Revelation 12 Part 2 A Woman Clothed With The Sun/ Greg Bahnsen {46 of 63}

Our Father, we would praise you for who you are today, praise you for your sovereignty by which you govern the nation. You rule over every event of history and take care of every detail of our lives. We thank you that you care for us and that you're faithful to your covenants, that you express your love and mercy toward us day by day, even today. And we thank you for the mercies of this day and this morning. We thank you for your word that you supplied to us to nourish us spiritually. We ask that you enable us to feed upon and by your spirit we would understand it, we would discern what is being said and apply it to our lives. Lord, we thank you that in your sovereignty you would rule over all the forces of opposition to us and to your kingdom. We thank you especially that you have destroyed our great enemy. We pray that you would enable us to crush him further as we spread your kingdom throughout this world. For it's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Two weeks ago we looked at Revelation chapter 12, and I gave something of an overview of it. And I'd like to go verse by verse through Revelation 12 today and then talk about at the end some of the significance of that chapter. So let's turn to Revelation 12 this morning. We'll begin reading at verse one. I said last time that Revelation 12 is something of a major transitional chapter in the book of Revelation. It explains the prophesied success, success of Christ's kingdom, which we have seen in chapter 6 through 11. In chapter 6 through 11, we see that the first great enemy of God's people in history, the apostate Jews of Jerusalem, especially the first great enemy of God's people, will be crushed. As God vindicates the blood of his martyrs on earth, and as God does that, he will show that in fact his Son reigns on high and that he is the one who rules the World nations. Chapter 12 will explain to us how that can be possible. And then chapter 12 will also explain to us the persecution that is to break out according to chapter 13 and following. Chapters 13 through 18 deal with the second great enemy historically of the Christian church, and that's the Roman Empire. And so chapter 12 not only explains the previous success of the kingdom, but but it lays the groundwork for why there will be persecution. And then, of course, the success of the kingdom seen again in the second half of the book of Revelation. So this is a major transitional chapter, as I said. We'll begin reading at verse one. And a great sign was seen in heaven. A woman arrayed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of 12 stars. This verse combines elements that we find in Genesis 37, verse 9, the elements of Joseph's dream. Maybe it'd be a good place to look at that. Genesis 37, 9. And he dreamed yet another dream and told it to his brethren and said, behold, I have dreamed at a time dream, and behold, the sun and the moon and 11 stars made obeisance to me. It was not the sort of thing that was terribly tactful on the part of Joseph. It irritated his brothers because they understood the symbolism immediately to mean that the bowing down of the 11 stars to Joseph, the great star in the family, would mean that the brothers would serve Joseph the youngest. They didn't like that. But these elements of the sun and the moon and the stars all combine here in this great sign that now John sees in the heavens. He sees this woman who is arrayed with the sun. I think that perhaps should be understood as the sun forms the background to her body. It's as though the sun is clothing her. She's arrayed with the sun, and the moon is under her feet. As I said last time, that's a sign of dominion. She's been given dominion by God, and upon her head a crown of 12 stars. She's a woman. She has dominion and a place of radiance in God's kingdom. And it's typified by 12 physicians, apparently, and I take that to be the 12 patriarchs of Israel. A woman prevailing to give birth, as we read in verse two, and she was with child, and she cried out, prevailing in birth and in pain to be delivered. The sign of a woman travailing to give birth is a common picture of Israel. If we look at Isaiah 26:17, or Isaiah 66, 7, 9, or Micah 4:10, Micah 5:3, you'll find in all these passages the typical picture of Israel in the Old Testament as a woman who is to give birth. As I said, the 12 stars signify the 12 tribes of Israel. In Revelation 21:19, 20, the the number 12 will be tied to Israel very strongly again. And so I will conclude that the great sign that was seen in heaven, this woman arrayed with the sun, the moon under her feet, a crown of 12 stars upon her head. A woman with child crying out, prevailing in birth and came to be delivered. Is the Old Testament people of God. Perhaps it would be better to put it this way. It's the people of God here at that. In this portion of the chapter of Revelation that we're looking at here portrayed in the form of Old Testament Israel. The woman will stand throughout the chapter for the people of God, the true people of God, the true Israel after God's heart. And here it takes the Old Testament form of the twelve tribes of Israel. In verse three, we read and there was seen another sign in heaven. This is John's typical way of telling a story. You know, he says, I saw this and all along there was something else that's just as important there. It forms the contrast. It forms the setting that sets up the storyline that we're going to look into. But John first details one whole vision and then he gives you the context and goes, not only did I see this woman, I see the people of God, Israel of old in heaven, but I saw a great red dragon. There was seeing another sign in heaven. Behold, John stops and wants to give you this dramatic pause and he says, now pay attention. Behold the great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and upon his head seven diamonds. Rather frightening picture, of course, a great red dragon and is a mighty dragon. He has 10 horns and he's a dragon that's very hard to kill. He has seven heads. John is playing upon the ancient idea that a head is the symbol of life. And of course, you know the Greek