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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
August 17, 2025
War in Heaven
Revelation 12:7-18
◘Introduction
Since today’s sermon is a continuation of the explanation of Revelation 12 that I began last week, I am going to give a quick review and summary of my understanding of the proper interpretation of the first six verses. However, if you missed last week’s sermon, please go to the church website to read or listen to it sometime this week because I will only be summarizing my interpretation of those passages and not repeating all the reasoning for my conclusions. We will begin by reading through the chapter. (See: Two Signs in Heaven)
Revelation 12:1-18
1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 And she was with child, and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for 1,260 days.
7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their witness, and they did not love their life even to death. 12 “For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”
13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14 But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. 17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman and went off to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the witness of Jesus. 18 And he stood on the sand of the sea
◘Review
Revelation 11 concluded with the sounding of the seventh trumpet which prompted loud voices in heaven to declare Christ’s victory over the kingdom of the world and the beginning of His eternal reign. This declaration uses a series of proleptic aorist verbs in which future events are so certain they are stated as having already happened. The final pouring of out of God’s wrath on those who dwell on the earth does not begin until the bowl judgments described in Revelation 16 which results in the return of Christ in Revelation 19 and the millennial kingdom in chapter 20 and the new heavens and earth of eternity in chapters 21& 22.
◘Revelation 12:1-6 describes two signs that John sees in heaven which introduce the primary characters and furnish the plot of the entire background drama in the rest of chapter 12 and following chapters. A future war in heaven is described along with its consequences on earth. This future conflict is simply the outworking of Satan’s current rebellious struggle against God that began with his fall into sin. God will crush this rebellion in the future in three stages. Chapter 12 describes the first stage.
◘The first sign John sees is of a woman who was about to give birth. She represents national Israel for only the Jewish people fit the symbolic description of being dressed with the sun, moon and stars. That symbolism comes from Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37:9-10 in which the sun represented Jacob, the moon, Rachel, and the stars, Joseph’s siblings. The travail, the labor and pains described in verse 2, refers to painful hardships the nation of Israel suffered as part of God’s plan in bringing forth the redemption and restoration of sinful man. That metaphor of a woman in labor is used for Israel in reference to redemption in Isaiah 26:17-18; 66:8; Micah 4:10 and 5:2-3. The purpose of the travail here in verse 2 is the anticipated birth of the child described in greater detail in the second sign he saw.
◘The second sign is of a great red dragon that seeks to kill the son the woman bore. The identity of the great red dragon is stated verse 9, he is “the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan.” The term “dragon” was used in the Hebrew Scriptures to describe several different fierce creatures, and so it is used here as the symbol of the demonic manifestation of Satan. The adjectives “great” and “red” add to the description of him as a fierce and dangerous creature. The appearance of him having “seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems” show that this is more than just a general reference to the power and authority of the dragon. This is similar to the description of the beast from the sea in Revelation 13:1, and correlates with the description in Daniel 7:7-8, 20, 24 of the fourth beast, the revived Roman empire, which is made up of 10 horns – kings or kingdoms – of which one subdues three of the others leaving seven. The seven heads are thought to represent six historical empires that dominated the middle east area in which Israel is located, (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Perisa, Greece, Rome), and the future one under the control of the Anti-Christ. The ten horns belong to this last empire of which one will take greater preeminence by conquering three of the others reducing it to seven which have the diadems, a symbol of royal power and authority. That points to Satan’s activity on earth in the realm of men.
◘The third of the stars that are swept away and thrown to earth are the angels that followed Satan in his initial rebellion against God. This happened sometime in the past after the creation was initiated and before the foundations of the earth were laid since the angels were present for that (Job 38:4-7). Satan was not excluded from heaven at that time because in Job 1 & 2 he goes before Yahweh in heaven and gives a report about his roaming about the earth and walking on it. This initial fall was the beginning of Satan’s long war against God in the effort to usurp Him.
Isaiah 14:12–15 describes that fall and its origin in Satan’s pride. 12 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! 13 “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ 15 “Nevertheless you will be brought down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.”
