Revelation 12 - Prayer and Confession to Christ Our King

        Two points straight away.  First, the woman (12:1) described in this chapter is a figurative way of saying the people of Abraham and Moses, the people of faith in the One true God.  Later in the chapter when the dragon goes after the woman (12:17), she still represents the people of faith as well (those who testify their belief in Jesus) (12:10).  So yes, I think that those who take the woman to mean Mary or some literal woman are misreading John’s fantastic language.

        Second, the dragon here represents just what John says - the ancient spiritual serpent called the devil and Satan.  So likewise to those who claim a literal interpretation of the woman as one female person, I think they are wrong in the same way that those who take the dragon to mean a literal dragon or literal person rather than a representation of a spiritual (and real) being called Satan.

        The woman (God’s people of faith) and the dragon (the devil) in heaven in John's vision have earthly impacts in this chapter.  The woman gives birth to the Son of God, and the dragon goes to war against Michael and his angels (12:7), and then after he's cast to earth declares war and persecutes the people of God (12:13, 17).  In this regard, the dragon represents those evil people who went after Jesus' followers.  The dragon also represents the nation of Rome that the devil used to persecute the first-century people of God.  

        Revelation was written to first-century believers just before great persecution.  God wanted His people to be encouraged and aware of what would happen.  But it also has meaning and blessing for believers 2,000 years later.  We are reminded and encouraged to keep God’s commandments and maintain our testimony for Jesus (12:17).

        We escape eternal death and defeat Satan by the blood of the Lamb and our testimony about how we trust Jesus for what He has done for us (12:11).  We hear in this chapter what God says about faithful servants - those who “did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die” (12:11).  Life in a sense is a test of our character.  We will all be held accountable by God and those who believe in Jesus have our sins cleansed, but each person will still sit before Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:9-10).  We can dress up nice and spray on some cologne, but Jesus assesses our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7).

        Are we humble and contrite before Jesus, like Daniel?  Or are we fake Christians who say we have confessed Him in heart and lips, but truly have faith in love money, fame, fortune, and fun?  You can’t have two masters.  Is our trust in Jesus alone, or are we double-minded, and unstable in all our ways (James 1:6,8).  This short life allows us to walk the walk of Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 2:12).  And to be led by the Spirit of God in every aspect of our lives (Romans 8:13-14).  Satan doesn’t just have one sin that he’d like to catch you in, he’s got many schemes.  Trust Jesus.  Jesus Christ is our portion and inheritance (Numbers 18:20).

        The Apostle John knew Jesus as a friend, coworker, Lord, Savior, and King.  John knew Jesus’ power.  Jesus has power that no one can take from Him.  Not Satan, not Pilate, not Herod, not the Sanhedrin.  Jesus laid his life down of His own accord; Jesus had the power and authority to lay it down and take it up again (John 10:17-18).  Such is the power of the Prince of princes (Daniel 8:25).  Jesus had the power and authority to create the heavens and the earth and He has the power to destroy it and make it anew.  Jesus had the power to plan for and effect salvation and He has the power to build His people and to use His church to show His purpose.

        You may not believe it, and that’s okay - you have free will - but I do.  I know that God is active and alive today.  Jesus is not aloof, unaware, and uninterested.  To the contrary, He’s omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient.  When we gather as believers, He’s there.  When we sin, He knows.  When we pray for forgiveness and tell Him how much we love Him, He hears.  God sets the standards.  We are unworthy yet privileged servants, called to obedience and faithfulness (Luke 17).

        It’s not a shocker to say that kings give commands.  In the case of our King, He not only gives commands, but He can orchestrate and make decrees that must be fulfilled.  You can’t outsmart, manipulate, or scheme your way from God’s way.  Yes, you have free will, but God has a purpose for His church - and it is not for anyone’s personal grandeur or empire-building.  It is indeed not about our so-called legacy or estate.  Just as Peter said, what the early church saw was predicted long before by the prophet Joel - what they were seeing at Pentecost was the “last days” where God’s decree was fulfilled and God “will cause wonders in the heavens above and the earth below- blood and fire and clouds of smoke.  The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the LORD arrives.  But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved” (Acts 2:19-21).  Paul makes the same point to us when he encourages the church to believe in Jesus and to go boldly and share the Gospel (Romans 10:13-16).

