The Revelation of Christ – Part 28:
The Woman and the Dragon I
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON
INTRODUCTION
The
Book of Revelation, or the Revelation of Christ, is the most challenging book
in the bible.
Because
of this fact, many avoid it or ignore it altogether. Some fear lack of
understanding; others afraid to misinterpret, which I guess it is better to
avoid than dive in and get it completely wrong.
Many
times, when a new believer comes to me for direction, they want to jump right
into Revelation and find out what’s to come.
This
is equivalent to deciding one day to learn Mandarin and sitting down to author
a novel in Chinese that very same day.
Or,
a kindergartner learning how to count, and then trying to calculate quantum
mechanics calculations.
The
words in Revelation have caused much debate on rapture, judgment, even some who
claim John was writing about the events in his day in code rather than Jesus
Christ revealing to him about the coming events and Judgment.
A
special blessing is promised to those who read Revelation.
Although
it may be a difficult book, we could all use a special blessing, reading this
is good for us all, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will take the
Revelation of Christ in small portions and gain understanding, little by
little.
SERMON SERIES
THE THINGS WHICH
ARE – The Church Age (Age of Grace)
Part 3 – Ephesus The
Backsliding Church
Part 4 – Smyrna The
Steadfast Church
Part 5 – Pergamos The Immoral Church
Part 6 – Thyatira The Careless Pagan Church
Part 7 – Sardis The Spiritless Church
Part 8 – Philadelphia The Favored Church
Part 9 – Laodicea The Church God Hates
THE THINGS WHICH
SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment
Part 10 – The Throne of God
Part 11 – The Scroll and Seven Seals
Part 12 – The Lamb is Worthy
Part 13 –
The First Seal
Part 14 – The Second Seal
Part 15 – The Third Seal
Part 16 – The Fourth Seal
Part 17 – The Fifth Seal
Part 18 – The Sixth Seal
Part 19 – The 144,000 Sealed
Part 20 – The Great Multitude
Part 21 – The Seventh Seal
Part 22 – Trumpets 1-4
Part 23 – The 5th Trumpet (1st woe)
Part 24 – The 6th Trumpet (2nd woe)
Part 25 – The Mighty Angel
Part 26 – The Two Witnesses
Part 27 – The 7th Trumpet and 3rd Woe
TODAY’S SERMON -
THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment
Part 28 – The Woman and the Dragon I
SCRIPTURE READING
Revelation
12:1-9
A
great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon
under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and
cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared
in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven
crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and
flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about
to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She
gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron
scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman
fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be
taken care of for 1,260 days.
7
Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon,
and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and
they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that
ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.
He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
I.
A GREAT SIGN APPEARED IN HEAVEN
a.
A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her
feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head
i. She was pregnant about to
give birth
ii. This is the 4th
woman spoke of in Revelation;
1. Jezebel (false teachings) 2:20
2. The Harlot (feigns love) 17:4
3. The Bride (followers of
Christ) 19:7
4. The Woman (Israelite's
obedient to God)
iii. This woman has two
identities
1. Clothed with sun, moon under
her feet, crown of 12 stars
2. This is the reference to
Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37:9 and represents the family of Jacob or the people of
Israel.
3. However, it is also Mary
(who is part of that family of Israel and a descendant of David)
iv. The Child is Christ (not
just born of Mary, but from the line of Judah, and David)
1. We know because of the
promise in Psalm 2:9 and it being repeated in Revelation
19:15
2. He will
rule all nations with a rod of iron
b.
Another sign appeared in heaven
i. An enormous red dragon – the
serpent, Satan
ii. With Seven heads, ten horns
and seven crowns – Foreshadowing of the coming chapters and the work of Satan
during the Great Tribulation (referring to the revived Roman Empire)
iii. This part of what John is
witnessing is telling the story of Jesus first coming (which already happened)
to put into perspective the battle between Satan and God, so there will be
understanding when John is shown the Second Coming, and that continuing battle
between Satan and God
c.
Its tail swept 1/3 of the stars out of the sky and
swung them to earth
i. Noting when Satan originally
“fell” 1/3 of heavenly angels followed him (his tail)
ii. Stars meaning angelic beings
as in 9:1; Job
38:7; Revelation 1:20
iii. The dragon then (after
leaving heaven with 1/3 of angels) stood in front of the woman about to give
birth to devour the child the moment it was born
1. We see Herod, led by the
spirit of Satan kill infant male children in Bethlehem.
II.
SHE GAVE BIRTH TO A SON
a.
One who will “rule all the nations with an iron
scepter”
i. A promise given in Psalm 2:9 reveals this is Christ
because of “ruling all nations with a rod of iron”
b.
And her child was snatched up to God and to His throne
i. Skipping from the First
Coming and Satan’s failed attempt at killing Christ to the Crucifixion and
Christ sitting at God’s right hand
ii. And will now “skip” to the
Second Coming of Christ.
c.
The woman fled into the wilderness
i. To a place “prepared for her
by God”
1. As it was with Israelite's in
Exodus
19:4; Deuteronomy 32:11-14, God once again protects the children of Israel and
leads them to safety during Tribulation.
ii. Where she (Israelite's) might
be taken care of for 1,260 days
1. This being the second half
of tribulation as described in Daniel 9:24-27 as the second half of the 70th week.
2. This is the last 3 ½ years
until the Second Coming of Christ
iii. This is the parallel view of
Christ’s First Coming (as the Lamb of God we see in Revelation 5:6 “The Lamb standing as though He had been slain”
opening the Scroll with Seven Seals) with the Second Coming of Christ as the
Lion of Judah.
III.
THEN WAR BROKE OUT IN HEAVEN
a.
This is not the original fall of Satan
i. This is the War in Heaven by
Satan because he had already left heaven with 1/3 of angels, tried to kill
Christ when he was a baby at His First coming and failed, tried to kill the
woman (Israel) and failed, so his plan now is to try and overthrow heaven.
ii. Original fall took place
before the serpent in the garden of Eden
iii. But sometime after the
creation of angelic beings
iv. Ezekiel
28; Isaiah 14
are where the bible speaks of this
b.
This War is future
i. Satan appeared before the
Lord in Job
1-2. Satan “seen” before
the Lord, so this must have taken place before Revelation 12
ii. Zechariah
3 Satan appeared before God to
accuse Joshua, this had to happen before Revelation 12
iii. Revelation
12:6 sounds like this war will
take place in the mid-point of Tribulation
iv. What event takes place at
the mid-point of revelation?
1.
Daniel 11:36 “Then the king will do as he pleases and will exalt
and magnify himself above every god, and he will speak monstrous things against
the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed,
for what has been decreed must be accomplished.”
2. Paul gives a further
description of Antichrist: “Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is
called God or an object of worship, so that he seats himself in the temple of
God, proclaiming himself that he is God.” This fulfills the prophecy
concerning Antichrist in Daniel 11:36 - 37. This will take place in
the midst of the last week, as prophesied in Daniel 9:27
c.
Satan was not strong enough and they lost their place
in heaven
i. 9 The great dragon was
hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the
whole world astray.
ii. He was hurled to the earth,
and his angels (double meaning! They are angelic beings, but
messengers of Satan’s lie as opposed to messengers of the Lord!) with him.
CONCLUSION
–
Next week we will examine
the Voice in Heaven speaking and the Dragons response
The next sermon: The Voice in Heaven
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