◘Part of Satan’s war against God is to do whatever he can to block God’s plan of salvation. I detailed some of that last week in the efforts made to prevent the Messiah from ever arriving, and then, as stated at the end of verse 4, seeking to “devour her child” as soon as he was born. That came about when Herod slaughtered all the male babies in the vicinity of Bethlehem, but Joseph, being warned in a dream, had already left for Egypt. Satan also made many efforts to murder Jesus during His life, but as I stressed last week, Jesus could not die until Jesus determined that hour had come. As Jesus explained in John 10:17–18, 17 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18 “No one takes it away from Me, but from Myself, I lay it down. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
◘The “she” in verse 5 is the same woman as from verse 1. It is the nation of Israel from whom the Messiah came as promised as part of the Abrahamic covenant through Isaac, Jacob and Judah, and then detailed further in the Davidic covenant whose blood line went through Mary to Jesus and whose right to the throne went through Joseph to Jesus by right of adoption. That the child is Jesus is made clear by the description that he would “rule (or break) all the nations with a rod of iron” which comes from Psalm 2:9.
◘The end of verse 5 then states, “and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” That is a reference to Jesus’ ascension to heaven. Many wonder about why this sign did not include any indication of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. The reason is actually simple. This sign concerns the great red dragon and his actions and reactions. Jesus did not ascend to heaven to escape the dragon for Jesus can handle Satan. However, the dragon reacts strongly to Jesus’ ascension because it meant that all of Satan’s efforts to prevent God’s plan of redemption from being fulfilled had completely failed. But that did mean Satan would give up. His attention will then turn to: 1) The woman through whom Messiah came, the Jewish people, 2) Making an assault on heaven itself; 3) All those that respond to the gospel of Christ to be saved from sin.
◘Please note that these first five verses deal with events that are now in the past for us. Verse 6 points to future events that are detailed further in verse 13-15 and correlate with Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24:15-20 for those in Judea to flee to the mountains when they see the abomination of desolation which occurs in the middle of the tribulation period after which the “great tribulation” takes place. In the chronology of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25), the “beginning of birth pangs,” which correspond to the first six seal judgments, will have already taken place. This would suggest that the mid-point of the tribulation may be between the trumpet and bowl judgments. However, this section is parenthetical presenting the historical background and introducing the major actors that will be in the future drama that is to come. Correlating time sequences in this section with other passages will be somewhat uncertain. Suggestions will be made, but dogmatism will be avoided. Verses 7-18 describe and explain the future war that will occur in heaven and its consequences on earth.
◘War in Heaven – Revelation 12:7-9
7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
◘This war is Satan’s reaction to the ascension of Christ, so it is not a second reference to the initial fall of Satan. As pointed out earlier, after Satan’s initial fall along with a third of the angels, Satan still had access to God in heaven. After this war, both he and his demons will no longer have that access as stated in verse 8, “There was no longer a place found for them in heaven.”
This war in heaven is also neither a reference to some unknown time in the past after Satan’s persecution of Job nor a reference to Christ’s earthly ministry or triumph on the cross. Though Jesus and His disciples had authority over Satan and the demons then (Luke 10:17-20), and the cross became the basis for the judgment of Satan (John 12:31; 16:11), ◘neither of those deals with the details given in this war such as it is in heaven and involves Michael and the angels or the times, time and half a time, 1,260 days, Israel will be hidden and provided for in the wilderness (vs. 6,7 & 14).
◘This war in heaven explains the reason for the wrath of the dragon and his war on both the woman who represents Israel, and “her other children” who are the tribulation saints (vs. 17). This will occur in the later part of the tribulation period. That fits with the prophecies in Daniel 9:27 of the anti-Christ’s actions that begins with the abomination of desolation and then continues as described in Daniel 11:36-45. It also matches the need for Michael to rise up to protect Israel as stated in Daniel 12:1. It also agrees with the “short time” left for Satan to act after being cast out of heaven (Rev. 12:12).