        God’s purpose for His church is for us to make disciples of all nations, to live according to the truth of Jesus, to act as the holy nation that we are, and to meet together in unity fellowship, and growth.   I currently live in a City of churches.  But it's the hardest place we've ever lived to find a good church.  It truly is a spiritual battleground where false teachers abound.  But God always has His people.  All over the world, even here in Lynchburg, God is growing His living Temple, His Body.  If you think of my family and me pray that we be part of a healthy body of believers where the truth is preached and where we can serve Christ Jesus well.

        The church serves God faithfully as we prepare to meet and be held accountable by Jesus, so that God’s manifold wisdom may shine for the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.  So my dear friends, pray and confess your sins today.  And know the power of prayer.  God hears us.  There is tremendous power in our confession and our prayer.  May God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

        John, like Daniel, sought to please God, not men (John 12:43).  May that too be our mindset.  Revelation 11 and 12 lean heavily on Daniel 8 and 9.  Daniel got God’s attention with his honesty or better said, God got Daniel's heart.  It’s incredible to read Daniel’s contrite prayer in Daniel 9 and to think about how Daniel was reading the Scriptures (Jeremiah) and how God responded by giving Daniel insight and understanding after Daniel confessed and asked God to help the people of Moses - not because the people of Moses deserved it, but because of God’s character (Daniel 9:4-19).

        Daniel’s raw and honest prayers and pleadings were pleasing to God.  Daniel called a spade a spade.  He acknowledged who God is and that God always kept His promises.  He recognized that the time of wrath and the very end of time was due to the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel’s sins.  It was their disobedience that Daniel was pleading forgiveness for and acknowledging that the nation refused to seek mercy from the LORD their God by turning from sin (Daniel 9:4-19).  Be like Daniel.  Don't dishonor God's character with false deterministic teaching.  God did not create automatons incapable of moral choices.  God made man in His image both capable and accountable to God.  Daniel remained faithful until his death at 84 years old.  And God spoke through him even in his old age.  Daniel was about 78 years old when he received the vision of the wrath on Jerusalem (9:26) in the first year of the reign of King Darius the Mede (538 BC).  If you find yourself in your later years (50s and beyond), maybe God has prepared you with the character you have for your greatest work in the days ahead.  Like Daniel, be prepared.  God is not done building His holy people.

        God, through the angel Gabriel, told Daniel about the future wrath against Israel (Peter speaks of this in Acts 2, and John sees the vision we discuss here in Revelation) and how it would come about.  God, through angels and visions, told Daniel about the rise of the kingdoms of Greece and Rome (the Ram and the Goat in Daniel 8) - predestined precursors to the end of Satan’s rule on earth.  But Daniel prayed and pleaded for forgiveness for the wickedness of Israel.  And God heard and gave reprieve.  In fact, God told Daniel about a period (70 times 7 years) one long period for the nation of Israel to “finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place” (Daniel 9:24).

        During those 490 years (note it's not a period and then a gap of 2500 years and then another period as some read into Scripture) God did allow the Temple to be rebuilt.  And just as the vision showed, the Messiah, God's Son was born from and into the people of faith.  The Messiah would be killed - appearing to have accomplished nothing.  Then, the Roman army would destroy the city of Jerusalem and the Temple.  All of this culminated in what we see in Revelation 11 with the wrath on Jerusalem, the city where the Messiah was crucified, and the destruction of the Temple in AD 70.

        In Revelation 12 John tells us of a vision that explains spiritual realm power and authority with eternal consequences.  As John explained to us, Jerusalem would face God’s wrath, surrounded and destroyed in the first generation after Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (Rev. 11).  It happened just as Jesus said it would as a penalty for the people of Jerusalem’s disobedience to God.  Jesus warned and foretold what would happen in the Parable of the Evil Farmers (Matthew 21:43) and the Parable of the Great Feast (Matthew 22:7).  Jesus held the people of Jerusalem accountable and He held the Romans accountable for what they did to the Temple (Mark 13:14).  Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation” (Matthew 23:36).  And it did just as God decreed (Daniel 9:24).