mythological monster monstrous, the hydran. Is that right? Then every time you killed a head, another head came forth and it was a sign of its enduring life. Well, this monster is hard to kill. It has seven heads and it's a very mighty monster. That's 10 horn. In the Old Testament, the opponents of God's kingdom were often portrayed as monsters. Recall we read some of these passages together two weeks ago. Let me remind you, if you're taking notes, what Those were Job 26:13, Psalm 74, 13:14, Isaiah 27:1, Isaiah 51:9, and Ezekiel 32, verse 2. All right, so John now has seen painted against the backdrop maybe of the evening sky, this woman. Her feet are upon the moon, she's clothed with the sun. There's Old Testament Israel, and he sees this great red dragon. Verse four tells us that this dragon has cosmic proportions. For you see, and his tail draws away the third part of the stars of heaven, and it passed them through the earth. This dragon is so large against the sky that John is seeing this vision. Whether it's literally the sky or the sky portrayed to him in vision, I'm not sure. But nevertheless, the dragon is so large in this vision that when it moves its tail, a third of the sky, a third of the stars in the sky are wiped out and they are cast down to earth. And so this is a mighty dragon. Satan's opposition transmission to the kingdom of God is large. There's cosmic dimensions and a third of the stars are under his control. Apparently it is not definite, but I would think this may be an indication that the Bible sees a significant minority of the created angels that's under the dominance and control of Satan. For in Revelation 9, verse 1, you'll recall that angels were symbolized as. And the fifth angel sounded and I saw a star from heaven fallen into the earth. And there was given unto him the key of the pit of the abyss. And so here's this angel typified as the star. Maybe here in Revelation 12, what we're being told is that a third of the angels, a third of the created angels are under the dominance of Satan. Verse 4 then tells us what the problem is. We've seen the great signs in heaven. We've seen the woman, we've seen the dragon, and we've seen the significance of the dragon, the proportions of the dragon. The verse four continues and the dragon standeth before the woman that is about to be delivered, that when she is delivered, he may devour her child. Not only is it frightening just in terms of the cosmic proportions and frightening in terms of the red dragon and what he looks like in the many head, but it's frightening because of of what the storyline is. This dragon wants to eat the baby as soon as it's born. It wants to devour it, not just eat it. The words are violent and they're overtones. The red dragon wants to devour the Savior, you see. And we know that Satan, throughout the life of our Lord Jesus Christ is attempting to destroy his ministry and to destroy his life. We see that at the birth of Christ when Kara slaughtered the innocents of Bethlehem, hoping that he might in that slaughter cover this one who would come to be king of the Jews. But it didn't work. When Jesus came back, remember what happened after he preached his first sermon. Some of you fellows who were in seminary may think about that as you go home. You notice it's your first sermon in your hometown. Jesus went back to Nazareth and Nazareth and he preached the sermon and immediately the people afterwards tried to take him to the cliff overlooking Nazareth and just throwing him off. They wanted to kill him because they couldn't stand what he was saying. Jesus in his temptation. 40 days and 40 nights without food, you see, and Satan was there, the Bible tells, was tempting him and tempting him, tempting him so that he would not be able to qualify as the obedient Messiah to get him to depart from the Passover obedience. And throughout his life, we know Jesus had plots against his life and people who would have killed him. Incidentally, of course, we know the scene in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was taken. He was tried and was crucified. All of this the Bible sees as part of the plot of Satan to destroy the Messiah in John 14, verse 30, and Luke 22:53. The Bible teaches us that at the crucifixion, crucifixion of Christ, Satan himself was quite active. It was Satan who was very avid for the death of the Messiah. And so this is the background of John's words in 12, 4, his very dramatic words, that the dragon is ready to devour the child of the woman as soon as it may be born. Now, who's the woman? Who is the woman here in the picture? Israel. That's right, the people of God now portrayed in the form of Old Testament Israel. All right, and we're being told that Israel, the people of God, will give birth to a man child. And while we might immediately think of the woman as being the mother of our Lord, literally Mary, I don't believe that's what this passage has to do with at all. It's a little bit surprising to me to see the number of receipts commentators who have fallen into that Mary isn't closed with the sun had the moon under her feet, and 12 stars and her crown, and all that sort of thing. This is a highly metaphorical indication of Israel of all the people of God. But even though it's not Mary, it is a literal verse. We're talking about Israel, literally, according to the flesh, gave birth to the Messiah. Look at Romans 9, verse 5. These are the fathers. And of whom is Christ, as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. And so Christ is of Israel according to the flesh. Paul is dealing with his brothers, of course, Israel according to the flesh. And that's what he's talking about. And so Israel of old is to give birth to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. You might look in terms of background, the old Testament, Psalm 2, 9 and Isaiah 9, 6 for the identification of this woman. Verse 5 says she is delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. Psalm 2 and 9 makes it very clear that's the Messiah that is to rule the nations with the rod of iron. Just as an aside, while we're looking at Psalm 2, 9. Here. You might someday, if you're interested in doing it, make a study in the Book of Revelation of how