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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
August 24, 2025
◘Satan’s Wrath
Revelation 12:13-18
Introduction
We return to Revelation 12 this morning. If you have missed either of the last two sermons from this chapter, please go to the website to either read the notes or use the link to listen to those sermons to understand the reasoning for the interpretations I am making in this chapter. (See: Two Signs in Heave & War in Heaven) I will only be summarizing those today as we look at the last section which covers Satan’s response to being cast down from heaven to earth. Before we examine verses 13-18 let me quickly remind you of the context of Revelation 12.
◘Context
Revelation 11 concludes with the sounding of the seventh trumpet and the immediate response of voices in heaven declaring the victory of Christ’s kingdom over the kingdom of this world. This is such a certainty that the pronouncement is made as if it has already been accomplished though the events that will bring it about are still future. This proclamation can be made because God is sovereign. He declares the end from the beginning and will accomplish all of His good pleasure (Isaiah 46:10). The seventh trumpet brings about the succession of final actions in the bowl judgments upon those that dwell on the earth followed by the return of Jesus to conquer the world and set up His millennial kingdom. (See: The Seventh Trumpet)
◘Revelation 12 does not continue the narrative time sequence. Instead, it begins a parenthetical section that introduces the primary characters and furnishes the plot of the entire background drama that unfolds when the bowl judgments begin in chapter 16. ◘The first five verses are historical and introduce two of the main subjects that are central to the background that explains the specific actions that will take place in the future. Both of these are revealed to John as signs he sees in heaven. The description of each indicates the identity and character of what the sign represents.
◘The Two Signs – Revelation 12:1-6
Verses 1 and 2 reveals the first sign. 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.” ◘As explained in the earlier sermons, this woman represents national Israel through whom the Messiah would come as promised in the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants.
The second sign is revealed in verses 3 & 4. 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.” ◘As detailed in verse 9, this dragon is “the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.” The “third of the stars of heaven” are the angels that followed Satan after his initial sin and were thrown to earth. We refer to these fallen, sinful angels as demons. The initial fall of Satan was sometime after day six of creation in which all God had made was very good (Genesis 1:31) and before the temptation of Eve in Genesis 3:1. Satan was not excluded from heaven at that time as demonstrated in Job 1 & 2.
◘The historical actions of the dragon are further described in the rest of verse 4 with verse 5 identifying the child, “4 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.”
◘Satan has been at war against God since his pride brought about his sin of wanting to usurp God. Every since then he has sought to direct to himself the worship that belongs only to God, but he is also satisfied to block or pervert the worship of God. Satan and the demonic hoard that follow him make diligent effort to prevent God’s will from being done on earth with special attention to preventing the plan of redemption. I detailed some of the historical record of this in the Scriptures a couple of weeks ago. Only Jesus will fulfill the description in verse 5 which comes from Psalm 2 of a future in which He will “rule / break all the nations with a rod of iron.”
◘Herod’s slaughter of the babies two years and younger in the vicinity of Bethlehem after Jesus’ birth fulfills the specifics of verse 4, but Satan’s efforts to kill Jesus before the proper time continued until the cross. Satan was very active in trying to bring about Jesus’ crucifixion, but that proved to be his greatest defeat to that point in time because that was the means of the redemption of man from sin and it was completely under Jesus’ control (John 10:17-18). Jesus’ resurrection then proved the acceptance of His atoning sacrifice and that all of Jesus’ claims and promises are true.
◘The end of verse 5 points to Jesus’ ascension. That was not to escape Satan’s threats since it had already been proven that Satan could not defeat Jesus. It is mentioned because it explains Satan’s reaction which will be described starting in verse 7. Since Satan can no longer directly attack Jesus, his attention will turn to the woman, who still represents national Israel, as pointed out in verse 6. 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.” ◘Verse 6 is set in the future and will occur chronologically after the warfare described in verse 7-12 with more detail given in verses 13-17. The location of this future place in the wilderness is not specifically identified, but it is a place of safety in which God will provide for them. This correlates with Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24:15-20 for those in Jerusalem to flee to the mountains when they see the abomination of desolation. The length of time matches that of the forty-two months Jerusalem will be trampled by the nations and the 1,260 days that the two witnesses will prophesy (Rev. 11:2-3).
