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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
August 10, 2025
◘Two Signs in Heaven
Revelation 12:1-6
Introduction
Turn to Revelation 12 as we continue our study of the apocalypse. ◘There are two particular reasons this chapter can result in a lot of confusion unless great care is given in interpreting it and even then there are elements that remain unknown. First, there are two signs in heaven which can easily lead to a lot of speculative efforts to force them into a preconceived theology. Second, like chapter 11, the time references can be confusing because they jump back and forth and there is a lot of use of the proleptic aorist I talked about in my last sermon. Events which will happen in the future are so certain that they are spoken of in the past tense as if they have already occurred. I will be pointing these out as we work through chapter 12.
◘The ending section of the Revelation 11 records the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which as you may recall from the previous sermon, is immediately followed by loud voices in heaven that declare the triumph of the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ that replaces the kingdom of the world. The twenty-four elders then humbly respond in worship and praise for the specific events that cause this to happen, and all of this is so certain that it is presented as already accomplished. However, those events are actually still future and will be fulfilled when the seventh trumpet is blown for that brings about the beginning of the third woe which will be detailed in the bowl judgments, but the description and record of those do not begin until Revelation 16. The chapters between will jump around some in the time sequence as they explain the persons and forces at work as the tribulation period reaches its climax with the seven bowl judgments culminating in the second coming of Christ.
◘Chapter 12 begins the background explanation for all of this by describing two signs and a war that occur in heaven. These first six verses furnish the plot of the entire background drama that will be described in the passages that follow. This conflict in the future is simply the outworking of Satan’s current rebellious struggle against God that began with his fall into sin. This rebellion will be crushed by God in the future in three stages with the first stage described in chapter 12 which results in him expressing his anger on the earth.
I will first read through all of chapter 12 to provide the larger picture and then we will examine the first two signs in detail. We will examine the rest of the chapter next week. There is more in this chapter than I want fit into just one sermon.
◘Romans 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
◘Chapter 12 begins with John seeing two great signs in heaven. The first is a woman who was about to give birth. The second sign is of a great red dragon that seeks to kill the son the woman bore. The first five verses deal with past events, but verse 6 points to future ones. Verses 7-18 then describes and explain the future war that will occur in heaven and its consequences.
◘The Sign of the Woman – Revelation 12:1-2
The chapter begins, “And a great sign appeared in heaven.” ◘The term sign, shmeni:on / sēmeion, has wide usage in meaning ranging from a signal to do something such as military hand signs; to the evidence of something that either is or was present such as the scent of a skunk; to being representations of something else such as vowels being symbols of particular sounds; to an indicator of ownership or authority such as a seal on a document; to proof of claim such as Jesus’ many sign miracles proving His claim to be God. In the context here, John sees a great sign which represents a reality of much greater significance that what he visually sees and describes.
◘The historical-grammatical method of interpretation, the literal method, understands the meaning of a passage according to its literary type. It does not reject that words, sentences and passages can be symbolic, allegorical, or even mystical, but it does require that there are indications within the text or context of such usage. It prevents imaginative musings from being read into the text. In this case, the text states directly that what John saw was a sign so it as a whole and each element within it will have symbolic meaning. ◘However, the basis for determining those meanings must be found within the context of Scripture or the historical, cultural meaning of that time. Looking for meaning outside of those bounds becomes eisegesis – reading into the text. Because many commentators do not place such restrictions on themselves, there are many diverse and imaginative interpretations of Revelation including these two signs in Rev. 12.
I state that here to point out that what John describes in this chapter or elsewhere in Revelation is not related in anyway to Greek or other pagan myths. ◘First, John is recording what was revealed to him by God and not coming up with his own imaginative story. ◘Second, John was antagonistic toward paganism and so would have neither used nor promoted them in his writings. Third, the differences between what John writes and anything similar in paganism are too great to support the idea that he had borrowed from them. The only real similarity between what John records in Revelation and pagan myths is that there is supernatural conflict between good and evil.
