Revelation 12

CHAPTER 12THEME: Seven performers during the Great TribulationThe theme of this chapter is the final conflict between Israel and Satan after he is cast out of heaven. Seven performers are introduced to us (see chs. 12-13) by the blowing of this seventh trumpet during the Great Tribulation period. Although the seventh trumpet brings us through the Great Tribulation and the Millennium to the very threshold of eternity, a great deal was omitted. Beginning with chapter 12, this will be compensated for in the presentation of seven prominent personages who play a dominant part in the Great Tribulation period. After that, we will have the pouring out of the seven bowls of wrath and then the final destruction of commercial Babylon and religious Babylon. The prominence of the nation Israel is brought before us. It was suggested in the previous chapter with the measuring of the temple on earth and the opening of the temple in heaven. The last verse of chapter 11 is actually the opening to this chapter. These seven personages are representatives of persons, both natural and supernatural, physical and spiritual, rulers and nations. The identification and clarification of these are essential for a proper understanding of the Revelation.

Revelation 12:1

THE WOMANISRAELAs we take up the very first one of these personalities, it will illustrate this point. We come now to the crux of the interpretation of the entire Book of Revelation which revolves about this first personality. An outstanding and very intellectual minister years ago made the statement: “If you tell me your interpretation of the woman in the twelfth chapter of Revelation, then I’ll tell you your interpretation of prophecy.” At the time, I thought he was foolish, but I have come to agree with him. I believe that the identification of this woman is the key to the understanding of the Book of Revelation. Let me give you my translation: And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child, and travailing in birth, and being tormented to be delivered. The important thing here is: “Who is the woman?” You are acquainted with the interpretation of the Roman church that she represents the virgin mary. There are Protestant interpreters who have been as far wrong as that. Today most of them follow the method of Rome and interpret the woman as the church of all ages. Practically all denominational literature follows this line. There have been several female founders of cults who could not resist the temptation of seeing themselves pictured in this woman. Joanna Southcott said that she herself was the woman in chapter 12 and that in October, 1814, she would have the man child. She never did, but she had 200,000 followers. We have had in the United States several founders of cults and religions who thought they were this woman. In Southern California, we even had a few female preachers who got the idea they might be the woman, but they weren’t. We can dismiss all these claims, unless we want to forsake all intelligent approach to the interpretation of Scripture. The identifying marks of the woman are the sun, moon, and stars. These belong to Israel as seen in Joseph’s dream: “And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?” (Gen_37:9-10). Old Jacob interpreted the sun, moon, and stars to mean himself, Rachel, and Joseph’s brothers. And they did bow down before Joseph before things were over with (although Rachel had died by that time). The woman is a sign in heaven, although her career is here in earth. She is not a literal woman; she is a symbol. The career of the woman corresponds to that of Israel, for it is Israel that gave birth to Christ, who is the Child. At Christmastime we all use Isa_9:6 and other verses concerning the birth of Christ. This verse does concern the birth of Christ, but it does not concern us at all; rather, it concerns the nation Israel. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isa_9:6). Who is referred to here when Isaiah says, “Unto us”? The church? No; it’s the nation Israel. It is quite obvious that Isaiah is speaking to the nation Israel, and he is speaking not relative to a Savior but to a Governor, a Ruler, a King, One who was to come and rule over them. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” It is interesting that as a child He was born in His humanity; but as a Son from eternity, He was given. “And the government shall be upon his shoulder"we are not talking now about the Savior but about the One who is coming as King.

We will see that happen in the Book of Revelation. “And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” There will not be any peace until He comes. When the rulers of this world say, “…Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them …” (1Th_5:3). They were having a big peace conference in Holland when World War I broke out, and most of the delegates almost got fired upon before they got home! When men say, “Peace and safety,” it is idle talk, because man is working at peace from the wrong end. It is the human heart that is wrong, and only Jesus will bring peace. He is the Prince of Peace.

