The War in Heaven - Pt. 1

 

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 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. (Revelation 12:7-9 ESV).

 

The last few days we have looked at the first six verses in Revelation 12 and saw that it had some interesting characters. We've got the pregnant woman, crowned with 12 stars. We've got the wrathful dragon, out to devour. And then there is the promised child who is born and caught up into heaven, escaping the dragon. There is enough right there for an extensive book series. As we also saw, this vision opens up a panoramic view of scripture extending from the garden of Eden to the Second Coming of Jesus. In this ancient conflict, taking place both in heaven and on earth, we noted that the dragon failed to prevent the coming of the promised child despite numerous attempts at destroying both the promised line of the woman and the child himself.

 

When we think about heaven it is easy to think about God's throne and presence. Most of the time we also associate thoughts of peace, holiness and fullness of joy along with thoughts of heaven. We could also think of the praise and worship surrounding the glory and majesty of God. Rarely do we think of war. However, a war in heaven is coming. Currently, as we see in the book of Job, Satan is allowed to come before God and does so to live up to his name as the accuser of the brethren. A day is coming, however, when this will no longer be allowed. So, the key questions are when does this war occur, who fights in this battle and what is the outcome?

 

Let’s consider the first of these questions today. Many Biblical scholars place the time of this war in the mid-point of the Tribulation because of its context in this chapter and by linking it to the prophecy in Daniel 12 which states that Michael will take his stand to protect the people of Israel at this point. That could well be the end point for this war, but we don't know for sure. It is possible that this war begins at the rapture of the church. Knowing that the rapture of the church is a fulfillment of the Jewish wedding model, I don’t think Satan will have access to heaven when the bride is taken back to her heavenly home to be with her bridegroom. I won’t be dogmatic in this belief, but it makes sense to me that Satan will be filled with rage at the rapture of the body of Christ as this fulfillment of the child. He will then realize that the Church age believers have truly overcome him and will never come under his influence ever again. That is the essence of our hope! Once we are in our heavenly home, we won't have to see him, hear him, or come under his influence or accusations ever again. Now, that is truly good news!

The Woman. the Child, and, the Dragon - Conclusions

 

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. 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 12:10-12 ESV).

 

At this mid-point in our study, what should be our conclusions? There are many things I might point us toward; however, let me mention just three.

 

First, we see that the Dragon has 7 heads, speaking of complete wisdom. Our enemy is vastly intelligent. So much so that he was able to convince 1/3 of the angels to follow him and rebel against God. He should never be underestimated. He knows us. He knows our weaknesses. And he likes to try to exploit those weaknesses. The more you allow the Lord to live and work through you, the more of a target you will become. Never underestimate the battle that goes on around you. But we also remember this - greater is He who is in you than He who is in the world. And while your enemy knows you and your weaknesses, if you know God's word then you are also aware of his ways for 'we are not ignorant of his schemes' (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:11). Also remember that if 1/3 of the angels fell then 2/3 didn't! That means the fallen angels are outnumbered 2 - 1. Remember that when you are fearful next.

 

Second, Revelation 12 is a reminder of the incredible plan we are part of. We've seen that this plan of God with the woman, the child and the dragon goes all the way back to the garden of Eden. It has been playing out for thousands of years, and even more amazing is the fact that it is coming to its conclusion. You may have a mundane 9-5 job and lead a quiet life. But if you are a believer, you are part of an incredible plan of God! And as we look around us we can see all the signs and players positioning themselves. We can see this amazing plan of God come to fruition.

 

Third, Revelation 12 is a reminder of the amazing future that we have. The child is caught up to the throne of God. That happened to Jesus and that is the future for the believer. That is our hope. Just as Jesus ascended into heaven, so shall His Church. So, this reminds us that the dragon will fail. He failed with Jesus, He has failed with the Church and he will fail with the woman. That is he will fail in all his efforts in stopping the remnant of Israel from believing in, and calling upon, the Lord Jesus to come again. Not only is He caught up to the very throne of God Himself, but He shall 'rule all the nations with a rod of iron'. That is true of Jesus Christ. Amazingly, it is also true of the Church. That is the future for believers. Hallelujah!

