Revelation: 12

Bi 622Mark E. Hardgrove, Ph.D.,

D.Min.

REVELATION CHAPTER 12

Revelation 12 ~ The Woman1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.”

Who is this woman?

Revelation 12 ~ The WomanThe first symbol, called by John “a great sign” is the woman. Who does she represent? There are four popular options:1) Mary2) Church3) Redeemed of both Israel and

Gentiles4) Israel

Mary

This view has been popular in the Catholic Church, but there are too many discrepancies between the woman in Revelation and the life of Mary. There is nothing beyond the fact that Mary gave birth to Jesus to connect her to the “great sign” in John’s vision. Barclay says of this woman, “she is so clearly a superhuman figure that she can hardly be identified with any single human being.”

Revelation 12 ~ The Woman

The Church

This view has more support among those who do not believe in the Pre-Millennial return of Christ. In this view the “child” is new believers. Matthew Henry views the woman as the church, which is “the spouse of Christ, and the mother of the saints.” He believes that the twelve stars is “the doctrine of the gospel preached by the twelve apostles, which is a crown of glory to all true believers.” The is, according to Henry, “a holy progeny to Christ, desirous that what was begun in the conviction of sinner might end in their conversion, that when the children were brought to the birth there might be strength to bring forth.”

Revelation 12 ~ The Woman

Redeemed of Israel and the Church

Leon Morris believes that the woman begins as a reference to Israel but then shifts to represent the Church in the wilderness being persecuted for her faith. Similarly, Kistemaker posits that the “woman represents the covenant community of both Old and New Testament eras.

Revelation 12 ~ The Woman

Israel

A popular position is that the woman is Israel, especially among Premillennialists. While some see the reference to the “sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars” as coming from pagan mythology, it is much more likely that John is referring to Hebrew references, namely, the dream of Joseph in which the twelve stars are the twelve tribes of Israel.

Revelation 12 ~ The Woman

3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.

Who is the dragon?

Revelation 12 ~ The Dragon

1. Satan—Lucifer, the angel of light who rebels against God.

2. Corrupt Government Generally—Type, Israel, antitype Jesus—Egypt’s attempt to kill the firstborn a prophetic forerunner of Herod’s attempt to kill the Christ child, Rome’s persecution of Christians.

3. Rome—Was this primarily a reference to Roman government in John’s time? Is the dragon Roman rule and its attempts to persecute the church?

Revelation 12 ~ The Dragon

4. Every time the number 10 is used in Revelation it is in association with an entity that is in opposition to God (Wilson). The dragon is later identified as the “serpent,” the “devil,” or “Satan.” Satan first appears in Scripture as a serpent who seduces humanity and reappears in Revelation where he will meet his ultimate defeat.

Revelation 12 ~ The Dragon

5. Many associate this Dragon with the fourth beast of Daniel 7:7, which is clearly referring to the Roman Empire. Therefore many scholars believe that the beast of Revelation represents Rome, or the revival of the Roman Empire in some form in the future. Some take the European Common Market to be a revival of the Roman Empire and see it emerging as the world power that the Satan will use to control the world’s economy, religion, and politics.

Revelation 12 ~ The Dragon

There are three main views concerning when the events of verse 4 occur:1. In the past, namely, the fall of

Lucifer recorded in Isaiah 14:12-15.

2. During the ministry of Jesus, as He records that He saw Satan fall (Luke 10:18).

3. In the future. Are these events yet to come?

Revelation 12 ~ The Rebellion

4b And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.

Who is the Child?

Revelation 12 ~The Child

Possible Identities:

1.) Jesus?2.) The Church/New Believers?3.) Israel?

Revelation 12 ~The Child

JESUSThis event is looks like a reference to the attempt of Herod to have the child Jesus killed. However, Satan was trying to destroy Israel before she could give us the Messiah—the attempt to destroy the plan of God in the Garden of Eden, the attempt to kill the infants of the Jewish babies in Egyptian bondage, the attempts to kill David, and so on. The most apparent answer to this question is that while there have been many types in the Old Testament, the Child is ultimately the Christ Child.