◘This is a war that will take place in heaven, the dwelling place of God, and not the celestial heavens, the sky or the earth, though the consequences of it will come upon those who dwell on the earth. Satan’s pride was already bad, but apparently blinded by his rage, he audaciously launches an assault on heaven with his demons. Those who are evil are often blind to reality. Satan had previously been expelled from heaven as pointed out in verse 4. Logistically he only has one third of the angels, so he will be outnumbered two to one. His demons are powerful as demonstrated in Daniel 10 when the “prince of Persia,” a demon, upheld the angel sent to deliver God’s message Daniel for three weeks. But this demon was no match for Michael, a higher ranking angel. Satan has no chance of winning a war against God and His angels. Even if they somehow were able to best the good angels, the demons still must obey Jesus Christ at his command. This was demonstrated in Luke 8 when Jesus encountered the man from Gerasene who had a legion of demons residing in him. Satan is an intelligent being and knows all of this, yet he will still launch an assault on heaven. It is not just humans that can be blinded by their own evil passions to pursue what is futile, vain chasing after the wind.
◘This war will be fought on a supernatural level between supernatural creatures. Ephesians 6:12 points out that demons are organized and ranked. It is the dragon, Satan, and the fallen angels, demons, who fight against Michael, an archangel (Jude 9), and the good angels. Satan is the highest ranking fallen angel who had the title “the anointed cherub who covers” (Ezekiel 28:14). The demons are organized under him. Michael is an archangel (Jude 9) who also has a special assignment of being a protector of the nation of Israel as revealed in Daniel 10:13, 20 & 12:1. In this passage he is the leader of the angels in the battle against Satan and the demons.
◘We don’t know how angels fight with each other. Since they are immortal, implements of war that would kill or maim would not do any good for either side. It is thought that they wrestle. Jacob wrested with an angel (Genesis 32:24-25; Hosea 12:4), and Christians do not “wrestle” against “flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
◘We also do not know how long this war in heaven was fought, though we assume it was a relatively short time. First, Satan and the demons are outnumbered two to one, so even if a demon was fighting an angel of equal rank, an additional angel would enable the sure defeat of the demon. Second, it has already been shown in Daniel 10 that Michael can defeat even a high ranking demon, and Jude 9 records Michael’s defeat of Satan in arguing over Moses’ body. So Michael could help any angel that needed it. Third, since this apparently takes place during the tribulation period and Satan only has a short time vent his wrath, a maximum of 1,260 days, then his assault on heaven could not have lasted long at all.
◘The outcome of the war in heaven is the utter defeat of Satan and the demons for, verse 8, “they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.” Neither Satan nor the demons will be able to access heaven from that point on. That will limit a major means of some of the evil he does against believers which I will point out in verse 10, but it will incite him to do even greater evil against those who are on earth which will also be pointed out in verses 12 to the end of the chapter.
Notice the different names and titles given to Satan. Each adds something to the total description of this evil being. In verse 9 alone he is called the great dragon, the serpent, the devil and Satan and the characterized as the “one deceiving the whole world.” ◘The great dragon we looked at earlier. It alludes to him as being like a fierce monster. He was and is dangerous. ◘The serpent points back to the garden of Eden and Satan’s role in bringing about the fall of mankind into sin through slander against God and lies about reality. He continues to do the same in the present time which is why Jesus called him the “father of lies” in John 8:44. He will continue to do the same in the future. ◘That is why the first piece of the armor of God needed for spiritual warfare that Paul describes in Ephesians 6:10-17 is the “belt of truth.” Truth trumps lies but it can take hard work to discern the truth, and then it takes humility to believe the truth and diligence to adhere to it. A major reason lies hold so much sway over non-believer and can also lead believers astray is those lies encompass what is desired. People will follow a lie because they want to believe it. Too often truth and reality are too harsh and contrary to how most people want to live. Consumer debt alone proves that point.
