03.06 Fourth Division: Satan’s Power and Satan’s Masterpiece.

Fourth Division: Satan’s Power and Satan’s Masterpiece.

Chapter 11:19-13.

What follows now brings the great tribulation, the 1,260 days, into prominence. As we have seen the seventh trumpet takes us right to the end. But now we are led back.

Chapter 11.

1. The Vision of the Opened Temple.Revelation 11:19. This verse belongs properly to the twelfth chapter. The Ark speaks of the covenant made with Israel. This is now to be remembered and connected with it are the manifestations of coming wrath for those who oppress His people. God is now taking up the interests of His earthly people and as of old the Ark is the token of His presence with them and the coming victory.

Chapter 12.

2. The Woman With Child.Revelation 12:1-2. Who is represented by the Sun-clothed woman? Romanists have made out of her the Virgin Mary. Many expositors claim it is the Church which is represented by this woman. Some claim the woman is the professing church and the man-child represents, according to their view, a class of overcomers who will escape the tribulation. This is a favored interpretation of some of the so-called “holiness people.” In the light of the scope of this book the woman cannot possibly have anything to do with the Church. Again, Christian Science has made the most absurd claim that this woman represents the instrument of Satan, the deluded woman, whom they worship as the founder of their cult. A hundred years ago another sect existed in England under the leadership of a woman, who also claimed to be the one of this vision. We do not need to seek long for the true meaning of the woman seen by John. She represents Israel. [Note: Change “wonder” in 1 verse to “sign.”] Everything in the symbolical statements bears this out, especially the crown with the twelve stars (Genesis 37:9).

“Thus she is seen clothed with the glory of the sun— that is, of Christ Himself as He will presently appear in supreme power as Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2); for the sun is the ruler of the day. As a consequence, her glory of old, before the day-dawn, the reflected light of her typical system, is like the moon under her feet. Upon her head the crown of twelve stars speaks naturally of her twelve tribes, planets now around the central sun.”

It is Israel, what she is in the purposes of God. And the child, the nation brought forth, is the Messiah, Christ. Even so Paul writes of Israel “of whom as according to the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever” (Romans 9:5). The identity of the child is established beyond controversy by the fact that the child is caught up unto God and His throne, destined to rule all nations with a rod of iron (Psalms 2:9; Revelation 2:28). The great red Dragon, the enemy of the woman and the child, is Satan. Seven crowns are symbolical of his authority as the god of this age and the ten horns symbolical of his power. These historical facts are seen first through this vision. But this is done for the one purpose to bring into view what is yet in store for Israel during the end time. Christ ascended upon high, taking the place at the right of God, waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. Then the present Christian age began. It is not recorded in this vision at all. He who came from Israel and who was rejected by His own, is nevertheless Israel’s Messiah, the Hope of Israel. In Him and through Him alone the promises made to Israel can be fulfilled. The fulfillment of these promises is preceded by great sorrows and tribulation, the travail pains which come upon Israel during the great tribulation, before He, whom Israel once disowned, is revealed as Deliverer and King. And the red Dragon will do His most awful work during that period of tribulation, a work of hatred against the faithful seed of the woman.

3. The Escape of the Woman.Revelation 12:6. The flight of the woman, Israel, has been taken by some to mean the dispersion of that nation during this age and Israel’s miraculous preservation. But that is incorrect. It is true Israel has been miraculously preserved and Satan’s hatred too has been against that nation. But here we have a special period mentioned, the 1,260 days, the last three and one half years of Daniel’s .seventieth week. It means therefore that when the Dragon rises in all his furious power to exterminate the nation, God will preserve her. However, before we are told the details of that preservation and Satan’s hatred, we, read of the war in heaven. Satan is cast out of heaven, down upon the earth. Verses 15-17 and the entire chapter xiii will tell us what he will do on the earth.

4. War in Heaven and Satan Cast Out of Heaven.Revelation 12:7-12. This great scene takes place before the great tribulation begins. Satan’s place is not in hell at this time. As we saw in the message to Pergamos his throne is on earth, he is the god of this age. His dominion is the air, he is the Prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). Our present conflict as believers is “against principalities, against authorities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the wicked spirits in the heavenlies” (Ephesians 6:12). Satan as the accuser of the brethren has even access into the presence of God. The scene in Job 1, 2 is not a poetical invention, but presents a reality. He is still the accuser and our Lord Jesus Christ is our advocate. When the Saints are brought into glory they will not only behold the Lord Jesus face to face, but, we believe Satan, that great fallen being, may also be seen by the Saints. The Lord will rebuke him (Zechariah 3:2). His accusations are ended. All the redeemed are gathered before the throne. All the malice and power of Satan could not frustrate the purpose of God. His Grace and Power have been victorious. Thus when the Saints come into the heavenly possession Satan’s dominion there is at an end. The purchased possession, the region above, will be redeemed by the power of God (Ephesians 1:13). Michael and his angels will begin their short and decisive war against Satan and his angels. Michael is the one archangel mentioned in Scripture. It is not the first time he met Satan face to face. (Jude 1:9). And Daniel speaks of Michael, “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1) From this we learn that Michael will not alone cause the expulsion of Satan out of heaven, but he will also stand up for the believing portion of Israel.

