REVELATION 32 – Persecution By The Serpent

            We are up to the latter part of Revelation Chapter 12. What I hope to do is this week and next is to talk about the beast; the mark of the beast, the 666 and then I really hope to speed things up. I didn’t realize we were going to take so long on Revelation. We’ve been some 30 weeks on it now and I appreciate everyone’s patience and perseverance, but I’m hopeful that we can finish up by the first of the year and then start something a little bit different. There are two reasons for that.

            We were talking last week about the war in heaven with Michael and his angels. We talked about the probability (I believe along with Chilton and others), that very likely Michael is not a created being, a separate angel, but he is in fact an incarnation of God the Son. Remember that the word ‘Michael’ means ‘who is like God.’ The places that we see Michael in Scripture, it’s very likely that he is the incarnation of Jesus Christ. He is the one who is warring with the great dragon. Remember the great dragon is the serpent, the devil, Satan. He is the deceiver of the whole world and he was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him. We talked about the point in time in which that might have occurred. I pointed out that in Luke 10:17-20 when the seventy came back after being sent out by Christ and they were doing all sorts of miracles and they said even the demons are subject in your name; Jesus said I saw Satan cast down from heaven. So very likely what’s going on there, is during the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the time in question. Remember I talked about the fact we think linearly but the Scripture is really talking event, the life of Christ as one event and that event was what caused Satan to be thrown out of heaven.

            Revelation 12:10 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 brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night. We talked about the fact that “Now” is a time word. That it’s a clue. When is the “Now”? Very likely it is the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Then it says:

            (11) “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death. That’s where we ended up last week. Who is being talked about here? Who is the ‘they’? Remember the pronoun refers back to the first noun preceding. ‘They’ is our brethren. So our brethren overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death. (12) For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. For what reason? Satan is gone from them. Not only that, they overcame him. So Satan has been overcome, overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ and by the testimony of the witnesses. Remember the Greek word martyr means witness. So a martyr is someone who witnesses. Do you want to be a martyr for Christ? Everybody say yes! We all should be witnesses for Christ. That doesn’t necessarily mean we have to die for Christ, but the fact is we should all be martyrs for Christ. We should all be witnessing for Christ. We should be testifying of him. . (12) For this reason (because Satan has been overcome, because of the testimony), rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has a short time.”

            What’s a short time? Very little time. Like maybe 1998 years or so? A limited amount of time. Obviously Satan has a short time, a limited time. He has been limited in what he can do. Where is Satan now? He’s in this world. He is the prince of this world. We talked a little bit about the fact that Satan is trying his best, which is awful, trying to prevent God’s plan from unfolding. He’s trying to win back those whom God has saved from his clutches. God has broken the bondage of you and I who were bound to Satan. He was our father and we have died to sin, Paul says we have been married to Christ. We are the bride of Christ. We are no longer in bondage to the previous husband. That husband is dead, Paul talks about in Romans. So now we live to Christ, and Satan doesn’t like that. Satan wants us back, so Satan is trying everything he can do to tempt the Christians, to gain the beachhead so that he can move in and take over the country, and that’s what we need to realize. He has great wrath. Intellectually he knows he has been overcome, he knows that ultimately the battle has been won, but he’s denying it and he’s trying to overwhelm us.

 (13) And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. The woman who gave birth to the male child is Israel. Remember? With the twelve stars of the crown, the twelve tribes of Israel. It was out of Israel that Jesus Christ came. He was a Palestinian Jew. Who else was the woman out of whom the male child came? Not Jerusalem. Us. God’s children - the church. He is the first born is he not? We are the church and it’s out of the church he gave birth to the church. So you see all these kinds of things fitting together. We talked a little bit about that last week that Scripture uses all these different symbols and fits them together. We see that again in the next verse:

(14) And the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, in order that she might fly into the wilderness to her place where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. What might Scripture be talking about here? Where the woman flew into the wilderness, where she was nourished for 3 ½ or 1260 or 42? Some would say that’s talking about the tribulation. I think it’s talking about something a little bit different here, the Exodus. Egypt was in the desert 40 years, but in that 40 years how many places did they camp? 42. Isn’t that incredible? 42 encampments. There’s got to be a reason for that. God did nourish them in the wilderness, did He not? With the manna, He provided the quail, He provided the living water, and the church is in the wilderness today. You and I have come out of Egypt, out of darkness, out of bondage, and we are in the wilderness right now in this life and we are being sustained by God. You see when we realize that, then we can say I know God’s in charge. I know God is going to take care of me.