Isaiah is talking to Israel when he says, “Unto us a child is born,” and that is the figure that John picks up here in Revelation. The writer to the Hebrews says, “For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda …” (Heb_7:14). Paul writes in Romans: “Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen” (Rom_9:4-5). Paul is talking about Israel. He begins by asking the question: “Who are Israelites?” The answer just happens to be: “And of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came.” The woman at the well was accurate when she identified the Lord Jesus as a Jew: “…How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? …” (Joh_4:9, italics mine). We read in Mic_5:2-3: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler of Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.” Notice that He will be born in Bethlehem, but He comes out of eternity. “Travailing in birth” is a figure associated with Israel: “Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children” (Isa_66:7-8). Israel will go through the Great Tribulation after Christ was born in Bethlehem"before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child,” meaning Christ. Therefore, we identify the woman as the nation Israel. No one woman who has ever lived, including the virgin mary, fits into this. It is the nation Israel and certainly not the church of all ages. If we just keep our bearings here and not lose our heads, we know that this is the Great Tribulation period and that the church has already gone to heaven. This woman is not the church of all ages. “Being tormented.” Certainly Israel has suffered satanic anti-Semitism from the time of the birth of Christ to the present, in fact, even since before that day, because Satan knew that Christ would come from this nation.

Revelation 12:3

THE RED DRAGONSATANWe now have introduced to us another character, and this character is really not a delightful one at all. This is the red dragon. This is not a comic-strip characterization, for there is nothing funny about him. This is very solemn and serious. And there was seen another sign in heaven, and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and on his head seven diadems (kingly crowns). And his tail draweth the third of the stars of heaven, and he did cast [aorist tense] them into the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman about to be delivered, that when she was delivered he might devour her child. “And there was seen another sign in heaven.” Notice that these are signs that are given to us; they are not literal. I told you that if John is giving you a symbol, he will make it clear that it is a symbol. The red dragon is clearly identified as Satan in verse Rev_12:9: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” We can identify this character without speculating at all. In this second sign, the true character of Satan is revealed with all the wrappings removed:

1. He is called “great” because of his vast power. He controls the nations of the world and offered them to the Lord Jesus if He would worship him (see Mat_4:8-9). Worship of himself is Satan’s ultimate goal. The kingdoms of this world are his, and he controls them today. In that day it was Rome, but he has controlled every nation.
2. He is called “red” because of the fact that he was a murderer from the beginning (see Joh_8:44). He has no regard for human life. I do not understand why so many serve him. Why is it that alcohol finally kills its victims? It is the worst killer there is today. It is because Satan is back of it, my friend, and he has no regard for human life at all.
3. He is called a “dragon” because of the viciousness of his character. He was originally created Lucifer, son of the morning (see Eze_28:12-19), but he is now the epitome of evil and the depth of degradation. He is the most dangerous being in all of God’s creation. He is my enemy, and he is your enemy if you are a child of God. The reason that the Beast in chapter 13 is similar to the dragon is because both the restored Roman Empire and Antichrist are empowered and controlled by Satan. Rome, through the instrumentality of both Herod and Pilate, sought to destroy the child of the woman. “Seven heads” suggests the perfection of wisdom which characterized the creation of Satan who was originally the “covering cherub.” Ezekial Eze_28:12 speaks of how he was at his origin: “…full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” This reveals two of the fallacies that the world has concerning Satan. This world thinks he is ugly, but may I say to you, he was created “perfect in beauty.” If you could see him, you would not see the foul creature that is often pictured for us by the world. Sometimes he is pictured as having horns, cloven feet, and a forked tail. That is the “great god” Pan that the Greeks and Romans worshiped. That is not Satan, although Satan is back of that worship, also. I have seen the ruins of the temple at Pergamum and of other temples to Pan in at least a dozen cities.

