First Signs of War in Heaven

Transcript

GR 1540
09-27-09
First Signs of War in Heaven
Revelation 12:1-5
Gil Rugh

We're picking up our study of the book of Revelation in chapter 12 so you can see by the very chapter that we are well into the book. And we've taken a break so let me just refresh your mind where we are. It's important to keep the book of Revelation in context. It connects and finds its background in the Old Testament. We noted that the most difficult thing about understanding the book of Revelation is not knowing much about the Old Testament. There are literally hundreds of, over 500, references and allusions to the Old Testament in the book of Revelation. So obviously if we don't know much about the Old Testament it's a little more difficult to sort things out.

Before we start chapter 12 let me take you back to the book of Daniel. We're going to be back here later as well. Come to Daniel 9. This is the backbone, if you will, of God's plan for Israel. We come here many times but let me just set the setting in case you haven't been here for the earlier part of our study. In Daniel 9:24, seventy weeks, and it is literally 70 sevens. And these are seven-year periods, not seven-day periods. So it's a week of years, not a week of days. So we read seventy weeks have been decreed for your people. Remember it says literally 70 sevens. You go to the context and find out these are seven-year periods. So 70 x 7, 490 years have been decreed for whom? For your people, Daniel, the Jews. This is not for the church, it's for the Jews. Your holy city Jerusalem. So this 490-year period pertains to Israel and Jerusalem. The Jews, God's people. Now that alone, if we keep that in mind, would help a lot of the confusion.

Six things will be accomplished by the time these 490 years are completed for Israel—finish the transgression, make an end of sin, make atonement for iniquity, bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up vision and prophecy, anoint the most holy place. We will be ready for the kingdom.

Now this is broken down then into pieces for us. The first is seven weeks, 7 seven-year periods, 49 years. That is followed by 62 weeks. And we have been through this, we aren't covering it now. Verse 26 tells us after 62 weeks, which remember is after 7 weeks, so after a total of 69 weeks of years or 483 years, the Messiah will be cut off. And this 483-period ended just before Christ was crucified, He was cut off, He died. You have events that take place with the destruction of Jerusalem and so on. We're told here that he, the prince who is to come, is going to make a firm covenant with the many for one week. Now there is an implication there that there is a break between the 69th and 70th weeks, because it says the Messiah will be cut off after the 69th week, not in the 70th week. And then we're told there will be a starting point for the 70th week. That's when this individual, the prince who is to come, signs an agreement with Israel. That will mark the beginning of that last 7-year period.

We've come here because that's what the book of Revelation is basically about. From Revelation 6 to Revelation 19 we are talking about the last 7-year period in Israel's history. We're living in a break in that time between the 69th and 70th weeks, we're living in the church age. The church does not appear in the Old Testament. The prophecies in the Old Testament don't talk about the church. The church will be revealed in the New Testament.

So when we come over to the book of Revelation we're in this last 7-year period which is yet future, it hasn't started yet. We talked about the removal of the church at the rapture and so on. With Revelation 6 that 70th week has begun. We have the last 7-year period in God's plan and program for the nation Israel. That will carry us through Revelation 19, in chapter 20 we have the kingdom over which the Messiah rules. He returns in chapter 19, you have Armageddon, in chapter 20 you have the kingdom, fulfillment of what would happen within those 490 years for Israel.

Now chapters 6-19 have a series of judgments. Seven seals, out of the seventh seal come seven trumpets, out of the seventh trumpet come seven bowls. Those three series of seven judgments, seven each, carry us through that seven-year period. It's a time of judgment, God's wrath being poured out upon the earth. And God preparing the nation Israel to turn to believe in Christ. We've looked through the first series of judgments of seven seals. We've looked through the first six trumpet judgments.

