[Originally preached 7 September, 2003]
Revelation 12
What we have in our text is a history of the Church. To be sure that we get what is going on we are told the history of the Church twice. The point of this recounting of the history of the Church is a warning. It is a warning about our old adversary, Satan. Again, we see that the concern of the text is very practical.
Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 12:17
Satan is furious at was has happened. But his fury is not something that he just bottles up. He vents that fury at us. So, the appropriate question is simple. Are you ready? Are you prepared for the onslaught? The reason that it is important to study the history of the past is to learn important lessons that you can apply to the present and the future. We can learn much about our ancient foe from our text. The better we understand him the better we will be able to stand against him.
Let’s start with a bit of an overview of the text. We start out with the woman who is adorned with the sun, moon and stars. This woman is a symbol of the Church, first in its Old Testament manifestation and then in its New Testament manifestation. The woman is about to bring forth the male child. What does the text tell us about this child? He is to rule the nations. We know who this is. This is Jesus come to re-establish the kingdom of God. This is the history of the Church from its Old Testament days to the coming of Jesus. Then we have this third figure, the dragon. And who is this? The text is clear. This is Satan, the devil, the ancient enemy of God’s people. Note the symbolism. He is a dragon, a monster. Again, this comes out of Old Testament imagery where we are told that God has conquered the nations who are pictured as monsters, especially sea monsters. [Cf. for example Psalm 74.12-13] The image of a dragon also reflects Satan’s fierceness. Then there are the seven heads, the ten horns and the seven crowns. These are to remind us that this is a foe who is not to be ignored. He has great power and exercises great authority. Here we have a ferocious enemy who is to be reckoned with. His goal, according to this portion of our text, is to devour the male child, to destroy Jesus, the hope of the people of God, and thus to thwart the plans of God to re-establish His kingdom. But, as we see, Satan fails to achieve his goal. Jesus assumes the throne at the Ascension and the woman, the Church, is kept safe in the wilderness. This is the first look at the history of the Church.
Then comes the second look, starting in verse seven. We know that it is a second look at the same history because both histories have the same pivot point, though each history describes it very differently. In the first history we read about the male child ascending to the throne. In the second history we have this:
And 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, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." Revelation 12:10-11
What is the pivot in the history of the Church? It is the victory of Christ over Satan. In the first history this is pictured as the male child ascending to the throne. In the second we see Jesus assuming the authority of the promised Messiah in the kingdom of God after having conquered Satan by the shedding of His blood at the cross. Both histories turn on the same pivot point, the defeat of Satan by Jesus. They just describe the history of the Church from a different perspective.
The key point to learn is simply this. Satan is a defeated foe. Jesus has dealt him a deathblow. He has been conquered by the cross. So, Martin Luther was right when he wrote his hymn.
The prince of darkness grim, We tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, For lo! His doom is sure. One little word shall fell him.
The power of Satan has been broken! And so, we can rejoice. Jesus’ final victory is assured. The kingdom of God will certainly be established in its fullness. We can be very optimistic as we look to the future.
Having said all of that, we still need to be careful. Satan has been mortally wounded. It is only a matter of time, but his destruction is certain. But he’s isn’t gone yet. Peter warns us,
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
When it comes to Satan, there are two extremes that we must avoid. The first thinks of Satan as this being who has just about as much power as God does. He is someone to be greatly feared because who knows what evil he may cause. That just isn’t true. Our text is clear. Satan is a defeated foe. But then there is the other extreme to avoid: Satan can be safely ignored. He is a non-issue and we are safe from him. How foolish! He still has strength to do great damage. Isn’t that what our text says?
Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short! Revelation 12:12
Wisdom understands the situation and will seek to understand this dangerous foe so that you might be protected from his plots. And the way to understand this foe is to understand his methods. And that is where our text can be so helpful. We have here some of the devil’s methods revealed: deception, accusation, false teaching.
Deception is misleading someone so that you might be able to take advantage of him. Satan is really very good at this. Our text calls him ‘the deceiver of the world’ (verse 9). Consider a few examples. First, there is the Garden. What did Satan say to Eve? What reason did he give to persuade her to eat the fruit?
For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:5
‘Eve, you will be like God, Himself! You’ll know what He knows.’ And what was the result? Yes, Adam and Eve gained knowledge, knowledge that God had about good and evil, but with that knowledge they also inherited God’s curse. The apparent benefit was highlighted. But a very real evil was hidden. They were deceived.
Another example is Jesus’ temptation at the beginning of His ministry. What did Satan say? ‘Worship me, Jesus, and you’ll have what you came for. You’ll rule the nations. And there is no need to get there through the cross.’ Tantalizing, but, of course, what was hidden was that the kingdom of God would not be re-established. Jesus would rule but under the authority of the devil.
