By Pastor Greg...
Two kids are talking to each other.
One says, "I'm really worried. My dad works twelve hours a day
to give me a nice home and good food. My mom spends the whole day cleaning and
cooking for me. I'm worried sick!" The other kid says, "What have you got
to worry about? Sounds to me like you've got
it made!" The first kid says, "What if they try to escape?"
See parents, your children DO notice all the little things you do for
them.
It seems the Lord notices the
small things we do for Him as well.
Right after the Seventh Trumpet is blown, John is
shown a significant event that takes place in Heaven. It involves a woman, a dragon, a son, and a
battle between angels. It’s a pretty wild story.
Revelation 12:1-18. Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I
saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown
of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant, and she cried
out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth.
3 Then I witnessed in
heaven another significant event. I saw a large
red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. 4 His
tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the
earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to
devour her baby as soon as it was born.
5 She gave birth to a son
who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was
caught up to God and to his throne. 6 And the woman fled into
the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to care for her for 1,260 days.
7 Then there was war in
heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. 8 And
the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. 9 This
great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving
the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.
10 Then I heard a loud
voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last—
salvation and power and
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. 11 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. 12 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.”
13 When the dragon realized
that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given
birth to the male child. 14 But she was given two wings like
those of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the
wilderness. There she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a
time, times, and half a time.
15 Then the dragon tried to
drown the woman with a flood of water that flowed from his mouth. 16 But
the earth helped her by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that gushed
out from the mouth of the dragon. 17 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.
Wow! Dragons, fighting, torture, giants, monsters,
chases, escapes... And you thought the
Bible was just another book.
In this chapter, we are introduced to a woman, a dragon, and her son. The appearance of this woman was a “great
sign;” it marked something of significance.
Who was she? Although it seems to
speak of Mary giving birth to Jesus, this is most likely a reference to Israel. Genesis 37 describes Jacob and Rachael as the
Sun and the Moon; Jacob’s name was changed to Israel (Genesis 32:28), and he
had twelve sons – the twelve tribes of Israel.
So, the context here seems to imply that the woman is Israel; Israel was
about to “give birth” to the Son. And
the Dragon – Satan – was attempting to stop His arrival.
John describes Satan as a dragon
with 7 heads, each wearing a crown. This
represents Satan’s control over world
empires during the great tribulation; the 10 horns symbolize his power over 10 specific kings during this
period. This is mentioned in Daniel 7:7
and Revelation 13:1.
Also described here is a war in
heaven; Satan and his fallen angels are forced out of Heaven. When does the battle
take place? Since Peter and Paul speak
of Satan’s present activity in their letters, (see 1 Peter 5:8, for example),
most scholars feel this battle takes place midway through the Tribulation. As Satan and his fallen angels are thrown to
the earth, they pursue the woman (Israel), but God rescues her and transports
her into the wilderness. She (Israel) is
protected for 3 ½ years… probably the second half of the Tribulation. Jesus speaks of this narrow escape in Matthew
24:16. It is at this point – when Satan
is angry (verse 17) – that he kills the Two Witnesses (chapter 11), and two-thirds of the Jewish people (see Zechariah
13:8).
Yes, the woman, the child, the
dragon, and the angels are all quite fascinating. And typically, they become the focus of our
attention. However, I want to draw your
attention to a small detail mentioned in verse 11. The loud voice in Heaven tells us how Satan
and his fallen angels are defeated. The
voice says that Michael and his angels overcame Satan and his army “because of the blood
of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love
their life even when faced with death.”[2] The Angels of God overpower Satan because of
Christ’s sacrifice (the Blood of the Lamb), but also because of those who faced
death without wavering in their faith (word of their testimony). People of faith equipped Michael and his Holy
Angels in their battle over Satan.
People. Faithful Christians
strengthen God’s Holy Angels. We often
think of the angels strengthening us, but here, it seems, we strengthen them.
How is that possible? How can we - simple
Christians struggling to live a holy life - make a difference in the battle
that will unfold in Heaven? May I offer
you a possible suggestion? I don’t know
if this is true, but then again, it just might happen this way.
We do know that once God calls
Christian to Heaven (both the living and the dead), all believers will stand
before Christ. Paul teaches this in
Romans 14:10-12. Christians will be examined at this point; the Lord will judge
their works… the things you and I do in the name of Jesus. This is not “judgment” to earn our salvation;
this is a judgment to determine our
rewards. In 1 Corinthians 3:13-15, Paul
talks about our Christian works being put through
a fire.
And the Lord will reward our work that survives.
Don’t view this judgment from a
negative perspective. I know we could, but
I think each of us will be surprised at what endures. What I suggest to you is that during this
examination process, Satan will probably still be present in Heaven. And I can picture him during this judgment
process standing by pointing out our “spots and wrinkles.” I know he accuses us now; perhaps he will accuse us then… which is probably why John
calls Jesus our Advocate (I John 2:1).
As Christians like you and I pass through this judgment fire and are
found to be holy, we will come through God’s examination and shine in the full
glory of Christ. And at that moment,
Satan will realize that we, the Church, have loved the Lord more than our own
lives. I believe this is what causes Satan
to become so angry that He threatens the throne of God and this war in Heaven
begins.
Satan is cast out of heaven
because of two things: the Blood of the Lamb covered the sin of humanity and Christians
placed their faith in Jesus. The Lord and
the Church stand before Satan, and he is
defeated. I love that image.
My friend, remember the parable of
the Mustard Seed (see Mark 4:30-32). Jesus reminds us that what may seem small at
first will grow quite large. The work
that you and I do in the Lord’s name may appear simple
and insignificant. However, we
need to remember that the small seed we plant in others may one day change
their entire life. These are the works
that endure; these are the works that pass through the judgment fire.
As I
said, this is merely a suggested answer why the “word of our testimony” equips
the angel Michael and his army to forcibly remove Satan from Heaven. It’s almost as if Satan will one day no
longer be able to accuse Christians of sin.
Once we pass through the judgment, Christ will present us to the Father “having no spot or
wrinkle or any such thing; but that [we] would be holy and blameless”
[3] (Ephesians 5:27). So please remember, no deed done in the name
of Jesus is too small or too insignificant.
We are called not to judge the size of the deed or the simplicity of the message we shared. We are called to be faithful, and let God do
the mysterious work within this world.
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy
Bible: New Living Translation
(3rd ed., Re 12:1–18). Carol Stream, IL.
[2] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Re 12:11–12). La
Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Eph 5:27). La
Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
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