Be Ready For The Harvest
Revelation 14:1-20 Lesson 14
Key Verse: 14:6,7; Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 10-3-10
“ 6Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water’."
In this passage we will take a closer look at the famous group of people, the 144,000. We will also meet three angels and two harvesters, one of which is Jesus himself. Through a study of this passage may we decide, by faith to follow the Lamb of God, Jesus wherever he may go and worship him exclusively. May we have a strong desire to be one of the “144,000”. May our hearts be made ready for the great harvest of souls that is coming.
Part 1: The 144,000 (1-5)
If we think about chapter 13, these believers had gone through a very difficult time. In John’s vision we saw the beast of the sea and the beast of the land. The faithful had to endure hearing their sincere Christian faith being insulted and their Savior, Jesus, being blasphemed. They saw their properties confiscated. They saw many of their friends and family members tortured and killed. They were forced to take the number of the beast. Many struggled with this, but they had to give in. It was very tough and difficult times for all believers. How easy it would be to despair, thinking that there was no end to their sufferings. But God did not forget his people. God gave John a great and wondrous vision. Let’s read verse 1. “1Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.” This is the beginning of a very fantastic vision that includes God’s victorious people, the resurrection and the coming of God’s righteous judgment where God’s people will see God’s judgment come.
We all need encouragement and God’s vision planted in our hearts from time to time. God understands this and this is what he does this for his servants. Do you remember Abraham when he separated from Lot? This was when Abraham’s name was still Abram. Lot’s herdsmen and Abram’s herdsmen were quarrelling because there was not enough space for them. Abram, being the big hearted man that he was, gave Lot the choice. Lot could choose what he wanted. He chose the well watered land of the plain, towards the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot did not want anything to do with the life of faith that Abram was called to live. He was just interested in his own benefits, even if that meant moving into one of the most sinful cities of the region. Abram was despaired. He felt alone, in the rocky desert God called him to live in. But God told him, in Genesis 13:14b-17, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you." Lot was gone. Abram was still in the land of his suffering. But God came to him with a glorious promise and godly vision. He encouraged his servant and with renewed spirit and vigor, Abram and his whole tribe could continue to live by faith.
. Sometimes we cannot see beyond our present circumstances. But God will help us to lift up our eyes and look around to see what he sees. In the last days, God had promised great things for us. Acts 2:17-18 read, "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” God has not forgotten about you. He wants to fill you heart with his visions and his dreams and he will empower and equip you to prophecy his word to the people of your generation. Accept the encouragement of his word and spirit. Open your ears and hear God’s word of promise. Open your eyes and see God’s vision for your life. Care about it! Embrace is it. Get excited about it and you will be saved from all the despair that may be vexing you today,
In this passage we will take a closer look at the famous group of people, the 144,000. Verse 1, “Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.” So what about these 144,000? In short, in God’s history there were twelve tribes of Israel and twelve apostles. 12 times 12 equals 144. In this case the 144,000 could represent the whole redeemed people of God. The members of the 144,000 were very much different than those who wore the number of the beast. They do not have the mark of the beast on their foreheads, though they were forced to conform. Those who wore the number of the beast worshipped and served a godless leader and system. They tolerated blasphemes against Jesus. They were forced, not willing people. They were living by fear and they made war against the saints of God. (Rev 13:3b-6; Rev 13:14b-17)
Lets look a little close at what these 144,000 are like from this Bible passage. They were talking together and singing and praising God, together, so much so that their voices sounded like rushing water. There were offering up their musical talents in their worship of the Lamb. They were singing the song of the redeemed. That means that their robes were washed white in the blood of the Lamb. They knew that they were purchased from slavery to sin and the devil and set free by the redeeming blood of Jesus They knew the grace of God personally and were compelled to sing about it. They struggle to live a pure life before God and they were devoted to following Jesus wherever Jesus led them. There lives were a living offering to God. They were very happy worshipping Jesus and they were not afraid to be around God’s people and stand, transparently before Jesus for they had nothing to hide. They were pure in heart and sincere and honest. These are the characteristics of the 144,000. Some may say, “Well. of course they are like that in heaven. If I was in heaven I would be just like that too.” Maybe? But I’m sure that these saints were putting into practice what they were doing in heaven, while they lived on earth. Let’s examine our hearts and find out how we can exude the characteristics of the 144,000 while we are walking on this earth and have a burning hope and desire to be included in those who will be praising Jesus around his throne.
Part ll: The Three Angels (6-20)
God did something that would signal the beginning of the end. Let’s read verse 6, “Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people” What is this eternal Gospel? To put it very clearly the eternal gospel is summed up in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” Anyone who repents of their sins and accepts God’s forgiveness is forgiven and becomes a child of God. They have eternal life in the Kingdom of heaven. They fear God and worship him and give him glory with their lives. (7) Such people can be one of those who worship around the throne of the Lamb. This gospel is eternal because it does not need to be changed…ever. It is all sufficient to save you and I from our sins and bring us to Jesus in his Kingdom.
This proclamation of the angel could be God’s worldwide appeal to all people of the world to recognize the one true God. If it is then no one will have the excuse of never hearing God’s truth. Others see this as an announcement of judgment rather than an appeal. In that case the people of this world will be given a chance to proclaim their allegiance to Jesus before God’s judgment was about to begin. This would be comforting, in a sense to suffering Christians. It means that God’s justice has come and all those who have perpetrated evil against them would have to pay for all the evil they have done. Not at the hands of people, but at the hand of God. We need to now that know that God’s final judgment will not be put off forever. Have you joyfully received the eternal gospel? Have you confessed your sins and entrusted Christ to save you? If so, you have nothing to fear from God’s judgment for the Judge of all the earth, Jesus Christ, is your Savior!
We can see the angel’s final appeal for the peoples’ hearts to turn to God in repentance in verses 7. Let’s read these verses together. “He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." Here we learn some good advice about worshipping God. First, we must fear God. Fearing God is not trembling in fear that the hammer of his judgment will come down on your heads the moment you sin. No. To fear God means to have a deep respect for God and have a sincere desire in our hearts to do what is right before his eyes. We fear him because we love him and he loves us. It is good to fear God. Proverbs 9:10 reads, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” If you want true wisdom and understanding you need to fear God and stop ignoring him. Why should we fear him? There are many reasons, but the angel tells us that we must fear God because he is the Creator God. Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them" In 2011 let us make it our goal to fear God.
The second angel had with it additional words of warning. Let’s read verse 8, “A second angel followed and said, ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.’" Babylon was the name of both an evil city and an immoral empire that was a center for idol worship. Babylon ransacked Jerusalem and carried the people of Judah into captivity. (2 Kings 24; 2 Chronicles 36). Babylon was the Jews’ worst enemy. The Roman Empire was the worst enemy of the early Christians. John, who probably did not speak against Rome openly, applied the name Babylon to Rome. In that sense Babylon could represent the enemies of God’s people. This Babylon also tempted the people with wine and sinful desires on top of persecuting the people of God. Our western culture is making all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries. Whatever we export people around the world drink up eagerly. Western culture is not persecuting Christians much, but the scene is being set for future persecutions. In the USA Christians are refused funding and receive bad press in the media. Christians are not allowed to advertise their clubs on middle school and high school campus’. In Canada and England, if you are too Christian you may not get elected as Prime Minister. In Canada it is already illegal to read and preach on certain aspects of the Bible publically. Our prevailing post modern philosophy is becoming more hostile Christians and the Gospel message. We need to be ready and prepared spiritually for the future. In this passage Babylon the great is destined to fall.
The third angel give another warning to the people of the world. Let’s read verses 9-11, “A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.’" Those who worship the beast, accepting his mark on their foreheads, will ultimately face God’s judgment. How hard it will be to resist getting the number of the beast. Without it you cannot buy or sell anything. We can not go to Wal-Mart to buy groceries. When we swipe our cards it will say, “not approved” or worse, “Arrest this person” We would have to compete with geese for corn left on the fields. We would be eating road kill, or squirrels and growing gardens in our yards. We can not buy gas to go drive to work. We would loose our jobs. Our gas would be cut off. Christians would be forced to make an illegal economy in order to survive. How easy it would be to simply make a small act of worship or devotion to the beast and receive the mark and be able to feed your hungry children. It may sound OK to do that. We may rationalize that God understands. But if you do you too will face the judgment of God.
In this passage we also learn some characteristics of God’s final judgment on those who are not found in Jesus. Let’s read verses 10-11, “he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." This is an image of hell. Even though the Bible speaks very little about hell, there are times that it does and here is one of those times. Hell is real. Hell is not a place that you simply cease to exist. People who cease to exist do not feel torment and experience no rest. In hell there is conscious suffering that goes on forever and ever. It is the only alternative reality that exists outside of the kingdom of God.
In this life sin always brings misery and heartache. Sin separates us from God and us from one another until we are left all alone to struggle with our sin problems and be tempted and goaded on by the devil. In eternity there will no longer be any opportunity for repentance. If in this life we choose to be independent of God, we will be separated from him forever. Nobody of forced to choose eternal separation from God, and nobody suffers this fate by accident. But praise God that in this life we can choose to repent and restore our relationship with God through his eternal gospel. Jesus invites all of us to open the door of our hearts to him. Listen to what Jesus says in Revelation 3:20 “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Let’s take Jesus up on this most gracious invitation! If we do we will be saved from our sins and enjoy eternal life with him in his beautiful kingdom. God really wants this to happen.
Verse 12 reveals what should be the practical results of accepting this very gracious invitation from Jesus. Let’s read verse 12 all together. “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.” The news about God’s ultimate triumph should encourage God’s people to be faithful through every trial and persecution. They need to endure, patiently continuing to trust and obey Jesus daily.
There is more great news for those who choose to faithfully trust and obey Jesus. Let’s read verse 13. “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.’" We will rest from all our labor. We will not be constantly running here and there to get things done at a fevered pitch with no point. We will find true rest. As the famous Johnny Cash gospel song says, “But when I take my vacation in heaven...What a wonderful time that will be. Hearing concerts by the heavenly chorus, and the face of my Savior I'll see. Sitting down on the banks of the river. 'neath the shade of the evergreen tree. There I'll rest from my burdens forever. Won't you take your vacation with me?” God will remember all of our deeds born out of faith and a desire to please him. He will remember our love, kindness, and faithfulness. We will be rewarded by God for helping others to accept Christ through our witness. Let’s decide today to produce fruit that pleases God and lasts forever.
In this passage we see two harvests. The first mention of a harvest is in verse 14, “I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one ‘like a son of man’ with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.” This is an image of Judgment: Christ is about to separate the faithful from the unfaithful. The angel urges Jesus to take his sickle and gather the grapes. Look at Verse 15, “Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, ‘Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe’." And Jesus obliged him in verse 16, “So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.” This first harvest is the harvest of souls to eternal life. It is revealed in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” How can we be part of this first harvest? Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (Jn 5:24)
Then came the second harvest that all people should fear being part of. Let’s read verses 17-20, “Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, ‘Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe’. 19The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. 20They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.” A winepress was a large vat or trough where grapes were collected and then smashed. The juice flowed out of the spout that emptied into a large holding container. The winepress is used in the Bible as a symbol of God’s wrath and judgment against sin. The blood of billions of people poured out of that wine press for it created a stream of blood 5 feet tall and it spread out for 180 miles. This shows us the urgency of proclaiming the eternal gospel. Billions of people are going to perish in their sins. We should care about this and respond accordingly. Again true Christians need not fear this harvest, but anyone who is not in Christ musts take head and repent and come to Jesus today.