Now, notice in these deceptions. Satan freely uses the truth. What he offered was true. Adam and Eve would become like God, in a sense. And Jesus would rule the nations. But Satan only used part of the truth. Satan doesn’t have to use wholesale lies to deceive us. Using a little truth can be very persuasive. And did you also notice that Satan calls God’s character into question? ‘Eve, God is keeping something from you.’ ‘Jesus, if you do it my way it will be easier. No cross. Your Father is making this unnecessarily hard.’ If you buy into Satan’s way of thinking you will be overcome.
This leads to his next method, accusation. Again, our text informs us about Satan, that he accuses the brethren day and night (verse 10). What does Satan often do once he has been successful in deceiving you? ‘Look at what you’ve done! My goodness, how horrible, how despicable! You call yourself a Christian? You’re no better than any other common sinner. Look at your sin!’ We see a good example of this in Zechariah.
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. Zechariah 3:1,3
The filthy garments represent Joshua’s great iniquity (Zechariah 3.4). And there is Satan, ready to point the finger. ‘Look, a vile sinner. He deserves death.’ First, he tricks you into rejecting God and His ways and then he accuses you of being a terrible sinner. And what can you say? The evidence of your sin is staring you in the face. In this way he hopes to crush the people of God.
Is there any hope? Many falter at this point and give up any hope. But there is hope. There is the hope of the Gospel. Jesus has come, not for the righteous, but for sinners – common, base sinners like us. All who admit that they are sinners and entrust themselves to Jesus will be forgiven. The Gospel is amazing. God forgives vile and rebellious sinners. But this hope in the Gospel leads us to another of Satan’s methods, false teaching. Listen again to our text.
The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. Revelation 12:15
Now, what is this about? What is this flood from the mouth of the dragon intended to overwhelm the Church? Some clues: the image of the mouth is used elsewhere in Revelation. You’ll remember the sword that came out of Jesus’ mouth back in the vision of chapter one. [It’s also used in chapter 19.] There the point is the word of God that proceeds from Jesus to His churches. Satan also uses words. He uses half-truths, lies and false teaching to overwhelm the Church. He tries to flood the Church with his false teaching. And the point of his false teaching is to destroy the Gospel. If he can do that, then there will be no hope in the minds of believers as they fight the fierce dragon. Now, remember he doesn’t have to eradicate the Gospel. He just has to twist it a bit so that it becomes another Gospel. Here are some perversions.
Jesus is only for those people who are basically good. We all need a little help from time to time. So, Jesus has come to help the good people.
There are certain kinds of sins that can never be forgiven. Even God has limits on His grace.
Forgiveness is something that you need to earn. Sure, Jesus died on the cross to bring forgiveness, but you have to prove that you are worthy of that forgiveness.
The shift is subtle but sufficient to undo the truth of the Gospel. We are tremendous sinners. We are fooled left and right by the deceptions of Satan. His accusations against us are more accurate than we care to admit. He is right when he says that even one of our sins has earned us eternal death. But there is still hope. Jesus’ cross provides forgiveness – and more – for guilty sinners. All who admit the truth and entrust themselves to Christ will be forgiven and received by the Father for a glorious forever. The Gospel is for sinners. There is no sin beyond forgiveness if it is confessed to the Father. All is of grace. There is no payment. With this Gospel intact there is hope for the Church and hope for the world. But if this Gospel is compromised and twisted then there is no hope. Our protection is in a hearty faith in the Gospel, the true Gospel. Contending for that Gospel, keeping it as pure as we know how, is worth the battle.
Now, for a few questions. How are you doing when it comes to Satan and his temptations? It’s not a good sign if you say, ‘What temptations?’ Remember that Satan is a roaring lion seeking to devour you. How is he attacking you? What are the deceptions that he is trying on you? Then let me ask, how are you doing at crying out to Jesus for the grace to believe the whole truth of the Word? Remember how Satan is so good at using half-truths. You will not be able to stand up to him alone. Again, we see how important prayer is. Then last, when you do fall for one of Satan’s temptations – and you know that you do! – how do you respond? I hope no one here adopts the ‘Oh well. I’m only human’ attitude to excuse his sin. But do some of you beat yourselves up first? Do you think that you need to undergo some penance before you are worthy of forgiveness? That isn’t the Gospel. I hope that you are learning that all that is needed is an honest confession of your sin, a true desire to turn from it and a sincere faith in Jesus as the Savior. If these things are yours, then forgiveness is also yours.
We have a fierce enemy. He hates us and our King. But Jesus has conquered him at the cross. Believe the Gospel. Flee to Christ. Enjoy the victory.