often Jesus Christ is given some designation, the one who these acquisitional phrases by which Christ is identified in the Book of Revelation or the titles given to Christ, or the symbols applied to him. There's no doubt that the redemptive symbols are there and play a key role in the Book of Revelation, but far more predominant in the Book of Revelation. I believe if you'll do the study, you'll see that Christ is continually identified in Revelation as the King, the one who rules, the one who has dominion, the one whose kingdom has been established. Now, it's always a kingdom of redemption. To be sure, you can't separate those two. But notice here that when Christ was born, he would think, well, this is the Savior. But John doesn't identify him here as the Savior. What he identifies as one of the aspects of his saviorhood, if you will, and that's that he shall rule the nations. Psalm 2, 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Verse 8 had said that the Messiah need only ask the Lord. He said, ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Let's stop and think about the implications of that for a moment. Remember, Jesus said that if we ask anything in his name, that if we ask anything, believing and asking according to his name, that it would be granted to us. I wonder how many here don't do it, because I don't want to embarrass me, but I wonder how many here actually believe that. Now, I don't mean how many here would say that if they were asked the question how many here pray in that style, absolutely confident that God will give you what you say because you stated his name in advance? Believers. Well, Jesus, if he can say that to us, how much more when his own Father within the Trinitarian God did says to him, just ask of me and I'll give it. Just ask me. Now do you believe that Jesus has asked the Father for the nations for his inheritance? Well, of course, if you know he's prayerless and doesn't make petition and request to the Father, then whether he'll inherit the nations or not is an open question, I guess. But can you really believe that the One who said, all power and authority in heaven and earth is given unto me, and therefore I am with you always, and I Want you to disciple the nations, teaching them to deserve whatsoever I have commanded you. When you really believe the one who gave that as the key and dominant great commission to his church would not then turn and ask the Father, please get it done. God says through his Son, ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. The kingdoms of this world are indeed the kingdom of our Lord. Make this Christ. Verse 9 says. Yeah, break them with a rod of iron and dashed into like a potter's vessel. Look at Isaiah 9. Familiar Christmas passage. Of course, I think it's very unfortunate that's the only time of the year that we hear about was a beautiful, beautiful teaching here in the ninth chapter of Isaiah. We should read it all together. But I'll begin reading at verse 6. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government, the dominion, the rule, the kingdom shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father. We can't stop reading there because we've already been told the key thing about this figure, at least in terms of the teaching of Isaiah 9, is that the government, the dominion is on his shoulders and of the increase of his government. I need to share something with you here. For those who are theologically defined, that's the death of Alma 1 of the increase of his government. It was for me anyway, when I wasn't all millennialist, as I was reading, I got to thinking. You see, we all confess that Jesus is the Lord and that means Jesus rules overall. Jesus is divine, Jesus is God, and therefore he has sovereign disposition over the nations. But is that the government that Isaiah is talking about? About? Is he talking about the divine government of God's sovereignty over the nations? Well, now you stop and ask yourself, do you believe that God sovereignly rules over all the nations today? Does he rule over every aspect of life and every event of history right this very moment? Well, if he does, what could it mean that that government should increase? I mean, if he's got it all already, then there's no room to go. I mean, in terms of the increase of that rule. Now, the rule that's being spoken of here, and it's very important in terms of biblical theology to distinguish between the divine rule of God and the messianic rule of God. Not that they are in contrast, I mean, they're in harmony. But even when Jesus Christ had not come as king over the nations, God was already the sovereign ruler The Old Testament continually called him king over the nations. And so he was already king in that sense. But there's another sense, I think a greater sense in terms of man's fall into sin and what God's going to do to rectify that. The greater sense in which he now sends his Son to rule in the hearts of men savingly he comes to bring the government of God's saving kingdom, his redemptive kingdom. Now that can increase and it increases day by day. I trust it increases from the day of tennis and thereafter as 3000 came to the Lord. And as day by day God adds to his church, God is increasing his kingdom. That's why we pray thy kingdom come more and more. Realize the kingdom. Of course, thy kingdom come is fully realized and the consummation of the Lord returns and the new heavens and the new earth are inaugurated. But nevertheless, here Isaiah says, this one who will come to rule the nation as his, he was asked of his Father. And the uttermost parts of the earth will be given to him. This one has the government upon his shoulders. And of the increase of his government and of peace, there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness. From henceforth, even forever. Now there won't be a day in which God speaks, stops marching on. Christ will continue to increase his rule and his dominion, not his divine dominion. He obviously is God over all, blessed forever, as Paul says in Romans 9. But of his messianic kingdom and his saving rule in the hearts of men, there will be no stop to the increase of that upon the throne of David. And in so doing, Christ is going to