The Stars Above
Revelation Series • Sermon • Submitted
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· 19 viewsGod protects Jesus Christ and the messianic community against satanic attack
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Introduction:
The Tree of Life can mean a few things. Most of us here probably first think of the garden of Eden. In 1859, Charles Darwin introduced his own version of "The Tree of Life," as an abstract structure showing how all life was (according to his theory of evolution) intertwined and interrelated, sprouting from the same trunk.
The Tree of Life is also a movie with Brad Pitt & Sean Penn. It is probably the weirdest movie I have ever seen on several levels. If you were to ask me if it is a good christian film, I would say that I don’t know, but I don’t think so. It does quote a couple verses from the Bible, it promotes prayer and choosing God (or at least a god—presumably the Christian God), but it is insanely odd! I had to watch the film in my literary class at Northland. Even after being taught about it, I still am left terribly confused! One of the major reasons it confuses me is that it jumps around in the life of a family without sticking neatly to a linear, chronological timeline. In fact, even at one point in the movie it jumps to the beginning of creation and then shows dinosaurs! At that point in the movie, the scenes seemed very disjointed and somewhat arbitrary. Apparently, if you are able to think abstractly and philosophically as you watch it, the scenes supposedly make sense.
Well, our passage this morning has one common element to this unique movie, Revelation chapter 12 zooms out on history’s timeline rather than sticking to a linear timeline with the surrounding chapters. But unlike the Brad Pitt movie, Revelation leaves you with a crystal clear view of our God.
Transition:
After the trumpet judgments, we find ourselves yet again at another interlude. The second interlude was in between the sixth & seventh trumpet, then for a brief moment, John mentions the seventh trumpet. The seventh trumpet in ch. 11 ushers in the bowl judgments that start in ch. 15. But now we start the third interlude, and it will be the biggest thus far extending through chapter 14. forms this very grand and dramatic interlude detailing a cosmic conflict between YHWH and satan, as well as God’s vindication of His people, and judgment of the unrighteous. As well as being the start of a new major section, stands as the theological center of the book because it shows why the church faces spiritual hostility in this world and how YHWH provides the victory.
Bruce Barton et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001), 1240.This would now be the third interlude thus far, and it will be the biggest yet extending into chapter 14. forms this very grand interlude detailing a cosmic conflict between YHWH and satan, as well as God’s vindication of His people, and judgment of the unrighteous. As well as being the start of a new major section, stands as the theological center of the book because it shows why the church faces spiritual hostility in this world and how YHWH provides the victory.
Scripture Reading:
1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.
3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.
4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,
6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
In chapters 12 & 13, we hear about the battle between the false trinity (Satan, sea beast, and earth beast), and the Triune Godhead, and His chosen people. More specifically, all of chapter 12 consists of three scenes:
the woman, the Son, and the dragon (12:1–6),
the war in heaven (12:7–12), and
the war on earth (12:13–17).
We saw the last couple weeks with John eating the scroll and with the two witnesses that suffering accompanies our call as witnesses in this world (10:1–11:13). Now, we can come to understand more about the spiritual war we are fighting here. My prayer this morning is by gaining a larger perspective on our spiritual conflict, it might inspire more faithful endurance in us today.
Transition:
So with just the first 6 verses here in chapter 12, we see at least three signs. The first being:
I. A Good Sign (12:1–2)
I. A Good Sign (12:1–2)
Or as scripture words it: “a Great Sign” a μέγας/mega sign! What is that sign? A pregnant woman:
And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
“a great sign ...: a woman”
John refers to the “great sign” of the woman (here in v. 1), and to the “sign” of the dragon (in v. 3), so now remaining faithful to a literal hermeneutic/a literal interpretation, the verbiage of a σημεῖον/sign (same word for miracle in the Gospels) indicates to us that he is communicating now more in a spiritual reality through symbols (much like his typical use of the “signs” in John’s Gospel) and that the woman is glorious in contrast to the dragon.
And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
“clothed with the sun, with the moon … a crown of twelve stars”
“clothed with the sun, with the moon … a crown of twelve stars”
The description of the woman uses words that might recall O.T. Joseph’s dream of , where the sun, moon, and stars likely represent Jacob, his wife, and the tribes of Israel.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more.
