Wide Screen Replay- Revelation 12

Revelation 12:

“The first thing for us to understand is that although the signs preceding the judgment day are many and great, they will all be fulfilled, even though none or very few men take note of or esteem them as such. For two things must take place according to the Word and prophecy of Christ and the apostles: first, that many and great signs will be made manifest; and secondly, that the last day will come unawares, the world not expecting it, even though that day be at the door. Though men see these signs, yea, be told that they are signs of the last day, still they will not believe, but in their security mockingly say: "Thou fool, hast thou fear that the heavens will fall and that we shall live to see that day?"”

                                                                                                        Martin Luther


What a fitting way to end this study of all the chapter 12's in the Bible for 2012. The Book of Revelation is so important for Christians to read as the world becomes flatter and potentially more dangerous to those who walk in obedience to Christ. 

For the churches in the 1^st Century…. What did it cost to follow the Lamb?

• Severed from trade guilds- many of these guilds were attached to temple prostitution or idol worship. To proclaim Christ was a likely loss of your profession.

• Unable to buy or sell- There was a very organized conspiracy of church and state to marginalize and blackball the followers of this strange new way.

• Prison- Torture-Death- was common place. But the church flourished. It was scattered in persecution- but the gospel influence planted seeds that was going to take over the world.

In the 21^st Century…. What does it cost to follow the Lamb? In some places it is still dangerous and reminds us of a principle of following Jesus Christ.

PROCLAMATION PRECEDES PERSECUTION

SO we come to this strange book, one that seems to defy the title, REVELATION. The greek word, APOCALYPSE.

1) The title means "to reveal"- literally 'move the veil"

2) And it also refers to Apocalyptic Literature which was a popular genre at the time.

The Genres of Revelation:

1. Letter- time, people, places
2. Prophecy-  in 404 verses, 278 have OT references- A goal of prophecy is “repentance”
3. Apocalyptic- popular style 200 BC to 200 AD highly symbolic, numbers “count”

AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE PROBLEMS:

Is Revelation to be viewed as a linear chronology of events?

Is Revelation to be viewed as more literal or symbolic?

Is Revelation new prophecy or expansion of other Biblical content?

Can Revelation Mean Different Things to Believers of Different Eras?

What Does it Mean to Say ‘Satan is Bound” in Rev. 20?

What Does the 1,000 Year Reign and the Resurrections Mean in Rev. 20?

A GREAT WAY TO UNDERSTAND THE TIMELINE:

WE KNOW WHERE WE ARE!

(NOTE: MAP IS NOT DRAWN TO SCALE!)

                                                                                 We are here

______t______________________________________________2^nd Coming

            D-DAY                                                                                   V-DAY

            Satan doomed                                                                       Satan Destroyed

THE BOOK IS FULL OF  PROMISES:

• The God Who is in Control
• The Christ Who is the VICTOR
• The Gospel that Cannot Be Contained
• The Gore of Final Conflict
• The Glory of Final Consummation
• The Goal of Every Believer

Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

“Here is the thing that thrills me. We have come far closer to the finishing of this mission than any previous generation. We have done more in the last century and a half in worldwide evangelization than all the preceding centuries since the apostolic age” George Eldon Ladd
Wouldn't it be cool to share the gospel and lead the last convert to Christ before the end?

The Book starts out simple enough. There are letters to 7 churches in the 1st century corresponding to an amazing picture of the glorified Christ. 


THEN>>>>>>WHAT IN THE WORLD?

7 SEALS

            7 TRUMPETS                               (7 THUNDERS Rev 10: 1-7)

                                                7 BOWLS      FINISHED

A Rhythm with a SUDDEN INTERUPTION: DON’T GUESS WITH GOD 

6 SEALS AND A PAUSE (1/4 OF CREATED REALM)

6 TRUMPETS AND A PAUSE (1/3 OF CREATED REALM)

(Bowls will be all of created realm without exception)

The Interludes show patience and protection- security and assurance

WHY ARE THE JUDGMENTS UNLEASHED?

• PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS
• SLANDER/MOCKERY/FALSE WITNESS/BETRAYAL
• LOVING THE IDOLS- IGNORING THE CREATOR
• THE CRY OF THE MARTYRS
• ANGRY DRAGON
• REFUSAL OF SALVATION

Yes! We are to be witnesses. We are to faithfully share in word and lifestyle. We should not be so naïve to believe that it will not be without some cost. In America, we are often seduced to believe we can co-exist with the world without conflict. Don’t be surprised by persecution, expect it. . Be of good courage. Shining a light may cause a loss of dignity, status, academic credibility, professional success, or worse. But be of good cheer, our Savior seals, preserves, protects, and He will vindicate.

First of all- just about every image in Revelation has a connection to the Old Testament. Nothing here is new or surprising. I tend to read the prophetic parts of the Book very similar to St. Augustine and what he called: The Principle of Recapitulation. It is like a woman who is in labor, the narrative builds to a crescendo and the rolls back, only to come back in ever increasing intensity. The signs are a legitimate warning that the day of mercy will one day close.

Romans 8:22 “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.”

There are MANY Schools of Interpretation- and I haven't found one that I think really captures it as a complete narrative. All the Biblically sound ones have great points and just about all land on the same applications- BUT we did not get the 1st coming of Jesus right.... I doubt we have the 2nd one any better!

Your View Determines Your Interpretation- And says whether you are more literal or symbolic.

Historists- The advance of Islam?

Futurists- Unleashing of demonic activity right before 2^nd Coming (exceptions of course)?

Preterists- events leading up to destruction of Jerusalem AD 70?

Idealists – Demonic activity throughout church age?

SO we come to Revelation 12 a BIG PICTURE overview of the conflict between the kingdom of God and the domain of the Devil. 

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.