It is not strange that men are worshiping him; when they will not have God, they certainly will take him. But Satan is smart, he’s clever, and he’s wise. You and I are no match for him at all. We will be overcome if we try to stand in our own strength against him. He is not only beautiful, he is also full of wisdom. This is the way he is presented in Scripture. “Ten horns” suggests the final division of the Roman Empire, which is dominated by Satan and which is his final effort to rule the world. The crowns are on the horns, not on the heads, since it is delegated power from Satan. The crowns represent kingly authority and rulership. “The third of the stars of heaven” indicates the vast extent of the rebellion in heaven when one third of the angelic host followed Satan to their own destruction. Daniel makes reference to this in an admittedly difficult passage (see Dan_8:10; Jud_1:6). The dragon hates the Man Child because it was predicted from the beginning that the child would be the undoing of Satan. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shalt bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen_3:15).

Revelation 12:5

THE CHILD OF THE WOMANJESUS CHRIST And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to shepherd (rule) all the nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught up unto God and His throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of (from) God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and sixty (1260) days. The “man child” is Christ. He is easily identified here. I hope that you will not fall into the error of equating the Child with the church, although many have done that. “Who is to shepherd (rule) all the nations with a rod of iron” is a clear-cut reference to Christ. “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psa_2:9). In Acts 4 the persecuted Christians quoted Psalms 2, identifying the One to rule with a rod of iron as the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ will come to put down all enmity, all opposition, all rebellion on the earth. How will He do it? He will break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. If this peace crowd would only come up with a plan that would not work, it would not be necessary to put down rebellion with a bit of violence. But there is no other way to put it down. How do you think Jesus Christ is going to come to power in a rebellious world?

Suppose He was suddenly to appear at the capital of any nation in the world. Do you think they are prepared to surrender to Him and turn all authority over to Him? This includes my own country. Is the United States prepared to yield to Jesus Christ? If you say “Yes,” I will have to ask “Why don’t they?” They could yield to Him today. My friend, the world is in rebellion against Him.

Maybe you are one of the peace crowd. You don’t like the shedding of blood, you just hate violence and wardon’t we all?but this is the only way that rebellion can be put down. The Lord Jesus Christ is going to rule. “And her child was caught up unto God and His throne.” This is a reference to the ascension of Christ. In the Gospels the emphasis is on the death of Christ. In the Epistles the emphasis is upon the resurrection of Christ. In the Book of Revelation the emphasis is upon the ascension of Christ. Protestantism, and even fundamentalism, has ignored the ascension of Christ, and this is one reason we have not had a great enough emphasis upon the present ministry of Christ. “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Act_1:9-11). The Book of Revelation is the unveiling of the ascended Christ, the glorified Christ, the Christ who is coming in glory. The Book of the Revelation rests upon the fact of the Ascension. He is the One who has been opening the seals which have brought to pass everything that has happened since then. We are told in Heb_12:2: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” A great many have the impression that this means He is twiddling His thumbs, but that is because they do not know Revelation. He is not sitting up there doing nothing. He is going to do a great deal because of His ascension into heaven, and He has a present ministry today with the church. “And she was delivered of a son, a man child.” I believe this settles the identity of the woman. Israel is clearly the one from whom Christ came. While the church came from Jesus Christ, He, according to the flesh, came from Israel. Again let me quote Paul: “Who are Israelites…. of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came …” (Rom_9:4-5). We are told in Gal_4:4-5: “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” “Made under the law"what law? It is the Mosaic Law which was given to Israel.

He came “made [or, born] under the law” because He was an Israelite. Again in Galatians we read: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ” (Gal_3:16). Before the nation came into existence, God said to Abraham, “I am going to make you a great nation, and through that nation I am sending a seed"not many, but one, and that One is Christ. We have already looked at Isa_9:6 which says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given….” “Us” does not mean the United States, although some seem to think so! “Unto us” means Israel. Isaiah was an Israelite and was speaking to that nation.