In today’s lesson we learned that we need to open our eyes and see God’s words of encouragement and vision so that we will never become weary and loose heart. We must desire to be one of those who sing the song of the redeemed around the throne of God and begin to exude some of the characteristics of the 144,000 even today. We need to be ready for the first harvest of souls. But our salvation can never be selfish. Like the angel, we need proclaim the eternal gospel, by effective means which includes praying for others and preaching the word to those who are lost in the darkness. Reveal Jesus to them. We must also put all of our hope in the kingdom of God where we will find true rest and a great reward for everything we do in this life that is for the glory of Jesus
Part 1: The 144,000 (1-5)
1. What did John see standing on Mount Zion? (1) Why does God show this beautiful heavenly scene to the believers? Why do we need encouragement and hope?
2. What was written on the foreheads of the 144,000? (1) Who are they and what are they doing? (2,4,5) How are they different from those who worship the beast? (13:3b-6; 14b-17) What is special about the 144,000? What qualities did they have? What qualities do I need to grow in now to be like them?
Part ll: The Three Angels (6-20)
3. What is the flying angel carrying to all people of the earth? (6) What is the everlasting good news to preach to those on the earth? (6) Do you believe it? How do the three angels urge the people to get ready for the final hour of God’s judgment? (7-11) How could they share their repentance?
4. Why must we fear God? (7; Prov 9:10) What is worship in light the fear of the Lord? (7; Ecc 12:1) What kind of city was Babylon? (8) What is Babylon? (1 Peter 5:13) How did she seduce the nations of the world?
5. What will happen to those who accept the mask of the beast on their forehead and hand? (9-11) Why will it be difficult to resist getting the mark? (13:17) What is the ultimate result of sin? (11) How does this verse reveal the characteristics of hell? What should be our response? (12) What is Jesus invitation? (3:20)
6. What is the great news? (13) How are those blessed who obey God’s commands and remain faithful to Jesus?
7. What did the “Son of Man” hold in his hand? (14) How does Jesus come to harvest the earth? (14) What does it mean that the harvest of the earth is ripe (or the grapes are ripe)? (15,18,Mt13:39) How is the harvest related to the rapture? (11:12, 1Th4:16-17)
8. How does an angel announce the coming of God’s wrath? (19,20) How will God bring his final judgment on sin and on believers? (19; Isaiah 63:3-6; Lam 1:15; Joel 3:12-13)
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Friday, October 8, 2010
Revelations 13:1-18
Faithfully Endure
(The Dragon And The Two Beasts)
Revelation 13:1-18 Lesson 13
Key Verse: 13:10b Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 9-26-10
“…This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.”
In this passage introduces Satan’s (the dragon’s) two evil accomplices: (1) the beast out of the sea and the beast out of the earth. The beast of the sea represents worldly power. The second beast looks like the Lamb and represents false religion. He deceives people and puts his mark on everyone. Through a study of this passage may we recognize the identity and the evil activities of the two beasts. Why? So that we can take a firm stand on Jesus’ side and overcome. May we also resolve our hearts to have endurance and patience and wisdom to be faithful to Jesus and to follow and worship Jesus alone.
Part 1: The Beast Out Of The Sea (1-10)
We all know that there are not literally beasts like this alive in the world. We will not find fossils of such creatures. They are obviously symbols with symbolic meaning. Let explore their meaning together. The first beast makes his grand appearance in verse 1. Let’s read this verse all together. “And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.” Who is this beast? This verse gives us a few clues. First, the beast came out of the sea. The people in Asia Minor thought that whatever came 'from the sea' was foreign and whatever came from the land as native. They associated things that were evil with the sea and used the sea as a figure for the abyss. The early Christians thought that the first beast was Rome, whose governors and soldiers came by sea to early Christian centers, like Ephesus. Roman ships literally seemed to be “rise up” out of the sea as they appeared on the horizon. (Constable’s notes) Nowadays, “the sea” may mean something different. We have all heard the expression, “the sea of humanity.” In that case the sea may be symbolic of humanity with undulating waves of political and social life from which comes various kinds of social movements, some of which are very much threatening to Christians.
What does this beast look like? Let’s look at verse 1b again. “…He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.” In the Bible horns are a symbol of strength. The ten crowns are symbols of governmental authority. The fact that the crowns are resting on the horns and not on the head of the beast, could mean that the authority of this beast rests on the use of force. This beast symbolizes worldly government that maintains its power through force and is opposed to Christianity. The blasphemous names reflect the beast's opposition to God. Maybe the names were “secular humanism”, “atheism”, “communism” and various others philosophies or religions that set themselves up against Jesus and his people.
John goes on to further describe the beast from the sea. Let’s read verse 2, “The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” We see that the image of the beast was comprised of three animals, a leopard, a bear and a lion. In Daniel, these animals are used to describe kingdoms. Listen to Daniel 7:4-6, “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it. 5 ‘And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, 'Get up and eat your fill of flesh!' 6 ‘After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.’” These are kingdoms that previously ruled the world, Greece (Dan. 7:6), Medo- Persia (Dan. 7:5), and Babylon (Dan.7:4). The fourth kingdom that Daniel described (Dan.7:23) includes the Antichrist's kingdom.
The beast was initially identified with Rome, because the Roman Empire, in its early days, encouraged a godless life-style, persecuted Christians, and opposed God. Many other individual powers throughout history have also been anti-Christ. The beast and the kingdom he represents may also possessed qualities of three animals, perhaps swiftness, agility, vigilance, craftiness, and fierceness; brutality; strength and majesty. If that is the case then this upcoming kingdom that John is envisioning will be more powerful than any kingdom that this world has every seen.
There is a close affinity between the dragon and this beast. Look at verse 2b, “…The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” The beast is actually under Satan’s power and control. The beast will share the dragon's hatred towards God and the angels for having cast the dragon out of heaven and will work together against him.
This beast will show a lot of resilience that will deceive the world. Look at verse 3, “One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.” This seems to imply that one of the governmental bodies under Satan's authority perished, but then miraculously revived. Another possibility is that the beast himself died and then experienced resurrection The Antichrist's ability to revive this entity will make him appear invincible and the nations will stand in awe. Look at the result in verse 4, “Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, ‘Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?’" There will be worldwide admiration for the beast. Many people will follow and worship him. He will unite the world under his leadership (13:7,8), and he will even control the world economy (13:16, 17). True believers however will know that he should not be followed. They will know because Jesus, our good shepherd, has warned us in this Holy Word, the Bible. Listen to what Jesus says tells his disciples in Matthew 24:23-26, “23At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time. 26"So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it.” But those who do not know Jesus will give their allegiance and their worship to the Antichrist. In so doing they will also unknowingly submit to Satan who is behind him.
We must never be misled by claims of great miracles or reports about a resurrection or reincarnation of someone claiming to be Christ. We must not be amazed by the resurrection of political entities either. When Jesus returns, he will reveal himself to everyone. It will be very obvious. Listen to Matthew 24:27-28, “just as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.” Never be deceived by false sounding Christs but remain true to Jesus alone.
The beast used its power and authority to oppose God. Let’s read verse 5, “The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months.” Paul reveals more about his activities in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 which read, “Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” He will blaspheme God. It is not easy to endure this. Whenever we hear someone use the name of our Savior as a swear word our hearts cringe. Whenever we hear someone putting down the Bible, Jesus and Christians, we get angry. Can you imagine the inner sufferings that Christians had to endure?
This beast will not stop until he achieves world wide domination. Let’s read verse 7, “He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.” The beast will conquer the world’s people and rule over them. He will become a worldwide dictator (Dan. 7:21, 23). He will demand that everyone worship him. And many will. Look at verse 8, ““All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” Everyone will be deceived except true believers. Refusal to worship the beast will result in temporary suffering for God’s people, but they will be protected spiritually and be rewarded with eternal life in the end. We must always remember that as long as we are in Jesus we are indeed secure. Nothing can ever separate us from the love of Jesus.
Verses 9-10 reveals what some of the persecutions believers will experience. Let’s read these verses together. “He who has an ear, let him hear. 10If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” At this time, being faithful to Christ could bring imprisonment and even execution. Some believers will be hurt or killed. These verses are an encouragement for believers to submit to the sovereignty of God realizing that God has permitted the Antichrist's activity but that they are secure in Christ. It also assures them of the coming of divine justice and urges them to persevere faithfully. All believers will enter God’s presence perfected and purified by the blood of the Lamb (1:9-17).
During these times of great persecution all believers must practice patient endurance and faithfulness. This even goes for today’s believers like you and me, suffering in today’s world. The tough times we face right now are all opportunities to practice patience and faithfulness. Don’t fall into Satan’s trap and turn away from God when hard times come but rather be patient and endure and grow through them. Grow through the demands of school. Grow through financial demands. Grow through relational problems. Grow through the constant barrage of temptations. Grow when you are overcoming your sinful nature. Grow when God stretches you to reflect the image of Christ. In times of hardship and trials we need to always look to Jesus. (Heb 12:1-3)
Part ll: The Beast Out Of The Earth (11-18)
And now, what about the second beast? Let’s read verses 11-14a, “Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. 14Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth….” In the minds of the ancient peoples’, none of the animals of the earth could compare in power with creatures from the deep. The beast coming out of the earth was inferior in power to the first. (Constable’s notes) This beast had two horns. It may have some political power but it was different. This beast looks like the Lamb. Later on he is identified as the false prophet (16:13; 19:20). He represents false religion.
We can see the role of this beast in verse 12, “He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.” Clearly this second beast is a servant of the dragon, but his connections with the dragon are not as obvious as those of the first beast. He forms a coalition the first beast. He deceives people. Let’s read verses 13; “And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men.” He deceives by performing many counterfeit signs that appear to be from God but are not. He will fool people by revealing the pseudo resurrection of the first beast. These will be genuine signs and wonders, not just tricks. Like Elijah and the two witnesses in chapter 11, he will even be able to call down fire from heaven. Throughout the Bible we see miracles performed as proofs of God’s power, love and authority. But here we see counterfeit miracles performed to deceive. Believers must be very vigilant in order to not be deceived.
The second beast will use false religion to capture peoples’ heart and make them devoted to the first beast and the dragon. Let’s read verse 14, “Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.” He will lead the worship of the first beast as the leader of a worldwide religious movement. We see this kid of worship in North Korea. They have statues of the original leader and he is venerated. He is founder of a type of human philosophy called Juche. And so we see how it can happen even today. Verse 15, “He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.” The image will be able to speak. Maybe it will be a type of robot? The folks at Disney Studios can probably come up with such a statue. It will put to death those who do not worship the beast (cf. Dan. 3:11), possibly by issuing commands for executions. Evidently these events will all take place in Jerusalem. Paul warns the early Christians of this type of activity in his second letter to the Christians in Thessalonica. He writes in 2Thessalonians 2:9- 10, “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.”
Extreme pressure will be placed on the people of God to deny Jesus. Let’s read verses 16-18, “.He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.” The mark of the beast is evidently a brand-like mark, similar to a tattoo, or an implant, that will identify beast-worshippers and will enable them to buy and sell. There is some connection with ancient customs. Slave owners sometimes branded their slaves with their mark. Those bearing the mark of the beast show that they are the beast’s followers. Roman soldiers branded themselves with the mark of their general if they were loyal to him. Those devoted to the beast will take his mark. The same Greek word translated "mark" (charagma) also described the seal attached to legal documents that bore the name of the emperor and the date. When a person burned a pinch of incense to worship Caesar, he received a certificate. This kept him from death and enabled him to buy and sell. The mark of the beast appears to be such a certificate of worship that a person may obtain by showing their public veneration of the Antichrist.