Back in chapter 9 verse 13 you had the sixth angel sounded his trumpet. Every time a seal was broken a judgment was poured out on the earth. Every time a trumpet sounds a judgment is poured out on the earth. So you have the sixth trumpet judgment in chapter 9 verse 13. You have that judgment and the response to what God is doing in judgment through the rest of the chapter. Then with chapter 10 we have an interlude or a break. The seventh trumpet doesn't sound yet. And what happens is we are told about events that are going to take place over this last seven-year period so we have a better understanding of what is taking place during this period of time as the judgments are being poured out. So the significance of this seventh trumpet is great, because out of the seventh trumpet will come the seven bowls which are the seven last judgments that culminate with the return of Christ at Armageddon. So you saw this great angel in chapter 10 verse 5 standing on the sea and the land. And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, the earth and the things in it, the sea and the things in it that there will be delay no longer. We connected that in Daniel 12:7. In the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished as he preached to His servants, the prophets. This will bring to completion with the sounding of the seventh trumpet we are at the end because out of that seventh trumpet will come seven bowl judgments and that will bring us to the return of Christ to earth, final judgment on His enemies and the establishing of His kingdom.

Chapter 11 talks about the ministry of the two witnesses that will take place during this last 3½ -year period. That 70th week is divided into two equal sections in Daniel 9. He signs an agreement, this antichrist, the prince who will come, for a seven-year period. In the middle of that seven years he breaks his agreement. So this last half is where we have come. We have an indication of that because we're told at the end of verse 2, they will tread underfoot the holy city for 42 months, which is 3½ years. The two witnesses will prophecy for 1260 days, which is 3½ years.

Now we come to chapter 12. In chapter 11, we ought to note here, verse 15, the seventh angel sounded his trumpet and there are voices in heaven announcing, the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ. And He will reign forever and ever. There is celebration in heaven because there is the recognition with the sounding of the seventh trumpet that this is the end. Because now the last series of judgments will come out. There is nothing else after that but the return of Christ. But now we have another interlude and that's where we are with chapter 12. And you won't have the seventh trumpet until you come over to chapter 15, and it is so significant that chapter 15 again is about the preparation for these judgments, the readiness of these seven last angels with the seven last plagues, the seven bowl judgments ready to pour them out. And then with chapter 16 you have verse 2, the first bowl poured out. So you see there is great preparation and anticipation. We need to know what is going on in the world in the context of these judgments.

And so we have two witnesses who are raised up by God who are supernaturally protected by God, who are doing miracles on the earth, who are proclaiming the gospel during this 3½ years. That was in chapter 11. Now in chapter 12, 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 and she was with child. And she cried out being in labor and in pain to give birth. We're going to find out in chapter 12 that this last 3½ years is the culmination of a spiritual battle that has been going on down through the centuries of time. It reached a climax at the first coming of Christ and His crucifixion. And it will reach its final crescendo during this last 3½ years. And that period of time will be marked out for us. Down at the end of verse 6 we are again told it is 1260 days, down in verse 14 we're told it is a time, two times and a half time, drawing the expression from Daniel. You see 42 months, 1260 days, a time, two times and a half time, 3½ years, that's what we're talking about. And that's yet future and we'll see that is the final last gasp, if you will, of Satan's attempt to thwart the plan of God in establishing a kingdom for His people, Israel. It explains all the anti-Semitism that goes on in the world. Helps us to understand the animosity there is towards Israel. Why doesn't the world rally around Israel? Why can people blow up people and yet there is a sympathy, there is even a movement among evangelicals today that is growing called Christian Palestinianism which is a move to replace Jews with Palestinians. And so-called evangelicals, and I have serious questions when you cross this line whether you are dealing with true believers when you take such a firm position against the clear Word of God on its plan for His people. Understand these kinds of things begin to infiltrate among the church and get a hold. And we begin to think like the world in their unbelief and we have to be careful we are being biblical.

All right let's look at this great sign that appears in heaven. John uses the word sign to refer to a miraculous event that has deeper spiritual significance. So here is a miracle and it is a great one. And it has deep spiritual significance. This is the first time in the book of Revelation that the word sign is used. And it will be used seven times from here on. One of those packages of seven that appear so often. You know the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven bowls. Seven, seven, seven. Here you have seven signs. Here is the first one—the great sign in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and moon and so on. Down in verse 3, another sign appeared in heaven—a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns. Turn over to chapter 13 verse 13, and here you have the second beast, we talk about the first beast and the second beast. Really the Antichrist and the false prophet. And we're told in verse 13 that this second beast performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to earth. Now he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast. Over in chapter 15 verse 1, then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous. And these are the seven last angels with their plagues. Chapter 16 verse 14, they are spirits of demons performing signs to gather people to Har-Magedon, Armageddon. Then chapter 19 verse 20, and the beast was seized and with him the false prophet who performed signs.