6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed:
7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.”
8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.
4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more.
6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed:
7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.”
8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
In addition, these images reveal the woman’s character (the light of the sun), her dominion (moon under her feet), and her royalty (a victor’s crown with twelve stars).
So who is this glorious woman?
She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.
In light of the Old Testament background and the details presented here in the immediate context, the woman represents Israel, more specifically, the tribe of Judah—the line of David throughout the O.T.
In other words, it is the faithful remnant within Israel, or could we say, the community of faith that gives birth to the Messiah. (The woman cannot be the virgin Mary because of the reference in v. 17 to the “rest of her offspring.”) She is portrayed here as a pregnant woman in labor which is somewhat expected considering what the O.T. prophets have said: [[; ]]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, Lord. 18 We were with child, we writhed in labor, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth, and the people of the world have not come to life.
we see the prophets allude to this symbolism
9 Why do you now cry aloud— have you no king? Has your ruler perished, that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor? 10 Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you must leave the city to camp in the open field. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued. There the Lord will redeem you out of the hand of your enemies.
In light of the Old Testament background and the details presented in the immediate context, the woman represents the community of faith that gives birth to the Messiah, or the faithful remnant, within Israel. (The woman cannot be the virgin Mary because of the reference in v. 17 to the “rest of her offspring.”) She is portrayed here as a pregnant woman in labor (cf. ; ). As Kiddle puts it, the woman is “the true Israel in her pre-messianic agony of expectation.”2
“the woman is ‘the true Israel in her pre-messianic agony of expectation.’”
5 Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word: “Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for my name’s sake have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy’; but it is they who shall be put to shame. 6 “The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple! The sound of the Lord, rendering recompense to his enemies! 7 “Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. 8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children. 9 Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?” says the Lord; “shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?” says your God.
Illustration:
)
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.
As Martin Kiddle puts it in his commentary,
“the woman is ‘the true Israel in her pre-messianic agony of expectation.’”
Transition:
That’s the good news—literally the beginnings of the Gospel, but here is the bad news:
II. A Bad Sign (12:3-4)
II. A Bad Sign (12:3-4)
The second “sign” is A Bad Sign: A red dragon
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.
“another sign...a great red dragon”
Naturally, such figures as a dragon provide a fitting symbol for Satan, the archenemy of God. (The dragon is identified a few verses later in v.9 as the “ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan”.) The color red alludes to the devil’s character of violence and bloodshed (cf. ; ; ; ).
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.
“seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems”
“seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems”
His “crowns” (diadēma) portray real power but not power equal to that of the King of kings. In addition, while the Lamb has seven horns (), the dragon has ten horns, a symbol of evil’s widespread power and a common trait of other evil forces (as with the beast in 13:1 and the prostitute in , ). The “ten horns” also recall Daniel’s vision of a ten-horned beast (, , ).
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
20 and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions.
24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings.
The same devil with the evil forces
His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
Now the dragon attacks. Where are we in the timeline of history? It is hard to say
It is tough to dogmatically say what is meant by the third of the stars of heaven. This is not literal stars, so since the stars usually represent angels rather than people in Revelation (e.g., chapter 1 and ch. 9), Satan’s first act of war involved a rebellion that resulted in the fall of many angels. Having now gathered his army, the dragon turns his fierce wrath against the woman and her child, a child who is none other than Jesus the Messiah [[]].
Now the dragon attacks. It is tough to dogmatically say what is meant by the third of the stars. This is not literal stars, so since the stars usually represent angels rather than people in Revelation (e.g., chapter 1 and ch. 9), Satan’s first act of war involved a rebellion that resulted in the fall of many angels (cf. ; ). Having gathered his army, the dragon turns his fierce wrath against the woman and her child, a child who is none other than Jesus the Messiah [[]].
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Oswald Chambers once commented:
We are not meant to be “carried to heaven on flow’ry beds of ease”; we are given the fighting chance, and it is a glorious fight. Jesus Christ came to fit men to fight; He came to make the lame, the halt, the paralysed … into terrors to the prince of this world.… No man is a match for that warfare unless he is saved by God’s grace.