Revelation 12
What we have in our text is a history of the Church. To be sure that we get what is going on we are told the history of the Church twice. The point of this recounting of the history of the Church is a warning. It is a warning about our old adversary, Satan. Again, we see that the concern of the text is very practical.
Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 12:17
Satan is furious at was has happened. But his fury is not something that he just bottles up. He vents that fury at us. So, the appropriate question is simple. Are you ready? Are you prepared for the onslaught? The reason that it is important to study the history of the past is to learn important lessons that you can apply to the present and the future. We can learn much about our ancient foe from our text. The better we understand him the better we will be able to stand against him.
Let’s start with a bit of an overview of the text. We start out with the woman who is adorned with the sun, moon and stars. This woman is a symbol of the Church, first in its Old Testament manifestation and then in its New Testament manifestation. The woman is about to bring forth the male child. What does the text tell us about this child? He is to rule the nations. We know who this is. This is Jesus come to re-establish the kingdom of God. This is the history of the Church from its Old Testament days to the coming of Jesus. Then we have this third figure, the dragon. And who is this? The text is clear. This is Satan, the devil, the ancient enemy of God’s people. Note the symbolism. He is a dragon, a monster. Again, this comes out of Old Testament imagery where we are told that God has conquered the nations who are pictured as monsters, especially sea monsters. [Cf. for example Psalm 74.12-13] The image of a dragon also reflects Satan’s fierceness. Then there are the seven heads, the ten horns and the seven crowns. These are to remind us that this is a foe who is not to be ignored. He has great power and exercises great authority. Here we have a ferocious enemy who is to be reckoned with. His goal, according to this portion of our text, is to devour the male child, to destroy Jesus, the hope of the people of God, and thus to thwart the plans of God to re-establish His kingdom. But, as we see, Satan fails to achieve his goal. Jesus assumes the throne at the Ascension and the woman, the Church, is kept safe in the wilderness. This is the first look at the history of the Church.
Then comes the second look, starting in verse seven. We know that it is a second look at the same history because both histories have the same pivot point, though each history describes it very differently. In the first history we read about the male child ascending to the throne. In the second history we have this:
And 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, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." Revelation 12:10-11
What is the pivot in the history of the Church? It is the victory of Christ over Satan. In the first history this is pictured as the male child ascending to the throne. In the second we see Jesus assuming the authority of the promised Messiah in the kingdom of God after having conquered Satan by the shedding of His blood at the cross. Both histories turn on the same pivot point, the defeat of Satan by Jesus. They just describe the history of the Church from a different perspective.
The key point to learn is simply this. Satan is a defeated foe. Jesus has dealt him a deathblow. He has been conquered by the cross. So, Martin Luther was right when he wrote his hymn.
The prince of darkness grim, We tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, For lo! His doom is sure. One little word shall fell him.
The power of Satan has been broken! And so, we can rejoice. Jesus’ final victory is assured. The kingdom of God will certainly be established in its fullness. We can be very optimistic as we look to the future.
Having said all of that, we still need to be careful. Satan has been mortally wounded. It is only a matter of time, but his destruction is certain. But he’s isn’t gone yet. Peter warns us,
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
When it comes to Satan, there are two extremes that we must avoid. The first thinks of Satan as this being who has just about as much power as God does. He is someone to be greatly feared because who knows what evil he may cause. That just isn’t true. Our text is clear. Satan is a defeated foe. But then there is the other extreme to avoid: Satan can be safely ignored. He is a non-issue and we are safe from him. How foolish! He still has strength to do great damage. Isn’t that what our text says?
Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short! Revelation 12:12
Wisdom understands the situation and will seek to understand this dangerous foe so that you might be protected from his plots. And the way to understand this foe is to understand his methods. And that is where our text can be so helpful. We have here some of the devil’s methods revealed: deception, accusation, false teaching.
Deception is misleading someone so that you might be able to take advantage of him. Satan is really very good at this. Our text calls him ‘the deceiver of the world’ (verse 9). Consider a few examples. First, there is the Garden. What did Satan say to Eve? What reason did he give to persuade her to eat the fruit?
For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:5
‘Eve, you will be like God, Himself! You’ll know what He knows.’ And what was the result? Yes, Adam and Eve gained knowledge, knowledge that God had about good and evil, but with that knowledge they also inherited God’s curse. The apparent benefit was highlighted. But a very real evil was hidden. They were deceived.
Another example is Jesus’ temptation at the beginning of His ministry. What did Satan say? ‘Worship me, Jesus, and you’ll have what you came for. You’ll rule the nations. And there is no need to get there through the cross.’ Tantalizing, but, of course, what was hidden was that the kingdom of God would not be re-established. Jesus would rule but under the authority of the devil.