Now you'll note here, this word sign referring to miraculous events that have deep spiritual significance are used both of demonic activity and God's activity. And you see supernatural activity, miraculous activity going on, but sometimes it is from God and sometimes it is from the devil. And this last 3½ -year period is going to be something like the world has never seen and miracles going on. We say, will it be a real miracle? Well we're told they are doing signs and they are empowered by the devil to do it. So remarkable times. During Christ's earthly ministry at His first coming, remember the miracles going on, overt demonic activity. Well in connection and anticipation of the Second Coming there is going to be an outbreak of that as well.

Back in Revelation 12. A great sign appeared in heaven. So John sees this sign in heaven and it's going to present an event that takes place on the earth. He sees a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. This is another one of those passages, it's really not difficult to know what it means. I'm dumbfounded. I spent some time reading some other commentators, where do they get this? I mean it is simple. Where is the first place you should look to see if the Bible has spoken about this? The Old Testament. Now remember what it says here, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. I wonder what this represents.

Well let's go back to Genesis 37. Now remember the story of Joseph and he was a favorite of his father and he was not very well liked by his brothers. We're told in verse 3, Israel loved Joseph more than all of his sons, Israel being the name that God gave to Jacob. So we see Israel here, we're talking about the father of Joseph, Jacob, and then God called him Israel. And that becomes the name of the people, the descendants. And we're told his father loved him more than all his brothers, verse 4, and they hated him. Joseph had a dream, verse 5, and he told it to his brothers and they just hated him more because of the dream. Because what was his dream? He said to them. You could say that Joseph wasn't the most sensitive person. I mean, your brothers already hate you, now you're going to tell them the dream you had. And what's the dream? We were binding sheaves in the field and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect. And behold your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf. His brothers said to him, are you actually going to reign over us? Are you really going to rule over us? They understood the significance of the dream. Not too difficult to interpret. So they hated him even more because of his dream and his words.

Now he has another dream, I can't wait to tell my brothers. Verse 9, he had still another dream and related it to his brothers and said, lo, I have had still another dream. Behold the sun and the moon and the eleven stars. Sound familiar? The sun, the moon, the eleven stars were bowing to me. He related it to his father and to his brothers. His father rebuked him and said, 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? What do you mean? The sun, the moon, the eleven stars here. Well Israel, Jacob, knew what he was talking about. That means me, the sun; your mother, the moon; and your eleven brothers. You understand this is the nation Israel. The name is given to him. Jacob, your name will be called Israel and he has twelve sons and they become the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel.

So we come over to Revelation 12 and we read, 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. I read a well-known commentary today and you know what it said? There is no reason to connect this to Genesis 37. No reason to connect this to Genesis 37? You know why he says that? He wants it to mean something totally out of the blue. I mean, it has already been told us what this symbol is, right? Jacob recognized it right away—the sun, me; the moon, your mother; the eleven stars because they are bowing down to Joseph, now here you have twelve stars because you have the completion of twelve tribes here, he is included here, they represent the nation Israel. The woman clothed with the sun is not Mary, the Virgin Mary. Even some Roman Catholics have abandoned because there clearly is a conflict with the Roman Catholic writers.

She was with child and she cried out being in labor and pain to give birth. So the context here is Christ is going to be born, a Jew, into the nation Israel. I mean, you have His lineage in Matthew and in Luke. I mean, nobody questions the fact that Jesus was a Jew. He was born to the nation Israel. He told the Samaritan woman, salvation is of the Jews because the Messiah is the Messiah of Israel. I mean, that's the picture here. It's the nation Israel. She gives birth to the Messiah in verse 2. Down to verse 5, she gave birth to a Son, a male child who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. I mean, we're talking about the nation Israel gives birth to the Messiah. That's the picture here.

