Sermon Tone Analysis

Week 3

Text:

Topic: Persecution, Spiritual Warfare, God’s Sovereignty

Big Idea of the Message: The devil rages against God’s people, but God is still sovereign.

Application Point: In difficulty or persecution, we need to remember that Satan is our true enemy.

Sermon Ideas and Talking Points:

1.

This passage describes Satan’s defeat by God and the devil’s vengeful response (12:12–17).

The devil’s anger is mentioned specifically (“fury” in v. 12, and “enraged” in v. 17), and his hostility against God is aimed at “those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus” (v.

17).

2. Again, the sea and water are mentioned as symbols of chaos and trouble, consistent with both John’s previous usage and other ancient Jewish literature’s usage of the sea.

The devil is both cast down to the sea in his defeat (12:12) and he attempts to harm the woman (Israel) by hurling “spewed water” at her (v.

15), only to have the earth intervene in protecting her (v.

16).

The dragon Satan also is seen standing on the shore of the sea from which the Beast comes in order “to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them” (13:7).

3. When we are suffering at the hands of other people, we need to remember that Satan is our real enemy, not those who are persecuting us.

It is with this perspective that our prayers and our energy will be focused appropriately, as those of Jesus were in and as those of Stephen were (the first Christian martyr) in .

Knowing that his time is limited, Satan will intensify his efforts against God and mankind, and specifically target Israel.

4. John quotes the prophet Jeremiah in .

Although they may not seem very encouraging or comforting initially, these statements point to God’s sovereignty even in the midst of suffering and persecution, assuring the faithful “that their captivity and martyrdom are in God’s will” (Alan F. Johnson, Revelation, Expositor’s Bible Commentary 12, ed.

Frank E. Gaebelein [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010], 529).