Revelation Chapter 12:7-12:17 Lesson 17 Christ Independent Methodist Church

Transcription

1 Revelation Chapter 12:7-12:17 Lesson 17 Christ Independent Methodist Church 4078 Silver Lake Drive, Palatka, FL May 11, 2011 Michael K. Hudson Sr. Senior Pastor Revelation 12:7 17 KJV And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with The Khaznet Firaoun, or Treasury of the Pharaohs, at Petra. The rich façade of the Treasury is cut from the rock face and rises to a height of about 130 feet. It gets its name from the local legend that the carved urn at the top contains the treasure of an Egyptian pharaoh. The urn is pock-marked by the rifle bullets of those who tried to break it open in order to get at the treasure within. The Khazneh was actually a monumental tomb, probably built for the Nabatean king Aretas III in the first century B.C. him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testi-

2 mony of Jesus Christ. So often in life, individuals only see the conflicts in this world as being between man and man or man and nature. There is very little insight seen beyond these two. Man has limited sight to see that conflicts can be between things that are not seen with human eyes. When Elisha was upon the mountain, his servant did not see the armies of the Lord protecting them. Elisha asked the Lord to open the eyes of his servant that he might see who was protecting them. For a few moments, he saw the angels, the army of God. 2 Kings 6:13 18 KJV And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. Revelation chapter twelve gives a bigger picture of the conflicts that happen in the world and heavens. The conflicts are between man and man, man and demons, demons and angels, Satan and Michael, and good and evil. These conflicts are more than just what is seen with human eyes. Paul reminds the Christian that he is not fighting against flesh and blood but so much more. The Christian is in a spiritual battle. Satan is trying to destroy the Christian. He is striving to destroy his life, his family, and his testimony. Ephesians 6:12 KJV For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. I. Heaven freed from Satan s accusations It is hard to imagine that there is such a created being in God s creation that hates man so much. But, there is! In verse nine, there are two names of Lucifer that describes his character. The great dragon, the old serpent, is given the names of Satan and the devil. These are two names of Lucifer, who fell from his first estate. Lucifer in his pride sinned and fell from the office that he once held. Isaiah 14:12 15 KJV How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. The last two descriptions of Satan are the old and new name of Satan. Satan is the Old Testament name that means adversary. It is used as a person who is an adversary of mankind. The latter name is devil, which is more of a New Testament word. It is in reference to a delator. This was a name that the first century church readily understood. A delator was a paid informer. He made his living by accusing individuals before the authorities. He was a slanderer. The word devil means 2

3 slanderer. He is in heaven accusing men before God. TJust examine the life of Job and see how Satan slanders the name, character, and motive of Job before God. Job 1:1 12 KJV There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. Notice that Satan is in heaven, standing before the throne of God, accusing Job before the Lord. Job was a man who lived a holy and upright life. He was a man who worshipped the Lord. He was a man who loved his children and made provision each day just in case his children sinned. Job was a man whose heart and mind was fixed upon the Lord. Satan accused Job of living in his in fear because of God and if God would withhold the blessings from Job s life, Job would turn against the Lord. Satan was accusing Job s motive for following the Lord. He accused Job of following the Lord only because he had been blessed by the Lord. God allowed Satan to remove blessings from his life. So, Satan went and attacked the life of Job. He removed Job s wealth. He destroyed Job s children. He removed the blessings in Job s life. But, Job retained his integrity and did not sin against the Lord. Job 1:21 22 KJV And said, Naked came I out of my mother s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. When Satan s tactics did not work. Satan continued his attack on Job and his motives for following the Lord. Satan accused Job even more by saying that if Job s health was removed, he would curse the Lord. So, God allowed Satan to take the health from Job. Job 2:1 6 KJV Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the 3