She'll be nourished by God, verse 6, the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, be nourished for 1260 days. It's not talking about Mary, not talking about the church. Talking about Israel. Verse 14, the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman so she could fly into the wilderness to her place where she was nourished for a time, times and a half time. Again drawing the expression from the end of Daniel's prophecies. A time, two times and a half time, that period of 3½ , or 1260 days, or as we saw earlier in the previous chapter 42 months, as we'll see when we get to chapter 13 verse 5, 42 months. Just repeated. If you don't get it with the days, get it with the months; if you don't get it with the months, get it with the times—3½ times. It's clearly set out. She'll be persecuted for that 3½year period as we'll see at the end of chapter 12.

Verse 2, she was with child and she cried out being in labor and in pain to give birth. The picture here is of the agony Israel experienced in anticipation of the birth of the Messiah, the turmoil, the pain. And when Messiah comes to be born, Israel was living under the domination of the Romans with a non-Jew, an Idumean as the Roman appointed king over them. So the difficulty, the pain as they awaited the coming of their Messiah and the first coming of Christ to earth at Bethlehem and so on.

Now another sign appears. Put this together. It is different but it is a second sign. We'll see how the two come together then. This sign appears in heaven, John sees it there, and it's 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, the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. The second sign introduces us to Satan. And he is the spirit being who is behind all the opposition to God's plan and he is the arch enemy of God's people, Israel. So you've introduced Israel to the picture here and Israel's Messiah. Now you are introduced, if you will, to the enemy of Israel and the enemy of Israel's Messiah. He is seen as a great red dragon. And a dragon because of his fierceness, his ferociousness. And this picture can be taken back to the Old Testament as well. We don't have any problem in identifying who it is because if we keep on reading we come down to verse 9 and we're told the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan. So we know who the great red dragon is, it's a representation of the devil, Satan. This identification will be given over in Revelation 20:2 as well. So there is no problem knowing what this sign represents, it represents the devil. He is a great red dragon. Red evidently picturing his bloody character. Fierceness of the dragon, his bloody character. We're told by Christ during His earthly ministry in John 8:44, you are of your father the devil. He was a murderer from the beginning. That's his character, he's a murderer.

In Revelation 6:4 under the second seal, a great red horse. And what does that red horse do? It takes peace from the earth, there is war, men slay one another. He has a great sword. Bloodiness. So that's how he is presented here.

He has seven heads and ten horns and on his heads were seven diadems. You know if you just started with the book of Revelation, I always say I like to read the last chapter. But if you start in your Bible and read the book of Revelation and read the last chapter first, you are in a world of hurt because no wonder people close it up and say it doesn't make any sense. So this is my exception, don't start with the book of Revelation because it's the culmination of everything. Now this picture of having seven heads, ten horns will be repeated. Look down in chapter 13 verse 1, I saw a beast coming up out of the sea having ten horns and seven heads. And on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. So the same basic picture, seven heads and ten horns. You have diadems on the horns, you have diadems on the heads. You put the two together.

Come over to chapter 17, this will help us put it all together. Verse 3, he carried me away, we're not going to be concerned with the details of chapter 17 because we just want to get help in understanding the seven heads and ten horns. We'll do the details of chapter 17 when we get there. Carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. Come down to verse 7, the angel said to me, why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries here, which has seven heads and ten horns. The beast that you saw was and is not and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. Those who dwell on the earth whose name has not been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will wonder when they see the beast, that he was, and is not, and will come. Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. And they are seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other is not yet come and when he comes he must remain a little while. The beast which was and is not is himself also an eighth and one of the seven and he goes to destruction. The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. And there it is all as clear as can be.

I wrote a thesis on this section many years ago. Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains. Some people get carried away here and say, Rome is the city of seven mountains so here we are at the city of Rome. I'm not in a debate on whether Rome sits on seven mountains, but that's not what it is talking about here because literally it says the seven heads are seven mountains are seven kings. So we're clearly told here that the heads are mountains and the mountains are kings. So what we have here are the heads and mountains both representing the same thing—kings. The seven heads are the same thing as the seven mountains, they represent seven kings or kingdoms. That ought to be clear because verse 10 goes on to say, five have fallen, one is and another is not yet come.