◘Also, this cannot be connected to the emperor cult worship that developed when Domitian sought to deify his dead son as a god and his wife as the mother of god. Not only is what described very different from that, if there is any connection, it would be Domitian borrowing from Christian tradition.
This is also not connected to the materials produced in the Qumran Community which where found in the Dead Sea scrolls. The apostle John would not have been familiar with that community. The internal evidence of John’s writings show that he was a man steeped in the Hebrew Scriptures which would be expected of a seriously religious Jew, and the allusions he makes in Revelation reflect that. I will point that out as we go along in our study.
◘Returning to our text, the sign that John sees is both great and appears in heaven which adds to its importance. John uses the word great many times to describe things in these visions because of either their size, intensity or significance. Here, it is a significant sign that he sees. John’s vantage point is again in heaven and what he sees there adds to its importance as well as removing it from being anything ordinary such as would occur on earth.
◘The first element of the sign he sees is “a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” This is not a description of any ordinary woman for no human can be dressed in that fashion. The woman is a symbol of something greater which is identified by her attire. ◘There is only one place in scripture where a similar description occurs, and that is Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37:9-11. Joseph told his family his dream saying, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” Jacob immediately understood the meaning of it and rebuked Joseph saying, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?” ◘The sun represented Jacob. The moon represented Rachel. The stars represented Joseph’s brothers. That explains these symbols that John sees. That there are twelve stars in John’s vision indicates it is all twelve of the patriarchs. That would make the woman a symbol of the nation of Israel. That interpretation fits other Old Testament analogies in which the nation of Israel is often symbolized as woman married to God (Isaiah 54; Jeremiah 2; Ezekiel 16; Hosea 2).
◘That this symbolic woman representing the nation of Israel is clothed with the sun suggests the glory and blessing that surrounds that nation due to being God’s chosen people (Ps. 33:12) due to God’s everlasting covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They were to be a holy people (Deut. 7:6) who would glory in Yahweh (Isa. 45:25). ◘The moon being under her feet may also allude to Israel’s exalted status or the covenantal relationship with God since Israel’s required times of worship were according to lunar cycle. The twelve stars formed a crown on her head. ◘The crowns are GREEK stephanos /, victors’ crowns, and so point to ultimate victory. That this woman represents national Israel will be further demonstrated as we continue examining the text.
The second element of this sign that John sees is that “she was with child, and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.” Many commentators quickly identify her as the virgin Mary since she is described as “being with child” (Matt. 1:18, 23; Isa. 7:10-14). ◘However, every woman who has been pregnant as “been with child,” and while no text specifically states that Mary was in pain during labor, that is common to every mother according to the curse on Eve (Genesis 3:16). The description is too generic here to identify her with any specific woman. Those saying this is Mary interpret the male child verse 5 as being Jesus, but even that interpretation does not require the woman to be Mary as we shall see. ◘There are several major problems that block identifying this woman as Mary. First, John knew Mary and would have identified her. Second, Mary could not fit the description of being clothed with the sun, have the moon at her feet, or be crowned with twelve stars. Third, woman is a sign, a symbol of something else and not a specific person as already pointed out. Finally, Mary could not satisfy verse 17 in which the dragon makes war “with the rest of her children.” This is a much larger group than just Mary’s descendants.
◘This woman is also not God, an interpretation that would require God to flee from Satan (vs. 6). Neither is this woman all the people of God from all ages (referring to the saints of the Old Testament plus the church) since she has additional children (vs. 17). In addition, the church is a distinct subgroup of all the people of God through the ages and will be the bride of Christ (2 Cor. 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-27, 32; Revelation 19:7-8). The church and national Israel have never been and never will be the same group.