This is highly stylized and wrapped in apocalyptic imagery. But a pregnant woman seems to point to Mary.

 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.

Enter another character in the Cosmic Drama- Satan Himself. By the way, an irony here is that Revelation reveals the evil one as well. He likes to hide (where we get the word- occult), he likes to disguise himself as an angel of light. But the book here, moves the veil, on his evil way. The horns and multiple heads and diadems is significant because Satan's kingdom is an entire system of governments and philosophies and armies. He is the head of a multiple layered domain of darkness.

 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. 

Seemingly a reference to the casting out of Satan from the kingdom. But I also think of Jesus' reference in Luke 18:10 "Yes," he told them, "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning!.

And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.

The bloody part of the Christmas story.Herod trying to destroy the male children. God flooding Bethlehem with all of the people to hide and protect the Savior,  helpless in the humility of flesh.

 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. 

APOCALYPTIC NUMBERS ARE SYMBOLIC NUMBERS:

7 YEARS= 84 MONTHS

3 1/2 YEARS=FORTY TWO MONTHS=1260 DAYS
SAME THING AS TIME,TIMES, AND HALF A TIME

3 1/2 IS A BROKEN 7- CUT SHORT


This part of the vision seems to blur the lines of the Christ narrative and the 'woman' as the Bride of Christ. These apocalyptic prophecies are examples of symbolism, compressed time, and multi-tiered truth. I know it seems like a cop out to say that the woman is Mary, AND the church. But people are types and shadows themselves.

7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. 

Notice, Jesus is not fighting here. Even though Satan has set himself up as a type of rival to God the Father, He is not even a match for Michael, a high ranking angel. 

 And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Compressed time here. God is non-linear. This is the present and the past, the now and not yet.

10 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. 

This is a most exciting part of this passage. In Genesis 3:1, Satan stalks God's crown jewel. In that verse , he is said to be "crafty" or "Yarum" in Hebrew. After he helps cause the fall, verse 7 says that 'they knew they were naked' which is a play on words They were "Yarumine" (deceived). Satan owns us and he sticks the thorn of accusation day and night. He whispers in our ears.

But the gospel message includes the 'throwing down of the accuser".


Think of it this way. You are part of a family business and you did something really bad. It is so bad that embarrassment has been brought to you and to the family. One of the big Vice-presidents has called a news conference, and you are going to be exposed. You stay up for nights and nights in tears and anguish... so ashamed.


All the press show up- they are going to tear you to pieces.


But you go into a meeting right before the press conference. In that meeting is your dad, the CEO. Your brother, the CFO. And members of the board.


Your brother hugs you. 'You are forgiven'. I have gone to the board and will pay the fine for your mistake. Your dad hugs you. "Son, I love you"- "Years ago when I adopted you, I set my affection on you, you are a forgiven and loved son!"


The family lawyer comes in. "You are forgiven. There is nothing that is going to be held against you. Your record is clean."


So you go out to the press conference. You can truthfully say you made a mistake. But then the entire family announces forgiveness, love, support, and a clean record.


What can the accuser do to you? That is your glorious redemption!

11 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. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! 


This should be the testimony of our lives in response to this gospel!


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!”

13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.


This is why things can get tough. Satan is defeated, exposed, angry, and desirous of destruction. He is desperate and he hates you!

 15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. 16 But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 


I have a fun theory about this. This is the worldwide fore of the gospel on a victory lap. Spreading to Europe and moving away from the intense persecution. Making its way across the ocean and having a glorious run in America. I know scholars point to Exodus imagery here, but I smile at my thought here.


17 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. 

We will then move into Chapter 13 and meet the UNHOLY TRINITY

DRAGON AND HIS ANGELS- Anti Father

BEAST OF SEA- Anti Son

BEAST OF THE LAND- Anti-Holy Spirit. He is the false-prophet and the more dangerous He seduces to destruction. We are sometimes led to believe that everything is good, man is good, truth is relative. 


This is an Unholy Trinity that works in great deception. Notice that the 2nd person has a dead-back-to-life story like Jesus!


There is POWER to deceive- because we live in an age that we attribute power, plausibility, and popularity  to truth.

The Mark of the Beast?

Neron Kaiser (Nero Caesar)-Hebrew Spelling-NRWN QSR

200+60+100+50+6+200+50= 666 (Latin Spelling variant 616)

Possibilities of the number- 6 vs 7- a threefold number- a literal application

Significance of the mark- is this literal? Right Hand and Head

Strongest evidence- Latin Vulgate 616- whoever transferred- saw this as Nero Caesar.


But the anti-Christ would be a recapitulated leader of the satanic system until the end!




Could Be Other Things:
Technology?
3 sixes?- shy of 7- Satan's counterfeit. False copy of God.
Multiple men- a system?


Satanic System- dominate, destroy, and seduce the people of God.
Sealed by God or Marked by Beast- whose mark?

KEEP THESE THINGS IN MIND:

“When Modern prophets turn Revelation into a crystal ball, they turn their back on church history and have been wrong every single time.”  Rev. Art Azurdia

If I Am Reading Revelation Correctly

• I will feel excited, encouraged, and energized to stand boldly for Christ in a world that seems to grow darker and colder
• I will feel personally challenged to continually stay prepared. This will cause discomfort from time to time.
• I will see clearer lines of demarcation: Lion/Dragon- Lamb/Beast- Overcomer/Defeated
• I will evaluate my circumstances in light of eternity
• My desire and practice to worship will grow
• I will walk and live as a champion- Victory is in sight

Applications:
Am I dull to damnation?
Do I see the evil that demands justice?
Do I realize I am in a battle with eternity at stake?
Do I see how much the enemy hates me?
Do I see how much Jesus loves me?


I hope you were blessed by all of the chapter 12's in 2012!!!!!!!!