You got a sheet of paper when you came in, I thought it might help to see it. The seven heads refer to seven major empires in biblical history and prophecy. So you have unfolded here, and I've added the eighth because down in chapter 17 verse 11, the beast is an eighth. He's one of the seventh, but he's marked out as an eighth. So you don't get that information in every passage, but you do get it in the book of Daniel and you get it here in Revelation 17. So here are the seven, and then the eighth—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, then the 10-nation confederacy which we sometimes call the revived Roman Empire, and then you have the Antichrist. I've noted under 6, 7 and 8, all of these can be placed under the category of Rome because they are all connected to the Roman Empire. The background for this? Where did John come up with this stuff? Well it's revealed to him by Christ, but it has had prior revelation. So Daniel sees the same empires but he doesn't start with Egypt and Assyria, he starts with the empire that is in existence. Remember Daniel was carried captive in the Babylonian captivity. So the visions that take place in Daniel start where Daniel is with Babylon. John goes back to the beginning. And the Bible is only concerned with the empires that intersect and have major impact with Israel. We may say, what about China? Well the Bible's concern is to track Israel. Now these other nations will have a place in the plan of God, obviously, but the Bible is concerned with Israel. So the nations, Egypt obviously a major player with Israel, and Assyria, those two world empires preceded Babylon.

So come back to Daniel 2. There you have the image of the man seen by Nebuchadnezzar. And the dream will be interpreted by Daniel. You have the picture in verse 31 where we're told what Nebuchadnezzar saw. And you'll note the culmination of that, as we'll see the interpretation then is a stone, verse 34, cut without hands. It's not one of the normal human empires that crushes the empires of the world. So the interpretation after Daniel tells the dream, because remember Nebuchadnezzar wouldn't tell anyone what the dream was because he figured if he told them what the dream was they would make up an interpretation. Well if they made up an interpretation, how would he know whether it is true or not? So very clever man. He says, you tell me the dream, then I'll know you can tell me the interpretation. So Daniel tells him the dream.

So you start out, verse 37, you oh king are the king of kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, the glory. So you see we start out with Babylon. That's the first kingdom, and you rule over everything. After you, verse 39, there will rise another kingdom, so we move from Babylon to Medo-Persia, inferior to you. Then a third kingdom of bronze. And this is following the image that is presented with the head of gold, the chest of silver, the belly of bronze. Then there will be a fourth kingdom, verse 40, as strong as iron inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things. That's Rome, the most powerful of the empires. Now you'll note here, in this image, verse 41, you saw the feet and toes part of potter's clay, partly of iron. That's why we say all these last three, on your sheet here 6, 7 and 8, can be called Rome. Because you'll note here, you don't have new metal. The iron continues to the feet and toes, but now it will be mixed with clay. So with the final form of this empire, you will have a weakened empire. There will be a fourth kingdom strong as iron, inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things and breaks everything in pieces. Verse 41, you saw the feet and toes part of potter's clay and part of iron. It will be a divided kingdom. Inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed clay. The toes of the feet were partly iron and partly pottery. Some of the kingdom will be strong, part of it brittle. Some people say, well you don't know it is ten, it just says toes plural. Maybe it only had two. I mean, it's an image of a man, striking image. But we'll give, we'll have to wait and find out, did he really have ten toes? But the ten will be established other places. So the toes here, plural, carry us to the ten. That gives us an idea here what is going to happen.

Now what will happen? Has that already happened? Well verse 44, in the days of those kings. Which kings? The toes. Each kingdom was replaced until you come to the kingdom of iron, then it has its final form of the toes mixed with iron and clay. And in the days of those kings, the toes, the iron and clay, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed. That kingdom will not be left for another people, it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms. It will endure forever. I don't think that has happened. Have you watched the news lately? You read the different nations of the world meeting together. To spiritualize this is to do violence to scripture. Some people do this because they think you can interpret scripture theologically. Once you have the New Testament you are free to go back and totally redo the Old Testament. No, you can't do that. I mean, God's Word is a revelation of His character. He doesn't just change His mind. This is God's truth.