◘Who then is this woman? The same as from verse 1 since the conjunction joins it immediately to verse 2. The word translated “labor” in verse 2, wjdinvw / ōdinō, refers to the pain experienced as uterine contractions begin and increase spasmodically until the child is born. In this verse that is joined with the word basanivzw / basanizō which is translated as torment and physical torture. (Many of you mom’s would agree that is a fitting description of what you went through. The rest of you are grateful for spinal blocks and anesthesia). The nation of Israel is often metaphorically portrayed as going through travail – labor pains – both in going through punishment for sin (Isaiah 13:6-9; Jeremiah 4:3; 13:21) and in bringing forth God’s plan of restoration and redemption (Isaiah 26:17-18; 66:8; Micah 4:10; 5:2-3). The purpose of the travail in this verse is the anticipated birth of the child described in greater detail in the second sign he saw.
◘The Sign of the Dragon – Revelation 12:3-6
When we read through this chapter earlier, the sense is given that John’s vision of the first sign is interrupted by the second sign – “Then another sign appeared in heaven” – since the woman in the first sign appears again in the second one. John calls special attention to this second sign by introducing it with “and behold.” He then introduces and describes another symbolic creature. 3 “and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.” ◘The identification of this creature is easy because verse 9 clear states he is “the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan.” John will refer to Satan as the dragon thirteen more times in Revelation. Why use the symbolism of a dragon for Satan? ◘In Hebrew thought dragons were fierce, and that characteristic is going to be clearly seen in his actions in Revelation. While the term dravkwn / drakōn is used in the Septuagint (LXX) to describe Leviathan (Job 3:8), a sea serpent or monster (Job 7:12; Psalm 74:13), the serpent (Amos 9:3) and the fleeing serpent (Job 26:3; Isaiah 27:1), the connection in Revelation is to a demonic manifestation as when Satan used the serpent in Genesis 3 to deceive Eve. ◘He is described here as the “great red dragon” with “great” adding to the description of his danger and “red,” or “flame-colored” (purrovV / pyrros) adding to his fierce appearance.
This dragon has “seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.” ◘This is somewhat ambiguous since the location of the ten horns is not stated which allows for more than one possibility. Such detail shows this is more than just a general reference to the power and authority of the dragon. ◘Revelation 13:1 has a similar description of the beast that comes up from the sea, and it cross references to 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 of the dragon here then 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 will be Satan’s activity on earth in the realm of men.
◘The dragon’s power in the spiritual realm is described in verse 4. 4 “And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.” Continuing the symbolic description of Satan as a dragon, he has a tail, and there is much power in the tail of dragon. The stars are symbolic of angels as already seen in Revelation 9:1 which cross references to the same symbolism for angels in Job 38:7. The proper place for angels is heaven, but Satan swept a third of them out of heaven to earth. ◘This appears to be a reference to Satan’s initial fall from heaven when his pride arose to cause him to sin in seeking to usurp God (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-17). ◘This initial fall from heaven was not a permanent exclusion from heaven since in Job 1 & 2 Satan presents himself before Yahweh and he gives a report about his roaming about the earth and walking on it.