        Now, when we say Christ is King, do we believe it?  And what do we mean by it?  Do we believe God is Sovereign here on earth?  And if not, then who is sovereign?  God never changes.  His way has always been to use the works of His people to providentially show His ways and His glorious wisdom.  God is using His church to do that today.

        God is indeed Sovereign - on earth and in heaven.  Remember what Paul said about God’s sovereignty confirming that God Almighty is the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15-16).  False teaches claim God has limited power here on earth today and that the devil is in complete control as everything gets worse and worse.  They are wrong.  They claim that Revelation 4 onward is all about future events and that Jesus was wrong about His condemnation of the people of Moses (Matthew 23:14, and 36).  The futurists are wrong and Jesus is right.  Jesus did bring His condemnation for the death of all the prophets and He does regein today.  God says, “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).  Jesus is supreme today and is growing His Kingdom (Matthew 13:24-30) just as He said He would.

        It is Jesus who brought lasting honor to His name by rescuing His people from Egypt. It is Jesus who brought disaster and destruction to those who refused to obey and accept Him following His 490-year period of reprieve and God sending His Son as the Savior of the world.  Jesus is Sovereign.  God Almighty’s purposes will prevail and it is the Kingdom of God under the authority of Christ that is growing today, just as Jesus said it would.

        Before Jesus ascended into heaven Satan was called the god of this world.  The devil still has power today, but the devil has been thrown out of heaven we are told in Revelation 12 and his authority is limited.  The devil has the power to blind the minds of those who don’t believe in Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:4).  The devil was called the commander of the power of the unseen world and Satan remains an active spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God (Ephesians 2:2).  But God is greater, much greater.

        The Apostle John encouraged the early church with his message that Jesus was victorious.  He said, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (1 John 4:4).  Jesus said, “The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.  And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (John 12:31).  Likewise, while under trial before the entire Jewish Council Jesus plainly responded to the high priest's question about whether or not he was the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One.  "Jesus said, 'I am. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven'" (Mark 14:62).  Take Jesus at His word!  The first-century people who heard Jesus' prophetic words here did indeed "see" Jesus' judgment come on Jerusalem.

        Jesus shared with his beloved disciples how He would die.  When they saw Him resurrected and alive they finally understood His power and authority.  The world does not understand the power of the King.  In John 19:11 Jesus says this to Pilate, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”

        God Almighty in His grace saves us when we believe.  And through the Holy Spirit, God reveals to us His mysterious plan.  God’s plan is to “use the church to display His wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.  This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:10-11).

        So while Satan was thrown down to earth he still has power, albeit limited.  We see before Jesus’ ascension into heaven that Satan even tried to tempt Jesus with that which was his to give at the time (Matthew 4:8-9).  And while the devil prowls and seeks to destroy us today we have no doubt that evil exists in this world and that he is at work in the corrupt systems of this world (Romans 12:2, 1 John 2:15, and James 4:4), we also know Jesus defeated the devil on the cross (Colossians 2:13-15).

        Listen to the loud shouting that John heard across the heavens in Revelation 12:10-12:

 “It has come at last—

    salvation and power

the Kingdom of our God,

    and the authority of his Christ.

For the accuser of our brothers and sisters

    has been thrown down to earth—

the one who accuses them

    before our God day and night.

And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb

    and by their testimony.

And they did not love their lives so much

    that they were afraid to die.

Therefore, rejoice, O heavens!

    And you who live in the heavens, rejoice!

But terror will come on the earth and the sea,

    for the devil has come down to you in great anger,

    knowing that he has little time.”

        Jesus reigns today.  Christ is King.  Christ Jesus is growing His church for His mysterious plan revealed to the Saints.  The Holy Spirit in you is greater than any demon or devil of this world.  God’s purposes will prevail.  With God’s mercy and grace, we will be faithful servants living according to His will.