Revelation 12 ~The Child

6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

Israel’s days in the wilderness as in the OT?

The church during the Tribulation Period?a.) Wilderness = heavenb.) Wilderness = a place of protection

on earth Israel during the Tribulation Period?

Revelation 12 ~ Woman in the Wilderness

7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12 ~ The War In Heaven

Satan’s access and role as the accuser comes to a violent end as Michael (no doubt at the command of God) removes Satan from the premises of heaven. It is as though God says, “That is enough! Get out of my sight!”

Revelation 12 ~ The War In Heaven

10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

Revelation 12 ~ Salvation and Strength

The use of the plural “our” would indicate that it is not one person, but a group. Some take the reference to “brethren” to suggest that the voice is that of the saints in heaven. However, angels are sometimes referred to as “brethren” (22:9) and the context lends itself to the conclusion that the voice is that of the faithful angels rejoicing at the defeat of Satan and his angels (Morris).

Revelation 12 ~ Salvation and Strength

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

It is somewhat ironic that “they” overcame by the death of the Lamb and by their own martyrdom. The word “testimony” is from the Greek word “marturia.”

Revelation 12 ~ Overcoming

12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time."

Here is a word of encouragement. The fact that the enemy is fighting so hard is evidence of the fact that he knows that his time is short.

Revelation 13 ~ The Good News

13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child.

The dragon persecuted who?1.) Mary and Jesus2.) Israel and Jesus3.) Israel and the Church4.) Church and Believers

Revelation 13 ~ Persecution

Gause (1983) believes that the reference to the identity of the woman shifts, in verse 5, from Israel who gave us the Messiah, to the church who is the mother of believers:

In our terminology we make a shift from speaking of Israel to speaking of the Church. We do this to mark the transition from birth to motherhood. This transition is from promise to fulfillment—from Old Testament to New Testament.

Revelation 13 ~ Persecution

14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.

In the history of Israel there was a time when God delivered His people “on eagles’ wings” (Ex. 19:4). Once again, God promises protection, but not just protection, He also promises nourishment. Just as He did for Israel in the wilderness by providing manna, quail and water, God promises to nourish His people while they are in a place of protection.

Revelation 13 ~ The Woman

15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.”

The fact that the flood comes from serpent’s mouth may indicate a decree or violent decrees. Gordon suggests that it is something like the anti-Semitic views of some people that have historically stood behind the persecution of the Jewish people. A flood is a common symbol of overwhelming evil as shown in Psalms 18:4; 32:6; 69:1-2; 124:2-5)

Revelation 13 ~ The Serpent

16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The earth was cursed because of man’s sinfulness, but now the earth becomes the means by which the attack of the enemy is swallowed up and the woman and her offspring protected. The reference to the woman and her offspring may refer to Israel (the woman), and Gentile believers (her offspring) (Gordon)—in other words, all believers, both Jew and Gentile.

Revelation 13 ~ The Earth

Some of the facts and timetables of this chapter are hard to pin down, however the theme of the chapter is crystal clear:God will protect His people—all believers,

Jew and GentileSatan cannot winThe promise made in Genesis 3:15 may

seem to have tarried, but the promises of God are yea and amen. We can trust God even in the times of trouble and tribulation.

Summary

Bi 622Mark E. Hardgrove, Ph.D., D.Min., M.Div.

Revelation Chapter 13

REVELATION 13

Riverbottompreacher

Man4ourseason

In chapter 13 we are introduced to two more beasts: the one that arises from the sea, and the other who arises from the land. These two beasts, together with the beast of chapter twelve (who has been identified as the devil, i.e., Satan) form an unholy trinity. a

Revelation 13 ~

1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.

Many of the Greek manuscripts support a translation that pictures the beast of chapter 12 standing on the sand looking for the beast of the sea to arise and join him in his reign of terror. This is the translation preferred by Aune (1997), Gause (1983), Kistemaker (2001), Morris (1987), Mounce (1977) and others.

Revelation 13 ~ Standing on the Sand

What does the “sea” symbolize?“chaos” Genesis 1:2The Mediterranean Sea, which from John’s

perspective stood between Jerusalem and Rome. Rome, therefore, represented the beast that was bringing persecution against the saints.