He was not speaking either to the church or to the Gentiles, but to Israel. “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of (from) God.” During the intense part of the Great Tribulation period, this remnant of Israel will be protected by God. There are those who dogmatically say that Israel will go to the rock-hewn city of Petra and will be preserved there because no enemy can get in. But in our day an enemy now comes from above and drops down bombs. The last place I would want to be when bombs start falling is within that rock-hewn city of Petra. To make that dogmatic statement alongside clear-cut prophecies is certainly to deceive people. This is not a clear-cut prophecy, and I do not know where the place will be.

It does not hurt us preachers to say we don’t know something when we don’t know. To my judgment it is tragic to be so dogmatic about that which is not revealed. If you want to make such a statement about a speculative Scripture, I will not object if you will say, “This is my judgment,” or “I think this is the way it will be.”

Revelation 12:7

MICHAEL, THE ARCHANGEL, WARS WITH THE DRAGON And there arose war in heaven, Michael and his angels going forth to war with the dragon. And the dragon warred and his angels, and they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, the one called (the) Devil, and the Satan, he that deceiveth the whole (inhabited) world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels with him were cast down. We have here a startling revelation: “And there arose war in heaven.” The United Nations could not do anything about this war any more than they could about any other war that has taken place since they came into existence. It is difficult to imagine that there is war in heaven, but Satan still has access to heaven and, as long as he does, there will be this problem. We are told in the Book of Job that Satan came with the sons of God to appear before God (see Job 1-2). He apparently had as much right there as they did. He had been created the highest creation. We also read in Zec_3:1-2: “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, the LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” Satan has access to God, and he is able to carry on a communication with God. Luk_22:31 tells us: “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” I do not think that Satan sent a Western Union telegram to God or that he telephoned Him. He was able to come into the presence of God, and he requested that he might test this man Simon Peterand he was granted that permission. “Michael” is the archangel. We are told this in the Book of Jude: “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee” (Jud_1:9). Evidently there are other archangels, but Michael has a peculiar ministry with the nation Israel. Dan_10:13 tells us: “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.” Michael is “one of the chief princes.” Although there are probably other archangels, Michael and Gabriel are the only ones whose names are given in Scripture. Again in Daniel we read: “But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince” (Dan_10:21). “Michael your prince"since the Lord is talking to Daniel, this refers to Daniel’s people, the nation Israel. This is made clear in Dan_12:1: “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, every one that shall be found written in the book.” At that time, we are told, there will be a time of trouble, the Great Tribulation. Michael will again step out and drive Satan out of heaven, because he happens to be the prince who watches over the nation Israel. This is a tremendous thing, and it beggars description. There will be a fierce struggle, a war. Satan is not going to retire easily, but Michael and his angels will prevail, and Satan and his angels will be thrown out of heaven. The Lord Jesus referred to this in Luk_10:18, “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” There is no mistaking this creature who is called the great dragon, for he is marked out with great detail. His fingerprints are put down here in the Revelation. Because God knew that a great percentage of the preachers of this century would teach that Satan does not exist, He makes it so you cannot miss him. If your enemy can get you to think he does not exist, he will have a tremendous advantage over you, and he will be able to get a crack at you that will sweep you off your feet. Satan moved in afresh and anew during my generation simply because my generation did not believe in him. Now we are getting an overdose of him, and he has been made a weird and wild thing. But, actually, he is not an ugly creature, by any means; he is an angel of light. Notice how he is identified here:

1. He is called “the old serpent.” This takes us back to the Garden of Eden. Our Lord said, “…He was a murderer from the beginning …” (Joh_8:44). The words old and beginning are akin, according to Vincent. Satan is that old serpent, the one who was at the beginning in the Garden of Eden.
2. He is called “Devil,” a name which comes from the Greek diabolos, meaning “slanderer or accuser.” He is so labeled in verse Rev_12:10: “the accuser of our brethren.” This is the reason believers need an Advocate with the Father. You and I have an enemy today who is not only causing us problems down here, but you would be surprised what he says about you and me in heaven! There is nothing that you do or say or think which he does not turn in against you up yonder. But God already knows about it, and I like to beat Satan to the draw and confess it before he gets up there to bring the accusation against me. The Lord Jesus is our Advocate. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1Jn_2:1). It would be wonderful if I did not sin, but I do. Thank God that we have an Advocate with the Father. Jesus Christ the righteous is up there to defend us. He has been kept busy ever since I have been in this world, and I have a notion He’s been pretty busy defending you, too. Don’t think He is up there sitting idly by. He is our Defender, our Advocate. The Devil is a slanderer; he is a liar from the beginning. He is the origin of all lies today. Where does the gossip that goes on in some of our churches originate? It originates in the pit of hell, my friend. That is the last place from which anything ought to be shipped into the church!
3. He is also called “Satan,” which means “adversary.” He is the awful adversary of God and of every one of God’s children. We are told: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1Pe_5:8). I have received a great many letters from people who have been delivered out of cults and “isms” through the study of the Word of God. One man wrote: “I was in a cult. I wrote you the letter I did [and it was a mean one!] to try to trap you, to try to trick you.

I thought I was right and you were wrong. When I began to study the Word of God, I came to realize how Satan had trapped me.” Satan has a lot of folk trapped today, even church members. We need to recognize that he is our enemy. That does not mean we should go overboard and just dwell on Satan and demons. It certainly is true that there is a new and fresh manifestation of him today that was not here a generation ago. But keep your eye on Jesus Christ, for He is your place of deliverance, and He is up yonder to help you. 4. Finally, he is called “he that deceiveth the whole (inhabited) world.” During the Great Tribulation, Satan will be able to totally deceive mentoday he deceives only partially. Satan deceives men relative to God and the Word of God. He caused Eve to distrust God: “Has God said you should not eat of that tree? You just can’t trust Him, can you?” (see Gen_3:1-4). Satan deceives man relative to man.

Satan makes out mankind better than he is, yet he despises us. He builds us up and tells us we could become godshow wonderful that would be (see Gen_3:5). Satan deceives man relative to the world, the flesh, and the Devil. You and I think we are big enough to overcome the world, the flesh, and the Devil, but we are not big enough to overcome any one of them. The world is too big for us, and it will certainly draw us away from the Lord. Satan deceives man relative to the gospel.

He does not mind a man going to church or even joining a dozen churches, but he does not want that man to be saved. “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2Co_4:4). Someone has said, “Satan is to be dreaded as a lion; more to be dreaded as a serpent; and most to be dreaded as an angel.” That is where he traps the multitude today.

Revelation 12:10

And I heard a great voice in heaven saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority [Gr.: exousia] of His Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, the one accusing them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even until death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea; because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time.“And I heard.” This reminds us that John is still the spectator and auditor of these events. He does not want us to forget that, because it is very important. When Satan has been cast out of heaven, it will cause great rejoicing among the redeemed who are in heaven. “A great voice in heaven” seems to refer to the Old Testament saints or to the tribulation saints who have been martyred up to this point (see Rev_6:9-10), for they mention their brethren on the earth: “for the accuser of our brethren is cast down.” The first great demonstration of power to be exerted against evil after the death and resurrection of Christ is the casting out of Satan from heaven. That is the beginning of the movement that will lead to the Lord Jesus taking over the reins of government down here. When Christ died on the cross, He paved the way for Satan’s being cast out of heaven. Listen to the language in Colossians: “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Col_2:14). The Lord Jesus made it possible for man to be saved by His death. God canceled our debt of sin by nailing it to the Cross of Christ.

Christ made full payment. Paul goes on to say: “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Col_2:15). I personally believe that this began when He ascended into heaven and took that great company of saints with Him. He led captivity captive and took them into the presence of God. Those were the Old Testament saints, and I think they are in this group who are now saying that salvation is come. This opens the way for the coming of four great, blood-bought, heavenly freedoms. We talk about four freedoms down here which have not yet come to pass, but here are four freedoms that are going to come to pass when Christ comes.