So in the days of those kingdoms. So that carries us to the end, the return of Christ to establish His kingdom on the earth when He'll wipe out other kingdoms and bring them all in subjection to Himself. So here you have, as you see Daniel 2, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome.

You come over to Daniel 7. Daniel sees the same revelation with different imagery to Nebuchadnezzar, ungodly pagan king. He sees the kingdoms of the earth as beautiful and appealing. This great image of a man with a head of gold, then silver, bronze, iron. Daniel sees it from God's perspective, the kingdoms of the earth as ravenous beasts. But it's the same basic picture. Verse 2, Daniel was looking in the night visions. The four winds of the heaven were on the great sea, four great beasts were coming up from the sea different from one another. The first was like a lion. Then you have the bear, verse 5, and it was raised up on one side. Why? Because you had the Medo-Persian empire, but the Persians come to dominate that empire. God is very specific. That is followed by the leopard which represents Greece. And one thing Alexander did with the armies of Greece was move them with great speed. And then you have that fourth beast. Remember that kingdom was depicted by iron in the image in chapter 2. Here it's a fourth beast, a dreadful, terrifying, extremely strong beast. It had large iron teeth, it devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet. It was different from all the beast before it. It is of more powerful, more vicious character. And you'll note, it had ten horns. Just like in Daniel 2 you had the toes, ten toes, here you have ten horns. But you'll note, they are connected to the fourth beast. They are not on the first beast, the second beast, or the third beast, they are on the fourth beast. That's why we talk about a revived Roman Empire, because it is a continuation of the Roman Empire. Now we have a break in there, the period of time in which we live that the Old Testament doesn't talk about. Just like it doesn't talk about events between the first coming and Second Coming of Christ. It writes about His reigning in glory, it writes about His suffering and dying. And it can do it in the same context. So here you would think there is no gap, but you don't find out about the gap. It's not a gap in the plan of God, but it's a gap in what God has chosen to revel at this point. So you have the same nations.

Now we know we have the ten. So the ten toes, the ten horns. We just pick up that imagery. When we come into the book of Revelation we're seeing that same thing. I've noted Egypt and Assyria on that sheet, they are before the Times of the Gentiles. In Luke 21:24 Jesus talks about the fact that Jerusalem will be trodden under the feet of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are completed. The Times of the Gentiles are characterized by Jerusalem being dominated by the Gentiles. Egypt and Assyria didn't. Remember Assyria carried away the northern ten tribes into captivity, but when they surrounded Jerusalem, God sent a plague and killed 180,000 Assyrian soldiers and they went home. But with Babylon, Jerusalem comes under the domination of the Gentiles, and will be ultimately until the end. I also on the next sheet included Zechariah because Zechariah 1 sees the same thing under two different pictures—four horns and four craftsmen. So you see this same picture is given unfolding the empires of the world and how they impact Israel and what God's plan is for them. I've also put some of the names of Antichrist there since we're coming into a discussion with him.

But let's come back now to Revelation 12. You see how if we allow the scripture to give us the understanding really, the book of Revelation begins to fall into place. Well what is represented with the sign with the woman clothed with the sun, the moon and the twelve stars, Genesis 37. That's the nation Israel. And here you have the great red dragon, you have the devil and he has seven heads and ten horns because you know what the spiritual force behind the kingdoms of the world is—it is the devil. Understand that? That's why all the attempts to clean up the world and ........... They are futile. The power behind earthly empires is the devil, he is the god of this world, small g, but he is the god of this world. You'll note these seven heads are on the great red dragon. He is the power, the force behind them. The ten horns, they are ten kings or kingdoms. We should have looked in Daniel 7 and gone on and then you'll find out of these ten will come a little horn. Right? That will replace three, and he becomes the eighth. So we have the same picture as we have in the book of Revelation where we are.

When you see diadems, verse 3, on his heads were seven diadems. A diadem is a crown of a ruler, in contrast to a stephanos, two Greek crowns. There was a stephanos associated with victory and joy and happiness and so on. The diadem was the crown of the ruler. So the very fact that diadems are on these seven heads associates them with kings or kingdoms. And when we get over to chapter 13 verse 1, and the ten horns have ten diadems, we find they are ten kings or kingdoms also. So the picture is pretty clear.