Throughout the New Testament we read of the devil’s attempts (often in conjunction with wicked humans) to kill Jesus—at his birth by Herod, throughout his ministry by the Jewish religious leaders, and finally at his crucifixion.
Illustration:
On August 15, 1945, the Emperor, Hirohito, of Japan addressed his nation for the first time by radio broadcast. His message was simple and tragic for the Japanese nation: they had been defeated by the Allied forces. For many, the end of conflict came as a difficult, yet a welcomed blessed, relief. However, for a small band of soldiers, the war was not over. Whether because they did not receive clear communications or because they simply refused to believe what they heard, a number of Japanese soldiers continued fighting … for years. The last of these was Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda, who carried on fighting until March 9, 1974, he spent 29 years in a jungle in the Philippines because he did not believe that the war had ended. He surrendered only after he received formal orders from his government.
Jesus triumphed over Satan in His cross, resurrection, and ascension
Christ has unequivocally triumphed over our enemy, but we must realize that Satan hasn’t gotten the memo quite yet.
When it comes to contemplating Satan, avoid extremes
In The Screwtape Letters, by C. S. Lewis--In his preface to this famous, fictional correspondence between Screwtape, a master demon tempter, and his nephew, Wormwood, Lewis writes:
spent 29 years in the jungle has died aged 91 in Tokyo. Hiroo Onoda remained in the jungle on Lubang Island near Luzon, in the Philippines, until 1974 because he did not believe that the war had ended.
There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.
Transition:
So we’ve had a good sign and a bad sign; what’s next?
III. The Most Wonderful Sign (12:5–6)
III. The Most Wonderful Sign (12:5–6)
what is the most wonderful sign then?
YHWH protecting and rescuing the woman and her Son
She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,
She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The allusion to , which speaks of the Lord’s son ruling the nations, points to Jesus’s role as the defender of his persecuted people (see also ; ). John assumes, rather than describes, Jesus’s life and ministry, crucifixion and resurrection, before moving straight from his birth to his ascension.6 This “apocalyptic abbreviation,” or telescoping, is common elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g., ; ; ; , ; ; ; ; ; )7 and here serves to highlight God’s protection and enthronement of the Son (; ; ; ).
Granted, there is no mention of the third sign here in our passage, but clearly YHWH protecting and rescuing the woman and her Son is a wonderful thing!
This wording is an allusion to , which speaks of the Lord’s son ruling the nations,
7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
It points to Jesus’s role as the defender of his persecuted people. John assumes, rather than describes, Jesus’s life and ministry, crucifixion and resurrection, before moving straight from his birth to his ascension.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,
It points to Jesus’s role as the defender of his persecuted people (see also ; ). John assumes, rather than describes, Jesus’s life and ministry, crucifixion and resurrection, before moving straight from his birth to his ascension.6 This “apocalyptic abbreviation,” or telescoping, is common elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g., ; ; ; , ; ; ; ; ; )7 and here serves to highlight God’s protection and enthronement of the Son (; ; ; ).
This “apocalyptic abbreviation,” or telescoping, is common elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g., ; ; ; , ; ; ) and here serves to highlight God’s protection and enthronement of the Son.
This “apocalyptic abbreviation,” or telescoping, is common elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g., ; ; ; , ; ; ) and here serves to highlight God’s protection and enthronement of the Son.
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. God not only protects Jesus his Son from satanic destruction; he also protects his people. Earlier parallels to God’s spiritual protection of his community include the sealing of the 144,000 (7:1–8; 14:1–5) and the empowering of the witnesses (11:1–6). After Satan’s banishment from heaven (described in 12:7–9), his terrorizing activity is restricted to earth. Hence, the wilderness is a place of trial for God’s people but also of protection and provision (the verb trephō translated “taken care of” means to “feed” or “nourish”).8 God’s pattern of protecting his covenant community can be seen during Israel’s wilderness wanderings (; ; ; ) and during Jesus’s time in the wilderness (). The time of protection is 1,260 days (12:6, 14), also the period of witness (11:2–3) and trials (13:5–7). The 1,260 days could refer to intense persecution at the end of the age or to the entire period between the first and second comings of Christ. While both options are possible, the latter is preferable because Satan’s banishment must be a past event (12:10), and the tribulation seems to follow immediately the death/resurrection/ascension of Christ. Since this pivotal event, Christians have been living in the last days of trial, witness, and spiritual protection (; ; ).9
“fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God”
God not only protects Jesus his Son from satanic destruction; He also protects his people. Earlier parallels to God’s spiritual protection of his community include the sealing of the 144,000 (7:1–8; 14:1–5) and the empowering of the witnesses (11:1–6). After Satan’s banishment from heaven (described in the following verses for next week-- 12:7–9), his terrorizing activity is restricted to earth. Hence, the wilderness is a place of trial for God’s people but also of protection and provision (the verb trephō translated “taken care of” means to “feed” or “nourish”). God’s pattern of protecting his covenant community can be seen during Israel’s wilderness wanderings (; ; ; ) and especially during Jesus’s time in the wilderness.