C: Seven, the number of completion in the Bible, times 6 is 42. People have done actual studies of the numerics in the Bible and have shown there is a correlation here. Six is 3 + 3, or 2x3. Three is unity, has to do with the trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three in one. Two is one less than three, not quite God. So we see that what’s very likely going on here is that 42 speaks of God and man together. So we see all these things start coming together and we can see the amazement of it. When a Hebrew read these kinds of things, it would have meant so much more to them because they thought differently than we do. We tend to look at the concrete, but the Hebrew didn’t. Remember the Hebrew didn’t have numbers like we do, they were numbers. So there was a totally different concept in what they were seeing. They didn’t see 6 and 7 or 42. They saw a different concept which meant much more to them.

(15) And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. (16) and the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. (17) And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

       So what we see here then is that  Satan is enraged with the church. He’s enraged with Israel. He’s enraged with God’s people out of whom came the savior, and he’s making war, particularly with the church according to this passage - with the rest of her offspring Notice very clearly it says he went off to make war with the rest of her offspring Who are the offspring of the woman in this context? The church. But how is the church identified? who keep the commandments of God. You hear me harp on this over and over again. Jesus says if you love me, you’ll feel good about me! Right? No! He said if you love me you’ll keep my commandments, didn’t he? That’s what we’ve got to understand in the church today. It’s not how I feel about Jesus that’s important, it’s how we behave that’s important. Am I willing to keep his commandments. Even when it hurts. Even when it’s unpopular. Even when my family doesn’t want me to do it, am I willing to do it? That’s how I am identified as an offspring of the woman because I keep the commandments of God and I hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Q: Is the woman here the same woman in Revelation 17? Sitting on top of the beast?

A: No. That is Babylon, the mother of harlots. So it’s a different woman. This is the godly woman, compared with the ungodly woman, which was apostate Israel. We’ll get into that a little bit more later. Here it’s Israel the people of God. In Revelation 17 it is Jerusalem the city of the living God who is now called Babylon, the great harlot because of her apostasy.

Q: In verse 16, why is the earth helping the church? Is that part of God’s creation?

A: I really don’t know the answer to that.

Q: I’ve heard about the water and the sea as sin and degradation, is it that part of creation that really wants to support God’s original order, but I don’t know where I’m going with that .

A: Chilton goes into how that relates to the covenant, and I have not studied that particular part. He talks about the eagle in Deuteronomy 32. He says “he found him in a desert land in the howling waste of the wilderness. He encircled him. He cared for  him. He guarded him as the pupil of his eye,” (this is God talking about Israel) “like an eagle that stirs up its nest that hovers over its young he spread it’s wings and caught them. He carried them on his pinions.” So the eagle is the idea of God is caring for the church. See, the eagle, although it can be a symbol of war, death and destruction to the enemies of the covenant, is also an emblem of peace, security and blessing to the church. That’s what’s going on in that part of it.

       Then Chilton says of verse 15 and 16, “John continues his exodus imagery reminding us when the children of Israel had been trapped between the devil and the deep Red Sea, and the serpent threw water like a river out of its mouth at the woman so that he might cause her to be swept away by the flood,” he quotes a man by the name of Ferrar that says “the woman is treated as the congregation of Israel. Saved from Egypt. Lifted by the Lord on eagles’ pinions and brought to Sinai. The dragon’s pursuit of her throwing a water flood after her is a generalized image for the action of Pharaoh who commands the Israelite children, especially Moses, to be washed down the Nile. Pharaoh comes out after escaping Israel with the host and counts on the Red Sea to shut Israel in.” He goes on to say that the dragon’s plan is foiled. The land opened it’s mouth and drank up the river, having to do with the Exodus. He says “the great thought in all these images is the divine powers put forth to deliver and sustain the new testament churches of God in the day of her persecution. The same power that of old brought the miracles of Egypt and of the Red Sea and of the wilderness.” So you can see all of this kind of melding together. 