1. “The salvation"its consummation is in the person of Christ. Our salvation will not be consummated until we are in His presence: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1Jn_3:2). This will be true when He comes to the earth. I believe this verse speaks of His visible return to the earth.
2. “The power.” The way nations have handled power has been tragic. This has been true of every great nation. Some nations have been able to make war and, like a great prairie fire, they have spread across another nation, destroying cities and killing people. The nations have abused power, but it will be wonderful when Christ takes the power and controls this earth.
3. “And the kingdom of our God” is going to be established on the earth. Not until then will there be peace and righteousness and freedom on this earth. In this land of the free and home of the brave, there are not many brave left, and I don’t know that there are many free who are left either. It will be wonderful when His Kingdom comes on this earth. This very statement reveals that the Kingdom was not established at the first coming of Christ.
4. “And the authority (Gr.: exousia) of His Christ” shows that Christ has not yet taken over the governmental authority of this world. He is not building a kingdom; He is not establishing His Kingdom today. Wait until He starts moving. All of these judgments are in preparation for His return to this earth, giving men a warning and an opportunity to turn to Himand multitudes will do so. There is always a note of grace in the judgment of God. “The one accusing them before our God day and night” reveals that this is part of the present strategy of Satan which attempts to thwart Christ’s purpose with His church today and with the Tribulation saints tomorrow. This necessitates Christ’s present ministry as Advocate for us. Victory for the accused saints comes through three avenues which are mentioned to us in this section:
5. “The blood of the Lamb.” There is wonder-working power in the blood of the Lamb. Don’t you forget that. Let us not minimize that. The many references to the blood of the Lamb necessitate its being on display in heaven. This is not a crude conception; rather, the crudity is in our sins which made it necessary for Him to shed His blood. If you and I get any victory, it will be because He shed His blood for us.

We will never, never be able to lead “the victorious life.” The most defeated people I have ever met have been people who are supposedly living “the victorious life.” All of them look anemic to me. They look to me like they are fugitives from a blood bank. They are shallow and sallow looking, and they need a blood transfusion. They don’t live a victorious lifeChrist does! If any of us overcome, it will be through the blood of the Lamb. 2. “The word of their testimony” reveals that they were true martyrs. Those who are Christ’s cannot deny Him. “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Mat_10:33). There is something that is strengthening in giving a testimony. Don’t misundersatnd mesome of the testimonies given today are pretty shallow. Some of them are given by those who ought not to be giving a testimony, because the people close to them know their shoddy living, and it makes them rather cynical and skeptical. The place to give a testimony is not at a nice, well-fed church banquet where all the saints say amen to everything you say.

If you have a life to back it up, the place to give your testimony is out yonder in the world, when you are up against that godless, blaspheming crowd. Let them know that you belong to Christ and that you are in Christ. There is something strengthening in that. There is something that makes a man stand tall when he can give a testimony like that. I know of a man in business who is a big, double-fisted fellow. He is an executive in a very hard-hitting concern, and there are a lot of blaspheming folk around him.

When he hears someone blaspheming, in a very quiet manner, he will say to that person, “I’d like to tell you what Jesus Christ means to me.” The Lord Jesus says, “If you deny Me before men, I’ll deny you before My Father in heaven” (see Mat_10:33). These are the true martyrs. The Greek word martus means “witness.” These are the ones who witness for Him. 3. “They loved not their life even unto death.” This is an exalted plane to come to, where you and I make the Lord Jesus the first love in our life and put love of self down in second, third, fourth, or some other place. Surely we ought to have respect for ourselves, and there ought to be a dignity about us, but let’s put Him first. When we put Him first, we will not have any problem living for Him down here. The great problem today is not the set of rules you may be living by; it is what is behind the rules. Here is what you need behind them: the blood of the Lamb, the word of your testimony, and love for Him above everything else. Love is the very basis of service.