Now, notice in these deceptions. Satan freely uses the truth. What he offered was true. Adam and Eve would become like God, in a sense. And Jesus would rule the nations. But Satan only used part of the truth. Satan doesn’t have to use wholesale lies to deceive us. Using a little truth can be very persuasive. And did you also notice that Satan calls God’s character into question? ‘Eve, God is keeping something from you.’ ‘Jesus, if you do it my way it will be easier. No cross. Your Father is making this unnecessarily hard.’ If you buy into Satan’s way of thinking you will be overcome.
This leads to his next method, accusation. Again, our text informs us about Satan, that he accuses the brethren day and night (verse 10). What does Satan often do once he has been successful in deceiving you? ‘Look at what you’ve done! My goodness, how horrible, how despicable! You call yourself a Christian? You’re no better than any other common sinner. Look at your sin!’ We see a good example of this in Zechariah.
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. Zechariah 3:1,3
The filthy garments represent Joshua’s great iniquity (Zechariah 3.4). And there is Satan, ready to point the finger. ‘Look, a vile sinner. He deserves death.’ First, he tricks you into rejecting God and His ways and then he accuses you of being a terrible sinner. And what can you say? The evidence of your sin is staring you in the face. In this way he hopes to crush the people of God.
Is there any hope? Many falter at this point and give up any hope. But there is hope. There is the hope of the Gospel. Jesus has come, not for the righteous, but for sinners – common, base sinners like us. All who admit that they are sinners and entrust themselves to Jesus will be forgiven. The Gospel is amazing. God forgives vile and rebellious sinners. But this hope in the Gospel leads us to another of Satan’s methods, false teaching. Listen again to our text.
The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. Revelation 12:15
Now, what is this about? What is this flood from the mouth of the dragon intended to overwhelm the Church? Some clues: the image of the mouth is used elsewhere in Revelation. You’ll remember the sword that came out of Jesus’ mouth back in the vision of chapter one. [It’s also used in chapter 19.] There the point is the word of God that proceeds from Jesus to His churches. Satan also uses words. He uses half-truths, lies and false teaching to overwhelm the Church. He tries to flood the Church with his false teaching. And the point of his false teaching is to destroy the Gospel. If he can do that, then there will be no hope in the minds of believers as they fight the fierce dragon. Now, remember he doesn’t have to eradicate the Gospel. He just has to twist it a bit so that it becomes another Gospel. Here are some perversions.
Jesus is only for those people who are basically good. We all need a little help from time to time. So, Jesus has come to help the good people.
There are certain kinds of sins that can never be forgiven. Even God has limits on His grace.
Forgiveness is something that you need to earn. Sure, Jesus died on the cross to bring forgiveness, but you have to prove that you are worthy of that forgiveness.
The shift is subtle but sufficient to undo the truth of the Gospel. We are tremendous sinners. We are fooled left and right by the deceptions of Satan. His accusations against us are more accurate than we care to admit. He is right when he says that even one of our sins has earned us eternal death. But there is still hope. Jesus’ cross provides forgiveness – and more – for guilty sinners. All who admit the truth and entrust themselves to Christ will be forgiven and received by the Father for a glorious forever. The Gospel is for sinners. There is no sin beyond forgiveness if it is confessed to the Father. All is of grace. There is no payment. With this Gospel intact there is hope for the Church and hope for the world. But if this Gospel is compromised and twisted then there is no hope. Our protection is in a hearty faith in the Gospel, the true Gospel. Contending for that Gospel, keeping it as pure as we know how, is worth the battle.
Now, for a few questions. How are you doing when it comes to Satan and his temptations? It’s not a good sign if you say, ‘What temptations?’ Remember that Satan is a roaring lion seeking to devour you. How is he attacking you? What are the deceptions that he is trying on you? Then let me ask, how are you doing at crying out to Jesus for the grace to believe the whole truth of the Word? Remember how Satan is so good at using half-truths. You will not be able to stand up to him alone. Again, we see how important prayer is. Then last, when you do fall for one of Satan’s temptations – and you know that you do! – how do you respond? I hope no one here adopts the ‘Oh well. I’m only human’ attitude to excuse his sin. But do some of you beat yourselves up first? Do you think that you need to undergo some penance before you are worthy of forgiveness? That isn’t the Gospel. I hope that you are learning that all that is needed is an honest confession of your sin, a true desire to turn from it and a sincere faith in Jesus as the Savior. If these things are yours, then forgiveness is also yours.
We have a fierce enemy. He hates us and our King. But Jesus has conquered him at the cross. Believe the Gospel. Flee to Christ. Enjoy the victory.
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