◘The rest of Revelation 12:4 points to Satan’s special enmity against the Jewish people and God’s plan of redemption through them. “And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.” ◘However, Satan’s rage and war against God’s plan of redemption began long before the coming of this promised child. Cain murdered Abel, but the Lord provided a new godly line through Seth. Satan fomented sin in mankind to the point God destroyed the world, yet he preserved 8 people alive – Noah and his family – on the ark. The tower of Babel continued the rebellion of man, but God confused their languages and forced mankind to disperse. Idolatry in various forms, which is energized by demons, became the common religion of the world, but God called Abram out of it to be His follower and make a covenant with him. Efforts for that covenant to be perverted came with the birth of Ishmael, but Isaac was born to continue it. Esau was Isaac’s first born, but his selfishness resulted in it being transferred to Jacob. Despite the confusion caused by having four wives and multiple children from them, the covenant of redemption passed through Judah, the fourth son. Pharaoh sought to end the threat of an increasingly numerous Jewish nation within his borders by having all the male babies killed, but the Jewish midwives did not comply and God intervened so that Moses would be raised in Pharaoh’s own household and then eventually deliver the nation a couple of generations later. The line of redemption would continue through David though his life was at risk many times starting with wild animals while tending sheep, then there were the dangers of warfare, and then Saul’s intentional efforts to capture and kill him. David survived them all and God established a covenant with him that his descendant would sit on his throne forever. Intermarriage with the evil line of king Ahab nearly ended the godly line of David when Queen Athaliah killed all her sons so that she could be on the throne, but Joash was hidden from her and the line continued. The evil of Manasseh continued in his descendants to the point that Jeconiah was cursed so that none of his descendants would ever sit on David’s throne, yet the blood line of the covenant continued through a different line of David’s descendants down to Mary while the right to the throne was passed down to Joseph, Mary’s husband, so that Jesus would be both a blood descendant of David and have the right to the throne while avoiding that curse. During the time of king Ahasuerus evil Haman was almost able to carry out his plan to exterminate the Jews, but it was foiled by Queen Esther, and Haman’s line was exterminated instead.
◘Verse 4 ends with the dragon anticipating the birth of the child and being ready to devour him. Revelation 12:5 gives more detail about this child that was to be born that enables him to be clearly identified. 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.” The “she” here still refers to the nation of Israel, and many sons were born in that nation, but only the promised Messiah fulfills the prophecy here that he will “rule all the nations with a rod of iron” which comes from Psalm 2:8–9, 8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth as Your possession. 9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like a potter’s vessel.’” ◘The term “rule” (poimainvw / poimainō) can mean “destroy” as it does in Rev. 2:27 and should be understood that way here in view of its tie to Psalm 2:9. It is this future establishment of Messiah’s kingdom foretold by so many Hebrew prophets that was and is the hope of the Jews including Jesus’ disciples. That is why Jesus’ crucifixion confused them for it was so contrary to their expectations that they did not comprehend Jesus’ many warnings of it while on their way to Jerusalem. This is not the church or any other group of people since even though they will reign with Him (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 20:6), it is Jesus that will establish His kingdom and rule. They will only be His bureaucracy carrying out His rule. It is one person, the Lord Jesus Christ.
◘Satan’s efforts to destroy Jesus were many starting with Herod killing all the male children in Bethlehem and vicinity that were two and under, but God warned Joseph in a dream and so he fled to Egypt before that happened (Matt. 2), We don’t know what attempts Satan made to kill Jesus as He was growing up for they are not recorded, but we do know Jesus’ public ministry began with being tempted by Satan in an effort to pervert Jesus’ qualifications to be the Messiah. The gospel accounts record many attempts to kill Jesus after that. In John 7:30 Jesus is teaching in the temple and they were seeking to seize Him, but “no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.” The same thing happens again in John 7:40-44, 8:20, 10:39 and 20:19. In Luke 4:29-30 the people of Nazareth tried to throw Him off a cliff, but He passed through their midst. In John 8:59 “they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.” They also picked up stones to stone Him in John 10:31. Jesus did not die until it was His hour had come, and He was completely in charge of it. Jesus explained in John 10:17-18 that no one had authority to take His life from Him, but He would lay down His life on His own initiative and take it up again for He had the authority to do both. In Matthew 26:53 He added that He could have commanded twelve legions of angels to rescue Him if He desired.
◘Satan’s quest was to destroy the promised redeemer – the male child of the woman – but he could not do so. And even when Satan did incite the Jews and Romans to crucify Jesus, he lost, for that fulfilled God’s plan for the redemption of man by Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice that atoned for man’s sin. Jesus’ resurrection proved all of His claims and promises are true and sealed Satan’s doom.
