Sunday Morning July 7, 2002 Bel Aire Baptist Church
Series: “The End” [#14]
DRAGON SLAYER (Part 1)
Revelation 12
Introduction:
1. Chapter 12 introduces the second half of the Tribulation period by giving a Heavenly recap of the great conflict of the ages, bringing us up to date.
2. Before the human race was ever created in the Garden of Eden, there was conflict between God and His most powerful angel, Satan. For some reason Satan thought he was equal with God.
3. Even today, Satan thinks he can take control of the universe from God. The Bible shows that from the creation of humankind to the present there has been an endless conflict for the will and soul of people to see if they would use that free will to obey God or Satan.
4. Chapter 12 introduces us to four key personalities.
The Sun-Clothed Woman
Revelation 12:1-2
1. Many suggestions have been made as to who this “woman clothed with the sun” is. The Roman Catholic Church has always taught that this is the Virgin Mary. Mary Baker Glover Patterson Eddy, the founder of Christian Science said this was her.
2. The woman is referred to as “a great and wondrous sign [that] appeared in heaven”. The word “sign” appears here for the first time in the book of Revelation, indicating that the woman is not to be taken literally as a woman but represents something else. It is also important to notice that Mary did not give birth to her child in Heaven and this is where this woman is pictured is in Heaven.
Genesis 37:9-11
3. As we will see shortly, the man child in verses 5-6 is Jesus Christ. Therefore this is a reference to the nation of Israel, which gave birth to the Messiah. From Abraham to the days of Mary, the nation of Israel was preparing to bring forth a man child that would bless the entire world.
4. The fact that this woman is seen “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet” is very interesting. These objects are objects that project light. The moon is a reflector and the sun is a source of light. They are symbolic of Israel as God’s light-bearer to humankind, but Israel was unfaithful and fell under the judgment of God.
5. However, Israel will be God’s light-bearer in the form of the 144,000 witnesses during the Tribulation. By the way, the church (which is Christians) is God’s “lampstand”. That means we are to be the ones being the light-bearer for God right now.
The Devil
Revelation 12:3
The world today does not believe in literal devil but the Bible teaches it. This passage alone gives several details about him.
Names Used For The Devil
1. “An enormous red dragon” (verse 3). He is red because he is the motivating force behind much of the bloodshed in human history.
2. “That ancient serpent” (verse 9). This refers to the first time the devil is seen in the Bible, in the Garden of Eden.
3. “The devil” (verse 9). This is the name used in the Gospels for this enemy of God. It means “slanderer” or “accuser”.
4. “Satan” (verse 9). This name means “adversary.” The devil is the adversary of all God’s children.
5. “The accuser of our brothers” (verse 10). This indicates his work before the throne of God today, seeking to discredit the saints before God.
Satan’s Governmental Operation
1. Satan is revealed as “an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his head.”
2. The seven-crowned head probably refers to the seven stages of the Roman Empire.
3. The ten horns refer to the ten kings who will be dominant during the Tribulation, from whom the Antichrist (the seventh head) will receive his power and authority.
4. Satan will be using government as his tool.
5. Nothing has caused more havoc and evil to humanity than government. Power in the hands of evil men in the form of government has given license to murders, wars, famine, and suffering beyond human comprehension.
The Fall Of Satan
Revelation 12:4
1. This probably refers to the original fall of Satan described in Isaiah 14.
2. The original casting of Satan out of Heaven was not his final overthrow.
3. Satan today still has access to the throne of God to accuse believers.
Satan’s Conflict With The Seed Of The Woman
1. The vision of Satan standing before the woman “who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born” refers to the attitude of Satan ever since Genesis 3:15.
2. This promise was given to humanity, predicting eventual deliverance from the domination of Satan. God guaranteed deliverance through the “seed of the woman.”
3. Since then, Satan has tried to stop the seed by the murder of Abel by Cain, by his effort to pollute the human race, by his attempt to cut off the Hebrew nation in Egypt, etc…
4. Several times during the life of Christ he tried to destroy the “seed of the woman”. Herod’s decree to kill babies, the storm on the Sea of Galilee, and the attempts to throw Christ over a cliff.
5. We have seen Satan’s persecution of the church and the start of so many false religions that will be even worse during the Tribulation when Satan through the Antichrist will seek to get people to worship him.
The Man Child- Christ
Revelation 12:5
1. The identity of the man child is Jesus Christ. The man child “who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter” refers to Christ’s rule during the millennial kingdom, when He will be the absolute ruler of the world.
2. We are also told that “her child was snatched up to God and to his throne,” which is exactly what happened to Jesus Christ after His resurrection. He was caught up to Heaven, where He is now seated at the right hand of God.
Revelation 12:6
3. This verse refers to the Tribulation period. Just as God provided for the nation of Israel for forty years in the desert, so He will feed Israel during the Tribulation’s 1,260 days.
Daniel 11:40-45
4. This is speaking of a world war during the middle of the Tribulation, which will affect all the countries of the world except Edom, Moab, and Ammon. These countries now constitute Jordan and may be the place God has prepared for the nation of Israel to hide.
5. The Israelites will flee during the last half of the Tribulation because the persecution of the Jews will be at an all-time high, but God will be faithful to the Israelites and will provide for them.
Isaiah 33:15-16
The Archangel Michael
Revelation 12:7
1. There are only two angels named in Scripture, Gabriel and Michael. Gabriel is the “announcing angel”; Michael seems to be the “commanding general” of the heavenly hosts.
2. It is suggested on the basis of Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 that Michael is superior to the majority of the angels, but somewhat lower in rank than Satan.
3. Michael has had previous confrontations with Satan.
Jude 1:9
4. Please notice that if the archangel Michael could not fight Satan without help from God, then how in the world do we think that we can fight Satan without help from God? Remember we are told to resist the devil by submitting ourselves to God.
5. Daniel 10:13 reveals that Michael was hindered by “the prince of the Persian kingdom,” either a reference to Satan or someone on Michael’s own level who was in charge of the demonic forces. Daniel 12:1 predicts that “at that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then.” We see from this that Michael was the angel specially assigned by God to work for the protection of Israel as a nation.
Conclusion:
1. This brings us up to the point of the war that will take place in Heaven. Next week we will look at this.
2. Just for a moment, as we have studied how God is still guiding His people, don’t forget that He is also our Heavenly Father if you are a Christian.
3. God sent His only Son to this earth so that we might be saved from eternal punishment in Hell with Satan. Christians don’t take Satan lightly. We are in a spiritual battle everyday and without God’s power we will not win.
4. If you are here without Jesus as your Savior, you have been blinded by the devil and if you don’t surrender your life to Jesus before it is too late, the devil will have destroyed yet another life.