The Lord said to Simon Peter, “Do you love me?” When Simon Peter finally could say that he did, although on a weak plane, the Lord Jesus said, “I am going to use you. You are going to feed My sheep” (see Joh_21:15-17). Peter preached the first sermon in the church and probably saw more people saved per capita of those then living than any other time in the history of the world. There are two radical reactions to the casting out of Satan from heaven. There is rejoicing in heaven, for this awesome, treacherous, dangerous, and deadly serpent is out forever. Then there is woe on the earth. This is the third woe that extends through the pouring out of the seven bowls of wrath. The only consolation for the earth is that Satan’s sojourn on earth is briefforty two months. There is an intensification of tribulation during this period.

Revelation 12:13

THE DRAGON PERSECUTES THE WOMANThis is the last wave of anti-Semitism that will roll over the world, and it is the worst, because Satan is cast down to the earth and knows that his time is short. He hates Israel because Christ came from this nation according to the flesh. This is the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, and this is the reason I cannot rejoice in the present return of Israel to that land. Some people seem to think they are going back for the Millennium. They are notthey are going back for the Great Tribulation period if they are going back for any purpose at all, according to the Word of God. “Two wings of a great eagle” are given to her that she might fly into the wilderness. There are those who see in this the airplane that will take Israel to their hiding place, and they always pick the rock-hewn city of Petra as being that place. I do not know how an airplane would land in that place, but that is the problem of those who give that explanation. “Two wings of a great eagle” is not something that is unusual or peculiar to the people of Israel, but it is reminiscent of the grace of God in His past deliverance of Israel from Egypt. He said to them: “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself” (Exo_19:4). They had not come out of Egypt by their own effort or their own ability. They came out because God brought them out, and eagles’ wings became a symbol to them. Here again in the Great Tribulation, the Israelites cannot deliver themselves, and no one is interested in delivering them. But God will get them out on eagles’ wings by His grace. “Into the wilderness, into her place.” Scripture does not say that the rock-hewn city of Petra will be that place. It could be, but we just simply do not know. This “wilderness” has been variously identifiedPetra is not the only place. Some say that it is the wilderness of the peoples of the world; that is, that there will be another worldwide scattering of Israel. Since Christ said, “…flee into the mountains” (Mat_24:16), we believe it to be a literal wilderness, possibly that same one in which Israel spent forty years under Moses. This time it will be forty-two months, for that is the meaning of “a time, and times, and half a time.” The important thing is not the place but the fact that God will protect them by His grace. “Where she is nourished” reminds us that in the past God sustained them with manna from heaven and water from the rock. He will nourish them again in possibly the same way.

Revelation 12:15

And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water as a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth. In view of the fact that the wilderness is literal, the water also could be literal. God had delivered Israel out of the water, both at the beginning of the wilderness march at the Red Sea and then again at the end of the wilderness march at the Jordan River. However, the floods of water could be armies flowing like a river upon them. This figure of speech has been used by Isaiah (see Isa_8:7-8). In Ezekiel’s picture of the last days, the king of the north is seen marching on Israel. Satan will use every means to destroy the people. How will he be stopped? No nation is there to stop him. But God is there, and He will destroy him with natural forces when he invades Palestine: “And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone” (Eze_38:22). This gives us an indication of what John is talking about here in Revelation.

Revelation 12:17

THE REMNANT OF ISRAEL And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and he went away to make war with the rest of her seed, that keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus. “The rest of her seed” may refer to the remnant who is God’s witness in this periodthe 144,000 who have been sealed. They are evidently witnessing throughout the world. These “keep the commandments of God,” which places them back under the Law. This precludes the possibility of the witnesses being the church. All anti-Semitism is Satan inspired and will finally culminate in Satan’s making a supreme effort to destroy the nation of Israel. From the brickyards of Pharaoh’s Egypt, Haman’s gallows, Herod’s cruel edict, through Hitler’s purge, and to the world of the Great Tribulation, Satan has led the attack against these people because of the man childJesus Christ.