◘The devil, diavboloV / diabolos, refers to his characterization as a slanderer. In fact, the same word is translated as “malicious gossip” which Paul warns in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 will be one of the characteristics of the ungodly in the last days, and a characteristic older women are to avoid (Titus 2:3), and a disqualification for a Deaconess (1 Tim. 3:11). ◘Much of the devil’s work includes slander against God. He casts slurs against God’s character and especially that He is not good. That is what he did to Eve in Genesis 3:5 in claiming “God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” That was a lie that disparaged God’s character accusing him of holding out from Eve what would be good for her. Eve’s disobedience did not make her like God, but it did bring her experiential knowledge of good and evil which perverted her mind and heart. Perhaps the most common slander of the devil against God is that He is not good. People fall for that easily because they judge what is good or bad by their own experience and desires and without recognizing that origin of things that are bad / evil is sin – your own sin, the sin of others and living in a sin cursed world.
◘Satan, Satana:VSatana:V / Satanas, comes from a Hebrew word that means “adversary.” He opposes God and anything and everyone that belongs to or will follow God. It is a fitting personal name for this vile and evil creature. He opposes the non-Christian coming to the truth, repenting and believing the Gospel. He is an adversary against Christians in their efforts to know the Lord and His will and all efforts to obey and follow Him.
◘All of these together characterize Satan as the one who seeks to deceive the whole world. He will use every means available to keep the unsaved from getting saved and get the saved to stray from walking with the Lord on the path of righteousness. ◘Common tools he uses include fear, temptation, materialism, hedonism, hardship, physical maladies, personal conflict, religion, philosophy and pride. Any means by which he can cause people to doubt the truth and believe his lies and slander that will keep you away from God or walking with Him properly in trust and obedience.
◘The solution and protection for believer and unbeliever alike to Satan’s deceptions is to seek the truth, for truth will always lead to Jesus Christ, salvation and a godly life, for Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and the means to come to God the Father (John 14:6).
◘Satan and the demons are defeated by Michael and the angels. They are thrown down to earth, a fact emphasized by it being repeated three times. That will be a blessing in heaven, but it will be trouble on earth for the remainder of the tribulation period as is declared in verses 10-12 in a proclamation, a commendation, a celebration and a warning.
◘A Great Voice in Heaven – Revelation 12:10-12
The Proclamation – vs. 10. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. ◘The source of the loud voice is not stated, however, the reference to “our brothers” shows this is a unified voice of more than one, and it cannot be angels who are “fellow servants” of human believers (Rev. 19:10), but not brothers to them. This then would be either the redeemed, glorified saints in heaven, or the martyrs from the tribulation mentioned in earlier passages, or both.
◘This proclamation is like the one given when the seventh trumpet was sounded (Rev. 11:15-18) in using a proleptic aorist to signify the certainty of the kingdom of God and all aspects of it – salvation, power and authority – being accomplished though that will not be actually fulfilled until the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His millennial reign (Rev. 19 & 20). Satan and the demons being thrown down to the earth is the first of the three stages of God crushing Satan’s rebellion I mentioned at the start of the sermon.
◘The phrase used to identify Satan here, “the accuser of the brethren,” will cease after he is thrown down from heaven because he will no longer have access to heaven by which he currently “accuses them before our God day and night.” That could be slander such as in Job 1 & 2 in which Satan disparages Job’s character. It could be true accusations such as in Zechariah 3 in which Joshua the High Priest was clothed with a filthy garment because of his iniquity. At present Satan is constantly accusing believers before God. We rejoice that God’s response is to cleanse instead of condemn us as we humbly confess our sins (1 John 1:9). Satan will no longer be able to do that when he is permanently thrown down from heaven.
