Revelation

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Revelation 12: 1-17 The Woman and the Dragon

 Revelation 12: 1-17
SLIDE 1  As much as I dislike giving Satan too much attention, we need to be prepared for his attacks.  Although Revelation describes a hideous red dragon, we should not expect the devil to appear to us like this. By his name Lucifer means son of Dawn or Day Star.
*Isaiah 14:12 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst weaken the nations! (O Day Star, ESV Morning Star)
As one of God’s finest angelic creations, he was beautiful and very prideful. In fact when he tries to tempt us he is very appealing and speaks in a pleasing voice. We  must look backward at events.  Satan has been trying to destroy man.
SLIDE 2   In Genesis Satan appears as a serpent in the garden. Lucifer was a prideful Archangel on the same level with Michael and often they are pitted against each other in battle. Only three angels are mentioned by name in the Bible and they were called princes. 
Daniel 10 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,
*Daniel 121 "At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.
FOUR FALLS OF SATAN 
SLIDE 3   From glorified to profane (Ezekiel 28:14-16)
SLIDE 4   From having access to heaven (Job 1:12) to restriction to the earth (Revelation 12)
SLIDE 5   From the earth to bondage in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years (Rev. 20)
SLIDE 6   From the pit to the lake of fire (Revelation 20)
SLIDE 7  REVELATION 12 The Woman and the Dragon 1And a great sign appeared in heaven
*SLIDE 8  Verse 1-2 a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth
Who is this woman? ISRAEL Mary did give birth to Jesus; however Satan did not chase Mary throughout the wilderness.
 SLIDE 9 The woman’s appearance is similar to the dream of Joseph in Genesis 37:9.  He told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” The sun would be Jacob and the moon Rachel, Joseph’s mother. It makes more sense for the Woman to be interpreted as Israel bringing the Messiah through the lineage of David.  The children of Israel did go through the wilderness, the twelve stars could represent the twelve tribes of Israel.
*SLIDE 10  3-6 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. This goes back to the vision of Daniel in chapter 7. Three times he mentions a beast with ten horns.
4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron,(Ps.37:7,9) but her child was caught up to God and to his throne (could symbolize Jesus transcending to heaven,)
6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. (3 ½ years of tribulation.)  
SLIDE  11 *7-9 7Now war arose in heaven,  Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called
the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world---he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
This is not just war between Satan and Michael but the continual conflict between good and evil. But we read the back of the book and Satan is defeated.
SLIDE  12 *10-12"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, who accuses them day and night before our God.
11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"
SLIDE 13 *13-14 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be for a time, and times, and half a time.(3 ½ yrs., 1260 days,
SLIDE  14 Three times the eagles illustrates God’s care and protection of Israel.
·        In Egypt Ex.19:4 … how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.
·        *In the desert Deut.32:11-12 11        Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions,
·        Return from Babylon Isa. 40:31 they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
SLIDE  15 *15-17 15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.16 But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
The woman, Israel, will be protected through the 3 ½ yrs of tribulation time. The water pouring from the serpent’s mouth could be symbolic of blasphemous speech or anti-semantic actions toward the Jews. The earthquake Verse 17 he went off the make war with her offspring.
*Isaiah 59:19When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. Satan is defeated.
The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, Proverbs 18:4
The mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things, Proverbs 15:28

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