       Revelation 13:1 And he stood on the sand of the seashore. (Who is the he? If in fact it is “he”? The NAS says some manuscripts read “I stood on the sand of the seashore” Not to confuse you and not to say that Scripture is wrong, but just to point out that the translators want to be very fair, and there are some manuscripts where it says “And I stood on the sand of the seashore” so they make that note just so that people are aware. Very likely it is “he” because that’s what the majority of the manuscripts refer to - which is having to do with the dragon. So we can say ‘And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore’) And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. (2) And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.

       What do you see going on here in these two verses?

       A bear, leopard and lion - pretty ferocious I think. On the beach is a lion.

       Who is standing on the sand of the seashore? The dragon. Who’s coming up out of the sea? The beast? As I look over to 12:3 it says And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. Does that sound familiar? Chapter 13:1 And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems (not seven).

C:  Then in verse 2 the dragon is empowered, probably by himself.

R:  Right. So what’s going on here is that John is not describing actual events, is he? Because he says the dragon is standing on the seashore and the dragon is coming up out of the sea and the dragon gives power to the dragon. Can you see what’s going on there? When we look at what’s really being said, when we compare Scripture to Scripture, we get a totally different picture, don’t we? It’s not Satan standing on the seashore bringing up this tremendous beast and giving this beast power. That’s not what John is saying. That beast that is coming up out of the sea very clearly is the dragon. It’s the same creature. The only difference is the diadems. Seven versus ten.

       Where have we seen that beast that looks like a leopard, looks like a bear that looks like a lion? In Daniel. As we read through it says that “the Roman empire is further symbolized as a ravenous, ferocious animal untamed and under the curse. John says that the appearance of the beast was like a leopard with feet like those of a bear, a mouth like the mouth of a lion. The three animals as combined symbolize swiftness and ferocity in springing on the prey. Tenacity in holding it and dragging it away, a ravenous appetite for devouring. These are also the very animals listed in reverse order used to describe the first three of the four great world powers in Daniel 7:1-6. The fourth empire, Rome, partakes of the evil beast-like characteristics of the other empires but it is much worse. Behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong. Notice in Daniel it has ten horns. Daniel 7:7.” What we see here, Chilton and others and I agree, that what we see is the beast of Revelation is symbolizing the Roman empire. Also that Satan is trying do the same thing that God is trying to do. God is creating. God has created the church, and Satan is trying to create. Satan is trying to create a false church to crush the real church. How did he try to do that? Through the Roman empire. It was the Roman empire that crucified Christ.

Q: The Catholic church?

A: I don’t think it’s the Catholic church. I think it’s actually the Roman empire. I think the Catholic church, again we have to be very careful here because there are Christians in the Catholic church, but the teaching of the Catholic church is a false teaching. It’s just like in Israel, there were believers in Israel, but the leaders of Israel - the Pharisees, Saducees and Rabbis were teaching falsely and Christ very clearly condemned that, but there were believers in Israel. Just as today there are believers in the Catholic church, but the church itself is a false church.

Q:  Are the beast of the earth and the beast of the sea the same?

A: I think so. I think it’s talking about Satan personified as a false church, the Roman empire. Remember why Rome persecuted the Christians. Why they crucified, burned and persecuted Christians — because Caesar was considered a god and they weren’t worshipping Caesar as their god. They were worshipping Jehovah as their God. The Roman empire was very inclusive. It was much like the liberal churches today. It was much like Hinduism or Buddhism. They didn’t care who you worshipped, as long as you were willing to worship Caesar. As long as you were willing to burn incense to Caesar and say the words Caesar is lord, then you were free. They didn’t care what you did. You could worship any way you wanted to, as long as you would stand up there and light that incense and say Caesar is lord. That’s all that was required, and the Christians refused to do that because they recognized that there is only one Lord. There is only one God and it’s not Caesar. So because the Christians would not bow down, not burn incense, not capitulate and say Caesar is lord, they were persecuted.

C:  It’s interesting you talk about that book by Schlossberg that it’s syncretism, that led to, in his opinion, the final stage of a collapse of a society and he’s saying that he sees that in our society now. That we are, in his opinion, very close to the very same stage.