4 Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. What did Job do? He did not curse God or charge God foolishly. Job 2:9 10 KJV Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. Job is not the only one that Satan accuses. Satan accuses those that stand for the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, he still has access to heaven to accuse the Christians before the Lord. However, there is coming a day when Satan will be cast out of heaven. When that happens all of heaven will rejoice because the accuser of the brethren has been removed. Revelation 12:9 KJV And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. When this happens, heaven will rejoice but the earth will suffer the consequences of Satan being cast down. Revelation 12:10 12 KJV And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. When Satan is cast out of heaven, many will be praising the Lord for His salvation, power, kingdom, and strength or authority. The phrase Now is come means that the time of the completion of God s redemption process is coming to a close. The Scriptures teach that the Christian needs to look up for his salvation draweth nigh. There is coming the completion of the salvation of God when the world will be restored and the curse of sin has been removed. The first word of strength or power means that the Lord is going to have His power over all the earth. It is a picture of the coming kingdom of God when the Lord Jesus Christ will sit upon the throne over the world. The word strength means the authority of God. This is speaking about the sovereign power of Christ. And, the kingdom of God is going to be established forever. God has cast down the accuser of the brethren because the time is drawing near for the complete judgment against Satan and all those who reject Christ. II. Christians overcome the persecution of Satan Revelation 12:11 KJV And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. But, so important is how those that overcame the devil. They overcame by the blood of Christ. The Christians do not overcome by the power of their own strength or anything that they have done, but they overcome him by the 4

5 blood of Jesus Christ who washes and makes them as white as snow. It is by the blood of the Lamb that Christians have the victory over death, grave, and Satan. They did not succumb to the persecution of Satan but by the word of their testimony, they remained true to the Lord even to death. When they were faced with the choice of taking the mark of the beast or being killed, they choose death over denying their Lord and Saviour. Matthew 16:25 KJV For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 1 Corinthians 15:55 58 KJV O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Notice the three things that these had that overcame the devil. First, the blood of the Lamb covered them they were saved. Second, they had a strong testimony for Christ. Third, they were loyal to the Lord even in the face of death. III. World suffers Satan s wrath Revelation 12:12 KJV Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. The heavens were rejoicing when Satan, the accuser of the brethren were cast to the earth. But, the earth had a different reaction. There was sorrow and pain because Satan now realizes that his time is short. So, he takes his anger out on the inhabitants of the world. Satan is now restricted; he is no longer able to roam but has been restricted to the earth. In his wrath, he unleashes a horrendous fury on the earth. Satan has one last chance to try and destroy as much of God s creation as he can. He knows that his time is short. He brings about his government on the world, the antichrist, that brings a depth of destruction the world has never seen before. IV. Israel protected from Satan s attacks Revelation 12:13 17 KJV And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. When Satan is cast out of heaven, he knows that he is a defeated foe. He knows that judgment is closing in on him, so he lashes out at God s people in order to destroy them. The woman that brought forth the manchild has been identified in earlier lessons as the nation of Israel. Satan uses his power and resources to attack God s people, the nation of Israel. He attacks so severely that the people have to run for their lives as seen in Matthew chapter twenty-four. Matthew 24:15 23 KJV When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso 5

6 readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. God protects a remnant of His people and carries them into the wilderness. The words wings of an eagle is referring to the protection of God in allowing the remnant to escape the wrath of the devil and the antichrist. The remnant of God s people flees to the wilderness where God miraculously provides for His people. Exodus 19:4 KJV Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles wings, and brought you unto myself. God will provide for the nation of Israel for forty-two months. The phrase time, times, and half a time is referring to three and half years or forty-two months. Revelation 12:6 KJV And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. When the Antichrist attacks Israel, he will kill millions of the Jews. They will see a time of suffering as never before in the history of the nation of Israel. But, God will bring a third through the fire and refine them as silver. He will purify His people. He will preserve His remnant in the land. Zechariah 13:8-9 KJV And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. As the Israelites flee, Satan will send for a flood to overtake them and destroy them. But, the earth itself will preserve God s people. Revelation 12:15 16 KJV And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. Satan will use everything at his disposal to destroy the remnant of Israel that remains. Even in the Old Testament, in the book of Ezekiel, the armies from the north come against Israel in order to destroy it. Nature rises up and destroys the armies of the north. God protects His people. Ezekiel 38:16 23 KJV And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the 6

7 sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man s sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord. God protects His remnant that kept His commandments and had a testimony for Jesus Christ. Revelation 12:17 KJV And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. V. Lesson To overcome the attacks of Satan, one must be covered by the blood of the Lamb; without Christ in one s heart, there is no way a person can win the victory over sin, death, and the grave. Revelation 12:11 KJV And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Three questions to consider! Does the blood of the Lamb cover you? Is your testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you willing to suffer persecution for being identified with Jesus Christ? Matthew 5:10 12 KJV Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 7