Revelation 12
A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.
great sign -this shows us that this will not be literal. This sign will represent something else.
a woman– Jacob and Rachel Genn 37:9-11. The twelve stars are the 12 tribes of Israel.
was pregnant– With Jesus
3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.
seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.–Satan and his power over the world and the 10 heads represent 10 kings.
third of the stars–The first rebellion in heaven. Job 38:7, Job 1:6, Jude 6
5 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. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
“will rule all the nations with an iron scepter– Psalm 2:9
was snatched up to God– Death and resurrection and taken to heaven
woman fled– look at Matt 24:15
7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
war broke out in heaven-This is not what already happened but will happen. Imagine a medieval castle.
Michael– archangel, Jude 9
lost their place in heaven– Job 1:6
He was hurled to the earth–They no longer have access to heaven.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
The church saints did not give up in the attacks of Satan.
No longer is Satan accusing in heaven.
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”
rejoice, you heavens– Because we are not on earth. We were accused in heaven but those on earth especially Israel. Again Matt 24
he knows–He has heard the prophecies and knows who God is, he literally sees the writing on the wall.
13 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.
given the two wings of a great eagle– Not the first time, Ex 19:4, Duet 32:11-12, Isa 40:31
place prepared for her–God will protect Israel
time, times and half a time–3 ½ years
15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
Satan tries to destroy the remnant but even the earth is helping.
17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
When Satan could not destroy Israel he goes after those who believe in Jesus.
First Baptist Church Delmar 