R: What Stuart is talking about is a book that he and I both read, I read it as a requirement in seminary. The author is not a theologian, he is an economist I believe. His name is Herbert Scholssberg and he wrote a book called Idols for Destruction. Coming from a passage in Isaiah I believe it is, where they make idols for their own destruction and he’s talking about the fact that we have idols in the world today. We have idols of economy, money. We have idols of government, and he goes through several more. What he’s talking about, his thesis is that it is the syncretism, the blending of all religions together is the ultimate stage of a civilization. He goes through all of that and that godly civilizations have accepted this syncretism and have ultimately come to this kind of amorphous stuff that we see in the church today and that is the final stage before God comes in and destroys that civilization.

C: It was happening in Israel. They were worshipping God and Baal, offering the children as sacrifices and doing the sacrifices that were required of God.

R: Right. Israel was still sacrificing at the temple. They were sacrificing their children to Baal. They were being a tolerant society. That’s the point! That’s what the message of Scripture is over and over and over and over again. I know you get tired of hearing me say this, but we’ve got to stand up and be counted. We’ve got to be different. We can’t accept those kinds of things going on in our society. We’ve got to stand up and say ‘No. That’s not Biblical.’ Excuse me for getting on my soapbox here but:

       I got a letter in the mail this week from an elder in a PCA church. That letter basically said there are two factions in the PCA today. One is the conservative and one is the evangelical and they’re going in different directions, and history has shown us that there is no possibility they’re going to get together so let’s identify who’s who - fill out this little card and let me know if your congregation is conservative, if you’re conservative or if you’re evangelical. Let’s get everybody together and let’s part company peaceably instead of waiting for the blow up that’s sure to come. I got sick to my stomach when I read that.

Q: What the difference between the conservatives and the evangelicals?

A: Well, the conservative is a hymn-singing congregation. Maybe a Scripture song once in a while, very conservative, sedate worship service. The evangelicals are doing terrible things like drama and Scripture songs, seeker oriented kinds of things.

       The problem with that folks is that it’s not Biblical to do it that way. You see if my brother is doing something unBiblical, then it’s my responsibility before Scripture to go to my brother and confront him and say ‘Brother, what you’re doing is not Scriptural.’ Not get mad and go off and form a new denomination. That’s why we’ve got so many denominations. It’s because people won’t do it correctly and people won’t go to their brother who says their a Christian and say ‘Brother, you’re not doing it Biblically. You say you’re a Christian, but you’re not doing it Christ-like.’ If you brother fails to listen to you, take one or more people with you. If he fails to listen to them, take him before the church and if he refuses to listen to the church, you treat him as a gentile and tax gatherer. You say he is not a Christian. We’re not willing to do that.

Q: Let me bring up an immediate, practical problem. The Evangelical Free Church, who we are making overtures to come and join us, as I understand it has a different philosophy about baptism. (R-Yes). Is that a concern to us as say, abandonment of the ten commandments?

A: Certainly we would never leave the ten commandments. That is paramount. If someone believes that immersion is the only way of baptism, then I’ll talk to that person. If that person can assure me and give me the right kind of words that they absolutely believe that Jesus Christ is their only Savior and they are trusting completely in Jesus Christ for their salvation, and they’ve studied the Scripture and they’ve prayed about it and are absolutely convinced that immersion is the only way of baptism, I’m going to immerse him, because that is not critical. What’s critical is, do they believe in Jesus Christ? Are they trusting in Him for their salvation? Because that’s what we hang our hat on. Is it wrong to be a Psalm singer? To sing only songs with no music? Or to sing Scripture songs with music? There are churches that do that. They sing Psalms only with no instrumentation. I don’t think it’s wrong. I think it’s untaught. I think they haven’t really looked at Scripture because Scripture very clearly says there were instruments in the temple.

       But that’s not enough to separate us. That’s what we’ve go to focus on. Not the differences, but the realities that bind us together as Christians. So I wrote this guy a letter back and said brother, what you’re doing is divisive and therefore sinful. I urge you to cease. Let’s do it Biblically. Satan tries to divide us. Satan tries to say ‘this is what’s really Biblical. Did God really say that? God knows that in the day that you do this you’re going to be just like God.’ Nothing’s changed folks. Satan is in there slugging and the only way we can combat Satan is to know what God has said, and to be willing to do it.