It is hard to believe that people could be so deceived by such a diabolical and evil creature, but they are. They are mainly because they are offered something or they are deceived by fantastic things or false miracles. Why was the nation of Germany overcome by the Nazis and led the world into WWll? One of the reasons is that Germany was going through a depression and they were humiliated by the terms of surrender after WWl. The population wanted a change and a scapegoat and the Nazis offered all of it. Today we are suffering a lot. There is 15% unemployment. People are loosing their homes to foreclosure. 50 million Americans are living in poverty. (2010) We want a change. We want answers. We want a scapegoat. It is easy for someone to stand up and offer solutions and to hand out a few morsels of money and win hearts. In the future, the antichrist will capture hearts around the world in much the same way as the Nazis took over Germany in the 1930’s but in a more supernatural way.
Accepting this mark is identifying with the purpose of this mark. Those who accept it show their allegiance to Satan, their willingness to operate within the economic system that he promotes, and their rebellion against God. The choice of right hand or forehead is to make the mark conspicuous or so that it can be easily scanned, like a bar code. To refuse the mark means to commit oneself entirely to God, preferring death to compromising one’s faith in Christ. Many believers will not take the mark of the beast. Perhaps they will be able to survive by pooling their resources and by obtaining the necessities of life in underground markets. God may also provide for them by supernatural means, like he did when he fed Elijah in the desert with ravens.
What about the number 666? Let’s read verse 18, “This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.” Here is an interesting bit of trivia. The Greek letters of Nero’s name represent numbers that total 666. The first readers of this book probably applied the number to the Emperor Nero, who symbolized all the evils of the Roman Empire. A simple interpretation may be as follows. The number seven frequently occurs in Scripture. The Israelites understood seven to represent a completed work of God. The number 777 would indicate something divine. However "666" would appear almost like “777”. Each digit is one short of seven, the perfect number. It is a very subtle deception. Deception is the devil’s evil tool to capture hearts. Whatever specific application the number is given, the number symbolizes the worldwide dominion and complete evil designed to undo Christ’s work and overthrow him.
Matthew 24:24-25 reads, “24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.” Jesus says that the times will come when even Christians will be deceived. Sure it is true that Christians must always support what is good and healthy about our society. Sometime we want to compromise with things to get ahead.. But there will be a time when we can no longer co-operate. Some will be deceived. Some will give in out of fear. Some will take their stand even when it means suffering, even giving up their lives. Jesus tells his disciples ahead of time so that that they can prepare their hearts for what is coming. How can we prepare our hearts right now? Look at verse 9-10 again, “He who has an ear, let him hear. 10If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed[c] with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” We need an ear to listen to the word of God. That means take time out and make an effort to hear the word of God and let the word of God settle in your hearts. We need to live under the sovereignty of God. And we must live out our lives of faith with patient endurance, never giving up, like a long distance runner. Then our hearts can be protected from the devil’s deception.
Surely there will be a time of great persecution and martyrdom for believers. Rather than getting better and better, the world will get worse before Jesus Christ's Second Coming. As we see world events shaping up for this scenario, not despair or be fearful. This unholy trinity – the dragon, the beast out of the sea and the beast of the land –may unite in a desperate attempt to overthrow God, but their efforts are doomed to failure. See what becomes of them in 19:19-21 and 20:10. We should cling to Jesus. We need patient endurance and wisdom to be faithful to Jesus in a world dominated by the two beasts. We must have ears to hear the precious words of God daily.
Part 1: The Beast Out Of The Sea (1-10)
1. What did John see coming out of the sea? (1) Describe this creature in detail. What was written on its seven heads? (1) What did the dragon give this creature? (2) What does he represent? (Da7:4-6) What is the relationship between the dragon and this 1st beast?
2. What did John notice on one of his heads? (3) Why was the whole world in awe? (3) How is this creature a counterfeit of Christ? (3-4) Why will people follow and worship this strange creature? (4) How will we know the real Jesus? (Matt 24:23-28)
3. What did the dragon encourage the creature to do? (5) How will he establish world wide dominance? (6-7) Who will worship him? (8; 2 Thess 2:3-4)
4. What will time of persecution bring God’s people? (9-10) Why must we endure and be faithful? (10) Why are tough times opportunities for us to grow spiritually? (10)
Part 11: The Beast Out Of The Earth (11-18)
5. Where does the second strange creature come from? (11) What is the role of this beast? (12)
6. How is he the counterfeit of the Holy Spirit? (13-15; 2Th2:9,10) What is the purpose of his miracles? (14) Why does a statue want to be worshipped? How is a statue a counterfeit of God the Father? (15) How does he deify the first beast and indoctrinate the people? (16,17)
(The Dragon And The Two Beasts)
Revelation 13:1-18 Lesson 13
Key Verse: 13:10b Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 9-26-10
“…This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.”
In this passage introduces Satan’s (the dragon’s) two evil accomplices: (1) the beast out of the sea and the beast out of the earth. The beast of the sea represents worldly power. The second beast looks like the Lamb and represents false religion. He deceives people and puts his mark on everyone. Through a study of this passage may we recognize the identity and the evil activities of the two beasts. Why? So that we can take a firm stand on Jesus’ side and overcome. May we also resolve our hearts to have endurance and patience and wisdom to be faithful to Jesus and to follow and worship Jesus alone.
Part 1: The Beast Out Of The Sea (1-10)
We all know that there are not literally beasts like this alive in the world. We will not find fossils of such creatures. They are obviously symbols with symbolic meaning. Let explore their meaning together. The first beast makes his grand appearance in verse 1. Let’s read this verse all together. “And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.” Who is this beast? This verse gives us a few clues. First, the beast came out of the sea. The people in Asia Minor thought that whatever came 'from the sea' was foreign and whatever came from the land as native. They associated things that were evil with the sea and used the sea as a figure for the abyss. The early Christians thought that the first beast was Rome, whose governors and soldiers came by sea to early Christian centers, like Ephesus. Roman ships literally seemed to be “rise up” out of the sea as they appeared on the horizon. (Constable’s notes) Nowadays, “the sea” may mean something different. We have all heard the expression, “the sea of humanity.” In that case the sea may be symbolic of humanity with undulating waves of political and social life from which comes various kinds of social movements, some of which are very much threatening to Christians.
What does this beast look like? Let’s look at verse 1b again. “…He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.” In the Bible horns are a symbol of strength. The ten crowns are symbols of governmental authority. The fact that the crowns are resting on the horns and not on the head of the beast, could mean that the authority of this beast rests on the use of force. This beast symbolizes worldly government that maintains its power through force and is opposed to Christianity. The blasphemous names reflect the beast's opposition to God. Maybe the names were “secular humanism”, “atheism”, “communism” and various others philosophies or religions that set themselves up against Jesus and his people.
John goes on to further describe the beast from the sea. Let’s read verse 2, “The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” We see that the image of the beast was comprised of three animals, a leopard, a bear and a lion. In Daniel, these animals are used to describe kingdoms. Listen to Daniel 7:4-6, “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it. 5 ‘And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, 'Get up and eat your fill of flesh!' 6 ‘After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.’” These are kingdoms that previously ruled the world, Greece (Dan. 7:6), Medo- Persia (Dan. 7:5), and Babylon (Dan.7:4). The fourth kingdom that Daniel described (Dan.7:23) includes the Antichrist's kingdom.
The beast was initially identified with Rome, because the Roman Empire, in its early days, encouraged a godless life-style, persecuted Christians, and opposed God. Many other individual powers throughout history have also been anti-Christ. The beast and the kingdom he represents may also possessed qualities of three animals, perhaps swiftness, agility, vigilance, craftiness, and fierceness; brutality; strength and majesty. If that is the case then this upcoming kingdom that John is envisioning will be more powerful than any kingdom that this world has every seen.
There is a close affinity between the dragon and this beast. Look at verse 2b, “…The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” The beast is actually under Satan’s power and control. The beast will share the dragon's hatred towards God and the angels for having cast the dragon out of heaven and will work together against him.
This beast will show a lot of resilience that will deceive the world. Look at verse 3, “One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.” This seems to imply that one of the governmental bodies under Satan's authority perished, but then miraculously revived. Another possibility is that the beast himself died and then experienced resurrection The Antichrist's ability to revive this entity will make him appear invincible and the nations will stand in awe. Look at the result in verse 4, “Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, ‘Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?’" There will be worldwide admiration for the beast. Many people will follow and worship him. He will unite the world under his leadership (13:7,8), and he will even control the world economy (13:16, 17). True believers however will know that he should not be followed. They will know because Jesus, our good shepherd, has warned us in this Holy Word, the Bible. Listen to what Jesus says tells his disciples in Matthew 24:23-26, “23At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time. 26"So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it.” But those who do not know Jesus will give their allegiance and their worship to the Antichrist. In so doing they will also unknowingly submit to Satan who is behind him.
We must never be misled by claims of great miracles or reports about a resurrection or reincarnation of someone claiming to be Christ. We must not be amazed by the resurrection of political entities either. When Jesus returns, he will reveal himself to everyone. It will be very obvious. Listen to Matthew 24:27-28, “just as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.” Never be deceived by false sounding Christs but remain true to Jesus alone.
The beast used its power and authority to oppose God. Let’s read verse 5, “The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months.” Paul reveals more about his activities in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 which read, “Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” He will blaspheme God. It is not easy to endure this. Whenever we hear someone use the name of our Savior as a swear word our hearts cringe. Whenever we hear someone putting down the Bible, Jesus and Christians, we get angry. Can you imagine the inner sufferings that Christians had to endure?
This beast will not stop until he achieves world wide domination. Let’s read verse 7, “He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.” The beast will conquer the world’s people and rule over them. He will become a worldwide dictator (Dan. 7:21, 23). He will demand that everyone worship him. And many will. Look at verse 8, ““All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” Everyone will be deceived except true believers. Refusal to worship the beast will result in temporary suffering for God’s people, but they will be protected spiritually and be rewarded with eternal life in the end. We must always remember that as long as we are in Jesus we are indeed secure. Nothing can ever separate us from the love of Jesus.
Verses 9-10 reveals what some of the persecutions believers will experience. Let’s read these verses together. “He who has an ear, let him hear. 10If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” At this time, being faithful to Christ could bring imprisonment and even execution. Some believers will be hurt or killed. These verses are an encouragement for believers to submit to the sovereignty of God realizing that God has permitted the Antichrist's activity but that they are secure in Christ. It also assures them of the coming of divine justice and urges them to persevere faithfully. All believers will enter God’s presence perfected and purified by the blood of the Lamb (1:9-17).
During these times of great persecution all believers must practice patient endurance and faithfulness. This even goes for today’s believers like you and me, suffering in today’s world. The tough times we face right now are all opportunities to practice patience and faithfulness. Don’t fall into Satan’s trap and turn away from God when hard times come but rather be patient and endure and grow through them. Grow through the demands of school. Grow through financial demands. Grow through relational problems. Grow through the constant barrage of temptations. Grow when you are overcoming your sinful nature. Grow when God stretches you to reflect the image of Christ. In times of hardship and trials we need to always look to Jesus. (Heb 12:1-3)
Part ll: The Beast Out Of The Earth (11-18)
And now, what about the second beast? Let’s read verses 11-14a, “Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. 14Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth….” In the minds of the ancient peoples’, none of the animals of the earth could compare in power with creatures from the deep. The beast coming out of the earth was inferior in power to the first. (Constable’s notes) This beast had two horns. It may have some political power but it was different. This beast looks like the Lamb. Later on he is identified as the false prophet (16:13; 19:20). He represents false religion.
