The War of the Ages, Part 1
Revelation 12:1-6
Revelation chapter 12 is our study in the Word of God tonight. We're going to be looking at the first six verses, Revelation chapter 12 verses 1 through 6.
"And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and a moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars. And she was with child and she cried out being in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven and behold a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and on his heads were seven diadems. 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. 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. And the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God so that there she might be nourished for one thousand, two hundred and sixty days."
This marvelous and rich text introduces us to the war of the ages. Since the fall of Lucifer, the son of the morning, the highest of the angelic host, since the day he became Satan the devil, the archenemy of God, there has been a constant war going on throughout the universe. This is the real star wars, a war waged between Satan and his demons and God and His angels.
Many of these battles, of course, have found their way to the theater of the earth. In fact, this great warfare is all about the earth. The earth becomes the featured center for the battles that make up this war. And that means men and women are also engaged on one side or the other.
When Satan fell he dragged a third of the angels into the warfare with him. And when Satan went into the garden of Eden and deceived Adam and Eve, he dragged the human race into the war as well. This war, the long war against God, has been going on then since Satan's fall and will finally culminate in the end of time when Jesus Christ once and for all and forever defeats Satan and all the demons and casts them in to the pit.
The conflict reaches its great climax then in the future in the time called the Great Tribulation. And that's why we find a discussion of it here in this part of the book of Revelation. At the time of the Great Tribulation, the latter half of a period known as Daniel's seventieth week, the time of Jacob's trouble, Satan will amass his greatest efforts against God and against Christ and against believers. He will make his most powerful effort ever to defeat God, to thwart God's plan. There will be war all over the universe like never before, or after.
Now we already know who is going to be the victor in this because we've been told at the end of chapter 11. Go back to verse 14. The second woe is past, the third woe is coming quickly, the seventh angel sounded, there arose loud voices in heaven saying..." and here's the announcement of the victor. "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He will reign forever and ever." That is the announcement of the triumph. It is an eternal triumph given to Christ and it will go on forever and ever. So we know who the victor will be already.
Now remember, the seventh and last trumpet of judgment from God has blown, as I noted for you back in chapter 11. But the details that describe what that blowing causes don't begin until chapter 15 and they run through chapter 18. Before a discussion of the effect of the blowing of the seventh trumpet, this is this discussion in chapters 12, 13 and 14. And this section takes us back, all the way back, all the way back to creation, if you will, all the way back into eternity and the fall of Lucifer. And then it brings us all the way forward into the time of the Great Tribulation so that we view the Tribulation not only from God's perspective as we have in chapters 6 through 11, but now from Satan's perspective in chapters 12 through 14.
We see Satan's side and Satan's activities. We've already learned about God's perspective and God's side and God's judgment in the seven seals and the seven trumpets. And now we're taken back through the same period of time, in fact even beyond that, way back to creation and way back to the fall of Lucifer. And then ultimately we'll come right back to the time of the Tribulation. In fact, we find ourselves already there in verse 6. And we'll be taken back through that seven-year period to view the very same period of time from Satan's vantage point. We already know the role of God. We already know the enterprise of God. We already know the activity of God in the judgments and the work of salvation described on behalf of Gentiles and Israel. And now we're going to learn about the role and the enterprise and the activities of Satan as he operates in the same period of time. And this is why Jesus described it in Matthew 24 as a time like no other time in the history of the world, because not only is God going to be pouring out the maximum amount of fury, but Satan is going to be pouring out the maximum amount of fury as well. God pouring it out on the ungodly, Satan pouring it out on the godly.
So, it is going to be the coming together of all the worst possible and imaginable events...both from God's side and Satan's. And by the time we come back through chapter 12, 13 and 14 and hit 15, where we pick up the seventh trumpet, we will have a full picture of what has gone on in the time of the Tribulation leading up to the blowing of the seventh trumpet.
Now in order to give us a full understanding of why things are happening the way they are in the time of the Tribulation, the Holy Spirit designs to take John and therefore us all the way back to creation and even before creation, which we read about in those first three verses. We're going all the way back to the start of the spiritual star wars. The first few verses of this chapter take us back to the beginning, back to Eden and even before that in the heaven. And with just a very brief comment on the fall of Satan, a brief comment on the effect of that fall on man in the fall of man, we then move rapidly to the end time and most of this section of chapter 12 from verse 6 on through chapter 14 deals with the last seven years.
We will then take a very great sweep through the rebellion of Satan, the conflict in the garden, all the way to the Great Tribulation culminating in the return of Jesus Christ as the great war comes to an end and He is the victor.
Now part of what we're going to learn is how Satan develops his rule on earth through the Antichrist and his cohort called the false prophet. We're going to see that as it unfolds for us in chapters 13 and 14.
