cross, overcame the power of Satan upon all God’s creation. The prophets and all saints did not love their earthly lives but longed for a new life with God in eternity. The author described all spirit entities, including the souls of the righteous earthly saints, as praising God because he has the power to overthrow Satan and his angels.
Rev. 12:12.12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! Woe–beware! Earthlings, beware of the tribulations befalling you because Satan is upon the earth ‘seeking whom he may devour’. Satan shall tempt every soul to turn from their Father God and worship him. This tribulation will continue until God cast Satan into the bottomless pit of Hell.
Rev. 12:13. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
It is the woman’s fault children are born into the world; according to the thinking of Stan. Therefore, he will pursue all offspring of women.
He began this pursuit immediately with Eve, the first woman on earth. (Gen. 3)
Rev. 12:14. 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. COMPARE: with vs. 6. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
We are introduced to two time signatures: a time, and times, and half a time, and a thousand two hundred and threescore days. There seems to be a direct correlation here. The quandary is: do they equal one to the other? These two time signatures occur at other times in scripture. However, the understanding is not clear. We are not to know nor be able to find out because only God knows these time signatures in his eternal clock. It is written in eternal time which God seems to use for our understanding as durations of time to complete events he establishes.remember, Jesus does not know the day nor the hour he will be commanded to return to gather the saints. Mt. 24:36. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. And Mt. 25:13. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
This event depicts a protection of the mother of Jesus until the fulfillment of time in which God released her.
Satan continued to pursue and continues to pursue the children born of women. His wrath turned to vengeance and violence.
Rev. 12:15-17. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Satan could no longer make war in heaven, but to the earth where he now dwells he can. So, he does.