We can see the role of this beast in verse 12, “He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.” Clearly this second beast is a servant of the dragon, but his connections with the dragon are not as obvious as those of the first beast. He forms a coalition the first beast. He deceives people. Let’s read verses 13; “And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men.” He deceives by performing many counterfeit signs that appear to be from God but are not. He will fool people by revealing the pseudo resurrection of the first beast. These will be genuine signs and wonders, not just tricks. Like Elijah and the two witnesses in chapter 11, he will even be able to call down fire from heaven. Throughout the Bible we see miracles performed as proofs of God’s power, love and authority. But here we see counterfeit miracles performed to deceive. Believers must be very vigilant in order to not be deceived.
The second beast will use false religion to capture peoples’ heart and make them devoted to the first beast and the dragon. Let’s read verse 14, “Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.” He will lead the worship of the first beast as the leader of a worldwide religious movement. We see this kid of worship in North Korea. They have statues of the original leader and he is venerated. He is founder of a type of human philosophy called Juche. And so we see how it can happen even today. Verse 15, “He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.” The image will be able to speak. Maybe it will be a type of robot? The folks at Disney Studios can probably come up with such a statue. It will put to death those who do not worship the beast (cf. Dan. 3:11), possibly by issuing commands for executions. Evidently these events will all take place in Jerusalem. Paul warns the early Christians of this type of activity in his second letter to the Christians in Thessalonica. He writes in 2Thessalonians 2:9- 10, “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.”
Extreme pressure will be placed on the people of God to deny Jesus. Let’s read verses 16-18, “.He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.” The mark of the beast is evidently a brand-like mark, similar to a tattoo, or an implant, that will identify beast-worshippers and will enable them to buy and sell. There is some connection with ancient customs. Slave owners sometimes branded their slaves with their mark. Those bearing the mark of the beast show that they are the beast’s followers. Roman soldiers branded themselves with the mark of their general if they were loyal to him. Those devoted to the beast will take his mark. The same Greek word translated "mark" (charagma) also described the seal attached to legal documents that bore the name of the emperor and the date. When a person burned a pinch of incense to worship Caesar, he received a certificate. This kept him from death and enabled him to buy and sell. The mark of the beast appears to be such a certificate of worship that a person may obtain by showing their public veneration of the Antichrist.
It is hard to believe that people could be so deceived by such a diabolical and evil creature, but they are. They are mainly because they are offered something or they are deceived by fantastic things or false miracles. Why was the nation of Germany overcome by the Nazis and led the world into WWll? One of the reasons is that Germany was going through a depression and they were humiliated by the terms of surrender after WWl. The population wanted a change and a scapegoat and the Nazis offered all of it. Today we are suffering a lot. There is 15% unemployment. People are loosing their homes to foreclosure. 50 million Americans are living in poverty. (2010) We want a change. We want answers. We want a scapegoat. It is easy for someone to stand up and offer solutions and to hand out a few morsels of money and win hearts. In the future, the antichrist will capture hearts around the world in much the same way as the Nazis took over Germany in the 1930’s but in a more supernatural way.
Accepting this mark is identifying with the purpose of this mark. Those who accept it show their allegiance to Satan, their willingness to operate within the economic system that he promotes, and their rebellion against God. The choice of right hand or forehead is to make the mark conspicuous or so that it can be easily scanned, like a bar code. To refuse the mark means to commit oneself entirely to God, preferring death to compromising one’s faith in Christ. Many believers will not take the mark of the beast. Perhaps they will be able to survive by pooling their resources and by obtaining the necessities of life in underground markets. God may also provide for them by supernatural means, like he did when he fed Elijah in the desert with ravens.
What about the number 666? Let’s read verse 18, “This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.” Here is an interesting bit of trivia. The Greek letters of Nero’s name represent numbers that total 666. The first readers of this book probably applied the number to the Emperor Nero, who symbolized all the evils of the Roman Empire. A simple interpretation may be as follows. The number seven frequently occurs in Scripture. The Israelites understood seven to represent a completed work of God. The number 777 would indicate something divine. However "666" would appear almost like “777”. Each digit is one short of seven, the perfect number. It is a very subtle deception. Deception is the devil’s evil tool to capture hearts. Whatever specific application the number is given, the number symbolizes the worldwide dominion and complete evil designed to undo Christ’s work and overthrow him.
Matthew 24:24-25 reads, “24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.” Jesus says that the times will come when even Christians will be deceived. Sure it is true that Christians must always support what is good and healthy about our society. Sometime we want to compromise with things to get ahead.. But there will be a time when we can no longer co-operate. Some will be deceived. Some will give in out of fear. Some will take their stand even when it means suffering, even giving up their lives. Jesus tells his disciples ahead of time so that that they can prepare their hearts for what is coming. How can we prepare our hearts right now? Look at verse 9-10 again, “He who has an ear, let him hear. 10If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed[c] with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” We need an ear to listen to the word of God. That means take time out and make an effort to hear the word of God and let the word of God settle in your hearts. We need to live under the sovereignty of God. And we must live out our lives of faith with patient endurance, never giving up, like a long distance runner. Then our hearts can be protected from the devil’s deception.
Surely there will be a time of great persecution and martyrdom for believers. Rather than getting better and better, the world will get worse before Jesus Christ's Second Coming. As we see world events shaping up for this scenario, not despair or be fearful. This unholy trinity – the dragon, the beast out of the sea and the beast of the land –may unite in a desperate attempt to overthrow God, but their efforts are doomed to failure. See what becomes of them in 19:19-21 and 20:10. We should cling to Jesus. We need patient endurance and wisdom to be faithful to Jesus in a world dominated by the two beasts. We must have ears to hear the precious words of God daily.
Part 1: The Beast Out Of The Sea (1-10)
1. What did John see coming out of the sea? (1) Describe this creature in detail. What was written on its seven heads? (1) What did the dragon give this creature? (2) What does he represent? (Da7:4-6) What is the relationship between the dragon and this 1st beast?
2. What did John notice on one of his heads? (3) Why was the whole world in awe? (3) How is this creature a counterfeit of Christ? (3-4) Why will people follow and worship this strange creature? (4) How will we know the real Jesus? (Matt 24:23-28)
3. What did the dragon encourage the creature to do? (5) How will he establish world wide dominance? (6-7) Who will worship him? (8; 2 Thess 2:3-4)
4. What will time of persecution bring God’s people? (9-10) Why must we endure and be faithful? (10) Why are tough times opportunities for us to grow spiritually? (10)
Part 11: The Beast Out Of The Earth (11-18)
5. Where does the second strange creature come from? (11) What is the role of this beast? (12)
6. How is he the counterfeit of the Holy Spirit? (13-15; 2Th2:9,10) What is the purpose of his miracles? (14) Why does a statue want to be worshipped? How is a statue a counterfeit of God the Father? (15) How does he deify the first beast and indoctrinate the people? (16,17)
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Revelations 12:1-17
The Dragon And The Male Child
Revelation 12:1-17 Lesson 13
Key verse 12:5 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 9-19-10
“She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.”
This passage is quite involved and volumes of books have been written about these 17 verses. In my own Bible note preparation, I came up with 16 pages of notes and I just had to draw the line somewhere. Last week, I decided to split this message into two parts. We focused mostly on the victorious song of the believers in verses 10-12. The message was called, “Victory Through The Blood Of The Lamb.” The key verse was verse 11, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” We learned that the believers were victorious for three reasons, the blood of Jesus, the testimony of their witness and their decision to offer up their lives without reservation. From the text we derived ways that we could live as victorious Christians in today’s world.
This time around we are going to take a closer look at the three main actors in this passage. They are the dragon, the woman and the child. This chapter describes the eternal conflict between God and the devil and the church and the devil. It is good to know who the devil is so that we can recognize our enemy and be able to make the necessary defensive and offense actions to thwart his dastardly plans. We will also see how God protects his people and keeps them safe spiritually even unto eternal life. God is with you all and he is keeping you safe in so many ways. We need to know that and dwell in the shelter of his wings. May God bless you abundantly.
Part l: The Woman Gives Birth To A Son (1-6)
First, the woman. Let’s read verses 1-3, “A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.” And also verse 5, “5She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.” There are many different ideas about this woman. Some say it is Eve, based on Genesis 3:15, which reads, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Some say it is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Some say the woman is the body of believers, the church and also the nation of Israel. I believe the identity of the woman is found in verse 2. Let’s look at that verse again. “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” The first reference to the sun, moon and stars are first found in Genesis with Joseph. He had a dream in which the sun, moon and the eleven stars were bowing down to him. (Gen 39:7) The sun corresponds to Jacob, the moon to Rachel, and the twelve stars to Israel's twelve sons. Thus the sun, moon, and stars, became an ancient symbol of the nation of Israel.
In this passage the nation of Israel gave birth to a male child. It is quiet obvious that the male child is Jesus, our Messiah and the Savior of the world. Jesus came from the house and line of Judah. He came from the Jews. He was prophesied about, in over 300 places in the Old Testament, the Jewish Scripture.
The woman was crying out in pain as she was giving birth to this child. As we know child birth is very painful. Some know about this more than others. Julie went through it five times. She is a great woman. The nation of Israel did suffer greatly to bring forth the Messiah. To remain as a people of God they endured invasions and civil war, exiles and the constant pressure to give up their faith and be engulfed by other cultures and other religions. The Jewish prophets suffered immeasurably to bring us the prophecies concerning Jesus and maintain the Scriptures. Isaiah the prophet was sawed in two. But God used him to bring us one of the most vivid prophecies about Jesus, Isaiah 53. You should all read that chapter slowly and prayerfully on your own. At the time of Jesus’ birth, the nation of Israel was crying out in pain. They had been under Roman occupation for 40 years. They were poor and oppressed. They were torn politically with constant squabbles between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. They had not heard the word of God through the prophets for 400 years. The people were groping in the darkness. But God was creating the perfect scenario for the Savior to be born. And the time came for Jesus to be born as a tiny baby in the manger. Jesus’ earthly ministry also caused much turmoil among the Jews. At the time of Jesus’ crucifixion the people were on the verge of rioting and the Romans were poised to snuff out the unrest. There was a lot of pain in bringing Jesus into the world as our Savior.
The woman can also be the church itself. Paul says in the book of Romans that not all of Israel is Israel. Listen to what he says in Romans 9:6b-7a, “…For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children…” He goes on to tell us that those who walk in the faith of Abraham are the true Israel. If we think this way then we can think of the woman representing the body of believers who ever walked by faith. They did suffer a lot also to see the Messiah Jesus born in the world.
Mary brings this all together in a spiritual amalgam. She was a devout Jew. She was also a sincere believer. She suffered a lot to bring Jesus into this world. She was 16 years old. She conceived out of wedlock. She was willing to endure the scorn and the derision of her family, community and even her fiancée, Joseph. But what did she say about her mission to be the mother of the Messiah? “I am the Lord’s servant…May it be to me as you have said.” (Lk 1:38) The birth itself was painful. She had to ride to Bethlehem on a donkey, in full bloom. She never had a nice hospital birthing suite. There was no room for her in the Inn and she had to give birth in a stable. Her cries pierced the still night air. But through all that suffering and pain she became the mother of Jesus. And so, in this way Mary served as a living symbol of the woman in this chapter of Revelation.
The whole purpose of the church is to bring Jesus into the world and it suffers so much to do so. In fact for the first 300 years of Church history the church underwent great persecutions. Thousands of believers were martyred laying down their lives in humble service, so that Jesus may be born in the hearts of those who did not know their Savior. Even today the church, the true Israel, is under much pain and travail. In some parts of the word people are getting martyred but not so much in America. In America Christians are being ignored to death. There is a lot of psychological suffering and the pressure of everyday life that causes much pain in our attempt to see Jesus born in the hearts of our young people.