◘The sign John sees starts from Jesus’ birth, identifies Him by His future rule, and jumps past His life, death and resurrection to His ascension – “her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” This is recorded in Acts 1, and Hebrews 8:1-2 describes Jesus’ current position in being seated “at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.” Jesus’ ascension is not mentioned here as an escape from Satan’s wrath but rather as a cause of it which is then pointed out in verse 6 and will be displayed in the passages to come. Since Satan could no longer attack Jesus directly His animosity is turned toward the woman.
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.” ◘This will occur chronologically after the war in heaven described in verse 7-9, and more detail will be given about it in verses 13-17, so we will discuss it in more detail next week. For today, I will just point out a couple of things. First, “woman” remains a reference to the nation of Israel. ◘Second, this is a future event, and since there is no specific location given to the wilderness, that remains unknown. Speculation about it is just that, speculation. Wherever it is, it is a place prepared by God to keep them safe. Third, God will provide the nourishment. The details of how they receive food and water are not given, so it could be by miraculous means such as Elijah experienced in 1 Kings 17 when the ravens fed him. ◘Fourth, it is for a period of 1,260 days which corresponds to the length of time of the ministry of the two witnesses and fits into the later part of the tribulation period. ◘As we shall see next week, this also corresponds to Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24:15-28 for those in Judea to flee to the mountains when they see the abomination of desolation take place.
◘Conclusions
These two signs encompass Satan’s long effort to usurp God and specifically to prevent God’s plan of redemption of sinful man from being fulfilled. And though the great red dragon, Satan, is powerful, he is no match for God. His pride has blinded him to reality that God is God and he is only a creature. Try as he might, Satan could not thwart God’s plan to fulfill His covenant with Abraham and bless the world through the redeemer, the child of the woman, the Lord Jesus Christ through His virgin birth in the right blood line, sinless life, substitutionary atonement, resurrection and ascension. ◘Satan’s wrath is already against God’s chosen people, the Jews, but it will get much worse in the tribulation period after he and his demons are forced out of heaven permanently. We shall see the details of this as we continue our study of Revelation in the coming months.
◘1 Peter 5:8 warns, “Be of sober spirit, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” He poses great danger now for those that do not know and follow God. That becomes much worse in the future as detailed in Revelation. ◘However, for those of us that believe follow God, James 1:7 lets us know that if we will submit to God and resist the devil, he is not a lion but rather a scared cat that will flee. Even for those in the tribulation period, though Satan will be a lethal enemy, it will still be far superior to believe and follow God since Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, then rejoice and live boldly for Him. If you do not yet believe in Jesus and follow Him, then the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. Start there and pursue getting right with God before it is too late.
Sermon Notes – 8/10/2025
Two Signs in Heaven – Revelation 12:1-6
Introduction
Revelation 12 can be difficult to interpret because it contains _________ & time references can be confusing
Rev. 11 records the sounding of the 7th trumpet, but the bowl judgments are not described until Rev. ______
Rev. 12 begins the presentation of _____________information that will explain the remaining chapters
Romans 12:1-18
John sees two signs in heaven: a ______about to give birth & a great red ______wanting to devour the child
The Sign of the Woman – Revelation 12:1-2
Sign, shmeni:on / sēmeion, in this context – a ________________of a reality much greater than what is seen
Literal interpretation recognizes ___________, allegorical & even mystical passages as indicated in the text
Interpretation follows _____________of Scripture and cultural in the historical setting of that time
John is recording what was ____________to him by God and not coming up with his own imaginative story
John was ___________toward paganism & the differences between pagan myths & his writings are too great
John would ____have been influenced by either Roman Emperor worship or the Jewish Qumran community
The significance of this sign is increased by the fact is both “________” and is seen “in __________”