John interprets “sea” symbolically in 17:15, where the angel told him, ‘The waters that you saw on which the prostitute sat, they are people and the crowds and nations and languages” (Kistemaker). See also Isaiah 17:12, which refers to the nations raging like a raging sea.

Revelation 13 ~ The Sea

If one recognize the second beast as a reference to Rome, which sits on seven hills, the indication for John’s readers is that the Rome is the child of Satan, which he is using to persecute the church. From a futurist perspective the beast is more than ancient Rome. Rome itself is a symbol of something, perhaps a reference to political power generally, which was not God’s original design for human governance. Instead, God’s intention, which will be realized in His millennial reign, was for a Theocracy in which He sits at the center of human governance.

Revelation 13 ~ Seven Heads

Lahaye (1999, pp. 198-199) believes that the seven heads represent the seven stages of human government through time:

1. Assyrian2. Egyptian3. Babylonian4. Medo-Persian5. Greek6. Roman (Old Roman Empire)7. Revived Roman Empire made up of ten

nations

Revelation 13 ~ Seven Heads

Jeffrey proposes the Ten Regions (Divisions) of the New World Government, which correspond to the ten horns:

Region 1: Canada and the United States of AmericaRegion 2: European Union—Western EuropeRegion 3: JapanRegion 4: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Pacific IslandsRegion 5: Eastern EuropeRegion 6: Latin America—Mexico, Central and South AmericaRegion 7: North Africa and Middle East (Moslems)Region 8: Central AfricaRegion 9: South and Southeast AsiaRegion 10: Central Asia

Revelation 13 ~ Ten Horns

The seven crowns represent political authority. The crowns are not on the heads, but on the horns. This is political power that underwrites the power of the beast. This beast has been identified by many as the Antichrist who is an individual who controls and manipulates a worldwide governmental structure.The blasphemous names written on the heads may be referring to a creed, motto, or slogan adopted by the government. The Caesars of John’s day regarded themselves and referred to themselves as “Lord and God,” which was a blasphemous title to Christians.

Revelation 13 ~ The Beast

2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.

The description of the beast is reminiscent of the description of the beast in Daniel 7:3-8. However, Daniel saw four beasts described in order, while John sees one beast with four distinct characteristics. Daniel looked forward, John looks back and see a beast that is the culmination of the beasts of Daniel.

Revelation 13 ~ The Beast Described

Gordon says of the Antichrist: This is Satan’s superman. He is the devil’s

Messiah, the devil incarnate, Satan manifest in the flesh. Here is someone whose power base initially is Europe. He heads up a consortium that resembles a revived Roman Empire; he is the supreme of a United States of Europe, a ten-nation confederacy. He is the one who, in the second half of the Tribulation, becomes the president of the planet, the world’s last dictator.

Revelation 13 ~ The Antichrist

3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.

Satan stages a pseudo-resurrection. Satan does not have power to resurrect people from death (Jesus alone has that power), so this may be something of an act that fools the world. Notice John says, “as if it had been mortally wounded. It will look to the world as though this man is dead, but then he will seem miraculously to rise up and the world will marvel. His power and following will be enhanced by this event.

Revelation 13 ~ The Antichrist

4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?“

They will sing songs to the dragon that are reminiscent of the songs sung to God, and are perhaps, intended to mock, for example, the song of Exodus 15:11:

Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods?Who is like You, glorious in holiness,Fearful in praises, doing wonders?

Revelation 13 ~ Worship

5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.

The Antichrist’s rule, “42 months.” This is three and a half years, the same length of time given to the Gentiles to trample the Holy City (11:2). This is the same amount of time that Israel and her children (Gentile converts?) are in the wilderness. This represents the second half of the Great Tribulation Period. The Antichrist and the false prophet begin the 7 year tribulation period rather peaceful, but then the Antichrist breaks his treaty with Israel and turns on them with a vengeance.

Revelation 13 ~ Tribulation Midpoint

6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.