        Revelation encourages the church to build and grow and remain steadfast.  We are sinners in need of our loving God.  We are fortunate beyond measure that God is good loving and kind.  And that Jesus teaches us to be careful to live in His ways and to hold our Father’s loving hand (just as our precious kids did when they were little).  We are God’s kids.  And we desperately need Him.  

        Our conversations today and our activities (studies, work, etc.) need to be aligned with God’s will.  Let’s pray for our kids and those we can encourage so that they are “filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith” (1 Timothy 1:5).  Don’t deceive people.  And don’t deceive yourself.  God considers us trustworthy - let’s live up to His expectations.

        We are all invited to God’s Wedding Feast - the Feast of the Son.  But don’t think it is because of your academic or sports achievements, your nationality, good looks, or your investing prowess.  You are invited because you are a sinner and because Christ the King came into this world to save sinners.  We are invited because it is a gathering of sinners saved by God’s sacrifice for us on the Cross.  We are on our way toward that Feast.  But on the way we must be prepared for spiritual battles, suffering, and strife.  That’s life.  Dangers, and tough tasks from our King.  A good life, one of adventure and fellowship, joy, pain, and comfort from God.  God will bring the people of Jesus Christ safely to His Kingdom, safe from every evil attack (Titus 2:13-14).  

        To recap, the woman in Revelation 12 is God’s people of faith.  God said, “They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children.  God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen” (Romans 9:4-5).  God chose to display His power through the nation of Israel.  God faithfully fulfilled all of His promises to Israel.  But it is to the new nation, the Gentiles, that God gave His Kingdom, to “a nation that will produce the proper fruit” (Matthew 21:43).  God makes the riches of His power and majesty shine brightly through His Bride (Romans 9:23).

        Anyone who trusts Jesus will never be destroyed.  Be the one who tells others that Jesus loves them and will generously give them eternal life if they believe in Jesus in their heart and confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9-12).

        Romans tells us that God was fair to the people of Israel.  They did hear the message of Jesus Christ.  “The message has gone through the earth, and the words to all the world” (Romasn 10:18).  The people of Jerusalem understood, but they clung to their own way and were disobedient and rebellious against God (Romasn 10:21).

        In Revelation 12 John sees several remarkable events in the spiritual realm that have corresponding impacts on Earth.   John sees a dragon with seven heads and ten horns (wisdom and power and also a representation of the Roman Empire).  God tells us that the dragon is the ancient serpent called the devil or Santan the one who devises the world (12:9).  The nation of Israel “give birth to a son who was to rule the nation switch an iron rod” (12:5).  So we hear in this spiritual vision that Jesus was already in heaven (12:5) and He is to rule the nations.  The period of 1,260 days in this chapter is the same 42-month period described in Revelation 11 and in Daniel 9 - it’s the end of the 490 years of the nation of Israel and the 3.5 years of great wrath and judgment against the city where Jesus was crucified (Revelation 11:8).

        In Revelation 12 John describes the war between Michael and Satan (12:7-10).  The dragon loses that battle, yet he’s not destroyed but rather he and his angels were forced out of heaven (12:7-8) and thrown down to earth (12:9).  Then we hear - just as we did in Rev. 11:15-18 that Jesus reigns in Heaven - the Kingdom and authority of Christ (12:10-12).  There was great wrath and persecution of the Christians (12:10, 17) and the people of the woman (12:13-17).  John says, “And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children - all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus” (12:17).  

        There are various interpretations of God’s judgment in Revelation chapters 7-18.  As the early church did, we too should read Revelation to see the first set of judgments directed to the people of Jerusalem in the first century (the war of AD 66-70) and the next judgments that we'll talk about soon are against the people of Moses, the Roman Empire, and all people who reject the Son of God.  More on all of that as we move through chapters 13 to 18.  

        Lord Jesus, thank you for your word and for your sacrifice for our sins on the Cross.  Help us today to give a good testimony about who you are and what you’ve done for us.  Help us to love others well and to have the mindset that you alone are our portion and our inheritance.  Amen.

Revelation indeed can be a puzzle (Our daughter Meghan, Kari, and Jack).