 

The Woman, The Child, and, the Dragon - Pt. 3

 

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. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down la third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 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, 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. (Revelation 12:1-6 ESV).

 

We need to identify the third of our cast of characters in this vision. John describes it as a “great red dragon” (v. 3). The dragon is mentioned 13 times in Revelation and this is the easiest one to interpret for it is defined for us in Revelation 12:9 which states 'The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.' This is an important verse because it ties the dragon of Revelation with the ancient serpent from the garden, identifying them both as one being - Satan, the adversary.

 

The picture of the dragon here in Revelation is one with seven heads and ten horns. The seven heads point to Satan's initial state of perfection in wisdom (cf. Ezekiel 28:12). In later verses, when speaking of the beast, the seven heads will also point to the seven kingdoms that have ruled and dominated this planet throughout history, under the enabling of the 'god of this world'. Now each of the dragon's heads had a crown speaking of Satan's rule as over this world. As mentioned, scripture says he is 'the god of this world' (2 Corinthians 4:4). Jesus called him the 'ruler of this world' (John 14.30). And his ten horns speak of power and ultimately points to the final kingdom where ten kings shall rule (Daniel 7:7,24, Revelation 17:12) and from which Satan's man, the Antichrist, shall emerge (Daniel 7:7-8). 

 

The cast is complete for this stage of the end of time as we know it. There are some clear conclusions we may form from this text (we’ll look in depth at that tomorrow); however, we cannot miss the truth that this is the description of the millennia-old conflict between God and Satan. As old as Satan is he is still unable to believe the battle has already been won. John is showing us what that will look like, not what the outcome will be. We already know that by the Cross and Resurrection. Take hope, the end is in sight!

 

The Woman, the Child, and, the Dragon - Pt. 2

 

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. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down la third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 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, 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. (Revelation 12:1-6 ESV).

 

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 (vv. 5-6). The child is first and foremost Jesus. The description given of this child is that he will rule the nations with a rod of iron. This is a quote from Psalm 2:7-9 about the promised Messiah. We also see this same phrase in Revelation 19:15 when Jesus returns where it says: 'From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.' He is the One that the woman, Israel, brought forth who shall rule all nations.

 

As the famous prophecy states: 'For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder.' (Isa 9:6). But there is a small 'but' here. As we move on we'll see that not everything fits perfectly just with Jesus alone and there are aspects of this story with the child that point to another as well. We shall see there is a 'midrashic' repeated pattern here with the body of Christ, and possibly even the 144,000 as well. The Church is also promised to rule with a 'rod of iron' earlier in Revelation 2:26-27. And as Jesus ascended into heaven, so His body, the church, shall also be caught up to heaven. Bible teacher H.A Ironside expresses this view:

 

Undoubtedly He (Jesus Christ) is primarily the man-child who is to rule the nations with a rod of iron and the special object of Satan’s malignity. But we have already seen, in Revelation 2:26-28, that when He reigns He will not reign alone for His promise to the faithful overcomers in the church period is: “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star.” Is there then any incongruity in understanding the man-child to represent both Christ Jesus our Lord and His church? Surely not, for He is the Head of the body, the church, which is the fullness, or completion, of Himself. So the title “The Christ” is applied to both Head and body viewed as one in 1 Corinthians 12:12 where we read, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ”; literally it reads, “the Christ.” We may then, on the authority of Scripture itself, safely affirm that the man-child represents the one new Man who is to rule the nations with a rod of iron-Christ, the Head, and the church, His body.

 

With the current events in Israel, we would be very foolish to ignore how close we may be to the coming again of Jesus. Some of this statement is based on the attack from Hamas, however, we cannot discount the incredible awakenings being seen in Israel. Messianic Jews are making a massive inroad with the Gospel. That is very significant in prophetic interpretation.

 

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon - Pt. 1

 

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. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down la third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 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, 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. (Revelation 12:1-6 ESV).