and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
“she is to be nourished for 1,260 days”
“she is to be nourished for 1,260 days”
The time of protection is 1,260 days, also the same time period of witness (chapter 11) and even the beast (chapter 13). This 1,260 days is hard to place on a timeline! It could refer to intense persecution at the end of the age or since it is just a “sign” it might refer to the entire period between the first and second comings of Christ. While both options are possible, I usually default to the more literal rendering and thinking this is now future from us. Since this is a pivotal event, Christians have been living and should be living as in the last days of trial, with a witness, and spiritual protection.
Illustration:
The woman’s location in the wilderness sends an important theological message. The “messianic community is a wilderness community,” receiving protection and provision even as we journey through the desert of this age to the new promised land, the new Jerusalem. The people of God are nourished and protected by God from demonic assault, but they remain vulnerable to persecution and martyrdom.
Transition:
So What?
So What?
The people of God live between the “already” of Christ’s death/resurrection/exaltation and the “not yet” of his glorious return. Throughout Scripture we see that God’s people receive nourishment and spiritual protection from God while encountering trials in this world.
The first part of highlights at least two important areas of application:
First, How we ought to view Satan, God’s archenemy. We do need to be alert to Satan’s plans and ways, but we need not drift into an unhealthy fear of the devil. Satan is a dangerous enemy but a defeated and desperate one. Chapter 12 teaches us what the Bible really says about Satan and about biblical strategies for spiritual warfare. For example, it’s important to remember that Satan is God’s opponent but not God’s opposite. In other words, he is not all-knowing, all-powerful, or everywhere present like our Lord. In addition, the biblical command to resist the devil: [[; ]].
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
This resisting relates more to walking in holiness and standing in truth than to getting into a stand-off with Satan.
How we rely on God’s provision and protection. Living in the wilderness does not mean that God expects us to withdraw from society and live a secluded life. Occasional retreats for the purpose of prayer and contemplation are powerful spiritual disciplines, but this text describes our constant “already/not yet” situation. We shouldn’t set our hopes on retreating from our surroundings in order to experience God. He protects and nourishes us in the midst of our struggles and trials in this world. God’s people desperately need to learn how to abide in Christ, how to pray without ceasing, how to practice the presence of God on Monday through Saturday. God’s provision and protection are not just available in the worship center or community group. We live in the wilderness, and that is where God walks with us. Jesus said, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (). We are on the wilderness journey now, but we are moving toward the promised land!
Second, How we rely on God’s provision and protection. Living in the wilderness does not mean that YHWH expects us to withdraw from society and live a secluded life. Occasional retreats for the purpose of prayer and contemplation are powerful spiritual disciplines, but this text describes our constant “already/not yet” situation. We shouldn’t set our hopes on retreating from our surroundings in order to experience YHWH. He protects and nourishes us in the midst of our struggles and trials in this world. We desperately need to learn how to abide in Christ, how to pray without ceasing, how to practice the presence of God on Monday through Saturday. God’s provision and protection are not just available in the worship center or community group. We live in the wilderness, and that is where God walks with us. Jesus said, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (). We are on the wilderness journey now, but we are moving toward the promised land!
Conclusion:
The messianic community gives birth to Jesus, the Messiah and rightful ruler of the nations.
Satan attempts to destroy both Christ and his people.
The Father rescues God the Son by raising him from the dead and exalting him to his heavenly throne.
God protects his people from satanic attack through their wilderness journey.