Now the archenemy of God, obviously, is Satan. He's been trying ever since his rebellion to destroy the purposes of God. Satan hates God and does everything he can possibly do to thwart God's purposes. First, he attempted to destroy the paradise of heaven and led a mutiny against God among the angels. Then he attempted to destroy the paradise of earth and led a mutiny against God among men. And all of this will culminate in a great climactic effort in the time of the Great Tribulation to thwart the kingdom that God has prepared and promised and even to destroy God's plan for the eternal rule and reign of Jesus Christ. So Satan's long war against God is coming to its consummation right before our very eyes as we read this text.
Now the simplest way to understand chapters 12, 13 and 14 is to see them built around the main characters. It is a drama and there are a number of main characters that play a very important part. In fact, there are six of them and perhaps even a seventh, but there are for certain six of them that you'll want to note. There is the woman, the dragon, the male child, Michael, the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth...and then a seventh that could be identified would be the saved remnant. So we're going to be looking at these main characters that are playing out Satan's side of this great future prophetic time.
The first four of them are described in chapter 12, the woman, the dragon, the male child and Michael. And the last two, the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth are described in chapters 13 and 14. By the time we get through all of these chapters, we'll have the whole scenario laid out because around these main characters swirls the satanic action during the time of the Tribulation and the last three and a half years called the Great Tribulation.
Now for tonight I just want to introduce you to the first three, and they are the ones introduced to us in the text that I just read in those opening verses. First of all, let's meet the woman...the woman. Verse 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 and she was with child and she cried out being in labor and in pain to give birth."
Just one little note, you see the word "great" in chapter 12 verse 1, I just read it, you'll also see the word "great" in verse 3, you'll see it again in verse 12, you'll see it again in verse 14. Everything that John sees in this particular vision seems to be massive. The Greek word is mega, it's all a mega vision, everything seems to be huge in size and huge in significance.
And the first thing that he sees that is great is a great sign which appeared in heaven. By the way, the word "sign" demands our attention, this is the first of seven signs in the last half of Revelation. This is the first of seven of them.
Now a sign means something is occurring that points to something else. A sign is a symbol of the reality. You understand that. If I am driving my car and I cross the border of California and enter into Arizona, I see a sign, it says, "Arizona." That is not Arizona, I don't climb on the sign and say, "Now I'm in Arizona." That is a symbol of the reality of the state. And when you see a sign in prophetic literature, it is something symbolic of a reality. And I just want to remind you that where you have the explicit statement of Scripture, "This is a sign," you have a good reminder of the normal interpretation of Scripture being literal. Where it is a sign, the Spirit of God generally tells us it is a sign. That affirms for us that the book of Revelation even is generally to be interpreted literally. When there is clearly a vision, clearly a sign, it is stated.
So here is a sign, semeion in the Greek, meaning a symbol pointing to some reality. So when we see a woman appearing in heaven, the woman is not to illustrate a literal woman, but is symbolic of some other reality.
Now this great sign appeared in heaven. John appears to be on earth in this scene, although we can't be certain...looking up to heaven and the events that are taking place will eventually, of course, take place on the earth. John looks up to see the symbolic representation. What does he see? A woman...a woman.
Now I need also to add there are four symbolic women in Revelation, four of them. The first one is in chapter 2 verse 20 and she is given the name Jezebel and she symbolizes paganism, sinful, wicked paganism. She is a representative woman of those who teach people to commit adultery.
The second woman that I would mention to you comes in chapter 17 and she is a scarlet woman...a scarlet woman, a whore or a harlot. And she represents the apostate church.
A third woman that appears in the book of Revelation is called the wife of the Lamb, and she is representative of...what?...the church, chapter 19 verse 7.
So there is Jezebel, a woman who represents paganism. There is the scarlet woman who represents the apostate church. There is the wife of the Lamb, the bride who represents the true church. And here we have the fourth and that is a woman who represents something else. What does she represent? I'll tell you right off the beginning of this, she represents Israel...Israel. Israel is depicted frequently as the wife of God, a disloyal wife, an unfaithful wife, an adulterous wife, but in the end God will bring her back to faithfulness. She is throughout the Old Testament the wife of God. So Israel is symbolized as a woman.
Some have suggested that this woman here in Revelation 12 represents the church. Let me say very quickly to you, no where in the Bible is the church ever called a wife. No where in the Bible is the church ever called a woman. When the church is spoken of in feminine terms, the church is always called a bride. She doesn't become a wife until the marriage supper of the Lamb in chapter 19 of Revelation, she is always a bride. She is never a woman, she is never a wife. And she is a chaste virgin, 2 Corinthians 11:2 says, she is a bride waiting for the marriage. You see that in the statements of Revelation chapter 19.