◘War in Heaven – Revelation 12:7-9
We covered verses 7-12 and its description of a war in heaven last week. Let me quickly review it.
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 is not a reference to Satan’s initial fall into sin and a third of the angles being thrown to earth as in verse 4. This is a future war in which Michael, an archangel, and the good angels with him utterly defeat Satan and the demons so that they are permanently cast out of heaven. After this, Satan will no longer have access to heaven to do what he continues to do at present which is to accuse our brethren, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, before God. Whether he uses slander or true statements, God’s response is to cleanse and restore instead of condemn us as we humbly confess our sins (1 John 1:9).
◘Verse 9 clearly identifies the dragon with four names and a characteristic. Dragon is a beast that is fierce and dangerous. The serpent of old, points back to his role in the deception of Eve and man’s fall into sin. ◘The devil refers to him being a slanderer, the father of lies. Satan designates him as our adversary. He is the one who deceives the whole world. Satan is still very dangerous with his efforts to deceive through his lies and slander which are designed to create doubt, entice, tempt, cause fear, lead astray to false religions and philosophies, and create conflict. ◘The solution to all of these is to pursue the truth, for the truth corrects the lies and slander, and it will lead you to Jesus (John 14:6) and God’s word (John 17:17).
◘A Proclamation, A Commendation, A Celebration & A Warning – Revelation 12:10
The response in heaven to Satan and the demons being cast out is a proclamation in verses 10-12 of a blessing in heaven and a woe upon the earth and the sea. 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.”
◘Like the proclamation after the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the coming of the future kingdom is so certain of fulfillment that it is presented as having already come though it is still in the future. The casting of Satan, “the accuser of our brothers,” out of heaven and to the earth is the first stage of crushing his rebellion. ◘The second stage will come as his rule on earth is crushed as will be described in the bowl judgments to come which lead to Jesus’ return to conquer and set up His kingdom.
◘Though accused by Satan, the brothers are commended for their victory through their identification with Jesus’ atoning sacrifice (the blood of the Lamb), and faithfulness in bearing testimony of Christ
even to the point of martyrdom if necessary. ◘This commendation was followed by a celebration in heaven because casting Satan and the demons out of heaven was cause for rejoicing by all that dwell in heaven. ◘At the same time, Satan being cast out of heaven to the earth and the sea will be a woe to them. His wrath at being defeated was great, and now he had both limited places and limited time to express that wrath. The next section deals with his wrath.
◘The Dragon’s Wrath – Revelation 12:13-18
I mentioned at the end of verse 6, verses 13-17 give greater detail of the prophecy in that verse and correlates with Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24:15-20. That means this occurs after the abomination of desolation and covers the latter part of the seven year tribulation foretold in the prophecy of Daniel 9.
◘This passage continues the symbolism that began in verse 1. The dragon and serpent continue to be symbols for Satan, and the woman continues to be a symbol for national Israel. The actions of the dragon against the woman and the help she receives are also symbolic and we will consider their possible meanings as we work through each verse. Let me read through this passage and then we will look at it in detail.
◘13And 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.
◘Satan’s Historical Hatred of Israel. Satan failed to prevent the fulfillment of God’s plan of redemption, and after being thrown down from heaven he lost access to God to make his accusations against believers. He is now full of wrath and brings woe to the earth and the sea and those dwelling in them. His attention becomes focused on the woman, national Israel, through whom Messiah has come.
◘Satan’s hatred of humanity is vast. His deceives humans as a means by which to attack God’s glory and will. He “blinds the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4). He wants people to be condemned to Hell. His efforts against believers is to lead them astray from living holy lives for God’s glory and instead bring shame on themselves and God by their sin, selfishness and false doctrine. ◘ Beyond that, Satan has had a special hatred of the Jewish people since the establishment of the Abrahamic covenant. That has manifested itself in many ways over the centuries ranging from mild forms such as discrimination and exclusion in a society to severe forms such as slavery and slaughter.