       The dragon gives the beast power. Who is this beast? It’s the Roman empire. It’s the state government. Who gives the beast power? The dragon, that’s what Scripture says. It is God who gives Satan the power. It is God who controls the state. That’s exactly what we see in this passage.

       13:3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; (4) and they worshipped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” (5) And there was given to him (the beast) a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies; and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. (6) And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against god, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, those who dwell in heaven (7) And it was given to him (the beast) to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. (8) And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, every one whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. (9) If anyone one has an ear, let him hear. And it goes on.

       Who is giving? v14 … because of the signs which it was given him to perform… v15 And there was given to him… Who is giving the beast power? God. We know from teaching of Scripture that God is in control.

C: I’m also reminded of passages where it’s ironic that God talked about these wicked nations or whatever and calling them my servants and bringing them to Egypt or whatever to wreak havoc on Israel and He calls them ‘my servants.’ He’s calling these wicked nations ‘my servants.’

R: His servants! “My servant” God says. You’re absolutely right.

C: You can look throughout Scripture where God has used evil men for His purpose. There’s a part in Exodus where He stiffens Pharaoh’s heart.

R: “I stiffen Pharaoh’s heart.”

C: That’s what blew me away when I read it. I thought, wait a minute, God is stiffening Pharaoh’s heart so that Pharaoh would not agree to what Moses wanted him to do. So you can see God’s hand even there.

R: Acts 2, Peter’s sermon: “Men of Israel, listen to these words, Jesus of Nazarene, a man attested to you by God, with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through him in your midst just as you yourselves know, you’ve seen it, this one delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to the cross by the hands of godless men and put him to death.” You see the greatest, the most horrible act in all of Scripture, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, was done at the beckon call of God the Father, the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God. That’s what we’ve got to understand when we look at passages and we say, “Oh, Satan’s about to get us! He’s at the door! Hide! Pray! Satan’s in control!” Wrong. Everything is wrong except the prayer.

Q: How do you balance that with the notion that Satan is our enemy. He is trying to do bad things to us, to recognize the activity of Satan, at the same time understanding that God is sovereign.

A: Realize this, how can I know what Satan is trying to do as opposed to what God is in charge of? Well number one I need to realize that God is in charge of everything! It even says in the Old Testament, and this blew my mind, that God sent an evil spirit to Saul. Whoa! You see God’s in charge, it doesn’t matter what’s going on. Now are there wicked things going on in the world? Amen! Is Satan in there slugging? Amen! When Joseph’s brother sold him into slavery, and you’ve heard me use this illustration over and over again, at the end of Genesis when Joseph is the number one man in the world, Pharaoh was considered a god, Joseph had the power of life and death and after the father died, they thought they were in big trouble because he could kill them. They went to him crying for their lives and what did Joseph say? “You meant it for evil.” He lies it right at their feet. It was a wicked thing. Satan was in there moving and tempting them. But God, two of the greatest words in Scripture, meant it for good. To bring about this present result. The salvation of His people Israel. Who nailed Jesus Christ to the cross? Godless men. Peter very clearly says that. Was it a wicked deed? It was the most wicked deed in all of history. They meant it for evil. But God meant it for good.

C: I’ll tell you this. Bahnsen trying to explain these things, when they were to summarize it in such a simple way that it really gave me the ability to have peace about this whole thing - basically he says God defines what is good. God is pure and holy. We don’t judge God so when we accept that truth then whatever God does it is good because God defines good and it’s not up to use to judge God.

R: Amen! What we’ve got to understand folks is everything in this world is being done for good. Romans 8:28. God causes (in the Greek) all things. Not some things, all things to happen for good for those that love Him and are called according to His purpose. You see we look upon it as evil and wicked. As evil and wicked because it’s very clearly contrary to God’s word. But God, is going to use it for good. Should we ignore the evil? No. Absolutely not. We ought to be out there kicking down the gates of hell because Jesus said the gates of hell shall not stand against the church. We ought to be out there in the culture. We ought to be out there speaking. We ought to be out there preaching, writing letters, talking to our friends, neighbors and family telling them about God. We are the army of God, folks. We’re not the rabble of Christ. Don’t be afraid of Satan, God is in control. That’s the message of Revelation. Amen.