Study inRevelation

Presentation 09

The Persecuting Dragon Part 1

Chap 12v1-13v10Presentation 09

Introduction Chapter 12 marks the beginning of a major section in this book. We are introduced to the underlying causes behind the persecution of the church.

The church’s conflicts are but an outward manifestation of another war between Christ and Satan.

Presentation 09

Woman, Dragon & Male Child [12:1-6]

The first symbolic picture found in v1-6 describes a woman in labour and standing beside her a dragon ready to devour the new born child. The woman gives birth to a male child, a mighty ruler, but before harm could befall him he is snatched up to heaven by God.

The dragon then directs his attention towards the woman who flees into the wilderness where she is protected by God for a long time. What is this picture describing?

Presentation 09

Woman, Dragon & Male Child [12:1-6]

The woman symbolises the church drawn from believers both BC and AD. On earth she may appear insignificant, an object of ridicule but from heaven’s perspective she is all glorious. And so she is described as clothed with the sun. Her dominion is described by the phrase ‘the moon under her feet’.

On her head she wears not one but twelve victors crowns for she is victorious. The woman, the church, gives birth to a child, Christ, who will ‘rule all the nations with a rod of iron’ v5? This child is caught up by God to his throne.

Presentation 09

War In Heaven [12:7-12]

The second picture in v7-12 symbolically describes the effect of Christ’s victory on the cross over the Satan. It is a picture of angelic conflict as the forces of God attack and defeat the dragon who is cast out of heaven.

The interpretation John gives to this symbolism makes it clear that we are not to understand this battle in a literal sense. Satan is hurled down from heaven inasmuch as he has lost his place there as ‘the accuser of the brethren’. In what sense?

Presentation 09

War In Heaven [12:7-12]

Because Jesus’ death on the cross satisfied the justice of God on his people’s behalf, Satan’s accusations no longer no longer carry any legal legitimacy. How does the hymn writer put it ‘I turn to my accuser and tell him Thou hast died.’

Of course Satan continues to accuse right down to the present day but the accomplished work of the Christ renders these accusations void cf. Rom. 8:33 ff. Christ’s victory angers Satan who knows his time is short and so we come to the third and final picture in these verses.

Presentation 09

War On Earth [12:13-17]

The final assault of the dragon is described in v13-17. He has failed to destroy Christ and so his concentration is fixed upon destroying the woman who gave him birth. We read that the woman is given a pair of wings so that she could fly away from the fury of the dragon into the wilderness, where she was nourished for a period of time.

The dragon, while conscious of the fact that at one level she is beyond his reach, refuses to accept defeat and attempts to engulf the woman with a stream of water that flows from his mouth. But the earth opens up and swallows the potentially destructive stream.

Presentation 09

War On Earth [12:13-17]

How do we understand this picture? Satan having failed to defeat Christ directs his attack towards the woman, the church. But the Lord protects and shelters his church, whom he nourishes throughout the gospel era. Although danger always threatens ultimate harm never comes.

The destructive river has been described as ‘a river of lies,’ for it attempts to destroy the church through deception. The reference of the earth opening up to remove the danger may indicate that all of the human agents of persecution are themselves mortal and subject to the grave.

Presentation 09

War On Earth [12:13-17]

The Roman Emperor Julian, whose goal was to discredit and annihilate Christianity from the face of the earth, found himself mortally wounded on the field of battle before he could fulfil his objective. He is reported to have thrown his blood into the air and cried, ‘Thou hast won Galilean’.

The grave opened up and swallowed the danger!

Presentation 09

War On Earth [12:13-17]

Failure to deceive and destroy the true church angers Satan. He now directs his attention towards individual Christians, ‘the seed of the woman’. This final phase is of shorter duration.

The period of comparative security for the church, described in v 14 as ‘time and times and half a time’, and which was according to chap 11 a time of gospel witness and growth, is followed by a shorter period cf. 11:9. At this time the curb on Satan’s influence is removed and his agents on earth appear to be victorious.

Presentation 09

The Beast From The Sea [13:1-10]

Chap 13 introduces to the two agents of Satan through whom he makes war on the saints. The first comes from the sea, a grotesque seven headed monster combining the characteristics of leopard, bear and lion cf. Dan 2, 7:4-6 where they appear in reverse order and represent Babylon, Medo Persia and Greece.

But here, in composite format, the beast represents the essentials of worldly rule and authority that are opposed to God.

Presentation 09

The Beast From The Sea [13:1-10]

He is given the dragon’s [Satan’s] power - we need to remember that Satan exercises rule, albeit of a limited nature, in this ungodly world cf. Jn. 14:30,1 Jn. 4:19.

One of the beast’s seven heads receives a mortal wound [some see here a reference to Nero or Caligula ]. Note, the text does not say that the head was restored but that the beast survived. The purpose of this imagery could simply be to underscore the tremendous vitality of the beast.

Presentation 09

The Beast From The Sea [13:1-10]

No sooner is one opponent to the gospel dealt with than another appears with greater vigour. Men worship both the dragon and the beast. We are made for worship and in the last analysis we worships either the Lamb or the beast - the latter perhaps unwittingly!

All, with the exception of God’s people, worship the beast [Mat 24:24]. When a man’s heart allegiance is given to a world system opposed to God, he is worshipping the beast. It is because of the hypnotic, deceptive and potent influence of the beast that many conclude that he is invulnerable and his position in the universe unassailable? cf. v4 ‘Who can make war against him?’.

Presentation 09

The Beast From The Sea [13:1-10] One of the principal characteristics of the beast is the blasphemy he engages in cf. Dan. 7:8, 20, 25; 11:36. This blasphemy against God is seen, characteristically in scripture and in history, as seeking to usurp the place of God cf. 2 Thes. 2:4.

Think of Pharaoh - the god-king, or of the pretensions of Nebuchadnezzar, and of the Roman emperors who assumed the mantle of deity. The beast makes war on the saints v7 [cf. Eph. 6:12-13] and is given universal authority over every people, tribe, tongue and nation.

Presentation 09

The Beast From The Sea [13:1-10]

In what sense is the beast said to conquer the people of God? Their lives are forfeit but not their eternal security, for the Christian martyr discovers death to be the door that provides abundant entrance into glory. Eternal security does not offer immunity from physical suffering as v10 makes clear. Hence the call for endurance.

Although it was the dragon who gave the beast authority [v2, 4], it becomes clear that the beast was allowed to do so only through divine permission. His authority like every other authority in the universe is ultimately derived from God.

Presentation 09