But despite of the hardships, what do we know about birth pains? For those who don’t know, the pains of child birth go away when the mother sees and holds her newborn child. Her heart is full of love and joy. The pains are forgotten. Who can testify to this? Though it takes a lot of pain and sacrifice to see Jesus born in one person’s heart, it is all worth it when you see that person coming to Jesus and even accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. All the sacrifices in the past don’t even come to mind. And so what do you think? Who is the woman? Israel? The church? Mary? You are all right!
Part ll: The Dragon (3, 4, 7-10)
The dragon is clearly the devil. The devil is not a symbol or a legend. He is very real. The Bible contains a lot of material on the devil. We will not get into all the material, but we will stay focused on this passage. Let’s start in verse 3, “Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.” This dragon is red. What could red represent? It could be blood. This serpent is indeed responsible for the shedding of much blood and taking of many lives. I also have seen people’s faces turn red because they are so furious. The serpent is furious, furious at God and furious at God’s children. The devil has ten heads, meaning that he is full of wisdom, worldly wisdom. He also has ten horns. In the Bible horn means strength. The ten horns could simply be symbolic of the dragon's mighty strength.
The dragon has great influence. Look at verse 4, “His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born.” His tail swept a third of the stars from sky. In the past Satan used to freely approach the throne of God and accuse people before God, like he did to Job. The Bible says that he was a beautiful angel. But he became proud and wanted to take the place of God. (Ez 28:11-19) His rebellious heart made him get others to follow. There was a civil war in heaven. Look at verses 7-9, “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” A look at Ezekiel 28:15-17 will explained further, “15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.” This is a prophecy about the king of Tyre, but many Biblical scholars also feel that it is reference to the devil himself. Satan was flung to the earth and he took 1/3 of the angels with him and now his is steaming mad, so mad that his face turned red. (lol) He really wants to get back at God, but he knows that he can’t and that his time is short and so he gets at the ones whom God loves…God’s children…you and I. He leads the whole world astray so as to keep us from our God and from eternal life. How does he lead the whole world astray? He does it through deceptive philosophies, lies, through human wisdom, half truths, false religion and other deceptions and various temptations. If we are following our own emotions and feelings and reasonable sounding philosophies of life, or what other people are telling us, then guess what? We are being led astray. We need to come to Jesus, the shepherd of our souls and be led by him. John 14:6 is a verse we can hold onto: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” You can trust Jesus to show you the way.
What else does this passage say about the devil? Verse 6 reads, “The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.” The devil pursed this woman in hopes to kill her child. Satan is relentless. The Bible says, “…enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”(1 Peter 5:8) He actively looks for people to attack (1 Pe 5:8-9). Satan likes to pursue believers who are vulnerable in their faith, who are spiritually weak, or who are isolated from other believers. He hounds and pursues and does not let up. In life, we have wave after wave of temptations pounding against our life boat. If we are not in Christ, each wave causes us to get weaker, we become fearful. We despair. We get sorrowful and bitter and we just want to give up life and even our spiritual life. We need to recognize what is happening. Our enemy the devil is pursing us as he is pursing the woman in this passage. He will not give up until we are eternally separated from God. But this passage tells us how to overcome through lasts week’s message. Do you remember? Let’s read verse 11, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” There is also a clue nestled within 1 Peter 5: 9, says, “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” Though the devil may nip at our heels and hound us, Jesus is with us. God provides a place of shelter and protection for us. He has won the victory and we are more than conquers through him who loved us. (Rom 8:37)
Have you heard enough of the devil? Yes of course…but there is some more in this passage. Let’s read verse 10,“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.’” Satan is the great accuser. The name “Satan” means “accuser” He engages in psychological warfare accusing the believers night and day. “You are not a Christian? How could God love you? You sin too much.? You have failed God. You will never bear fruit with your life.” That is how he tears you down and renders you powerless. But praise be to God, that though the devil tries his best to accuse us, Jesus tries his best to plant faith and God’s love into our hearts. Think about the famous verse, John 1:12, “12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” God loves you unconditionally. When you repented of your sins and came to Jesus by faith you are a child of God, with a rich inheritance in the kingdom of God. This is absolutely true. Though we may stumble and fall we are still God’s child. No one can take these facts away from us. Never let the Accuser get the better of you.
We need to really know who are enemy is. Eph 6:11-12 reads, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” It is a spiritual battle that we can not win on our own. We need Jesus’ help. We must remember that Christ is victorious. Even though God permits the devil to do his work in this world, God is still in control. Jesus defeated the power of the devil when he died and rose again for the sins of mankind. One day Satan will be bound forever, never again to do his evil work again.
Part lll: The Child (4b-5,
Now here comes the most important part of the passage, the child. Look at verses 4b-5, “…The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. 5She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.” This child is Jesus. We all have seen nice nativity scenes and saw a young couple holding a newborn baby in their arms with angels and shepherds and cute animals smiling around the baby. But was this the entire picture? I don’t think so. Also in this picture is the devil waiting to devour the child. You are not going to put that reality in any nativity scene but if you are going to be Biblically correct maybe you should. Satan desperately did not want the Savior of the world to be born. He tried his best to confuse the Jews as to true identity of the Messiah and how he would come into the world. When Jesus did come he worked in Herod’s heart to try to kill the newborn Jesus. Do you remember? Herod ordered all the boys born in Bethlehem who were two years old and younger to be killed. (Matt 2:16) God protected Jesus. He sent them to the desert of Egypt until Herod died. Satan tried to destroy Jesus all the way to the cross. But he could not. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the devil tried to pursue the church, through endless persecution but God always protected his people by sending them into “the desert.” Look it up and you will find that it is true. The desert represents a place of spiritual fortification from Satan. Just as God aided the woman’s escape into the desert, we can be sure that God offers security to all true believers. Satan always attacks God’s people, but God keeps them spiritually secure. Some will experience physical harm, but all will be protected from spiritual harm. Trust God.
Why did the devil hate this child so much? Look at Verse 5, “She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.” Though the devil tried his best to stop Jesus but he could not. God protected Jesus and through his suffering, death and resurrection he was exalted by God to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. (Phi 2:9) Jesus became King of kings and Lord of Lords who is the ruler of all nations. Is your ruler?
Though Jesus was crowned king though his death and resurrection, the devil does not stop his relentless pursuit. Let’s read verse 13-17, “When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. 15Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” Paul tells us that we are in a spiritual battle. (Eph 6:10-12) John says that the war is still being waged. But the outcome is has already been determined. Satan and his followers have been defeated and will be destroyed. Nevertheless Satan is battling everyday to bring more into his ranks and keep his own from defecting to God’s side. It is a loosing battle. God has guaranteed us victory as we stand on Jesus’ side, by faith. God will not lose the war. He will even use the forces of nature to aid us in our battle. Continue to obey Jesus’ commands from the Bible and continue to hold onto the testimony about Jesus as you share it with the world. When you do Satan’s kingdom will crumble and you can get others to defect to Jesus’ side. Never, ever waver in your commitment to Christ.
In this passage we learned that we must never think that our present trials and sufferings are unusual. They are simply birth pains as Jesus is being born newly in your hearts and lives. Sure it may be painful, but you will forget the pain as you enter into a new relationship with your Savior. All the sufferings that you are enduring to help someone else meet Jesus will be worth it all when Jesus is born in their hearts too. We also learned that we are in a spiritual battle and we have a spiritual enemy, the devil. We can overcome him with the blood of the Lamb, the testimony of our witness and not shrinking from death. Resist the devil and he will surely flee. Finally we learned that Jesus is the ruler of all nations. May he be the ruler of your hearts today. God bless.
Part l: The Woman Gives Birth To A Son (1-6)
1. The two great signs appeared in heaven that expose the main actors in this cosmic struggle. Who are they? Who do the woman and the child represent? (1,5, 17,Gen 37:9; Lk 1:26-33; Gen 3:15) What is God’s relationship with the nation of Israel? (Rom 9:4)
2. Who is the devil? (12:10; Jn 8:44; Gen 3:1; 1 Peter 5:8-9) How did the dragon attempt to devour the child? (4, Mt 2:13-20) What was the motivation behind Herod’s evil actions? (Eph 6:10-12) Is Satan real to you?
3. How did God save the woman and her child? (5,6) What was God’s plan for this child? But how has the son come to rule the nations? (5, Phil 2:9; Ps 2)
Part 11: War In Heaven (7-9)
4. How has the dragon lost the battle and been thrown out of heaven to the earth? (7-9,20:2, Job 1:9-11) Why was he denied access to heaven? (Ez 28:11-19)What can we learn from this?
Part lll: Overcome By The Blood Of The Lamb (10-17)
5. What has come to reality due to this victory? (10) How can we overcome the devil? (11)
6. How does the dragon attack the woman and her offspring? (15) Why? How does God protect them? (14,16, Ex 19:4) What does it symbolize by “a time, times and half a time” or 1,260 days? (6, 14, 11:3; Da 9:27,12:7)
Revelation 12:1-17 Lesson 13
Key verse 12:5 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 9-19-10
“She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.”
This passage is quite involved and volumes of books have been written about these 17 verses. In my own Bible note preparation, I came up with 16 pages of notes and I just had to draw the line somewhere. Last week, I decided to split this message into two parts. We focused mostly on the victorious song of the believers in verses 10-12. The message was called, “Victory Through The Blood Of The Lamb.” The key verse was verse 11, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” We learned that the believers were victorious for three reasons, the blood of Jesus, the testimony of their witness and their decision to offer up their lives without reservation. From the text we derived ways that we could live as victorious Christians in today’s world.
This time around we are going to take a closer look at the three main actors in this passage. They are the dragon, the woman and the child. This chapter describes the eternal conflict between God and the devil and the church and the devil. It is good to know who the devil is so that we can recognize our enemy and be able to make the necessary defensive and offense actions to thwart his dastardly plans. We will also see how God protects his people and keeps them safe spiritually even unto eternal life. God is with you all and he is keeping you safe in so many ways. We need to know that and dwell in the shelter of his wings. May God bless you abundantly.
Part l: The Woman Gives Birth To A Son (1-6)
First, the woman. Let’s read verses 1-3, “A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.” And also verse 5, “5She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.” There are many different ideas about this woman. Some say it is Eve, based on Genesis 3:15, which reads, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Some say it is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Some say the woman is the body of believers, the church and also the nation of Israel. I believe the identity of the woman is found in verse 2. Let’s look at that verse again. “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” The first reference to the sun, moon and stars are first found in Genesis with Joseph. He had a dream in which the sun, moon and the eleven stars were bowing down to him. (Gen 39:7) The sun corresponds to Jacob, the moon to Rachel, and the twelve stars to Israel's twelve sons. Thus the sun, moon, and stars, became an ancient symbol of the nation of Israel.
In this passage the nation of Israel gave birth to a male child. It is quiet obvious that the male child is Jesus, our Messiah and the Savior of the world. Jesus came from the house and line of Judah. He came from the Jews. He was prophesied about, in over 300 places in the Old Testament, the Jewish Scripture.
The woman was crying out in pain as she was giving birth to this child. As we know child birth is very painful. Some know about this more than others. Julie went through it five times. She is a great woman. The nation of Israel did suffer greatly to bring forth the Messiah. To remain as a people of God they endured invasions and civil war, exiles and the constant pressure to give up their faith and be engulfed by other cultures and other religions. The Jewish prophets suffered immeasurably to bring us the prophecies concerning Jesus and maintain the Scriptures. Isaiah the prophet was sawed in two. But God used him to bring us one of the most vivid prophecies about Jesus, Isaiah 53. You should all read that chapter slowly and prayerfully on your own. At the time of Jesus’ birth, the nation of Israel was crying out in pain. They had been under Roman occupation for 40 years. They were poor and oppressed. They were torn politically with constant squabbles between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. They had not heard the word of God through the prophets for 400 years. The people were groping in the darkness. But God was creating the perfect scenario for the Savior to be born. And the time came for Jesus to be born as a tiny baby in the manger. Jesus’ earthly ministry also caused much turmoil among the Jews. At the time of Jesus’ crucifixion the people were on the verge of rioting and the Romans were poised to snuff out the unrest. There was a lot of pain in bringing Jesus into the world as our Savior.