◘Many things Jews have suffered fit well within the normal range of human evil against other humans. The Egyptians considered shepherding to be loathsome and so thought Jews to be loathsome. For that reason they kept themselves socially distant from the Jews (Genesis 43:32; 46:34). Such ignorant prejudices are sinful, but they are common among people. The enslavement of the Jews also fell within normal practices in the ancient world, but Pharaoh’s decree to kill all the male babies had a demonic element beyond normal human evil (Exodus 1:21). In her plea to the king in Esther 7:4, she said if Haman’s plan was only to enslave the Jews she would not have even bothered the king with the annoyance, ◘but annihilation was too far so she was pleading for their lives. Haman’s plan for genocide was motivated by his hatred for the Jews because Mordecai would not kowtow to him and Mordecai was a Jew. That is a demonically generated hatred.
◘Biblical history shows God’s chastening the Jewish nation, both when unified and when split into Israel and Judah, as warned in Lev. 26 and Deut. 27 & 28, including oppression by the surrounding nations. Sometimes that was within the normal actions of nations wanting to expand their influence or territory. At other times those nations had evil motives and actions than went beyond normal war and conquest for which God would then punish them. Examples include Assyria (Isaiah 10), the Chaldeans (Isa. 47), Ammon (Ezekiel 25), Tyre (Amos 1), and Edom (Obadiah). There is a demonic element when there is a glee and rejoicing with scorn at the downfall of your enemy such as was done by Ammon and Edom (Ezekiel 25:5; 36:5).
◘After Israel was conquered and deported by Assyria in 722 B.C. and Judah by Babylon in 586 B.C., Jewish groups scattered around the world in the diaspora. While many individual Jews intermarried and became fully assimilated in whatever country they had settled, there were always enough that held to their own culture and religion that resisted full assimilation that they could be identified as a separate people in whatever country they had settled. Therefore, it is not that surprising that regardless of any efforts they made to be good citizens of that nation, they were often targeted for unfair practices such as restrictions on the trades and businesses they could be in or where they were allowed to live. ◘Because they were hard working, diligent to succeed and kept close family connections, jealousy could easily be aroused in those less successful in the majority population resulting in further oppression or even banishment from that country as happened in England in 1290, France in 1306 and Spain in 1492.
◘What cannot be explained as mere jealousy is the violence done against Jews, often with religious justification, including by those claiming to be Christians. The First Crusade (1095-99) included mobs of ignorant, unruly crusaders who destroyed Jewish homes and villages, often slaughtering the inhabitants, as they made their way across Europe to Jerusalem. After capturing Jerusalem, they forced its Jewish population into a synagogue which was then set on fire with the survivors sold into slavery. ◘In more recent times, the Russian pogram began in 1881 and lasted about four decades during which tens of thousands of Jews were murdered and hundred’s of thousands forced to flee. Joseph Stalin, communist dictator of the Soviet Union 1924-1952, was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions in his nation through his various purges that included some 3 million Jews. ◘More familiar to most people was the utter evil of the holocaust in Nazi Germany (1933-1945) in which upwards of an estimated 6 million Jews perished. While not the only ethnic group slaughtered during WW II, the Jews were the prime target of the Nazis who killed about half of the European Jewish population. The establishment of the modern state of Israel can be directly tied to being a response to it. All of these are examples of an evil brought against Jews that demonstrate a demonic empowerment.
Though the cry of the Jews after the holocaust has been “never again,” it has not stopped and will not stop until Jesus reigns. That should not surprise us because the hatred against Jews is more than just normal human jealousy or quests for power or land. ◘There is a demonic element. That has been demonstrated in the wars against the modern state of Israel including the intifadas and the more recent October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas from Gaza that brutally murdered over 1,200 men, women and children and abducted more than 250. The response to that atrocity prefigures what will be coming in the future. It was celebrated throughout much of the Muslim world, and compassion and solidarity with Israel by other nations was short lived. Pro-Hamas and anti-Israeli activity began quickly in Europe, the United States and many other nations around the world.
◘Just last week the anti-semitism of Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has created a diplomatic crises between the two countries. Most of us are aware of at least some of the strong anti-Jewish hate speech, protests and actions that have taken place in our own nation in the last year and a half. Time magazine reported that antisemitic incidents in the U.S. skyrocketed by 361% in the three months following the October 7, 2023 atrocity. (Since Semitic refers to descendants of Shem which includes the Arabs, it is more accurate to call these anti-Jewish). ◘ Foreshadowing the future is the January 2025 report indicating that 46% of the world’s adult population “harbors deeply entrenched antisemitic attitudes.” In America, the ignorance of the younger generations make them more likely to fall for anti-Jewish tropes, stereo-types and holocaust denial. Older folks, such as my wife and I, have more experience with many different Jewish people and have personally met holocaust survivors.
