The Epic War of the Ages (Part 2)
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We are continuing through Revelation 12 tonight and we are considering the topic of this chapter on the Epic War of the Ages. We introduced this to you a couple of weeks ago. With having a couple of weeks off, it would be a good idea to provide you with a brief review on what we’re studying.
Chapter 12 is a broad brushstroke of history going all the way back to when Satan fell and attempted to lead a rebellion against God in Heaven and continues through to the victorious coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and his defeat over Satan. We learned last time that since the fall of Satan and then the deception and fall of man, Satan has work insidiously to hinder God’s people and thwart God’s blessings over His people, especially Israel.
That was the essence of Revelation 12:1-6 that we studied a couple of weeks ago. The Woman described in Chapter 12:1 is Israel. She is pregnant with child, meaning Christ the Messiah. The Dragon in verse 3 is obviously Satan. And the child on verse 5, of course is Jesus Christ. Lastly, verse 6 we hear that the woman (Israel) was forced to flee into the wilderness for 1,260 days, which is 3 1/2 years, meaning the last half of the Tribulation Period, known as the Great Tribulation. It is this time that the Antichrist will turn against the Jews, offer an unholy sacrifice in the Temple and demand that he himself be worshipped as God.
Jesus talks about this event in Matthew 24:15-16: “15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” A key characteristic of this period of time is the great deceptions that Satan will actively employ to deceive people. Matt 24:23-24 “23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”
The only way you will not be deceived is to know God’s Word. If you don’t know your Bible, then it is impossible to be know doctrine and theology and if you do not understand the foundations of doctrine and theology then you will not be able to discern false doctrine and teachers. Satan is on a mission to destroy your faith - he wants to unseat Christ from the throne of your heart. If not to destroy you, then to prevent you from sharing that faith with your family, children, and friends.
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
This may come as a surprise to you and really, it needs to be understood because it leads to a great deal of bad theology, but Satan’s current home is not in Hell. In fact, Satan has never been to hell. Satan spends most of his time right now in Heaven. Verse 10 tells us what he is doing:
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 brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
Satan accuses us of our sins before God. Satan doesn’t want God to extend His grace and forgiveness to us, nor does he want us to be the recipient of God’s forgiveness and blessings. Satan will do whatever he can to convince you that you are unworthy of God’s gift of salvation
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Satan’s goal is the same as it was in the Garden: to deceive us to rebel against God’s moral law and fall into the trap of his counterfeit kingdom. Throughout all of history, Satan has deceived the nations and he will continue to do so. I believe he is well-aware of the late hour of this world and is in overtime deceiving us through demonic philosophies, psychologies, the media, medical ‘science,’ immoral behaviors, and so son. Satan makes war against God, His holy angels, and the people of this earth who worship and serve Christ Jesus. He wants the entire world to worship him and destroy those who follow Christ.
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
So we are to be strong in the Lord through prayer, fasting, the Word, and resisting sin. Look at Daniel 10:12-13
12 Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,
Back to Rev 12:10 John tells us that there is going to come a time when Satan is thrown out of heaven and cast down to earth. I believe all of this is going to happen at the moment of the Rapture. Satan is a defeated foe and he knows this. So when the victory of the church is consummated with the rapture and the wedding feast in heaven, Satan is cast out of heaven, which begins the tribulation period.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 (ESV)
16 with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.
Why would the archangel be shouting at the rapture? Could it be that he is confronting Satan and his demons as they try to thwart the rapture? Could it be that this is the archangel Michael shouting. It is the war ensuing in heaven as the souls of the saints are snatched out of harms way after Satan is hurled to the earth? It is possible that what triggers this war in heaven there in Revelation chapter 12 could be the rapture. Michael always seems to be fighting for God’s people - Israel, the church, and he’ll stand up for all the saints at the end of the time of the tribulation.
9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”
We can never underestimate the war that is raging in heaven over the souls of man and that includes your life. That warfare constantly spills into the world we live in right now. That is going to come to a violent head where Satan is thrown down to earth and we will be snatched away.
Matthew 11:12 (ESV)
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
Romans 16:20 (ESV)
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
Hebrews 2:14 (ESV)
14 through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
At the conclusion of the rapture, Jesus returns victoriously with all the redeemed saint. With a single word from the mouth of Christ, Satan is cast into the lake of fire.
15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
Henry Morris writes, “With what weapons and by what tactics is this heavenly warfare waged? That’s beyond our understanding. Angels cannot be injured or slain with earthly weapons, and such physical forces as we know about are not able to move spiritual beings. But these beings do operate in a physical universe so there must exist some powerful physico-spiritual energies of which we yet can only have vague intimations, energies which can propel angelic bodies at super luminary velocities through space and which can move mountains and change planetary orbits.
“It is with such energies and powers that this heavenly battle will be waged, and the spectators in heaven (including John) will watch in awe. When Michael finally prevails and Satan is forced forever out of the heavens, a tremendous cry of thanksgiving will resound through the heavens.”
