Revelation 12 (NASB)
David Bruce Linn, Pastor-Teacher
12 March, 2000
All Rights Reserved
Conflict is everywhere. It is a fact of life in a sinful world that there will
be conflicts to manage and survive ranging from arguments over taking out the
trash to bloody clashes of nations. Chapter twelve of the book of Revelation
forces us to recognize an even larger conflict which is spiritual in nature.
This conflict encompasses all the others, and spans all ages. It is, in fact,
the conflict of the ages, the granddaddy of all conflicts. It is the war of
God against every being, both human and angelic, raised up against him. God's
ultimate plan to win this war is by saving those who receive him, believe in
him, and trust him for eternal life, and eternally destroy all who resist and
reject him. This grand passage describing this begins with a mysterious woman
whose identity we must determine: "And a great sign appeared in heaven: a
woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown
of twelve stars" (Rev. 12:1).
The key to her identity is found in a dream given to Joseph, the son of the
patriarch Jacob (also called Israel): "Now he had still another dream, and
related it to his brothers, and said, 'Lo, I have had still another dream; and
behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.' And he
related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and
said to him, What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and
your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?'"
(Genesis 37:9-10). Fortunately for us, the interpretation of the dream is in
the context: the sun was Joseph's father Jacob, the moon was his mother, and
the eleven stars were his brothers. These brothers, along with Joseph, were
the heads of what would later become the twelve tribes of Israel. They are seen
bowing down to Joseph because God would use him as their deliverer during the
famine to come. Thus God preserved his chosen people even as he has done for
all ages.
In verse two is encompassed all the trials and tribulations of the entire history
of God's chosen people of Israel from her beginning until the time of Christ:
"...And she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain
to give birth" (Rev. 12:2). To whom was she giving birth? The answer is
once again found in the book of beginnings--Genesis. After the serpent tempted
the woman to disobey God, and both the man and the woman did so, God spoke a
judgment upon all three which included the first prophecy of a coming deliverer.
To the serpent (Satan) God said: "'And I will put enmity /Between you and
the woman, /And between your seed and her seed; /He shall bruise you on the
head, /And you shall bruise him on the heel'" (Genesis 3:15). Thus God pronounced
the basic scenario of the conflict of the ages as it relates to mankind. God's
adversary, the Devil, would also be the enemy of all mankind, and in particular
the seed of the woman.
Who is this seed? Scripture interprets for us again, through the Apostle Paul:
"Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say,
'And to seeds,' as referring to many, but rather to one, 'And to your seed,'
that is, Christ." (Gal. 3:15) Christ is the child whom the woman labors
to give birth, and the Devil is set to do everything in his power to destroy
that seed. Thus he appears in the vision: "And another sign appeared in heaven:
and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his
heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven,
and threw them to the earth." (Rev. 12:3-4a) The dragon is the Devil, his
seven heads with crowns represent seven kings, and the ten horns are ten kings.
We see him sweeping away a third of the stars of heaven. These are the holy
angels who participated in Lucifer's rebellion against God and were cast out
as a result (cf. Isaiah 14:12-15).
Throughout the history of Israel, the Evil One was working behind the scenes to corrupt and destroy what God was doing on the earth. An example was the establishment of the monarchy in Israel under her first earthly king, Saul. Israel demanded from God a "king like all the nations," and did not understand that this would give her a ruler who dwelt in a region which was under the power of the Devil and his world system (cf. 1 John 5:19). Satan will attempt to hijack every earthly representation of God's kingdom on earth, and he is free to do so under God until his power is nullified by the establishment of Christ's kingdom on earth at the end of the seventieth week of Daniel. Thus Saul's rule began with him prophesying under the power of God, and ended with insanity, murder, the consulting of a medium, and suicide. I do not think that Saul fully understood his role in the conflict of the ages, or the hideous power which was raised up against him.
Thus Satan attempts to hijack every denomination, every parachurch ministry, every Christian art form, every Christian school, every Bible study--every manifestation of the kingdom of God on the earth. Are you prepared to stand your ground against what C. S. Lewis called "that hideous strength?" Do you know that every deceit and evil influence will be brought against your life and ministry? Do you realize that some Christians will even allow their own persons to be hijacked temporarily by the Deceiver to come against you from within the church? Thus was the Apostle Peter rebuked when he foolishly opposed Christ's path to the cross: "Get behind me Satan! For you are not setting your mind on God's interests..." The Christian life and ministry is not a garden club, but a full-out war. We are participants, whether we like it or not, in our part of the conflict of the ages being waged between the God of the Universe and the Great Dragon. Be on the alert!
Thus the Great Dragon laid in wait for the earthly birth of the seed of the
woman, also known as the Messiah: "And the dragon stood before the woman
who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her
child. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations
with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne."
(Rev. 12:4b-5) The Great Destroyer used his choice instruments at the time of
Christ's birth in the attempt to annihilate the seed of the woman. Thus Herod
ordered the slaughter of all the male children under two years of age near Bethlehem
in the futile attempt to destroy what he perceived to be a rival, the "one born
king of the Jews." This failed utterly. Jesus Christ lived exactly as long as
the sovereign God decreed, and then was crucified, resurrected, and ascended
into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, from where he shall come
to judge the living and the dead.