establish peace in the earth and he'll uphold this kingdom with justice and with righteousness. And there's just nothing that I know of in terms of human history since the coming of Jesus Christ that can match that description. And I realize that this is a day in which it's out of favor to think that in fact there might be a semi golden age on earth, an age of peace, when the nations don't warrant each other. I mean, when you look at your daily paper, it's awfully hard to believe, isn't it, that that's going to happen. I mean, you know, virtually every spot in the world right now, today, this Sunday morning, is in a state of war or tension leading to war. Really, the United States is one of the few places in the earth where there's even a sense of we don't feel it often because we are doing each other, I guess. But a sense of harmony doesn't lead to outward blows with one another. War is prevalent in the earth. And so it's very hard to believe. But I think the call to us is to decide whether we formulate our Christian convictions on the basis of what the newspaper says and what our human expectations will lead us to believe, or whether we believe according to the word of God. Remember who the father of the faithful is? The one who is the model of the faithful believer. Abraham. And the reason he's called father of the faithful according to Romans 4, is that he believed against hope. God told him something that really from a scientific and from a human vantage point had to sound absurd. Abraham, old man. Abraham, barren wife. Abraham, you're going to have a son. In fact, it was so ridiculous, the Bible tells us that when Sarah heard of it, she laughed and laughed and laughed, and she said this rebellion, the idea that she was going to have a son. But Abraham's father of the faithful, not because he trusted in the newspapers or the biology books of his day, but he believed according to the word of God and against hope. He believed in hope. Against hope. Very interesting phrase in Roman. But nevertheless, my point is, if we are faithful, we won't look at the newspaper to decide whether there can be peace on earth and whether Christ will establish a kingdom of righteousness and justice in the earth. You look to what God's Word says, and it says of the increase of that kind of kingdom. There's not going to be any end. That probably indicates that history's got a long way to go. And that's now going to be some miraculous things overnight in the next week or so. But that is his. The fact is that God will not let Satan dominate human history. God has established a kingdom which he will vindicate and uphold. If you have any doubt about that, look at the very last phrase of Isaiah 9. 7. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this. Anybody want to oppose the zeal of Jehovah? Opposed? I mean, do you want to oppose Jehovah? First of all, I mean, just. If you called. If you called this one Jehovah, that'd be enough to stop any godly Jew from saying no. If Jehovah is going to do it, then so be it. It will be done. It stands firm. Amen. But he's called Jehovah of hosts. There you see a striking phrase in the Old Testament about the power of God. He's the one who rules. He has armies and legions. He's Jehovah of host. He'll do it. Men of all things. That terrible Hebrew word, the zeal of Jehovah of host will do it all right in Revelation 12 then this is what John reminds you of. The Great Red Dragon wants to devour a man child, the one who is to rule all the nations with the rod of iron. As you might expect, in effect, the attempt of the Great Red Dragon to stop the zeal of Jehovah of host was for nothing. So much is it for nothing that John does a very insulting thing in terms of literary accuracy or dramatic accuracy. He doesn't even tell us the whole story, you see, because there was a time there when it might have looked like the Great Red Dragon had the upper hand. And if you instance the Gospels, I mean, Christ and his disciples went through some rough moments and obviously the arrest of Jesus and his crucifixion and his death made it look pretty bad. John doesn't even bother to tell us the whole story. He says, and he was delivered of a son, a man child who is to rule all the nations with the rod of lion. And a child was caught up unto God and unto his throne. You see how much he omits. He just tells you. And Christ descended on tithe, the right hand of God. Philippians 2, 9. Just look at that. This is the kind of event that John is speaking of, making reference to, therefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow the things in heaven, the things on earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Paul speaks of the ascension of Jesus Christ, who is saying, the one who humbled himself, took on the form of a servant, even a criminal servant, and died that terrible death on the cross. God, highly exalted God called me to is right hand. God made him ascend on high, and from there he rules as Lord over all. And you know what false is. That means you can count on every tongue will eventually confess that he is the Lord. Every knee will remain to bow. So with that kind of theology in the background, John, because I don't need to tell you all the details where it looked bad for a time the dragon wanted to oppose our Savior. He wanted to devour him. But when he was born, he ascended on time, and we were Christ, you see, was unscathed by the attacks of Satan. It's as though he proceeded from his incarnation directly to his Kingly rule. He was utterly unharmed and Satan was utterly defeated. Verse 7 tells us that when all this was taking place, when Satan was opposing the Lord of Glory, there was a spiritual warfare going on in the context of it. And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels going forth to war with the dragon and the dragon war and his angels. There's a great spiritual conflict that ensued at the establishment of God's kingdom during Christ's ministry. And that great spiritual conflict was symbolized by Satan and his angels warring with Michael and his angels. Sometimes they read the gospels. I think we can fail to see the cosmic or the really metaphysical dimensions of the warfare between Christ and Satan. When