The woman can also be the church itself. Paul says in the book of Romans that not all of Israel is Israel. Listen to what he says in Romans 9:6b-7a, “…For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children…” He goes on to tell us that those who walk in the faith of Abraham are the true Israel. If we think this way then we can think of the woman representing the body of believers who ever walked by faith. They did suffer a lot also to see the Messiah Jesus born in the world.
Mary brings this all together in a spiritual amalgam. She was a devout Jew. She was also a sincere believer. She suffered a lot to bring Jesus into this world. She was 16 years old. She conceived out of wedlock. She was willing to endure the scorn and the derision of her family, community and even her fiancée, Joseph. But what did she say about her mission to be the mother of the Messiah? “I am the Lord’s servant…May it be to me as you have said.” (Lk 1:38) The birth itself was painful. She had to ride to Bethlehem on a donkey, in full bloom. She never had a nice hospital birthing suite. There was no room for her in the Inn and she had to give birth in a stable. Her cries pierced the still night air. But through all that suffering and pain she became the mother of Jesus. And so, in this way Mary served as a living symbol of the woman in this chapter of Revelation.
The whole purpose of the church is to bring Jesus into the world and it suffers so much to do so. In fact for the first 300 years of Church history the church underwent great persecutions. Thousands of believers were martyred laying down their lives in humble service, so that Jesus may be born in the hearts of those who did not know their Savior. Even today the church, the true Israel, is under much pain and travail. In some parts of the word people are getting martyred but not so much in America. In America Christians are being ignored to death. There is a lot of psychological suffering and the pressure of everyday life that causes much pain in our attempt to see Jesus born in the hearts of our young people.
But despite of the hardships, what do we know about birth pains? For those who don’t know, the pains of child birth go away when the mother sees and holds her newborn child. Her heart is full of love and joy. The pains are forgotten. Who can testify to this? Though it takes a lot of pain and sacrifice to see Jesus born in one person’s heart, it is all worth it when you see that person coming to Jesus and even accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. All the sacrifices in the past don’t even come to mind. And so what do you think? Who is the woman? Israel? The church? Mary? You are all right!
Part ll: The Dragon (3, 4, 7-10)
The dragon is clearly the devil. The devil is not a symbol or a legend. He is very real. The Bible contains a lot of material on the devil. We will not get into all the material, but we will stay focused on this passage. Let’s start in verse 3, “Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.” This dragon is red. What could red represent? It could be blood. This serpent is indeed responsible for the shedding of much blood and taking of many lives. I also have seen people’s faces turn red because they are so furious. The serpent is furious, furious at God and furious at God’s children. The devil has ten heads, meaning that he is full of wisdom, worldly wisdom. He also has ten horns. In the Bible horn means strength. The ten horns could simply be symbolic of the dragon's mighty strength.
The dragon has great influence. Look at verse 4, “His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born.” His tail swept a third of the stars from sky. In the past Satan used to freely approach the throne of God and accuse people before God, like he did to Job. The Bible says that he was a beautiful angel. But he became proud and wanted to take the place of God. (Ez 28:11-19) His rebellious heart made him get others to follow. There was a civil war in heaven. Look at verses 7-9, “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” A look at Ezekiel 28:15-17 will explained further, “15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.” This is a prophecy about the king of Tyre, but many Biblical scholars also feel that it is reference to the devil himself. Satan was flung to the earth and he took 1/3 of the angels with him and now his is steaming mad, so mad that his face turned red. (lol) He really wants to get back at God, but he knows that he can’t and that his time is short and so he gets at the ones whom God loves…God’s children…you and I. He leads the whole world astray so as to keep us from our God and from eternal life. How does he lead the whole world astray? He does it through deceptive philosophies, lies, through human wisdom, half truths, false religion and other deceptions and various temptations. If we are following our own emotions and feelings and reasonable sounding philosophies of life, or what other people are telling us, then guess what? We are being led astray. We need to come to Jesus, the shepherd of our souls and be led by him. John 14:6 is a verse we can hold onto: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” You can trust Jesus to show you the way.
What else does this passage say about the devil? Verse 6 reads, “The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.” The devil pursed this woman in hopes to kill her child. Satan is relentless. The Bible says, “…enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”(1 Peter 5:8) He actively looks for people to attack (1 Pe 5:8-9). Satan likes to pursue believers who are vulnerable in their faith, who are spiritually weak, or who are isolated from other believers. He hounds and pursues and does not let up. In life, we have wave after wave of temptations pounding against our life boat. If we are not in Christ, each wave causes us to get weaker, we become fearful. We despair. We get sorrowful and bitter and we just want to give up life and even our spiritual life. We need to recognize what is happening. Our enemy the devil is pursing us as he is pursing the woman in this passage. He will not give up until we are eternally separated from God. But this passage tells us how to overcome through lasts week’s message. Do you remember? Let’s read verse 11, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” There is also a clue nestled within 1 Peter 5: 9, says, “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” Though the devil may nip at our heels and hound us, Jesus is with us. God provides a place of shelter and protection for us. He has won the victory and we are more than conquers through him who loved us. (Rom 8:37)
Have you heard enough of the devil? Yes of course…but there is some more in this passage. Let’s read verse 10,“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.’” Satan is the great accuser. The name “Satan” means “accuser” He engages in psychological warfare accusing the believers night and day. “You are not a Christian? How could God love you? You sin too much.? You have failed God. You will never bear fruit with your life.” That is how he tears you down and renders you powerless. But praise be to God, that though the devil tries his best to accuse us, Jesus tries his best to plant faith and God’s love into our hearts. Think about the famous verse, John 1:12, “12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” God loves you unconditionally. When you repented of your sins and came to Jesus by faith you are a child of God, with a rich inheritance in the kingdom of God. This is absolutely true. Though we may stumble and fall we are still God’s child. No one can take these facts away from us. Never let the Accuser get the better of you.
We need to really know who are enemy is. Eph 6:11-12 reads, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” It is a spiritual battle that we can not win on our own. We need Jesus’ help. We must remember that Christ is victorious. Even though God permits the devil to do his work in this world, God is still in control. Jesus defeated the power of the devil when he died and rose again for the sins of mankind. One day Satan will be bound forever, never again to do his evil work again.
Part lll: The Child (4b-5,
Now here comes the most important part of the passage, the child. Look at verses 4b-5, “…The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. 5She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.” This child is Jesus. We all have seen nice nativity scenes and saw a young couple holding a newborn baby in their arms with angels and shepherds and cute animals smiling around the baby. But was this the entire picture? I don’t think so. Also in this picture is the devil waiting to devour the child. You are not going to put that reality in any nativity scene but if you are going to be Biblically correct maybe you should. Satan desperately did not want the Savior of the world to be born. He tried his best to confuse the Jews as to true identity of the Messiah and how he would come into the world. When Jesus did come he worked in Herod’s heart to try to kill the newborn Jesus. Do you remember? Herod ordered all the boys born in Bethlehem who were two years old and younger to be killed. (Matt 2:16) God protected Jesus. He sent them to the desert of Egypt until Herod died. Satan tried to destroy Jesus all the way to the cross. But he could not. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the devil tried to pursue the church, through endless persecution but God always protected his people by sending them into “the desert.” Look it up and you will find that it is true. The desert represents a place of spiritual fortification from Satan. Just as God aided the woman’s escape into the desert, we can be sure that God offers security to all true believers. Satan always attacks God’s people, but God keeps them spiritually secure. Some will experience physical harm, but all will be protected from spiritual harm. Trust God.
Why did the devil hate this child so much? Look at Verse 5, “She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.” Though the devil tried his best to stop Jesus but he could not. God protected Jesus and through his suffering, death and resurrection he was exalted by God to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. (Phi 2:9) Jesus became King of kings and Lord of Lords who is the ruler of all nations. Is your ruler?
Though Jesus was crowned king though his death and resurrection, the devil does not stop his relentless pursuit. Let’s read verse 13-17, “When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. 15Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” Paul tells us that we are in a spiritual battle. (Eph 6:10-12) John says that the war is still being waged. But the outcome is has already been determined. Satan and his followers have been defeated and will be destroyed. Nevertheless Satan is battling everyday to bring more into his ranks and keep his own from defecting to God’s side. It is a loosing battle. God has guaranteed us victory as we stand on Jesus’ side, by faith. God will not lose the war. He will even use the forces of nature to aid us in our battle. Continue to obey Jesus’ commands from the Bible and continue to hold onto the testimony about Jesus as you share it with the world. When you do Satan’s kingdom will crumble and you can get others to defect to Jesus’ side. Never, ever waver in your commitment to Christ.
In this passage we learned that we must never think that our present trials and sufferings are unusual. They are simply birth pains as Jesus is being born newly in your hearts and lives. Sure it may be painful, but you will forget the pain as you enter into a new relationship with your Savior. All the sufferings that you are enduring to help someone else meet Jesus will be worth it all when Jesus is born in their hearts too. We also learned that we are in a spiritual battle and we have a spiritual enemy, the devil. We can overcome him with the blood of the Lamb, the testimony of our witness and not shrinking from death. Resist the devil and he will surely flee. Finally we learned that Jesus is the ruler of all nations. May he be the ruler of your hearts today. God bless.
Part l: The Woman Gives Birth To A Son (1-6)
1. The two great signs appeared in heaven that expose the main actors in this cosmic struggle. Who are they? Who do the woman and the child represent? (1,5, 17,Gen 37:9; Lk 1:26-33; Gen 3:15) What is God’s relationship with the nation of Israel? (Rom 9:4)
2. Who is the devil? (12:10; Jn 8:44; Gen 3:1; 1 Peter 5:8-9) How did the dragon attempt to devour the child? (4, Mt 2:13-20) What was the motivation behind Herod’s evil actions? (Eph 6:10-12) Is Satan real to you?
3. How did God save the woman and her child? (5,6) What was God’s plan for this child? But how has the son come to rule the nations? (5, Phil 2:9; Ps 2)
Part 11: War In Heaven (7-9)
4. How has the dragon lost the battle and been thrown out of heaven to the earth? (7-9,20:2, Job 1:9-11) Why was he denied access to heaven? (Ez 28:11-19)What can we learn from this?
Part lll: Overcome By The Blood Of The Lamb (10-17)
5. What has come to reality due to this victory? (10) How can we overcome the devil? (11)
6. How does the dragon attack the woman and her offspring? (15) Why? How does God protect them? (14,16, Ex 19:4) What does it symbolize by “a time, times and half a time” or 1,260 days? (6, 14, 11:3; Da 9:27,12:7)
Revelations 12:1-17
Victory Through The Blood Of The Lamb
Revelation 12:1-17 Lesson 12
Key verse 12:11 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 9-12-10
“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
As I was preparing this message I realized that there this chapter is so rich in meaning. There is the battle between good and evil and there is the message of the God protecting the persecuted church and there is the victory shouts of the saints around the throne. How can I do service to this passage by trying to cover it all at one time? I can not. I want to break it up into two lessons. This first lesson will focus on the victory that God has given his people and how we can live in that victory even today. In the next lesson we will take a closer look at the main characters. But, first, the Christian’s victory through the blood of the Lamb.