◘Of greater concern are those who profess to be Christians who express anti-Jewish sentiments, deny the holocaust and are favorable toward Hitler. Their theological positions lead them to believe that the church has replaced national Israel and that the Jews are cursed of God. Their dual ignorance of history and the Scriptures allows them to believe lies and support attitudes and actions that are the opposite of what God has said. God’s love for His chosen people, Israel, is everlasting (Deut. 7:7-9; Jer. 31:3), and even His chastening is out of that love to purge them of sin and make them holy (Prov. 3:12)
◘ Satan’s Future Persecution of Israel. Verse 13 states, “when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.” What is coming in the future for Israel is a final purging that is the purpose of the seventieth week of the prophecy in Daniel 9. The focus of Satan’s wrath upon Israel will make the previous atrocities committed against the Jews to be minor by comparison.
◘Jesus forewarned in Matthew 24:15–22, 15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 “Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18 “Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” (See: The Great Tribulation)
◘Revelation 12:14 explains God’s provision for those that flee, 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.” The length of time from the abomination of desolation to the return of Christ that this remnant will need to be protected and nourished is the same – times, time and half a time, or 42 months, or 1,260 days. There is a lot of conjecture about the symbolism of the eagle wings most of which is speculative allegory even to the extreme of it being the national airline of Israel, El Al, which means “to the skies.” ◘Eagle wings are used in scripture to depict strength (Isaiah 40:31), speed (Jer. 48:40) and protection (Deut. 32:10-11), and all of those are elements in what is being described here, but this probably best traces to the similar symbolism to Exodus 19:4, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles wings, and brought you to Myself.” ◘God is going to intervene and bring those who flee to the place He has prepared for them and where He will protect and nourish them for the duration of the tribulation period. The location is unknown and only described here as “into the wilderness,” and in Matthew 24:16 as “the mountains.” The nourishment is apparently supernatural since they will not be in a location to grow or purchase food, and the restrictions the Antichrist will put on commerce requiring the mark of the beast would prevent that anyway (Rev. 13:17). This will be along the lines of either how God supplied Elijah in the wilderness (1 Kings 17:6) or manna in Exodus 16. That protection is further described in symbolic language in verses 15 & 16.
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.” ◘There is also a lot of speculation about the meaning of additional symbols here of water, river and the earth opening its mouth. It could be a literal river of water sent to try and drown those fleeing such as a dam busting and releasing its water down a canyon. An earthquake could open a fissure diverting the water away from those in the canyon. This would also fit the symbolism of an army sent in pursuit since that metaphor is used in Jeremiah 46:7-8; 47:1-2, and the earth is described as swallowing the Egyptian army pursuing Israel in Exodus 15:12, and in Numbers 16:32 the earth did open its mouth and swallowed all those of Korah who were rebelling against Moses.
◘But this protection is only given to those that flee. Those that remain will suffer immensely. Zechariah 13:8 – 14:2 speak of a military conquest of Jerusalem just prior to Christ’s return in which two thirds will be cut off and perish and only one third will be left. (See: The Return of Messiah – Zechariah 14)
Unable to further pursue this remnant of Jews protected by God, the dragon’s attention shifts as described in verse 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.” ◘These are the tribulation saints. They are active followers of God as indicated by their pursuit of personal holiness in “keeping the commandments of God,” and they are active in proclaiming Jesus Christ and His teachings as indicated by their “having the witness of Jesus.”