He opens his mouth and begins to speak blasphemy against God, against God’s name, God’s tabernacle, and God’s church in heaven. “To blaspheme the name of God is to speak evil of all that he is and stands for” (Mounce). But it also implies a claim to be God. As Lahaye notes, “The Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy because He said He was God, and He was crucified for blasphemy.”

Revelation 13 ~ Blasphemy

7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

He is given the authority to “make war with the saints and to overcome them.” And this war extended to “every tribe, tongue, and nation.” It will be a global attempt by the Antichrist to find and kill anyone who will not worship him.

Revelation 13 ~ War With the Saints

These are both the Jews who finally recognize Christ as Messiah, as well as Gentiles who receive Christ as Lord. Those who are not caught up to be with the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:17), who are not “raptured” prior to the beginning of the Tribulation Period, will only be saved through a time of trial, tribulation, and blood. It seems that during the Tribulation Period those whose names are written in the Book of Life, those who refuse to worship the beast, will face death.

Revelation 13 ~ Saved Through Death

9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

John is calling believers to consider both what he has just said, and what he is about to say. He continues, warning that there will be those who will be led into captivity and there will be those who are killed with the sword.

Revelation 13 ~ Patience and Faith

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

This beast looks harmless, that is, as a lamb. He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He has horns like a lamb, they look harmless, yet he speaks like the dragon. Satan uses this beast as his religious mouthpiece. This false prophet points the people to the Antichrist, the incarnation of evil, as the object of worship.

Revelation 13 ~ Another Beast

13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.

Revelation 13 ~ Great Signs

The false prophet is given power to perform miracles, mimicking the act of God in bringing down fire from heaven, as was demonstrated by Elijah on Mount Carmel. Baal’s priests were not able to produce the fire, but the false prophet in the end time struggle will gain a massive religious following by doing what appear to be great miracles. After gaining the religious devotion and fervor of the world, he will point them to the Antichrist as the one who should be worshipped.

Revelation 13 ~ Great Signs

15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

In addition, an image will be built, an idol of sorts that will appear to be able to have life and to speak. This idol is an image of the Antichrist that the false prophet appears to provide with the ability to converse and to live. This is a direct challenge to the rebuke of God through the Psalmist who chided the people for worshipping idols.

Revelation 13 ~

The miracles will astound and convince many that this must be the real deal; this must be a God thing. But miracles and the supernatural alone are not the final measure of what is godly or what is real. Nothing that happens contrary to the Word of God, no message contrary to the Word of God (even if accompanied by great miracles), is of God. God gave us a standard to measure every religious claim by, it is His Word and even if heaven and earth should pass away, His Word will endure forever

Revelation 13 ~ Great Signs

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

The Antichrist, with the backing of the false prophet, will institute a one world religion, a one world government, and a one world economy and participation in this process will only be allowed when allegiance is pledged to the beast, which will be ratified by the “mark.”

Revelation 13 ~ Mark of the Beast

Again, this is an attempt to imitate God. God seals the Church through the Holy Spirit, and the 144,000 are sealed by God, so Satan places a seal upon his followers as well. It seems that this will be a literal seal of some sort that will be affixed (or implanted?) on the right hand or the forehead of those who have pledged allegiance to the beast.

Revelation 13 ~ Mark of the Beast

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

The number 666 has been the source of speculation throughout church history. Some suggested it corresponds to the name of Nero in Latin. Others note that the number 6 is the number of man, and the threefold use of it suggests a false trinity. As such, it would be an appropriate number of the three beasts.

Revelation 13 ~ Mark of the Beast

A modern view is a number that corresponds to our social security number. Currently, the social security number consists of three series of numbers, namely, three digits-two digits-four digits, hence, 324. But if the entire world were to be catalogued more numbers would be needed and perhaps three series of six digit numbers would suffice.

Revelation 13 ~ The Mark

Further, the use of microchips is gaining popularity in use for animals and now for small children. These chips contain information about individual who has it implanted beneath one’s skin and can even track an individual from satellites.

Revelation 13 ~ The Mark

The Future is Now!

Revelation 13 ~ The Mark