So it is better to see the woman as Israel. The rest of the context will make it very clear that it has to be Israel and can be no other, be represented by this sign of a woman.
Now we're not surprised at this. We're not surprised to Israel as a main player, are we, in the final scenario. Not at all. We're not surprised because we know that the seventieth week of Daniel is going to relate to Israel just like the first sixty-nine did, remember? Daniel chapter 9. We also are very much aware of the fact that God has made an inviable promise to Israel to bring them a kingdom. And that God through Zechariah said there would come a time when Israel would look on the one they had pierced and mourn for Him as an only son, and a fountain of cleansing would be opened and there would be salvation. And Paul in Romans chapter 11 said there's coming a day when all Israel will be saved. And the kingdom is promised to Israel. And the prophets said they will enter into that kingdom and they will reign and rule in that kingdom with their Messiah from Jerusalem and they will be the attraction of the whole world so that hanging on the garment of every Jew will be ten Gentiles.
So the Bible tells us clearly that Israel as a nation, as a people, is a very main player in the scenario of the end drama. Salvation of Israel and her promised kingdom is now very near. We're already at the seventh trumpet, the seventh trumpet is the last trumpet. The events in the seventh trumpet are the seven-bowl judgments which are poured out very rapidly. We're in the last few weeks, the last few days of the time of Tribulation just prior to Armageddon, the return of Christ and the establishment of the kingdom. It is at the most only a few months away. And so we're not surprised to see the woman, Israel, coming in to play here as the anticipation of the salvation of Israel and the kingdom starts to come into reality. God's plans through all of redemptive history have at their very heart the nation Israel.
And we also know this, that if there's any nation on the face of the earth that Satan would want to destroy, who would it be? Israel. Because if he could destroy Israel, he could wipe out God's entire plan. He could make God a liar who couldn't fulfill His promise. So a special object of Satan's hatred and a special target for his destructive attack has been Israel, the Jews.
So we see Israel, not at all surprisingly. In the middle of Satan's final fury at the end of the war of the ages, the long war against God, and Satan is still trying to stop God from fulfilling His promise of a kingdom and still trying to destroy the Jews so they can't get there to receive it.
Now as we look more closely at the women, notice how she is clad. It says a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Now this is a fascinating description of the woman. And any Bible student who is aware of the Old Testament immediately thinks about Genesis chapter 37. Turn to Genesis 37 because you have an almost identical description way back in the first book of the Bible when God is laying out His plan. Genesis chapter 37 and verse 9, now we're in the life of Joseph. Joseph in some ways was the beginning of the nation of Israel. Although you say the covenant was given to Abraham, it wasn't until Jacob that the name Israel came, right? You remember Jacob's name was changed to Israel and Joseph being his son is the first real product of Israel...along with the other brothers.
Now Joseph was such a unique personality. One of the things that made him so unique was the dreams that he had. And in verse 9 of Genesis 37 we read this, "Now he had another dream and related it to his brothers and said, `Lo, I have had still another dream and behold the sun and the moon and the eleven stars were bowing down to me.' And he related it to his father and to his brothers and his father rebuked him and said to him, `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?' And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept this saying in mind."
What's going on here? Well you know the story of Joseph, and, of course, that's exactly what happened. Joseph arose to the place of being a leader in the land of Egypt and eventually his entire family bowed to him. The sun represents Jacob and the moon represents Rachel, and the eleven stars bowing down represent his eleven brothers.
Now go back to Revelation chapter 12. This probably is connected in the background of what is seen here, although it's varied a little bit. Now the sign that John sees in Revelation chapter 12 has much the same imagery. Only now we see twelve stars, the twelfth back in Genesis 37, of course, being Joseph himself. The twelve stars now crown the head of the woman. But still she is clothed with the sun and the moon is under her feet. The woman represents Israel, the people of promise who will be exalted because of Messiah, Romans 9:4 and 5 describes how all of these benefits are coming to Israel through the Messiah. The fact that the woman is clothed with the sun speaks of glory and brilliance and dignity, that is the unique glory, the unique brilliance, the unique dignity of a redeemed Israel that is going to be lifted up and exalted in the end. The moon under her feet, interesting to think about that. It could refer again to nothing more than exaltation, but it also could have the concept of covenant relationship there, since the moon was so central in the cycle of worship, they, you remember, worshiped in their yearly cycle through a series of new moons and feasts and festivals and sabbaths associated with them.
On her head a crown of twelve stars, this kind of crown is a stephanos, a wreath, a garland, a crown associated with suffering and struggle. And the twelve stars that make up that garland obviously refer to the twelve tribes.