◘Because these people are specifically identified as “the rest of her seed,” it is thought that they are the 144,000 Jewish witnesses sealed in Revelation 7. They remain behind in order to bear testimony of Jesus and do not flee to the wilderness. They will appear again in Revelation 14:1-5 standing victorious on Mt Zion with the Lamb. However, if “the rest of her seed” is a reference to all those who are “sons of Abraham” by faith in Christ (Gal. 3:7), then this refers to all, Jew and Gentile alike, that follow God’s commands and witness of Christ. ◘That better fits what would be expected of Satan’s reaction because His hatred of believers is already strong and will get worse. More Christians were martyred in the twentieth Century than the previous nineteen centuries combined and the pace has not slacked off. Jesus stated directly that His followers would have tribulation in this world because the world hates righteousness and Him (Matthew 5:10-12; John 15:18-19), and Paul adds the sobering warning that “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). The martyrs seen underneath the altar in the firth seal (Rev. 6:9-11) and the innumerable martyrs from every nation, tribe, people and tongue seen in heaven after the sixth seal (Rev. 7:9-10, 13-17) demonstrate Satan’s persecution of believers during the “beginning of birth pangs” (Matthew 24:8) before the abomination of desolation. It will only get worse in the later part of the tribulation period.
◘Depending on your translation, the chapter ends, “And he stood on the sand of the sea.” Many translations make this the opening phrase of the next chapter, but either way, the reference is to the dragon, who pauses on the seashore to summon the next instrument in his war, the beast that rises from the sea which we will examine next week.
◘Conclusions
However bad someone may think it is now, it is going to be a lot worse in the tribulation period and especially the latter half it which Jesus termed as “a great tribulation” which will be the worse of all time, and whose days are cut short for the sake of preserving life on the earth. The earth will be purged, and then will come the glorious return of Christ and the millennial kingdom.
◘A major application of today’s sermon is to avoid the trap of anti-Jewish thought and actions. That will get worse in the future when Satan is thrown down from heaven, but its origin has always been in Satan’s hatred of God and all that is associated with Him. God’s chosen nation, the Jews, are, have been, and will be a particular target of Satan’s efforts to deceive and destroy.
◘Those who fall into this trap demonstrate a profound ignorance of history and the Scriptures or an even worse purposeful revisionism and Scripture twisting to support their evil position. Those who profess to be Christians and fall for this evil foolishness need to repent or quit shaming Jesus by claiming to be His follower. That does not mean we cannot nor should not criticize individual Jews for their sinful actions or the modern state of Israel, which is quite secular and disobedient to God’s commands, for their bad policies and failures. However, it does mean that we recognize God’s special relationship with the Jews and His plan for a future Jewish nation. Hatred of Jews because they are Jews is a Satanic driven evil, and true Christians must stand against it even as we are attacked by secularists and those following false religions and cults because we are disciples of Jesus Christ (who is Jewish) and follow the teachings of the Scriptures (which are written by Jews).
We choose to rejoice even as the apostles did should we suffer for the name of Christ (Acts 5:41). ◘We also rejoice in the Lord always in all circumstances because we know that not only is God changing us into the image of Christ by those things, but He is also sovereignly moving all things to its culmination in Christ’s millennial kingdom and then eternity (Philippians 4:4; James 1:2-4; Romans 8:26-28). Live in the present with a view to eternity, or to state that another way, be heavenly minded enough to pursue righteousness do some earthly good (2 Peter 3:11-13; Colossians 3).