Look at verse 4. Now you have the great red dragon who has seven heads and ten horns. We are reminded behind the empires of the world is the controlling dominating power of Satan. Remember what Jesus said about Satan and his followers, he said to the followers of Satan, you are of your father the devil and you always do his will. Now in it all the sovereignty of God is overruling to direct the nations of the world and the men of the world toward His appointed climax, but within that the people and the nations of the world are doing the will of Satan. And he is orchestrating everything in his opposition to God. And it's not going to get better, it's only going to get worse. I mean, if we allow the scripture to be our directive, the worst is yet to come. That's where Revelation is going. The greatest outbreak or opposition to Christ is yet in the future.

So here we get a little insight into Satan. Verse 4, his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Now a little background for Satan here, I take it, referring to his rebellion. I take it the stars of heaven here would be references in this context to angels who followed him. The third of the stars of heaven would be those who joined Satan in his rebellion against God.

Come back to Isaiah 14:12, how have you fallen from heaven oh star of the morning, son of the dawn. You have been cut down to the earth, you weaken the nations. You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven, I will raise my throne above the stars of God. You see there, I will raise my throne above the stars of God, I take it he would see himself as the angel who would rule over all. And the angels being represented by stars. I will sit on the mount of the assembly in the recesses of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High. Satan's basic, foundational rebellion—to usurp the place that belongs to God alone. And have the angels serve him. I take it the third of the stars following the dragon in his fall refer to a third of the angels joining him in his rebellion. You will be thrust down to Sheol, to the pit.

Then you come over to Ezekiel 28:12, we're told you have the seal of perfection, full of wisdom, perfect in beauty. You were in Eden the garden of God. Verse 14, you were the anointed cherub who covers. I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God, you walked in the midst of the stone of fire, you were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you. God did not create Satan as a fallen being, as a sinful being. He created him perfect. The end of verse 16, I have destroyed you, oh covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor, and so on.

So I take it when you come back to Revelation 12:4, his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven. In his desire to have the angels follow him, a third of them joined him in his rebellion against God, and for that they lost their position in heaven. They did not lose their access that's going to come up when we get down to verse 7 ff. That will have to wait for a future study. He lost his position in heaven, he still has his access to heaven. We'll talk about that when we get further into chapter 12.

Now the dragon stood before the woman, verse 4, who was about to give birth. And here it is Israel, and Christ is about to be born to the nation. His desire, when she gave birth, was that he might devour the child. So Satan is awaiting and is going to attempt to destroy. His plan to frustrate the plan of God comes down through. And we don't have time to go back and look at his intervention to try to thwart the plan of God, prevent the coming of the promised Messiah. And then with the birth of Christ at Bethlehem you had the attempt by Herod. What motivated Herod to do that? His father, the devil. Herod was an ungodly, unregenerate man, he always did the will of his father, the devil. And the will of his father, the devil, was to attempt to kill the Messiah. Why would satan do this? He knows he can't win. Why do people sin? They can't win. Why do they rebel against God? Why isn't everybody falling on their knees in repentance, calling on God for mercy? It makes no sense. Why will you perish? Why would you choose to go to hell? Sin makes no sense. I often say to you, sin makes you stupid. It makes the devil stupid. I say that, recognizing he is a being of great brilliance and wisdom. But it makes no sense to oppose the living God. Hell was created for the devil and his angels, he can't avoid it. But there is something about sin that makes us think we will win in the end.

So he attempts to destroy Christ, to devour the child. She gave birth to a Son, a male child who is to rule all the nations. She, Mary gave birth of course, but we're talking in the context here of the nation Israel, because it's the nation Israel that is in view because we're going to go on to talk about the nation being persecuted for the last 3½ years of the tribulation as Satan attempts to destroy the nation. So why not take this in its context here as he has already started out with the first sign in verses 1-2, the woman representing Israel.

She gave birth to a male child who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. Another reference to Psalm 2:9, He'll rule with a rod of iron. Kiss the Son lest He be angry and you perish from the way. Her child was caught up to God and to His throne. Satan's attempt to have Him crucified. Then you have the ascension in Acts 1, He was caught up to heaven and to the throne of God. You see here now we're going to jump all the way here to where we are, in the middle of the tribulation.

The woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God and there she would be nourished for 1260 days. So you see when we get here we get a picture, the nation Israel. We're told about the power of the nations of this world under the authority of the devil, the dragon, the serpent. And the nation giving birth to the Messiah who will rule and reign over a Jewish kingdom. And the desire of Satan to destroy that child. And we've brought in the nations because that's has been the plan. What did Babylon do? It came to destroy Israel. What did the subsequent nations do? They come and dominate Israel. What did Rome do in connection with the Jews? They crucified the Messiah. Where are we going these last 3½ years? All attention being on destroying the Jews.

I was watching a program with Adolph Hitler and down to his closing days he is consumed with trying to get as many Jews destroyed as he can. Germany is being destroyed around him, and he is consumed with the destruction of the Jews. Somehow if I could destroy every Jew, everything would get right. I mean, you say, you've lost it. But that's the way it is to be a lost being. You have lost it because you are lost. I mean, you are irrational because there is no winning. But that's where we're going here. So that's why you had to bring the nations of the world in, it's been the plan of Satan. That explains all the anti-Semitism in the world. There is no reasoning with the devil, there is no trying to get the followers of the devil to understand we can have peace if we just do this. You can't have peace because the devil is determined there can be no peace with Israel. Because as long as there is an Israel, the plan of God can be accomplished, the kingdom that He prophesied can be carried out. And I can't rule. But if I can frustrate and thwart the plan of God, Satan's thinking is, then I can rule because I will have defeated God, because He couldn't do what He said He would do. You think, hasn't he read the last chapter like we do? Doesn't he read that Christ said, hell has been prepared for the devil and his angels? Didn't he read chapter 19? Didn't he read chapter 20? He loses.

This week share the gospel with an unbelieving person, show them they lose, they go to hell. See if they fall on their knees and repent. Maybe by the grace of God they will. But for the most part what do they do? They get offended. So we understand what is going on here is the devil is at work and God is at work. If believers keep this in perspective, it keeps us from getting off into political plans to reform the world, into peace plans, into quoting verses out of context and giving the idea we are for peace. Don't you believe we ought to have peace? Understand there cannot be any peace until the Prince of Peace rules. You can have the peace of God in your heart when you come to have peace with God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. But there will be no peace on this earth until Christ comes. And the worst is yet to come. The most violence is yet to come. We have yet to see a time when billions of people are going to die in a relatively short time on this earth, when Jesus said it is going to get so bad that if He didn't intervene there wouldn't be a person left alive on the face of the earth. We should be about thinking and telling people and implying that if we get the right people into position, if we do this we could bring about peace and we can have a resolution. And you'll note it all comes back to Israel. Why does everybody think the Jews are the problem? Why is that little pile of sand over there significant? Because the god of this world, Satan, is trying to thwart the plan of God. And here we come to the last 3½ years of the battle and it's only going to intensify. Praise God we know how it ends, we know the Savior. We are the church, we are not Israel. And in God's plan we will be removed and God will complete the plan here on earth. Then He'll come to establish the kingdom, we'll come with Him, we'll rule and reign with Him.

So it all puts things in perspective. Are we doing it just so we know the future? No, it shapes what I do now. I live in light of what God says He is doing and going to do. And I don't get swept away with every plan of man that comes along, and I don't expect the world to understand the position that we take. But we represent the living God and His Savior.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your Word, thank you for its clarity. Thank you for the work of the Holy Spirit who opens this truth to us. Lord, it seems simple and clear, but there was a time when it wasn't. But you opened our blind eyes to see and believe the gospel. And now we see and understand what cannot be understood with just human eyes because your Spirit teaches us and reveals to us the things that you have revealed, so that we might understand them, know them and live in light of them. This is truth for us as your church today and you have promised blessing to us as we live in light of it. May these truths shape the way we conduct ourselves even in the days of this week. Lord, may we be bold to share the message of salvation with those we come in contact with in these days of amazing grace. We pray in Christ's name, amen.