Unit: Revelation (Part 2)
Theme: Spiritual War
Lesson Text: Revelation 12:1-17
Supplemental Texts: Luke 10:17-19; Ephesians 6:10-17; Hebrews 2:14-18; James 4:7; Revelation 2:13
Aim: Overcome the devil by the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony.
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By Mark Scott
In any war, all sides have strategies. In the war in Revelation 12 there is heaven’s strategy and earth’s strategy. Heaven’s strategy is waged by Michael and his angels. Earth’s strategy is waged by Satan and his angels (now having been disposed from heaven). The vision of Revelation 12 is about a battle between God and Satan.
As we come to Revelation 12, we realize why all the judgments of God (evident in the seals and the trumpets thus far) took place. An evil one and his minions have waged war against the woman, the Messiah, and the overcomers (i.e. those who overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimonies—the believers). What we are not told in the vision is when this war took place. Was it before the world began when Satan was cast out of heaven? Was it when Jesus came to earth and set out to destroy the works of the devil (Luke 10:17-19)? Was it when the apostles evangelized the Roman Empire (Colossians 1:6)? Does it await some future time (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10)? Because to God all things live (Luke 20:38), this battle in heaven, which took place outside the realm of time, pictures realities that were true, are true, and will forever be true.
Heaven’s War (1-9)
The sign that appeared and the war that broke out did so in heaven. There are things that took place beyond the realm of the seen. John saw a woman. This woman was celestially dazzling (described with connections to the sun, moon, and stars). She was also pregnant and having birth pangs. The question is, “Who is she?” The quick (and maybe correct) answer is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Who else gave birth to the one who would rule all the nations with an iron scepter? Yet, this woman, who experienced God’s protection, fled into the wilderness, was given wings for further protection, and gave birth to other offspring. Could the woman be a symbol of Israel? God’s people are described in both testaments as his bride. Or does she represent some other connection (Eve, the church, Jerusalem, the Apollo Myth—i.e., some kind of goddess)? [See Christopher Davis’s The College Press NIV Commentary, 250-254.]
The antagonist in the vision is an enormous red dragon. Many questions arise about who the woman is, but there is no question about who the dragon is. He is the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He obviously had power (seven heads, ten horns, seven crowns, and a powerful tail—but cf. Daniel 7-8). He wanted to eat the child from the woman. But God came to the child’s rescue. He was taken to God’s throne, and the woman escaped to the wilderness (cf. Matthew 2:1-12). She was taken care of for an incomplete amount of time (3.5 years). This dragon could not accept defeat, so he fought on against Michael and his angels. But he was hurled down to earth along with his angels. Again, we are not told when this happened. Perhaps before Genesis 1?
Heaven’s Music (10-12)
The defeat of the devil brought heaven to its feet. Music and praise for God broke out. God is praised for the defeat of the dragon, the ancient accuser of the brethren. Not only God, but also God’s people would triumph over him by virtue of their being covered by the blood of Christ and by the word of their testimony. They knew what martyrdom was about, so they joyfully accepted it when necessary. Heaven was ecstatic.
But heaven’s music would be difficult to hear on earth because the devil was thrown down there. He knew that his time is short and therefore was furious. He was defeated by the incarnation of the Messiah and his atoning death on the cross. So he will make life hellish for God’s people.
Earth’s War (13-17)
The vision that John saw shifted to the earth. The devil went after the woman who had been providentially cared for by God. But God was once again caring for her. He gave her wings of a great eagle. This allowed her to fly into the wilderness (a symbol of the place of God’s provision for his people) and be protected from the serpent’s reach.
The serpent still refused to accept defeat, so he spewed out water to sweep the woman away. But the earth, which God controlled, opened up and swallowed the water (cf. Numbers 16:31-35). Like a defeated and angry dog on a long leash, the devil went off to make war on the rest of the children of the woman (clearly a reference to the church). Heaven’s war becomes earth’s war until heaven and earth are one (Revelation 11:15-19; chapters 21-22).
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