Sermon Notes – 8/24/2025
Satan’s Wrath – Revelation 12:13-18
Context
Rev. 11 concludes 7th trumpet & declaring the ________of Christ’s kingdom over the kingdom of this world
Rev. 12 begins a ____________section that introduce the characters & furnish the plot of the drama to come
The Two Signs – Revelation 12:1-6
The woman represents national __________through whom the Messiah came according to the covenants
The dragon represents _______and the stars are the third of the angels that became demons in following him
The male child of the woman is the promised ____________
Satan has been at war with God since he fell into sinful pride desiring to ____________________
Herod’s ___________of the babies in & near Bethlehem fulfilled vs. 4 – but he continued to try & kill Jesus
The end of vs. 5 points to Jesus’ _____________- and explains the reason for Satan’s reaction in vs. 7f
Vs, 6 points to a ___________event which occurs after the war described in vs. 7-12
War in Heaven – Revelation 12:7-9
This is a future angelic war in _____________and not Satan’s initial fall into sin –
Satan ___________have access to heaven after this and no longer be able to accuse the brethren before God
The dragon, a _________& dangerous beast. The serpent, points back to his deception of Eve
The devil, a __________. Satan, our __________. Characterized as the ___________of the whole world
The solution / protection against Satan’s lies, slander & many avenues of deception is pursuit of _________
A Proclamation, A Commendation, A Celebration & A Warning – Revelation 12:10-12
The proclamation of the coming of Christ’s future kingdom is so certain it declared as if already happened
Being cast out of heaven is the _______ of crushing Satan’s rebellion. The 2nd comes with Christ’s kingdom
The brethren are _________________for their identification with Jesus’ atoning sacrifice & faithful witness
All who dwell in heaven ___________at Satan & the demons being thrown down from heaven
Satan’s defeat brings a ________ upon the earth and the sea and those who dwell in them
The Dragon’s Wrath – Revelation 12:13-18
Verses 13-17 give greater detail to the prophecy in vs. 6 & correlates with Jesus’ warning in _____________
The symbolism of the dragon, the woman and her child continues. Additional __________ are added
Satan’s Historical Hatred of Israel
Satan’s defeat in heaven will bring particularly woe to the _________
Satan hates ___________- blinding the unbelieving to condemn them to hell; Deceiving believers to sin
Satan has had a special hatred of the __________people since the establishment of the Abrahamic covenant
Much of Jewish suffering fits within the _______range of all human suffering – prejudice, enslavement, etc.
Efforts to annihilate (Example: Haman) demonstrate a _______________ generated evil
God used other nations to chasten Israel as warned, but some went far __________normal war and conquest
The diaspora spread Jews around the world, but resistance to assimilation kept them a ____________people
Their success wherever they went fostered ___________in the majority population and led to persecution
Mere jealousy cannot explain the _________against Jews throughout history – crusades, pograms, holocaust
There is a ___________element to the attacks against the modern Israel – wars, intifadas, Hezbollah, Hamas
Anti-Jewish attitude & actions have dramatically _______________since the atrocity of October 7, 2023
Foreshadowing the future is the widespread prevalence of “deeply entrenched ________________attitudes”
Anti-Jewish sentiments, holocaust denial & favoring Hitler are contrary to _____________Christianity
Satan’s Future Persecution of Israel
Satan’s _________wrath will make previous atrocities seem minor
Matthew 24:15–22 – Jesus’ warning to the Jews concerning the great ______________ period
Revelation 12:14 – God protects and ___________ for those that flee after the abomination of desolation
The Eagle wings metaphor comes from _________________ – they depict strength, speed & protection
God intervenes _____________to protect & provide in an unknown place in the mountains of the wilderness
Whether literal or symbolic of an army, the serpents efforts to destroy by a flood are __________by the earth
Those that remain will suffer immensely with _________________killed (Zechariah 138-14:2)
Satan’s war with “the rest of her seed” are the active followers of God & ________to Christ & his teaching
These are either the 144,000 Jewish witnesses (Rev. 7) or all tribulation __________
Satan _______believers in Christ & strongly persecutes them now; that will get worse during the tribulation
Conclusions
However bad it may be today, it will be much __________in the great tribulation
The origin of anti-Jewish thought & actions has always been ___________- don’t fall into his trap
Being a diligent student of the Scriptures & pursing historical truth aligns you with God’s ________of Israel
Rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4) & be ______________minded enough to be of earthly good (Col. 3)
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 Satan’s hatred for Jews and how to avoid falling into his trap of also hating Jews.
THINK ABOUT IT! – Questions to consider / discuss with others. What is the context for Rev. 12:13-18? Explain the meaning of the two signs in Rev. 12:1-6 and the war in heaven and its consequences in Rev. 12:7-12. Why does Satan hate Israel and how has that been manifested in history? What aspects of Jewish suffering in history fall within the normal parameters of the evil of men against one another and what show demonic motivations? Give examples. What is underlies current anti-Jewish sentiments and actions? How does current reaction to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 atrocity against Israel foreshadow the future? How does Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24:15-22 correlate with Revelation 12:6, 13-16? Who are the “rest of her seed” in Rev. 12:17? Explain. Why do professing Christians fall to anti-Jewish rhetoric? How can diligent study of the Scriptures and pursuit of historical truth prevent that? Describe God’s current relationship with Jews and the state of Israel. What will God’s relationship with Jews & national Israel be like during the tribulation? During the Millennium?
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