Jesus. When Jesus was upon the sea and the sea was rocked and he recalled the disciples were worried. What did Jesus do? How did Jesus calm the threat under the disciples there when the sea was about to devour them? Two wages wand right, Abracadabra. Maybe they were asleep or just forgetting this very well known story. Jesus rebuked the waves. Why does the Bible say he rebuked the waves? He dealt with the waves as though they were personal object. He dealt with them because he knew that the satanic powers that were resident in nature were operating against him and his disciples. And he rebuked the way peace and the sea spill and then immediately what happens? Jesus gets to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and what's the first social confrontation they have? This very antisocial fellow, you know, the man of the gangrenes, the fellow who had the legion, you know, infesting his life. The legion of demons. And Jesus wows everybody in the countryside because he can just take care of that situation too. He cast them out. What's he do to them? Sends him into the herd of swine. Where's the herd of swine go? Into the tree. The thing that was to take the life of the Lord. He sends the demons back into this world. Jesus rules over all the demons. There's a great spiritual conflict and we mustn't fail to see that. That's why you see, on the day of his crucifixion, the heavens are darkened. There are all these signs. People are resurrected from the dead and appearing in Jerusalem. I mean, very. If we weren't Christians, I think really spooky sorts of things happening at that time because of the war between Michael and his angels and Satan and his angels. Now, Michael. I wish we could do a little study on Michael, the archangel of God. Who is Michael? Anybody have any information on Michael for us? What is Michael's function in the legion of God's angels. Look at Daniel, the tenth chapter, verses 13 and 21. Daniel 10:13. But the prince of the kingdom of persia withstood me one and 20 days the lo. Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Verse 21. But I will tell thee that which is inscribed in the writing of truth. And there is none that holdeth with me against these but Michael, your prince. Daniel 12, verse 1. At that time shall Michael stand up. The great prince who standeth for the children of thy people. Michael, you see, is a prince among the angels of God. A great prince, and he stands for thy people. Michael, you see, is the guardian angel of the people of God. It would have been good to know that. I think it would have deepened your appreciation for how well God has taken care of you to know that Michael, the prince of the angels, cares and stands for the people of God. And that's why he appears in Jude the ninth verse. Look at Jude, verse nine. Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh and set at not dominion in a rail at dignity. But Michael the Archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, and said the Lord rebukes him. Here we see Michael's disposition as one of utter submission to the Lord. He doesn't take it upon himself that we have authority to rebuke Satan. He says the Lord rebukes it and he is here contending for the body of Moses. I can't get into what all that means. It's very mysterious. But there was some sort of debate that was waged over the body of Moses after he died. And we read here that Michael, the one who stands for the people of God, is the one that God appointed to debate with Satan over the issue and to rebuke him. Okay, so Michael is the guardian angel of God's people, the archangel who stands for the people of God. The Bible says that Michael and his angels went to war with the dragon. The dragon war with his angels. Verse 8 says, But Satan was completely driven from his position and they prevailed not. Neither was the place found any more in heaven for them. Verse 9 says that since there was no place found in throughout all the spiritual dominion of God, since Michael and his angels had completely pushed aside Satan, that he had to be cast to earth. And the great dragon was cast down. The old serpent, he that is called the devil, and Satan, the deceiver. Of the whole world. He was cast down to the earth and his angels were cast down with him. Just a literal picture. Anybody attempted to take this literally? Satan fell out of the sky. Can he hit the earth? Boom? No, the woman's not literal and the dragon's not literal. And the warfare being spoken of here is not the kind of warfare that we saw in Vietnam or in the world war. Understanding these are metaphorical pictures of a great spiritual struggle. And the outcome of the struggle was there was no place found in heaven, no place in the heavenly heights for Satan, it was cast down. In Luke 10:18, Jesus tells us what this means. Luke 10:15. Jesus has sent the 74th to preach the gospel. Verse 17. Luke 10 says, and 70 returned with joy, saying, lord, even the demons are subject unto us in thy name. How can Christ's disciples have power over the demons? After all, the demons are the ones who afflict the people of God. How can now the disciples turn the tables on the demons? Verse 18. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan with fallen as lightning from heaven. And this great spiritual struggle between Michael and Satan and their respective angels. Jesus says, and I beheld Satan like lightning cast down the earth. He was fallen. And you must think of it as he says it, as lightning. What does it mean when lightning falls to the earth? What happens to lightning when it crashes into the earth? The bolt of lightning hits the earth, what happens to the earth? It grounds it out. Exactly. It takes away its power. And I saw Satan falling as lightning to the earth. That's why you have power over the demons, is because his power has been spent. Michael and his angels have shoved them out of the heavenly region. That is the realm of spiritual power. It's not a spatial falling, it's a metaphorical falling. But what it tells us is that Satan has been defeated and his power has been cast down. Verse 9 identifies Satan as the devil. The devil is the opponent of God's people. Satan means slanderer. Here's the opponent and the