This is not a description of any ordinary human woman – she is a ___________of something greater
Joseph’s _________in Genesis 37:9-11 uses same symbols: Sun = Jacob. Moon = Rachel. Stars = brothers
Clothed with the sun reflects the nation of Israel’s _________as God’s chosen people
Moon under her feet may allude to her covenantal relationship with God – the ________timed worship cycle
The crowns, stevfanoV / stephanos, are victors’ crowns, and so point to ultimate ___________
A woman being “with child” and in “labor and in pain to give birth” is ____________
This is ___________, who John knew & cannot be described this way. She is symbolic & has many children
This woman does not fit the criteria for being a symbol of God, the _______or the people of God of all ages
This is the same woman as in verse 1, national ____, who is often portrayed as going through travail (labor)
The Sign of the Dragon – Revelation 12:3-6
This symbolic creature is identified in verse 9 – it is the serpent of old who is called the devil and _________
“Dragon” is used to refer to many fierce creatures, but this usage is to _______manifestation as in Genesis 3
“Great” adds to the description of ________, and “red” (flame colored) adds to the appearance of fierceness
The location of the horns is not stated, but the details show this is ___________a general reference to power
A similar description is given of the ____from the sea in Rev. 13:1 which cross references to Dan. 7:7-8, 20
The 7 heads are thought to represent 7 ___________over the middle east – 6 historical and 1 future
The 10 horns belong to the ___________of the last empire, but 1 conquers 3 leaving 7 to have the diadems
The power of the dragon is seen in his tail sweeping away a 1/3 of the stars (________) to be thrown to earth
This refers to Satan’s initial fall because of his ______wanting to usurp God (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:12-17)
Satan still has _________to heaven (Job 1 & 2), but will be permanently excluded in the future (Rev. 12:7f)
Satan has a special enmity against the ___________people and God’s plan of redemption through them
Satan’s efforts to prevent God’s plan of redemption from being carried out plays out throughout _________
While “she” still refers to national Israel, the description of the male child only fits _______________(Ps. 2)
Jesus’ disciples were confused because the expected Messiah to _______His enemies & set up His kingdom
Satan made many ________to cause Jesus to be murdered starting with Herod killing the babies (Matt. 2:16)
Satan could not destroy the Messiah. Jesus’s crucifixion provided __________and so was a defeat for Satan
The sign John sees starts at Jesus’ birth, identifies Him by His future rule, but jumps to His _____________
Jesus’ ascension was not to escape from Satan’s wrath, but it became a cause of it against the _______(vs 6)
The flight of the woman (national Israel) to the wilderness occurs _______the war in heaven (Rev. 12:7-17)
The specific location is unknown, and God _____________her – perhaps as with Elijah (1 Kings 17).
1,260 days is the _________as the ministry length of the two witnesses in the later part of the tribulation
This also corresponds to Jesus’ warning in Matthew _____________ about the abomination of desolation
Conclusions
These two signs encompass Satan’s long effort to usurp God and ___________ the redemption of man
Satan’s wrath against the _____________ people will get worse in the tribulation period
Satan is __________(1 Peter 5:8) and especially for unbelievers both now and in the future
Christians need not fear him if they __________to God and resist the devil for he will flee (James 1:7).
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. Discuss why this section of Revelation can be very confusing and how to reduce that confusion. What is this chapter’s connection to the seventh trumpet? What is a “sign” as used in this passage? Is there any connection between John’s writing and pagan myths, the Emperor cult or the Qumran Community? Explain. How does the woman’s attire help identify who / what she represents? Is she Mary, the mother of Jesus? Why or why not? In what ways did the nation of Israel experience travail – labor pains? What is the symbolic identity of the great red dragon? What do its seven heads, teen horns and seven diadems represent? What was the cause of Satan’s fall into sin? What do the “stars” represent? Does Satan currently have access to heaven? When will he lose that access? What efforts has Satan made to stop God’s plan of redemption? Who is the “male child”? Why couldn’t Satan kill Jesus prematurely? How was Jesus’ crucifixion a defeat of Satan? How did Jesus’ ascension increase Satan’s enmity against the Jewish people? How dangerous is Satan? Do Christians need to fear Satan? Why or why not?
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