Satan is then cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him. It is identical with what we have seen already under the fifth trumpet, the star fallen out of heaven, opening the pit of the abyss with the darkening smoke and the locust swarms coming forth. Then there is joy in heaven because the accuser is cast down and his accusations are forever silenced. And the “woe” is pronounced upon those who dwell on the earth.

5. The Dragon Persecuting the Woman.Revelation 12:13-17. He turns in fury against the woman which brought forth the man child. Satan realizes now that his time is short. His expulsion from heaven will soon be followed by his arrest and imprisonment in the pit for a thousand years, and after that there is prepared for him his eternal home of misery, the lake of fire. As he knows that Israel is mostly concerned in the final drama, and the believing portion of that nation will inherit the kingdom, he turns in wrath against them. Verse 6 should be connected with verse 14. It is symbolical language we have here again. The wilderness is a place of isolation, and the place prepared, speaks of God’s care for them. But it is not the entire nation. The apostate part sides with Satan and with Satan’s man, the anti-Christ. But there is another part, which is preserved. This part is in the place of isolation among the nations. The water cast out by Satan is symbolical of the hatred which Satan stirs up against the people amongst the nations. These nations like Russia and others under Satanic control will persecute them. But there will be other agencies in the earth by which this Satanic attempt to wipe off the face of the earth this faithful part of the nation will be frustrated. These agencies will probably be those nations who have believed the final message, the Gospel of the Kingdom. Satan seeing himself defeated turns next against the godly remnant in the land itself (Revelation 12:17).

Chapter 13. The Beast Out of the Sea.Revelation 13:1-10. This chapter brings now fully into view the Satanic powers operating during the great tribulation—the forty-two months. Satan’s masterpieces are on the earth; energized by him and endued with his powers they work together to stamp out all that is left of the truth on earth. Their combined efforts are directed against the godly remnant of Jews and against those Gentiles who accepted the message of the Gospel of the kingdom, who are seen in the seventh chapter emerging out of the great tribulation. They are called Beasts. The first is the revived Roman Empire, which has over it a mighty leader. A careful study of Daniel’s prophecy in chapter vii is here needed. The beast which John sees rising out of the sea is the Roman Empire. This Daniel saw as a great nondescript, a dreadful beast with iron teeth and with ten horns. And John also sees this beast having ten horns with crowns and seven heads and these heads had names of blasphemy. Daniel had seen Babylonia, Medo-Persia and Greco-Macedonia under the emblem of the lion, the bear and the leopard. John sees this beast here like a leopard, with bear’s feet and lion’s mouth. This revived Roman Empire is an amalgamation of parts of the previous world Empires. The preceding, ones are absorbed by the last, the Roman Empire. Therefore the revived Roman Empire will contain the different elements in one great monster. This Roman Empire will be revived politically in the first part of the final seven years. We saw this under the first seal. Here in the beginning of the forty-two months the Dragon gives to him his power, and his throne and great authority. It becomes now fully possessed by Satan. The ten horns are the ten kingdoms which will exist in that Empire. We are told later that these ten kings “have one mind and shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (Revelation 17:13). In the same chapter the beast is also seen coming out of the abyss (Revelation 17:8) denoting its Satanic occupation. The heads represent the complete government which the beast has. One of the heads is especially mentioned; Tatter we read “he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition” (Revelation 17:11). It was as it were wounded to death, and his deadly wound was healed, and all the world wondered after the beast. This head denotes the imperial form of government, which had died, and now is revived in the person of the leader, the Prince of Daniel 9:27, the little horn, which Daniel saw in the midst of the ten horns. [Note: The correct reading as given in the Revised Version is to put the horns first and the seven heads in the second place. ] This will be Satan’s man, one of his masterpieces. The whole earth will wonder after that beast and its Satan possessed head.