slanderer of God's people. And then with respect to the world, he's called deceiver of the whole world. Shall there be no end to the increase of the saving government of Jesus Christ upon the throne of David? But if there can be no end to it, then the one who deceives the whole world must be taken out of the way. Because as long as he deceives the whole world, then God's saving kingdom can't grow. But now we see that the one who deceives the whole world has been cast down. In Revelation 20 a similar picture will be given. A similar explanation for the success of the kingdom of God on earth is given when we read that an angel that God sent with the key of the abyss, verse 2 of Revelation 20 laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, through the same Designation from Revelation 12 we're picking up theologically the plot at that point. And he laid hold of the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years and cast him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over again. Why? With what effect? In order that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years were finished. And so Jesus Christ, in his coming and establishing his kingdom and ascending on high as bound to Satan, he's been cast from heaven. His lightning power has been grounded out into the earth. In fact he's even bound in such a way with such chains that he can deceive the nations no more. In verses 10 and 11 I heard a great voice in heaven saying, okay, now here you've got to see how in spiritual, heavenly terms, this is all to be evaluated. And the epilogue or the conclusion, the evaluation of it all is now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ. Let's try reading this in terms of a few other theological schools. And now has come the salvation and the kingdom of our God and of his Christ. Amillennialist has no trouble with that. Christ has come and saved his people and has established something that can be called a spiritual kingdom. The Bible says now is come to salvation and of the power. We don't wait until a future day of consummation. But now the power is resonant in the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ. Now let's read it another way in pre millennial fashion. In the future will come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of Christ. John says no. With the casting down of Satan. God's interpretation is now, right now, in this age, at the coming of Jesus Christ. Satan's been defeated. And because Satan's been defeated, the kingdom is there. And it's a kingdom not waiting for power. It's a kingdom of power. It's not just a saving kingdom, but it's a ruling kingdom. It has authority, the authority of the Messiah, the one who will rule the nations with a rod of iron. As Jonas just said, notice this. But the accuser of our brethren that's cast down the one who accuses them before our God, day and night, Satan is designated as the one who is always going to God. Those of you who have little children might know what it is to have one of your children always be a cattle tail, you know, always running to the mother or the father and saying, you know, Johnny's doing this or Betsy's doing that, you know, well, in a sense that's what Satan's like. He's just nothing more than a cattle tail, always running to God, accusing Christ's brothers. He's always accusing us believers. Look what they do, look how they sin. Look at that. They're believers, always making accusations, slandering the people of God as well. But the accuser of our brethren is cast down the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him. The ones that he accuses have overcome him. Very strong word have gained the victory over him. Next time you're tempted to think that Satan's really getting you down and making you sin, remember you have the victory over him. And the reason you do is because of the blood of the lamb is the word of their testimony. The blood of the lamb. Paul says in Romans the eighth chapter, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? The blood of the lamb. Every sin that I commit is brothers. Satan can't accuse me of anything because all of it's been laid on Christ and all my sins have been pardoned. Those accusations are nothing. And we have the victory over that accuser because of the blood of the lamb. The blood of the righteous one. Jesus Christ, you see, appeals to the throne of God. And that just wipes out the brutal. It just muffles them through the accusations of Satan. In Hebrews 2, verse 14, we read that through death Christ brought the devil's power of death to nothing. At the very point where Christ seemed weakest, the Bible says at that point, Satan's power of death was killed. Satan lost that battle. Paradoxically, we thought it was the moment of weakness for the Lord. In fact, the great opposer of God's kingdom was at that point done in. So we have the victory over him because of the blood of the lamb and because of the word of their testimony. And they love not their life, even unto death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time. And when the dragon said that he was cast down to the earth. He persecuted the woman that brought forth the man child. With the defeat of Satan at the cross and the resurrection and the ascension of our Savior, Satan realized his time was short. All of a sudden he came to his senses and said, I've lost this. It appeared that I was winning the battle, but I have been done in and my time is short. And for that reason he is in a frenzy, knowing his time is short. Like a roaring lion, he's going to go about seeking whom he may devour. He couldn't devour the Savior. He says, I'm now trying to devour the Savior's people. And he turns to physical persecution of the woman. Who is the woman? The people of God here in the form of Old Testament Israel. And so Satan persecutes the people of God, the Jewish church. What happens? And there was given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place, where she is nourished for a time and time and times a half from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream. And the earth helped the woman. The earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the witch which the dragon cast out of his