◘The Commendation – vs. 11. The declaration continues in verse 11 with a commendation of the saints who overcome despite Satan’s many schemes and accusations. 11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their witness, and they did not love their life even to death.” ◘The basis of them having earthly victory is their identification with Jesus’ atoning sacrifice (the blood of the Lamb), and faithfulness in bearing testimony of Christ. Whatever Satan’s accusations might be, for those whose faith is in Christ, all sin is covered and forgiven due to His sacrificial death on the cross. ◘Their faithfulness in witnessing to the person and work of Jesus extended even to martyrdom if need be – “they did not love their life even when faced with death.” The promise given to the church in Smyrna would have been precious to them, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
◘The Celebration – vs. 12a. The declaration now shifts to rejoicing over Satan and the demons being cast out of heaven. 12 “For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them.” ◘Victory having been won, Satan will no longer have access to heaven to make his accusations, and even his evil presence and that of the demons will no longer be tolerated there. A reason for the heavens and every dweller in them, both human and angelic, to rejoice.
◘The Warning – vs. 12b. The declaration concludes with a warning. What was good for those in heaven and a cause of rejoicing for those that dwell there would be a problem for those dwelling on the earth. “Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” This is not the third “woe” prophesied in Revelation 8:13 for this one is not due to God’s judgment falling on those who dwell on the earth. It is instead the devil’s wrath generated by his defeats. ◘He was defeated at the birth of Messiah, His death, resurrection and ascension for all of those confirmed his failure to prevent God’s plan of redemption from being carried out. His direct assault on heaven also utterly fails and now he is confined to earth. Like a caged lion, his anger (qumovV / thumos) is more emotional response than rational reaction. ◘His time is now short and he is going to vent that anger on “the earth and the sea.” Since the contrast here is to the heavens and those who dwell in them, this should be understood as a reference every place humans could dwell as well as the physical earth and seas which also suffer due to the sinful activities that take place in them. Remember that Romans 8:19-22 reveals that creation itself suffers in the present and eagerly awaits being set from its current slavery to corruption. The rest of chapter 12 and through chapter 14 will give details on his persecution of Jews and believers. Next week we will start our examination of the war that will occur on earth as a result of Satan losing the war in heaven.
◘Conclusions
Satan’s defeat is so certain that it can be spoken of as if it had already happened, and in that we can rejoice. As someone said, I read the back of the book, and God wins! So we have hope, absolute confidence, in how the story will end. However, the reality is that for us that is still future. ◘We currently still have to deal with Satan as our adversary who is still doing all he can to thwart God’s plan by hindering unbelievers from believing and Christians from walking with Christ in spiritual maturity and victory. ◘ However, his lies, slander, accusations, deceit and anything else he might use to accomplish his nefarious goals can all be overcome by the truth to believe and trust Christ. That is what will bring sinners to salvation. That is what enables the Christian to mature and walk in victory because it believes and trusts Christ and His promises.
Sermon Notes – 8/17/2025
War in Heaven – Revelation 12:7-18
Introduction
Revelation 12:1-18
Review
Rev. 11 ends with the 7th trumpet and the declaration of Christ’s __________over the kingdom of the world
Rev. 12:1-6 describe 2 signs in _______that introduce the characters & furnish the plot of the drama to come
The 1st sign is of a woman with child – the woman represents national ___________
The 2nd sign is a great red dragon who represents ______& his control over the future kingdom of anti-Christ
The third of the stars are the ___________that join Satan’s rebellion against God after he falls to sin
Satan tries to _____God’s plan of redemption by efforts to keep Messiah from coming & kill Him after birth
The Messiah comes through the nation of Israel in fulfillment of God’s ____________and promises
Jesus’ ascension is emphasized because it is a reason for Satan’s current __________of Jews and Christians
Revelation 12:1-5 deal with ________ events. Starting in verse 6, the chapter deals with __________ events
War in Heaven – Revelation 12:7-9
This war is Satan’s ____________to Jesus’ ascension, not a reference to his initial fall, or other past event
Satan has access to heaven _________to this war (Job 1,2) & is related to Michael, angels & the 1,260 days