Revelation 12:6-9 advances us forward to the time of the end, specifically to
a portion which will be a virtual hell on earth: "And the woman fled into
the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she might
be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. And there was war
in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon
and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no
longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down,
the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole
world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with
him." Here we see again a three-and-a-half year period during which the
believing remnant of Israel will be forced into hiding for her protection. The
event which precipitates this period is the casting of Satan out of heaven and
down to earth.
You see, Satan has had access to the throne of God since his fall (cf. Job 1).
Heaven is no longer his home since then, but it is a sphere in which he is active.
At a certain point in history, God will bar him from access to heaven and confine
him to the sphere of earth. To call it "hell on earth" is not exactly right,
but Scripture describes this period of time as worse tribulation than the world
has ever seen (cf. Mat. 24:9-22). We call this the Great Tribulation, it begins
at the halfway point of the seventieth week of Daniel, and represents Satan's
wrath against the saints of God whom he has been powerless to stop for thousands
of years. True Israel will be protected by God during this time, as she has
been through all history: "'For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who
dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down
to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.' And when
the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman
who gave birth to the male child. And the two wings of the great eagle were
given to the woman, in order that she might fly into the wilderness to her place,
where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence
of the serpent. And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after
the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. And the
earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river
which the dragon poured out of his mouth." (Rev. 12:12-16)
The way we know that this is the last half of the seventieth week of Daniel is seen here. First, it is the time of Israel's flight into the wilderness for protection for three-and-a-half years (cf. Mat. 24:15ff). Secondly, Satan only has a short time left before his power is broken. This does not happen in the first half of the "week" but the second. Thirdly, it is clearly not the day of the Lord when God's wrath is being poured out on sinners on the earth, but is the time when Satan's wrath is directed against believers of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation. The wrath of God is yet to come. So the time period described here begins at the setting up of the abomination of desolation (Antichrist's image of himself in the temple of God), and concludes with the second coming of the Lord, the rapture of the saints, and the slaying of Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:8).
How long will the Great Tribulation caused by Satan's being thrown down to earth
last? We know it is less than three-and-a-half years because of Matthew 24:22:
"And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved;
but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short." It is the
elect who are being persecuted during those days, and so for their sakes Christ
mercifully limits the time when Satan will be venting his rage on the earth
in an unrestricted manner. That this is the character of this time period is
indicated by Paul: "And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time
he may be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only
he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then that
lawless one will be revealed..." (2 Thess. 2:6-8a)
True believers in Christ are really going to take a beating at this time as
the Dragon is frustrated in his attempts to destroy the remnant of Israel and
turns his violence against all believers: "And the dragon was enraged with
the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep
the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus" (Rev. 12:17)
Some believers are taking this kind of beating today. What kind of people ought
believers to be under persecution in every age? Verses ten and eleven paint
the picture for us: "And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, '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 brethren has been thrown down, who
accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of
the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did
not love their life even to death.'"
We learn what we already knew from the book of Job that the Dragon (Satan) accuses us before God day and night. He accuses us directly as well. In verse nine we see a multi-pronged attack upon us by the Evil one according to his character traits as revealed by his names. He is the Dragon, which shows him as a destroyer. He loves to bring ruin to everyone and everything. He is the Serpent of Old, which shows him as a subtle deceiver. He will try to lure us into acts and beliefs which deny our faith in Christ. He is called Satan, which means that he is the adversary. We observe that the entire world system, which is under his control, resists the work of the kingdom of God, from government to media to commerce to academia. And he is called Devil, which shows him as the accuser of the brethren. He loves nothing better than to sink a believer into despair over sin even though our sins are forgiven!
Are you prepared for this multi-pronged attack? Christ has promised through
the Apostle Paul: "And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted" (2 Tim. 3:12). We learned in our study of the letters
of Christ to the seven churches (Rev. 2-3) that it is only by faith that we
can overcome. Three manifestations of the faith which overcomes are listed in
verse eleven. First, we cling to the seminal truth that the sole ground of our
salvation is "the blood of the Lamb." That means we reject every foolish notion
of our own efficacy in either salvation or sanctification. Every vestige of
legalism must be hunted down and destroyed through repentance, and when it is,
we shall have the "peace that passes understanding" because his blood has provided
all for us.
Secondly, our faith is revealed in "the word of [our] testimony." There is no
such thing as a secret Christian! A bold willingness to glorify God by speaking
the truth of our salvation in Christ is a mark of every true believer. The more
Satan assails us the more opportunities we have to showcase the faith which
overcomes him. Finally, we manifest our faith by losing our lives for Christ's
sake. That is done by being "living sacrifices" (Rom. 12:1-2) during
the days of our lives and even by martyrdom. Martyrdom sounds abhorrent in the
flesh, but by the Spirit of God it will seem to be only sensible course when
we are commanded to renounce our beloved Lord.
Thus we go to war with the agents of the Adversary now, and in the Great Tribulation. The conflict of the ages rages all around us. Do not fear it! We shall all rejoice as we look forward to the vindication of Christ drawing near and our translation into an eternity of joy and bliss in his presence.