mouth. We read here that if Satan tried to persecute the Jewish church, we know what he did. That he thought that he was going to destroy the people of God when the Roman armies came to destroy Jerusalem in 1870. Romans 9 has already told us those armies were satanic armies. That Satan was involved in that opposition, that great destruction and tribulation that came upon Jerusalem. But nevertheless, all of them, that was but according to God's sovereign disposition, when God was punishing the unfaithful Jews, what happened to the faithful Jews? That is what happened to the Christian Jews? What happened to the woman, the true people of God? The Bible tells us here that she fled to the wilderness. Church history tells us Christians fled to the wilderness, to Hella. And there in the wilderness, the church was protected for 42 months, the exact length of time for the raising of Jerusalem, by the way, for 42 months, the church was protected in the wilderness as Jerusalem was raised. And this is just according to Christ's instructions in Matthew 24:16. In Luke 21, verses 20 and 21, Christ had told his followers, when you see Jerusalem compassed by armies, then notice not to flee. And so the Christians fled to the wilderness. And John uses Exodus imagery here. This is Exodus imagery about the rings of the great Eagle. Remember the beautiful passage in the Song of Moses, how God had let out his people on the wings of eagles? And so now God again exoduses his people from their certain destruction. He brings them not out of pagan Egypt, he brings them out of apostolate Jerusalem, the Exodus, out on the wings of eagles. And so Satan, as at the Red Sea, thought he would destroy the people of God with the stream of water. But the earth opens up so that the people of God are not destroyed by the water. The imagery of Exodus from Egypt then, is used to show that God will protect his people. He'll protect the church from Satan's persecution as they leave Jerusalem. Verse 17. One more verse in this passage. Now, what would you do if you were that dragon that wanted to destroy the Messiah and you were put down? What would you do if you were that dragon warring with Michael's angels and you were shoved out? What would you do if you would exercise all the ingenuity and cleverness at your disposal to destroy the Jewish church and you were completely unsuccessful? Verse 17 says, and the dragon waxed raw. That's Old English, isn't it? You'll understand that it doesn't mean he waxed raw. It means he got madder and madder and madder. He increased in his anger. I mean, here he's been defeated at three points. You see, nothing is working. Nothing is going right for the dragon. In Nepomicus, the dragon was first introduced to us as Behold, a great sun in the heavens. Look at that. Seven crowns nothing. And his anger increases with the woman. And they went away to make war with the rest of her seed. The rest of her seed. Well, who has he been making war with up to this point? Jewish Christians? The Jewish church in Jerusalem. Now he's going to go and make war with the rest of the the seed of the woman. Who's the seed of the church are the people of God. That's right, the rest of the woman seed. Here is the Gentile church. Those who have been born to the church, that is those who have become believers, who are part of the people of God and heirs according to promise because of their faith. But not the Jewish church. Now Satan and persecuted the Gentile Church. The rest of the woman seed in Galatians 4. 26. This is some interesting background. Jerusalem above is called the mother of us all, Jew and Gentile alike. We're all children of Jerusalem. We're all children of Abraham by faith. And so we are the seed of the woman. The Old Testament people of God, the true people of God. But the rest of her woman here means the gentiles. In Genesis 3:15, God said He would put enmity between Satan and the seed of the woman. Now there he meant the seed of the literal woman, Eve. But here the woman comes to typify all those who, with Eve, are the people of God, the true people of God. And that enmity is unrelenting. It began back in the garden and it continues to. And when Satan has been defeated by the Lord and shoved out of heaven by Michael and unable to destroy the Jewish church, he doesn't stop. The enmity is unrelenting. And so now he tries to find the others that he might destroy the Gentile Church. The Gentile Church, we'll find out in chapters 13 through 18, endures the persecution of Satan and the Roman Empire, as well as the Jewish Church did endure Satan's assaults and the opposition of apostate Jerusalem. But this sets us up. Then you see how the transition has come about. This explains why the kingdom has been so successful. And it explains why now we must turn and look to the whole Roman Empire to see what's happening to the church. But before we end, I want to make some comments. Remember I said it's significant the way Jesus Christ is designated in the Book of Revelation. Here he's called the one who will rule over the nation. Okay, not simply the Savior, but he's the one who shall rule over them. The Gentile Church and those who are believers, those who are worthy of persecution and opposition from Satan, are designated in the last line of chapter 12, verse 17. The dragon increased his wrath with the woman and went away to make war with the rest of her seed. Genuine believe believers are designated as those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus. Chapter 15, verses 16 and 17. The beast that comes up out of the ocean will cause all the small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, that there be given a mark on their right hand and upon their forehead, that no man should be able to buy or sell, save he that hath the mark. Even the name of the beast or the number of his name. The beast will put his name upon the forehead and upon the hand of the people. In the Old Testament, the law of God was to be written upon the forehead and upon the hand of God's faithful people. That's because they saw everything in terms of God's law, and they operated in the world in terms of God's law. Like old days, the law of God. Now the beast was say not God's Law. But my law, my