 

Well, we have made the halfway mark of our series through Revelation. Eleven chapters down, eleven to go. With the events of our world cascading more and more toward fulfilling the prophecies of the Second Coming, I do wonder if I will finish this study. Naturally I would be just fine watching from heaven should the Lord choose to return now. However, what we have today is a pivotal chapter. Remember we have already seen a trilogy in the saga as we looked at the temple, the witnesses and the beast. In this chapter we see the woman, the child and the dragon. It all sounds a bit like science fiction and fantasy, but these images are very real as far as John could understand them. We will see the underlying story of how this story reaches as far back as the garden of Eden and stretches as far forward as to the end of the Tribulation.

 

First, let’s identify the woman. There are four prominent women in the book of Revelation - Jezebel in Revelation 2:20 (a type of the false Church), this woman in chapter 12, the harlot of Revelation 17 and the bride of Christ mentioned in Revelation 19:7. Two are false and two are true. Some, especially Catholics, have said this woman in Revelation 12 represents Mary. Others think it is the church. That last one is interesting, and more than a little problematic. She is pregnant and unwed. This does not fit the Bride of Christ. When you let scripture interpret scripture, we see that the picture of a woman clothed with the sun and twelve stars on her head takes us back to Joseph's dream (Genesis 37:9-10). With this reference we see the reference pointing to Israel.

 

We will look at the child and the dragon next. Today, please pay careful attention to the woman. We must understand the pivotal position Israel will occupy in the end times. God will not fail in His promises to the nation. Even a casual glance at current events should cause us to prepare ourselves for an imminent return of Christ. This is GREAT news! However, for those ready it is a word of caution.

 

Forever and Ever!

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and she shall reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. (Revelation 11:15-19 ESV).

 

Before we leave this vision of John in Revelation we see one of the most important announcements that make up the good-news message of our salvation. It tells us not only that Jesus, the Savior of the world, “will reign forever and ever” but also that he is already reigning as the King of kings now! This important message empowers us to be God’s faithful witnesses wherever we are. With this news we can assure others that, in Christ, their lives can be made new and that eternal life isn’t just something in the future—it begins now (cf. John 3:36; 5:24; 10:28).

 

If you are familiar with the music of Handel’s Messiah, you might recognize that some of these words in Revelation are part of a rousing section known as the “Hallelujah Chorus.” When he composed the “Hallelujah Chorus”—based on the seventh trumpet announcement: “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever”, George Handel said he wept in wonder and awe. “It was as though I saw heaven open and I stood before the very throne of God,” he said.

 

This passage invites us to that powerful place of being in the presence of God and knowing that he makes our new life possible right now. The Lord God Almighty has come in his “great power” to begin his reign of hope and healing! I know it’s not Christmas (though some retailers would argue); however, is it ever the wrong time to sing the Hallelujah of the reign of Christ!

  

Stop... Listen... Watch This!

 

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and she shall reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. (Revelation 11:15-19 ESV).

 

One of the techniques I often used to call the audience to really focus on a particular point was to pause in the sermon and say, “Stop… listen… watch this…” It was my way of simply saying, “Now listen carefully to what comes next.” I did this because some parts of a story are key to under­standing the whole. John records this next event of the sounding of the last trumpet with the same technique.

 

As we read the story of the seventh trumpet call, we need to pay close attention and listen carefully. This part of God’s story is key to understanding who we are and what we are called to do in this world. As God’s witnesses, we need to know that God’s kingdom is advancing right now, even though it may seem at times that the world is thoroughly corrupt and controlled by the forces of evil.

 

This part of God’s story is shouted by “loud voices in heaven” and reinforced by the twenty-four elders seated around God’s throne. Listen carefully to what heaven announces: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” We need to listen carefully because heaven’s reason for rejoicing is often missed. In our everyday lives, we tend to think that God’s kingdom will come someday and that Jesus, the Messiah, will then “reign forever and ever.” But the announcement is not in the future tense. The seventh trumpet call announces that God’s kingdom claims the kingdom of this world now. And this present reality changes everything for all who live by faith in Jesus.