So here is Israel in the fulfillment of its messianic hope which was initially seen even in the very dream of Joseph. Certainly if you think about it, Israel, the woman, was prefigured in the life of Joseph. Think of the parallels. Joseph and Israel were sold to Gentiles, enslaved in captivity, buried among the nations, yet prominent, preserved, delivered, saved, given authority and given a kingdom. Joseph is a wonderful picture of Israel.
So the imagery there in verse 1 leads us to the conclusion that this is a woman representing Israel. Verse 2, "She was with child." Israel here is depicted not only as a wife and as a woman, but as a pregnant woman, a woman about to give birth. Israel is seen as a mother here. By the way, that is also very familiar imagery in the Old Testament. Isaiah 26, Isaiah 54, Isaiah 66, the prophet Hosea chapter 13, Micah chapter 4, chapter 5. She is seen as a mother. And further I would add, as a footnote, the church is never seen as a mother, not as a woman, not as a wife, and not as a mother. She's not yet married until Revelation 19:7 to 9 and the marriage supper takes place.
So here is Israel viewed as a pregnant mother. And there's pain associated with it. Verse 2 says, "She cried out being in labor and in pain to give birth." There's something she's travailing about. There's something she's in pain about. And it's the bringing forth of a child. It wouldn't be too hard to figure out what that was, or who that was, would it? What did every Jewish mother long for? What did the nation wait for? What did they cry for? What did they hope for? The Messiah. Israel agonized and suffered for centuries, waiting and longing for the child that would eventually come and destroy Satan and sin and death and bring the promised kingdom. In fact, I think it's unarguably true that no nation in the history of the world has suffered as severely and as long as Israel. If for no other reason, no nation has existed as long as Israel. And through all of their existence it seems as though they have suffered. Suffered not only because of God's chastening for their sin, but suffered because of Satan's furious efforts to destroy Israel so the kingdom couldn't come.
Ever since the promise of Genesis 3:15 that the serpent would bruise his head, but that there was coming a man...bruise his heal, but there was coming a man who would bruise the serpent's head, the evidence of the conflict between Satan and the promised seed has gone on. So here is a woman, Israel, travailing, languishing in pain and agony and suffering and struggle waiting for the child to be born who will deliver them from sin and Satan and death and bring the kingdom.
Then we meet the next figure, verses 3 and 4, the dragon. "And another sign appeared in heaven and behold a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and on his head were seven diadems. 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."
Here is the woman's enemy, portrayed dramatically in the sky. He sees another sign. He sees a dragon. Satan is not a dragon, Satan is a spirit being. The imagery of a red dragon is only a sign pointing to the reality, symbolizing it. And by the way, Satan is called a dragon thirteen times in the book of Revelation, prior to this in New Testament literature he is identified as a serpent. A dragon is far more terrifying. The term dragon fits into the category of the Hebrew language where you get the word Leviathan, sea monster, a massive creature more awesome than a snake or a serpent, some large and ferocious and fearsome animal, vicious. A term dragon is used in the Old Testament in Psalm 91 verse 13, for example, a awesome, fearsome, deadly destructive fierce creature. And in those ancient times was associated with the sea. Some kind of reptile, it may well be even today that something like that still exists in the uncharted depths of the lowest parts of the sea.
In Ezekiel chapter 29, they, of course, drew their imagery of Satan from this fearsome beast, but in Ezekiel chapter 29 I just want to read you the first five verses so that you can get a little bit of a picture of this kind of imagery. "In the tenth year and the tenth month on the twelfth of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying,`Son of man set your face against Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. Speak and say...Thus says the Lord God, behold I'm against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers that has said my Nile is mine, and I myself have made it and I shall put hooks in your jaws and I shall make the fish of your rivers cling to your scales and I shall bring you up out of the midst of your rivers and all the fish of your rivers will cling to your scales, and I shall abandon you to the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers. You will fall on the open field, you will not be brought together or gathered, I have given you for food to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the sky."
In depicting Pharaoh as the enemy of God, Pharaoh there is called a great sea monster, a great dragon, some awesome beast that rose out of the sea. And that's the imagery that you have here to describe Satan.
Notice the color is red. Not only is he fierce and cruel and vicious and deadly and frightening, but red speaks of bloodshed...bloodshed. The question immediately comes...the woman is Israel, who is the dragon? Look at verse 9, "And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan." Very clearly is this imagery identified. Chapter 20 of Revelation verse 2 says, "The angel coming down from heaven who had the key to the abyss and a chain in his hand, laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old who is the devil and Satan." Clearly then we are now introduced to Satan.