11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
Romans 8:31 (ESV)
31 If God is for us, who can be against us?
Verse 10 gives praise to God for triumph in heaven; verse 12 gives praise to God for his victory on the earth. God’s victory over Satan will be swift and complete in heaven and on earth. How do we become the beneficiaries over of God’s victories?
6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
Through incantations, exorcisms, bindings, or by resbuking him. No. First, they overcame him because of the blood of Jesus Christ. The sins of the saints were covered and no accusation would stand. It is called justification. It is a legal and binding forgiveness of debt (sin) and the imputing of Christ’s righteousness in replace of our unrighteousness. It is given by grace alone through faith alone by Christ alone.
The saints of God do not have some personal power ourselves. 2 Corinthians 10:4 “4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” And in us is the Christ who is our advocate, the Spirit who intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. All of the accusations against us fall on deaf ears because we have been saved by the blood of the Lamb.
Secondly, they overcame because of the word of their testimony. That is the faithful devotion to Christ as he works in our lives to sanctify us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Even in a world engulfed by demons and cursed by God, their testimony never wavered. This is the idea of an ongoing testimony. They were faithful no matter what was going on around them, no matter how consumed the world was in both the curse of God and the fury of Satan, their witness was steady and sure.
41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
Thirdly, “They didn’t love their life even to death.” Their character was built upon Christ’s justification and sanctification so they persevered to glorification. They loved their Lord more than they did their own life here on earth, no matter the trapping and temptations, they willfully chose Christ over this world.
60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. 16 But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
Now, Satan is defeated in heaven and thrown down to earth and what does he do? Give up? No he pursues the woman - who is the woman in Revelation 12? Israel.
I won’t go back and repeat how Israel has historically been persecuted by gentile nations over the thousands of years. Even in recent history of WWII and contemporary history with Iran and other nations repeatedly threatening Israel with annihilation. Just as the saints of Christ are the target of Satan’s endless torments, so it Israel the continual preoccupation of Satan to wipe from the face of this earth. And when Satan is cast to earth, verse 13 tells us that immediately wages war against her. The holocaust of WWII will pale in comparison to the brutality of last half of the tribulation, known as the Great Tribulation.
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
It’s going to be so great that it’s never been so in the history of the world, and if the days weren’t cut short, nobody would survive. ‘For the sake of the elect’, is reference to Israel So Israel is going to be pursued by Satan - the antichrist - and some believe that Israel will flee to a place in Jordan called ‘Petra.’ It is said that people have stored Bibles there for the Jews when they arrive.
Satan is a deceiver - he is using false teachers and christs to convey that deception. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24 that Satan is going to try to woo Israel and the elect out of hiding through false christs and false prophets. He’s doing it today and these deceptions are becoming rampid in the church.
Revelation 13:17 says if you don’t have the mark of the beast, you won’t be able to buy or sell. You can’t get any supplies or food. How are they going to survive? How about manna? How about quail? He did it before… verse 16 tells us that the earth helped the woman. Some believe that the parable of the sheep and the goats is a reference to the gentile nations that aided Israel during this time.
Now, some would say, where is the church in this time? Some would try to replace the woman as Israel with the church. Clearly proper interpretation does not allow this. The church is raptured in heaven. But there is much we need to understand and learn from this passage.
Jesus said, Matt 10:28 “28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” We are to expect opposition, and we are to expect God’s strength which will enable us to endure. The Bible says, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Not everyone is going to love us, and some will even hate us. But God will be with us like he was with Daniel in the lion’s den. He will be with us like the Hebrews in the fiery furnace. He will be with us.
Rev 12:17 tells us that Satan will turn his full fury to every child of God and believer during the Great Tribulation. The image of him standing on the sand of the sea is the setup to Revelation 13 where we are given a first close-up view of the antichrist. All of these things coming up in Revelation are being setup in our world now. There has never been a time when the world has been more clearly setting up for the arrival of the antichrist and his global system. Are you ready?
In his book The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan describes a battle between the accuser, Apollyon, and Christian in the Valley of Humiliation. One of Apollyon’s ploys is to recite a laundry list of Christian’s sins: “Thou didst faint at first setting out, when thou wast almost choked in the Gulf of Despond; thou didst attempt wrong ways to be rid of thy burden, whereas thou shouldst have stayed till thy Prince had taken it off; thou didst sinfully sleep and lose thy choice thing; thou wast also almost persuaded to go back at the sight of the lions; and when thou talkest of thy journey, and of what thou hast heard and seen, thou art inwardly desirous of vain-glory in all that thou sayest or doest.”
Christian’s response to the accuser is full of humility and faith: “All this is true; and much more which thou hast left out: but the Prince whom I serve and honour is merciful and ready to forgive. But besides, these infirmities possessed me in thy country; for there I sucked them in, and I have groaned under them, been sorry for them, and have obtained pardon of my Prince.” At the mention of Christ’s forgiveness, Apollyon flies into a rage; Satan the accuser cannot abide the fact that his accusations are overcome by the grace of God in Christ.