“The Beast will represent a picture hitherto unknown and unseen—one unexampled in the history of the race. A human power endowed with Satanic energy— openly defying God, and invested with the royal power and world-wide authority of Satan will engage the rapt gaze of the whole earth. It will marvel at the sight. We see no reason to limit the phrase ‘the whole earth.’ The revival of the Empire must be a matter of interest to all embraced within its range and influence. The authority of the dragon, and his far-reaching influence go far beyond the geographical limits of the ten kingdoms. The Beast to whom he delegates his authority, exercises a commanding influence all over the earth—reaching even to the limits of heathendom.” [Note: W. Scott]

Then when the head of the Beast has his Satanic power, the Dragon and the Beast are worshipped and for the forty-two months he blasphemes and makes war with the Saints and overcomes them (the Jewish Saints). And he had power over all kindreds and tongues and nations. It is interesting to see that Daniel and Revelation agree perfectly in this matter. There is only this difference, Daniel describes mostly the head of the revived Roman Empire, the little horn; John sees the Empire as such. We quote the following from our book on Daniel.

“We see from this parallel that the same things are said of the Beast in Revelation xiii which are said of the little horn. They must therefore be identical. But how can we harmonize this if Revelation 13 : the Beast out of the sea, means the resurrected Roman Empire? There lived a French King, Louis XIV, and in a famous speech he made the declaration ‘I am France.’ The little horn will possess such domineering powers, given to him by Satan, that he too can say ‘I am the Empire.’ He will control the entire political sphere of the Empire and thus gives to it his own Satanic God-defying character. In Daniel we see the same lesson, only in another setting.”

7. The Beast Out of the Earth.Revelation 13:11-18. The second Beast is not an Empire with a great leader, but a person. The first Beast is out of the sea; the second out of the earth (land). The first has ten horns; the second has two. The Beast out of the sea comes first; the other Beast follows him. The first Beast is a political power; the second is a religious leader. The first is a Gentile power and its nead a Gentile; the second is the Jew. The first Beast has Satanic power; so has the second Beast. The second Beast induces the worship of the first Beast whose dominion is over the entire Roman world and after whom the whole earth wonders; the sphere of the second Beast is Palestine. The first Beast through its head makes in the beginning of the seven years a covenant with many of the Jews, but in the middle of the week he breaks that covenant (Daniel 9:27). That covenant will be probably the permission given to the Jews to build a temple and to resume their sacrificial worship. But when the little horn, the prince, becomes energized by Satan, he breaks that covenant. Then this other Beast appears upon the scene and demands the worship of the first beast as well as the worship of himself. This second Beast is the final, personal Anti-christ. He has two horns like a lamb, and speaks like a dragon. He is a counterfeit lamb and his two horns are an imitation of the priestly and kingly authority of Christ. He is the one of whose coming our Lord spoke (John 5:43). He is the man of sin, the son of perdition described by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2 : He must be a Jew for his claims of being Israel’s true Messiah would not be accepted by the Jews. The view that it will be Judas Iscariot raised from the dead is a fanciful speculation. Daniel also gives an interesting prophetic picture which bears out his Jewish character and his wicked, satanic ways. See Daniel 11:36-39. [Note: Others apply this passage to the little horn of Daniel 7 : A careful comparison between Daniel 7 andDaniel 11:36-39will show that they are two different persons.] This second Beast is also called the false Prophet (Revelation 16:13; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:10). He does lying wonders. He reigns as the false king in Jerusalem and sits as god in the temple. He will be both, the religious head of apostate Judaism and apostate Christendom. It is the strong delusion of the second chapter of Second Thessalonians. And he also demands the worship of the first Beast. He makes an image of the first Beast and gives breath to it, so that it can speak. Compare with the image which Nebuchadnezzar set up (Daniel iii). This image will most likely be put up outside of the land of Palestine, perhaps in Rome, and in this way the Beast will be worshipped. The most terrible persecution is connected with this idol-worship. The most awful tyranny exists then, for all commerce is controlled by the Beast. Whosoever has not the mark of the Beast on hand and forehead cannot buy nor sell, and whosoever does not worship the Beast will be killed. And those who worship the Beast and receive the mark are lost souls. Great will be the number of martyrs at that time. To find out what the mark is and some of the other details would only be guess work. No one can imagine the horrors of that time when Satan rules for a short time on earth and produces the great tribulation, such as was not before on earth, nor ever can be again. May we praise Him for His infinite Grace which saves us from that hour and may we reach out for those who without Christ and without hope, are the subjects of this coming doom and eternal misery besides. But what does the number 666 mean? If we were to state all the different views on this number and the different applications we would have to fill many pages and then we would not know what is right and wrong. Seven is the complete perfect number; six is incomplete and is man’s number. Here we have three times six. It is humanity fallen, filled with pride, defying God. The number 666 signifies man’s day and man’s defiance of God under Satan’s power in its culmination.