This war fits with the _________________in Daniel 9:27; 11:36-45; 12:1 and “short time” in Rev. 12:12
This war takes place in heaven – it is a _____________________by Satan and the demons on heaven
This war is fought by __________________creatures: Satan & demons vs. Michael & angels
How do angels wage war? They are immortal – perhaps they ______? Gen, 32:24-25; Hos. 12:4; Eph. 6:10f
The war must be quick: Satan is outnumbered. Michael can defeat any demon & Satan. Satan’s time is ____
Satan & the demons are ______________ defeated and permanently thrown down from heaven
The great dragon – alludes to Satan being a __________ monster – He was and is dangerous
The serpent – Satan’s role in ___________man’s fall into sin. Primarily his deception through lies & slander
Truth trumps lies, but it takes hard work to know the truth and ____________ to believe and follow it
The devil, diavboloV / diabolos, the characterization of Satan as a _____________
His slander is primarily against _________, especially in questioning God’s goodness (Genesis 3:5)
Satan, a personal name which means “____________” – he opposes God & all associated with Him
Satan is a being who seeks to __________the whole world – using every means to accomplish his purpose
Fear, temptation, materialism, hedonism, hardship, physical maladies, conflict, religion, philosophy & pride
The solution & protection to Satan’s deceptions is to seek the ________ – truth leads to Jesus (John 14:6)
The defeat of Satan & the demons is a blessing in heaven and a _______ upon the earth
A Great Voice in Heaven – Revelation 12:10-12
The Proclamation – vs. 10.
The source of the voice is not stated, but it is a ________voice of those whose brothers are accused by Satan
This proclamation, like that in Rev. 11:15-18, is a still _____event that so certain it is states as already done
Satan currently __________the brethren day & night to God – it could be slander or true – but God _______
The Commendation – vs. 11.
The basis of earthly victory is identification with _________ atoning sacrifice & bearing testimony of Christ
Their faithfulness in witnessing of Christ extended even to the point of ____________ if need be
The Celebration – vs. 12a
The heavens & those dwelling in them ____________ over Satan’s defeat – he will no longer be there
The Warning – vs. 12b
Satan’s multiple defeats provoke his wrath / anger which is more __________reaction than logical response
His time is short, & his wrath brings __________upon the earth, the sea and those who dwell upon them
Conclusions
Satan’s defeat is so _______that it can be spoken of as if it had already happened, and in that we can rejoice
We currently still have to deal with Satan as our adversary – he is overcome by the pursuit of ___________
_______brings sinners to belief & trust in Christ, and Christians to maturity & walking in Christ’s promises
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children: Draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following:1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times “Satan” is mentioned. Talk with your parents about the danger Satan poses, why he will fail to usurp God and God’s plans, and how you can defeat him so that he flees.
THINK ABOUT IT! – Questions to consider / discuss with others. What important event precedes Revelation 12? How does Revelation 12 fit into the context between chapters 11 and 16? What is a proleptic aorist and why is that important? What is the purpose of the two signs in Revelation 12:1-6? Who does the woman represent? Who does the dragon represent? Who do the third of the stars represent? Why are they swept from heaven? When did that occur? Who is the son of the woman and why does the dragon want to devour him? What is the significance of the child being caught up to God and His throne? When did that occur? Why is there war in heaven? Who are the ones doing battle? How is such a war waged? Is this a reference to Satan being thrown out of heaven sometime in the past? Why or why not? Can Satan or any demon return to heaven after this war? Explain. Why would Satan carry out an assault on heaven? Could he win? Why or why not? What is the significance of each of these names / titles / descriptions: The Great Dragon? The Serpent? The Devil? Satan? The one deceiving the whole world? What is the solution / protection from Satan’s deceptions? What is the probable source of the loud voice in vs. 10? Is that a future or past event? Explain. Satan is the “accuser of the brethren” – what does He accuse them of? What are God’s possible responses to Satan’s accusations against the brethren? Explain. Who is commended in verse 11 and why? Who is rejoicing and what is its cause in verse 12? Is that a future or past event? Explain. Why will the devil have great wrath? Why does that cause a woe to the earth and the sea? How can you have victory over Satan at the present time?
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