As we read this passage, we find one of the main characters in this passage. We see the dragon or Satan. Look at verse 3, “Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.” His seven heads represent great worldly wisdom and his ten horns… vast power. As we survey the Bible we find that this dragon was an enemy of Jesus even before Jesus’ birth in this world. He is the one who leads the whole world astray and plants a spirit of rebellion in people's hearts. He is very powerful, more powerful than any mere human being. But he is not invincible. Satan is defeated by the blood of the Lamb and by the testimonies of faithful witnesses who love Jesus more than life. Through a study of this passage May we resolve to trust in Jesus’ shed blood alone, learn to love Jesus more than are own lives and taste true spiritual victory as we walk with our Lord Jesus Christ.
One thing is very evident here. These Christians all shared a deep sense of victory. Let’s read verses 10-12a, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
11They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!’” Within these verses we learn the secret of the deep sense of victory that these suffering Christians felt in their hearts. And we can learn how we to can share in their song around the throne of God. Hopefully we all can be those who sing so triumphantly, even today. How can they be so victorious...lets see.
First, they overcame them by the blood of the Lamb. Look at verse 11a, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb…” There is one famous hymn that we sing, “Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus.” One verse states, “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” The term “blood” is found 460 times in the Bible. If you consider all the “blood” related phrases, like altar, sacrifice, atonement, reconciliation, covenant and priesthood, etc, then almost every page in the Bible has something to do with blood. The word, “blood” is synonymous for the cross, on which the Prince of Glory, Jesus, died. In verse 11a we see the word “blood” linked with “Lamb” revealing the way God has chosen for bringing a world, bent on rebellion, back to himself. Jesus, the Lamb of God is God’s way of salvation.
Let’s think about the blood of the Lamb. In the Old Testament, a sacrificial animal was offered in place of the one who desired to be restored. Some offered bulls. Some offered lambs. If they were poor, some offered pigeons. Mary and Joseph offered two pigeons. Whatever the case, the animal had to be without blemish. It had to be the property of the one who was sacrificing it. They would come to the priest, lay their hand on the head of the innocent animal, symbolizing the transference of identity, and with their own hand, they would take the knife and cut its throat. The blood that flowed would be poured onto the altar for it was necessary for the blood to actually be placed on the spot that represented God’s presence. This was a visible representation of the way God ordained to restore people that had lost their fellowship with him. When then person identified himself with the blood, that was poured on the altar, it meant that he believed in God who was seeking his redemption.
The sacrifice was necessary because of the person’s sin, but God also looked at the heart of the one making the offering. He saw the desire of that person to be reconciled. In other words God looked at the intent of the heart. He saw that the person loved God with all of their mind, soul, and strength. The beauty of the sacrificial system is that it shows how God, who had been offended by our sin, whom we had rejected, still loved us and was seeking a way that fellowship could be restored, a way to forgive us and bring us back to himself. This is God’s grace.
All of these sacrifices in the Old Testament could not take away sin completely however. People had to come back again and again to make sacrifices. But God honored them when the people offered with true faith the shed blood. And all of their sacrifices actually pointed their hearts to the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (Jn 1:29) The day that he was crucified was the Passover. All the worshippers, millions of them, where bringing their own animals to the altar in Jerusalem. Some carried them. Some bought them at the market. While all this was going on, Jesus was led outside the gate and nailed to the cross at Calvary. As he hung there, his blood ran red down the tree forming a red pool at his feet. His voice was lost among the jeers of his tormentors. The Bible says that we esteemed him not. (Is 53:3) His breathing became more labored. His body convulsed with pain and at last he lifted his voice and he cried out, “It is finished!” (Jn 19:30) And as he spoke the, curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. (Lk 23:45) What does this mean?
In the past, the way to the “Most Holy Place” was only accessible by the High Priest, and only on the Day of Atonement, where he would pray for the nation. He would bring in a censor, the blood of the sacrifice and pour it on the mercy seat on top of the Ark of the Covenant. But now, when Jesus died on that cross, everything that was represented by the priest, everything that had been portrayed in these ceremonies for thousands of years, everything that had to do with attaining salvation, had now come to fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Lamb without blemish. Now, because of Jesus, we do not have to go through the endless sacrifices any longer. Through faith in the blood of Jesus, the one who hung on the cross of Calvary for our sins, we now become priests and we enter through the veil into the presence of the glory of the Almighty God! It is all because of the magnificent grace of Jesus. Praise God for opening this new and wonderful way for us when we repent and believe in Jesus!
When Jesus died on that cross, he died for all of us. We were sold into sin, and the wages of our sins was death. And yet God so loved the world that he was willing to bear all of our judgment on himself on the cross. He was willing to offer his One and Only Son that whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life! (Jn 3:16) We are not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver and gold, nor the blood of countless animals, nor by the traditions of humanity. The Bible makes it very clear that we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ alone. This is the essence of the Gospel. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (Jn 1:29b) Jesus has taken away the sins of the world through his shed blood. This is great news! This is the message that we proclaim because it is the message that brings redemption. “…Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…” (Is 1:18b) The blood of Jesus goes deeper than any stain that our sins can create. This is the victorious gospel that we make it our aim to proclaim to the ends of the earth. Open your mouths and preach it! The Gospel is victorious! We can hear the saints proclaiming it around the throne even today, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.” (Rev 12:11a)
Next, the word of their testimony. Look at verse 11b, “…and by the word of their testimony;…” “The word of their testimony” has to do with the way that God has chosen to communicate his Gospel to a world that is lost in darkness. People try to reveal the message in many ways. But the way that God has chosen is the testimony of those who have been redeemed through the blood of Jesus. Every believer has a testimony, for every believer has been touched by the Jesus’ grace in one way or another. In the same way, every believer has a ministry. We are all part of a royal priesthood and have been given the authority to go and declare the praises of him who called us out of the darkness and into his wonderful light. We need to know what our testimony is and be bold in declaring it. This is how God’s work and ministry grows. God raises up those who believe. They know the grace of God. They share their testimony in meaningful ways with the world. They declare their faith and the work of God grows. It begins to multiply and those who believe on account of your testimony, should, in turn, go and tell others.
We need to know what our testimony is. Part of discovering this is confessing our sins to God and tasting his forgiveness and as we live in Jesus he heals us and strengthens us and helps us to bear fruit. Over the years I wrote a dozen or so life testimonies. I even wrote a 100 page life testimony where I explored all the ways that Jesus called me and worked in my life. With God’s help I could clearly and “point”fully share my life testimony with college students since 1986 and a few have been touched by it. I pray that all of you can discover what Jesus has done and is doing and will do in your life and share it clearly with others so that they can be blessed through it.
The victory that Jesus gives his people is revealed in the way Peter gave his testimony, when he confessed that Jesus is the Christ. He said. “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” (Mt 16:16) This was the crescendo in Jesus’ discipleship raising ministry, for his top disciple finally discovered Jesus’ true identity. Jesus turned to this rough and tough fisherman and said, “…On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Mt 16:18b) This rock is the solid foundation of Peter’s personal testimony about Jesus. Peter’s confession became pivotal for the other disciples to, in turn, confess their faith. When he held onto the testimony in his heart and proclaimed it and continued to proclaim it, Satan could not overcome the church.
The Christian church must be on the offensive to be victorious. The people of God move out into the field to confront the enemy. Their swords are drawn, their banners are unfurled and they boldly declare that Jesus Christ is Lord! “He has overcome!” That is why the faithful in Revelation are celebrating around the throne of heaven. They have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. And so can you.
When was the last time you told someone that Jesus loves them? Everyone who knows Jesus can declare what Jesus has done in his or her life and can in turn share the gospel of salvation with anyone who will hear. We must do this basic thing if we are going to be a ministry committed to discipling the nations. There are so many opportunities afforded to us at NIU. For the students are living in the dorms, there are 25,000 students living all around them. When I visited the dorms, every time I go on an elevator there were 10-15 students. We interact with hundreds of people a day. Everyone can share their own personal testimony. It is not just the pastor’s job. That’s one reason why Jesus gave you a changed life. It is so you can have a testimony to share with others.
Fourth, a commitment to death. Look at verse 11c, “…they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” This refers to the kind of commitment expected of those who testify to the blood of Jesus. You will notice that it is a commitment unto death. Jesus died a painful death on the cross to save us from our sins. We most likely are not called to die this type of death. But when we identify with Christ, when we accept his redeeming grace in our lives, we are no longer our own. We were bought with a price. (1 Cor 6:20) We now belong to Jesus, who loved us and gave himself up for us. And we become his witnesses.
Do you know what the word “witness” means on the New Testament? It means “martyr.” Yes. It was understood in this way by the early Christians. Of course they gave verbal testimony, but it was understood that they had to be prepared to die for their faith. It is not that they were looking for it. It was because when they stood firmly and publically on the side of Jesus, they lost the support system of the world. They had no protection from the state. Their property could be taken away from them. Their families turned their backs on them. Thousands of them were hunted down like criminals and led into the arenas to be fed to the beasts. It wasn’t popular in those days to be a Christian. No one joined up because of the promise of health, wealth and prosperity. To be a Christian meant that you would give up all that the world could give. It meant to give up seeking your own comfort and pleasure. Paul tried to teach his people, that they needed to reconcile themselves to the fact that they were dead, dead to this world, dead to sin, but alive to God. Paul even said “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) He also wrote in Romans, “If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” (Romans 14:8) If you have this kind of commitment to Jesus then the devil can not get a foothold in your life. You have already faced the enemy in your heart. You have already taken your stand. You already share in Christ’s victory. You are more than a conqueror. In your heart there is a song and a peace that the world can not take away. The world does not understand this kind of commitment. It confuses the world and baffles it when it sees the joyous dedication of believers to follow Christ at any cost.
In America today, I don’t think that in our lifetime we will be called to lay down our physical lives. We are more likely to die a slow death of pneumonia in the local hospital. Maybe it will happen in the future however. Definitely, those believers observed in this passage of Revelation, did. But, today, there are ways we can die to ourselves spiritually. We can die in the deeper reality of our spirit. Should not Christians already consider themselves dead to sin and alive to Christ? We are to be living sacrifices, holy and set apart for God. This is our only reasonable response to the love of God in our lives. We should no longer be conformed to the value systems of this world but be transformed in the renewing of our minds. (Rom 12:2)
It is all worthwhile. Look at verse 12a, “Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!...” While it does not appear what we shall be, we are certain of this, that when Jesus appears we shall be like him. That day will be new beginning, a beginning of eternity with Jesus. Every knee shall bow and ever tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Jesus Christ is Lord! Not Caesar. Not secular humanism. Not human philosophy, not human technology. Not money! Not even ourselves! No! Jesus Christ alone. Jesus reigns on his throne. He has all authority in heaven and on earth. That is why the faithful are celebrating around the thrown of heaven. We need to hear their voices as John did. All of us are prone to discouragement. Those who think the battle they are called to fight is too hard, listen to the voices around the throne in this passage. Listen to the voices from heaven, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” (10) Satan is defeated. You don’t have to listen to his accusations any more. Because you have one who have overcome. He reigns on that throne and he is the same yesterday, today and forever. His name is Jesus! That is the confidence that we have because of Jesus. And because Jesus is victorious, we too can live in victory. The people of God have overcome. Don’t forget it. Are you living in that victory? If you are not, you are living below your privilege as a child of a king. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of our testimony, and because we don’t love our lives so much as to shrink back from death. In Jesus we are victorious Christians.
Revelation 12:1-17 Lesson 12
Key verse 12:11 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 9-12-10
“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
As I was preparing this message I realized that there this chapter is so rich in meaning. There is the battle between good and evil and there is the message of the God protecting the persecuted church and there is the victory shouts of the saints around the throne. How can I do service to this passage by trying to cover it all at one time? I can not. I want to break it up into two lessons. This first lesson will focus on the victory that God has given his people and how we can live in that victory even today. In the next lesson we will take a closer look at the main characters. But, first, the Christian’s victory through the blood of the Lamb.