name and number shall replace the commandments of God in this word of his hand. John very significantly introduces those who are going to be opposed by the beast as those who keep the commandments of God in the testimony of Jesus in chapter 14, verse 1. And I saw behold the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 adding his name in the name of his Father written on their foreheads. These who oppose the beast at the end of the periphery. Verse 14. I'm sorry, verse 12. We read this and this is the patience of the saints, they who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. In terms of the latent antinominess that is so rampant in our day, whether it be in the world where it's obvious or in the church where it's sometimes subdued, I think we should see that John does not hesitate. John does not gulp. John does not vault at the idea of saying that Christians are those who have the testimony and faith of Jesus and the commandments of God. We need to get rid of the idea somehow. Christians are simply those who believe Jesus died for sins and not those who believe that Jesus saves them from the effect of sin by teaching them to observe the path of righteousness that God gave in his law. Satan went to make war with those who keep the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus. Those two are not in conflict. Law and grace do not war against each other. As Paul said in Romans 3, verse 31. Do we make void the law by faith? God forbid. We rather establish the law. Christians are those who honor him. Not only the testimony of Jesus and the faith of his men, but just because of that, they honor the commandments of God. Now who is the one who opposes those who have the testimony of Jesus and the commandments of God? Who is called Satan? I think I want to just take the remaining few minutes here. Just summarize what the Bible says about Satan. You need to know a little bit about him. In John 8:44 we learn that the initial sin of Satan had something to do with his failing to stand in the truth. And in 1 Timothy 3, 6 we learned that apparently the initial sin of Satan was that of arrogance. Failing to have a due modesty. Jude six tells us that Satan left his immortal initial estate. Satan left his original created place by apparently lying and not having the requisite modesty. By arrogance bringing to himself or assigning to himself prerogatives that were not his and lying against the truth. Satan fell. And Satan can be designated I'll give you eight titles of Satan in the Bible and I think capture the character and the person of Satan fairly well. In Second Corinthians 6:15, he's called the liar, which translated means worthless one. The one in whom there's no value or worth in Matthew 9:34 is called the prince of the demons. And after today's lesson, I trust you all understand that in Revelation 9:11 he's called Abaddon in the Polyon, which both mean one in Hebrew, one in Greek, destroyer. He's the worthless one, the prince of the demons, whose work is out of destruction. Matthew 12:24 calls him Bells of bull. Now, the Old Testament called him bells of Bull, that the Jews and their disdain for Satan changed that to bells of bull. He is a BAAL of the bull. Not just. He's not just Lord of the flies. What does baal's the bull mean? Anybody know? Not very flattering. He's lord of the dung, and I'm being polite and putting it that way, but anyway, he's the dung God. He's the dung Lord According to Matthew 12:24, and that's in terms of that I would understand. He is the God of this age and prince of this world. This age, quote, unquote. This age and this world are phrases in the Bible that stand not for geographical and temporal places as we think of them, but as the realm of unbelief and rebellion against God. Christ has brought the new age, and those who belong to this age rather than the coming age are those who are unbelievers. Satan is God of this age and prince of this world. That is, he is the dung God. He is the one who rules over all opposition to God's kingdom. And then fourthly, he's called adversary. First Peter 5:8, our adversary, the devil. He's the one who opposes the people of God. He's the one who cast down from heaven. Revelation 12 tells us. Genesis 3:15 tells us that with the accomplishment of salvation, Christ will crush the serpent. Satan does not crush the serpent. First John 3:8 says that Christ came to destroy the works of the body. And then finally Revelation 20, which we'll study and reinforce in this class. Satan's called the shackled dragon. So if you want to get a real quick scriptural overview of Satan and his activities and his character and person, think of him as the worthless one, the prince of demons, the destroyer, the dun God, the adversary, the one who was cast down from heaven, the crushed serpent and the shackled dragon. What Revelation 12 tells us is that that one has been utterly destroyed by the Savior. And for that reason the Savior will rule over all the nations as well. Father, we thank you for such wondrous promises that you deliver to us in your word. We ask that you forgive us for not paying attention to them, for not believing them without living in terms of one Lord, the aptitude of Reform our lives, not simply in terms of our outward conduct, but this morning. Reform our attitudes and our expectations and our hopes. Reform our emotions so they will conform to the truth of your word. Help us to live out in concrete ways with the confidence that this chapter has given us. Lord, we pray that to the extent that Satan afflicts us to his people, that we would resist him, knowing that according to the word of God, we should inflate him. Lord, we thank you that you have put him in flight, that you have utterly destroyed him, that you have crushed him as a serpent and that you have shackled him as dragon, and that he is no opposition to us anymore. Lord, give us the victory over him. Help us to overcome. And Lord, thank you that we can overcome because of the blood of the Lamb, the one that has shed his blood on our hands. We have. Our sins have been forgiven. The Satan's accusations have come to nothing. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of these things. In Jesus name, amen.