TEXT REVELATION 12:1-5
INTRO:
There are at least eight different forms of players that are in this chapter. Each one has a different function and each one a very real component in the future events of the world.
This is not just a picture or a hieroglyphics or a an apocalyptic vision; these are real events with the characters given to us in symbols, each symbol corresponding to the nature of the conglomerate body being portrayed. There are only two in this picture reference that are actually just one being, and they are, “Satan” and the Other being “Michael” defender of Israel, the rest of these are dealing with many people and nations as well as world empires, and commonwealth nations.
One might say, “why do I need to worry about these kind of things they have nothing to do with me”? The answer is, If you recognize the accuracy of God’s word to the future events then you can in a way plot your position and know you are exceedingly close to the coming of the Lord Jesus.
You can see that God is dealing with real people, he isn’t just out in no mans land oblivious to what is going on in the world, but rather he is very active in that world. In fact we see that God and his mighty angelic band have once and for all disposed of Satan from his lofty position and now he is confined to the earth.
Later we will deal with the times of the wars but this morning I will deal with subject so you may know that Revelation 12 isn’t out of sequence in the book. It isn’t a parenthetical statement, but it is infact an actual account of a future event that has not yet occurred. It is an event which will occur after the Rapture therefore this leads us in the Identification of the factions in this chapter.
I. IDENTITY OF THE FACTIONS
A. The Woman …..(Israel)
1. Israel is often to referred to as the woman in scripture. Isaih 54:1-6, jer 3:1-14; Hos 2:14-23
2. The Bible mentions three classes of people, the church, the Jews and the gentiles. In this text the church has been gone for 3.5years since Rev. 4 so the only two left are the Jews and the gentiles. It can’t be the Gentiles for they are the ones persecuting the woman. Therefore the woman symbolizes Israel.
3. The church isn’t mentioned in after Rev 4 until Rev. 19, therefore the woman can’t be the church and since revelation primarily deals with Israel.
4. In Joseph’s dream there was a sun and a moon and 12 stars are symbolized as Israel in genesis 37.
5. The jews are the only people in scripture that are spoken of as going through travail.
6. Israel is noted by the wars against her and against her seed, Dan 7, 11, Joel 3; Zechariah 12:1-9; 13:8-9
7. The seventieth week of Daniel concerns Jerusalem and Israel as did the first sixty-nine weeks did.
8. There are so many prophecies concerning Israel having their flight and fleeing in the midst of Jacobs troubles.
a. Isaih 16:1-5 predicts that Israel will flee into moab and Edom, it mentions selah and petra as the headquarters where they stay.
b. Isaih 26:20-21 predicts the protection of Israel in Petra or Sela.
B. The Man Child….(144,000)
1. The natural selection of God’s law or reproduction makes this impossible to be Christ. The bible states that everything shall reproduce after its kind “Genesis 1:21-28. Since the church is gone, and its been proven that the woman is Israel then the child must be of Israel, 12 tribes) so the baby must be of the twelve tribes also which makes it the 144,000 men preachers of Israel.
2. The man child can’t be Christ because everything after Rev 4 occurs after the church is gone, therefore this is 3.5 years after rapture time, no way is it the birth of Christ. How could John see the Historical birth of Christ during the 70th week of Daniels vision while he is in heaven when Christ had already died and rose again and he was there to witness it happen.
3. The man child represents a company of people from each tribe it can’t be one person.
4. Rev 7:1-8; 9:4-12; 14:1-5 give a complete revelation of the 144,000 of their number, their salvation, their sealing with the mark of God, their protection through six trumpets and their rapture during the seventh trumpet and their destiny and position in heaven after their rapture . If one of these passages are taken away then where did the 144,000 come from, where did they get raptured, if not the manchild?
5. The time of rapture of the 144000 proves them to be the manchild. The time of the 144,000 preachers is exactly the same time as the rapture of the man child. Rev 12:5; 14:1-5)
6. There is only one company saved and raptured between Rev 4 and 19 and that company is cleared stated to be the manchild, 144,000 men of God.
7. The 144,000 are specifically sealed by God, they are raptured after the beginning of the seventh trumpet the Dragon is furious because they have been protected through the first six trumpets and now raptured at the seventh. Satan is also wroth because he has been cast out of heaven and yet unable to destroy these men of god.
8. The 144,000 are the only ones possible to fulfill the statements about the man child in Rev 12. The manchild and the 144,000 represent a small company of Israel (7:1-9) they both are caught up to God‘s throne (12:5), they are both delivered from the wrath of the dragon, (rev 12:5; 14:1-5) so they must be the same company.
C. The Red Dragon….(Satan)
1. `13 times in the book of revelation this is a symbol used for Satan
D. 1/3 of the Stars….(fallen Angels)
1. This is the number of angels that rebelled with Lucifer and it shows us now how many will be there in the future battle in heaven.
E. Michael …..(Arch Angel defender of Israel)
F. The 1260 days…..(the last 3.5years of the tribulation) Solar days in a solar year; 360 days.
G. The seven heads….these are the past seven world empires the eighth one to be the Anti Christ.
F. The Ten Horns-…Ten commonwealth countries the original ten in the Roman Empire.
Now beloved if God can be this accurate and much more in our future, not just john’s or the New Testament period how much more should you and I as we have seen this day approaching prepare and make sure we are in the missing. Ezekiel 38-39 gives us the name of those countries. We must know that our Lord is coming soon as we see these approaching lift up our head our redemption draweth nigh.
10/12/05
CONCLUSION:
If God cans so accurately tell us what is going to happen in the future when dealing with nations, Satan, and angels; if he can give us written proof as he has done for 6,000 years and it come to pass as he said it would and I realize there is no other book on earth that can make that claim.
1. Why wouldn’t I want to invest my life, my attention, my energy in someone who is always right, furthermore I will always be right when I come into submission to God’s word, in obedience to his commands and make my relationship to a cherished thing when I hear what he says.
2. If god is that accurate in dealing with nations, and Hebrews 4:12 tells me his word is a discerner of the heart of mankind, then why wouldn’t I accept such advice and repent of my sins, and come to Jesus now?
If I thought myself intelligent, I would bow to this great king for he has time and time again proven himself worthy of all my devotion, attention and adoration.