As we read this passage, we find one of the main characters in this passage. We see the dragon or Satan. Look at verse 3, “Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.” His seven heads represent great worldly wisdom and his ten horns… vast power. As we survey the Bible we find that this dragon was an enemy of Jesus even before Jesus’ birth in this world. He is the one who leads the whole world astray and plants a spirit of rebellion in people's hearts. He is very powerful, more powerful than any mere human being. But he is not invincible. Satan is defeated by the blood of the Lamb and by the testimonies of faithful witnesses who love Jesus more than life. Through a study of this passage May we resolve to trust in Jesus’ shed blood alone, learn to love Jesus more than are own lives and taste true spiritual victory as we walk with our Lord Jesus Christ.
One thing is very evident here. These Christians all shared a deep sense of victory. Let’s read verses 10-12a, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
11They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!’” Within these verses we learn the secret of the deep sense of victory that these suffering Christians felt in their hearts. And we can learn how we to can share in their song around the throne of God. Hopefully we all can be those who sing so triumphantly, even today. How can they be so victorious...lets see.
First, they overcame them by the blood of the Lamb. Look at verse 11a, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb…” There is one famous hymn that we sing, “Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus.” One verse states, “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” The term “blood” is found 460 times in the Bible. If you consider all the “blood” related phrases, like altar, sacrifice, atonement, reconciliation, covenant and priesthood, etc, then almost every page in the Bible has something to do with blood. The word, “blood” is synonymous for the cross, on which the Prince of Glory, Jesus, died. In verse 11a we see the word “blood” linked with “Lamb” revealing the way God has chosen for bringing a world, bent on rebellion, back to himself. Jesus, the Lamb of God is God’s way of salvation.
Let’s think about the blood of the Lamb. In the Old Testament, a sacrificial animal was offered in place of the one who desired to be restored. Some offered bulls. Some offered lambs. If they were poor, some offered pigeons. Mary and Joseph offered two pigeons. Whatever the case, the animal had to be without blemish. It had to be the property of the one who was sacrificing it. They would come to the priest, lay their hand on the head of the innocent animal, symbolizing the transference of identity, and with their own hand, they would take the knife and cut its throat. The blood that flowed would be poured onto the altar for it was necessary for the blood to actually be placed on the spot that represented God’s presence. This was a visible representation of the way God ordained to restore people that had lost their fellowship with him. When then person identified himself with the blood, that was poured on the altar, it meant that he believed in God who was seeking his redemption.
The sacrifice was necessary because of the person’s sin, but God also looked at the heart of the one making the offering. He saw the desire of that person to be reconciled. In other words God looked at the intent of the heart. He saw that the person loved God with all of their mind, soul, and strength. The beauty of the sacrificial system is that it shows how God, who had been offended by our sin, whom we had rejected, still loved us and was seeking a way that fellowship could be restored, a way to forgive us and bring us back to himself. This is God’s grace.
All of these sacrifices in the Old Testament could not take away sin completely however. People had to come back again and again to make sacrifices. But God honored them when the people offered with true faith the shed blood. And all of their sacrifices actually pointed their hearts to the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (Jn 1:29) The day that he was crucified was the Passover. All the worshippers, millions of them, where bringing their own animals to the altar in Jerusalem. Some carried them. Some bought them at the market. While all this was going on, Jesus was led outside the gate and nailed to the cross at Calvary. As he hung there, his blood ran red down the tree forming a red pool at his feet. His voice was lost among the jeers of his tormentors. The Bible says that we esteemed him not. (Is 53:3) His breathing became more labored. His body convulsed with pain and at last he lifted his voice and he cried out, “It is finished!” (Jn 19:30) And as he spoke the, curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. (Lk 23:45) What does this mean?
In the past, the way to the “Most Holy Place” was only accessible by the High Priest, and only on the Day of Atonement, where he would pray for the nation. He would bring in a censor, the blood of the sacrifice and pour it on the mercy seat on top of the Ark of the Covenant. But now, when Jesus died on that cross, everything that was represented by the priest, everything that had been portrayed in these ceremonies for thousands of years, everything that had to do with attaining salvation, had now come to fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Lamb without blemish. Now, because of Jesus, we do not have to go through the endless sacrifices any longer. Through faith in the blood of Jesus, the one who hung on the cross of Calvary for our sins, we now become priests and we enter through the veil into the presence of the glory of the Almighty God! It is all because of the magnificent grace of Jesus. Praise God for opening this new and wonderful way for us when we repent and believe in Jesus!
When Jesus died on that cross, he died for all of us. We were sold into sin, and the wages of our sins was death. And yet God so loved the world that he was willing to bear all of our judgment on himself on the cross. He was willing to offer his One and Only Son that whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life! (Jn 3:16) We are not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver and gold, nor the blood of countless animals, nor by the traditions of humanity. The Bible makes it very clear that we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ alone. This is the essence of the Gospel. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (Jn 1:29b) Jesus has taken away the sins of the world through his shed blood. This is great news! This is the message that we proclaim because it is the message that brings redemption. “…Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…” (Is 1:18b) The blood of Jesus goes deeper than any stain that our sins can create. This is the victorious gospel that we make it our aim to proclaim to the ends of the earth. Open your mouths and preach it! The Gospel is victorious! We can hear the saints proclaiming it around the throne even today, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.” (Rev 12:11a)
Next, the word of their testimony. Look at verse 11b, “…and by the word of their testimony;…” “The word of their testimony” has to do with the way that God has chosen to communicate his Gospel to a world that is lost in darkness. People try to reveal the message in many ways. But the way that God has chosen is the testimony of those who have been redeemed through the blood of Jesus. Every believer has a testimony, for every believer has been touched by the Jesus’ grace in one way or another. In the same way, every believer has a ministry. We are all part of a royal priesthood and have been given the authority to go and declare the praises of him who called us out of the darkness and into his wonderful light. We need to know what our testimony is and be bold in declaring it. This is how God’s work and ministry grows. God raises up those who believe. They know the grace of God. They share their testimony in meaningful ways with the world. They declare their faith and the work of God grows. It begins to multiply and those who believe on account of your testimony, should, in turn, go and tell others.
We need to know what our testimony is. Part of discovering this is confessing our sins to God and tasting his forgiveness and as we live in Jesus he heals us and strengthens us and helps us to bear fruit. Over the years I wrote a dozen or so life testimonies. I even wrote a 100 page life testimony where I explored all the ways that Jesus called me and worked in my life. With God’s help I could clearly and “point”fully share my life testimony with college students since 1986 and a few have been touched by it. I pray that all of you can discover what Jesus has done and is doing and will do in your life and share it clearly with others so that they can be blessed through it.
The victory that Jesus gives his people is revealed in the way Peter gave his testimony, when he confessed that Jesus is the Christ. He said. “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” (Mt 16:16) This was the crescendo in Jesus’ discipleship raising ministry, for his top disciple finally discovered Jesus’ true identity. Jesus turned to this rough and tough fisherman and said, “…On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Mt 16:18b) This rock is the solid foundation of Peter’s personal testimony about Jesus. Peter’s confession became pivotal for the other disciples to, in turn, confess their faith. When he held onto the testimony in his heart and proclaimed it and continued to proclaim it, Satan could not overcome the church.
The Christian church must be on the offensive to be victorious. The people of God move out into the field to confront the enemy. Their swords are drawn, their banners are unfurled and they boldly declare that Jesus Christ is Lord! “He has overcome!” That is why the faithful in Revelation are celebrating around the throne of heaven. They have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. And so can you.
When was the last time you told someone that Jesus loves them? Everyone who knows Jesus can declare what Jesus has done in his or her life and can in turn share the gospel of salvation with anyone who will hear. We must do this basic thing if we are going to be a ministry committed to discipling the nations. There are so many opportunities afforded to us at NIU. For the students are living in the dorms, there are 25,000 students living all around them. When I visited the dorms, every time I go on an elevator there were 10-15 students. We interact with hundreds of people a day. Everyone can share their own personal testimony. It is not just the pastor’s job. That’s one reason why Jesus gave you a changed life. It is so you can have a testimony to share with others.
Fourth, a commitment to death. Look at verse 11c, “…they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” This refers to the kind of commitment expected of those who testify to the blood of Jesus. You will notice that it is a commitment unto death. Jesus died a painful death on the cross to save us from our sins. We most likely are not called to die this type of death. But when we identify with Christ, when we accept his redeeming grace in our lives, we are no longer our own. We were bought with a price. (1 Cor 6:20) We now belong to Jesus, who loved us and gave himself up for us. And we become his witnesses.
Do you know what the word “witness” means on the New Testament? It means “martyr.” Yes. It was understood in this way by the early Christians. Of course they gave verbal testimony, but it was understood that they had to be prepared to die for their faith. It is not that they were looking for it. It was because when they stood firmly and publically on the side of Jesus, they lost the support system of the world. They had no protection from the state. Their property could be taken away from them. Their families turned their backs on them. Thousands of them were hunted down like criminals and led into the arenas to be fed to the beasts. It wasn’t popular in those days to be a Christian. No one joined up because of the promise of health, wealth and prosperity. To be a Christian meant that you would give up all that the world could give. It meant to give up seeking your own comfort and pleasure. Paul tried to teach his people, that they needed to reconcile themselves to the fact that they were dead, dead to this world, dead to sin, but alive to God. Paul even said “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) He also wrote in Romans, “If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” (Romans 14:8) If you have this kind of commitment to Jesus then the devil can not get a foothold in your life. You have already faced the enemy in your heart. You have already taken your stand. You already share in Christ’s victory. You are more than a conqueror. In your heart there is a song and a peace that the world can not take away. The world does not understand this kind of commitment. It confuses the world and baffles it when it sees the joyous dedication of believers to follow Christ at any cost.
In America today, I don’t think that in our lifetime we will be called to lay down our physical lives. We are more likely to die a slow death of pneumonia in the local hospital. Maybe it will happen in the future however. Definitely, those believers observed in this passage of Revelation, did. But, today, there are ways we can die to ourselves spiritually. We can die in the deeper reality of our spirit. Should not Christians already consider themselves dead to sin and alive to Christ? We are to be living sacrifices, holy and set apart for God. This is our only reasonable response to the love of God in our lives. We should no longer be conformed to the value systems of this world but be transformed in the renewing of our minds. (Rom 12:2)
It is all worthwhile. Look at verse 12a, “Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!...” While it does not appear what we shall be, we are certain of this, that when Jesus appears we shall be like him. That day will be new beginning, a beginning of eternity with Jesus. Every knee shall bow and ever tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Jesus Christ is Lord! Not Caesar. Not secular humanism. Not human philosophy, not human technology. Not money! Not even ourselves! No! Jesus Christ alone. Jesus reigns on his throne. He has all authority in heaven and on earth. That is why the faithful are celebrating around the thrown of heaven. We need to hear their voices as John did. All of us are prone to discouragement. Those who think the battle they are called to fight is too hard, listen to the voices around the throne in this passage. Listen to the voices from heaven, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” (10) Satan is defeated. You don’t have to listen to his accusations any more. Because you have one who have overcome. He reigns on that throne and he is the same yesterday, today and forever. His name is Jesus! That is the confidence that we have because of Jesus. And because Jesus is victorious, we too can live in victory. The people of God have overcome. Don’t forget it. Are you living in that victory? If you are not, you are living below your privilege as a child of a king. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of our testimony, and because we don’t love our lives so much as to shrink back from death. In Jesus we are victorious Christians.
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