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Revelation 12:1-5 (KJV) And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. 5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

As we come to chapter twelve we see past and future war between the Righteous and Satan. We start out with two signs – called WONDER in the King James. In verse 1 we read:

And there appeared a great WONDER in heaven

and in verse 3,

And there appeared another WONDER in heaven

The word WONDERis the Greekσημεῖον (sēmeion)which means “a sign or object with a special meaning”. The word is used in:

Matthew 12:38-39 (KJV) Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a SIGN from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a SIGN; and there shall no SIGN be given to it, but the SIGN of the prophet Jonah:

This chapter starts with two significant events – a WOMAN and a DRAGON. Let’s look at these two signs.

The Woman With Child Is A Sign

Revelation 12:1 (KJV) And there appeared a great WONDER in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

Who is this woman who is clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, with a crown of twelve stars on her head. The Roman Catholic Church believes that this is the Virgin Mary, the Queen of Heaven(as they call her). They worship Mary. But Mary is not to be worshiped. When Mary was told that she would bear the Christ Child she sang praises unto God:

Luke 1:46-49 (KJV) … Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in GOD MY SAVIOR.48 For he hath regarded the LOW ESTATE OF HIS HANDMAIDEN: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

Mary gave glory to God and recognized her LOWLY ESTATE, and the fact that GOD WAS HER SAVIOR just as He is our Savior. She praised God, for He had graciously BLESSED her to carry the Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Mary is not the Queen of Heaven.
She is not to be worshiped, nor prayed to.

Mary should be respected as an honorable child of God – much like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, King David, and so on – who did as the Lord required of her. Let us glorify our God in all things, and not ourselves. He alone is worthy.

So who is this Woman? She is a woman who carried a very significant Child. We read:

Revelation 12:2, 5 (KJV) And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. … 5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

The Child she carried would rule all nations with a rod of iron, be caught up to God, and taken to His Throne. This is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. He is the One that the Psalmist spoke of, saying:

Psalms 2:7-9 (KJV)7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

He is the King of Kings that is coming again, as we read in:

Revelation 19:13-16 (KJV) And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Christ comes forth from the Woman. This Woman is persecuted by the Dragon. We read later in the chapter:

Revelation 12:13-14 (KJV) And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a TIME, AND TIMES, AND HALF A TIME, from the face of the serpent.

The phrase “time, times, and a half time” is a reference to the three and one half year period of suffering Israel will undergo at the latter half of the Tribulation.

Time = 1
Times = 2
Half Time = ½
__________
3 ½

The Woman (Israel) is clothed with the sun and standing on the moon because through her would come the Light of the World. The Israel that is hidden and protected during the Great Tribulation is the remnant who are saved by faith in Christ. He is the Light He shines light through His people.

John 1:4 (KJV) InHimwas life, and the life was the light of men.

John 8:12 (KJV) Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 9:5 (KJV) As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

John 12:46 (KJV) I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

Israel is the Woman who brought forth the Child, the Son of God. But she is not the only SIGN we see.

Then There Is The Sign Of The Dragon

Revelation 12:3(KJV) And there appeared another WONDER in heaven; and behold a GREAT RED DRAGON, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

There is a Great Red Dragon. The Dragon is GREAT because he thinks himself so. He is arrogant. He has power, but his power was given to him by God. The Bible says that this Dragon – who was once an Arch-Angel called Lucifer – rebelled against God. Isaiah speaks of his fall:

Isaiah 14:12-14 (KJV) How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I WILL ascend into heaven, I WILL exalt my throne above the stars of God: I WILL sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I WILL ascend above the heights of the clouds; I WILL be like the most High.

With his five I WILL statements Lucifer rejected the Grace of God (5 is the number of Grace in Scripture) and the Goodness of God. Lucifer rebelled against Heaven. He ceased being the glorious arch-angel Lucifer and instead devolved to become Satan, the Accuser of the Brethren. He is GREAT in power because he was made so by God, but GREAT in arrogance. I have had people ask me before:

“Doesn’t the devil know he can’t defeat God?”

When I’m asked that question I don’t think of the devil, but of all the much lesser beings called HUMANKIND who reject God’s Word and refuse to do His will. My mind then responds:

“Don’t we ALL know that God will triumph?”

The arrogance of sin blinds us to reality. God will win in the end. We should all bend the knee to Him NOW! I am reminded of a recent news article I read of a certain senator who did an interview on television saying we must be careful not to let a conservative judge go to the Supreme Court, lest Roe vs Wade and all of the women’s rights we overthrown. Dear friends, there is a court far Superior to our Supreme Court, and all – even this foolish politician – will stand before one day. She and all who have murdered the innocent will have to give an account to Him Who is the Great I AM. The Dragon may be Great, but God is GREATER still.

This Dragon is RED, for he has a murderous bloodthirsty character.
This Dragon is RED, for he is false religion incarnate, hiding the Blood of the Lamb.
This Dragon is RED, for he is of the flesh and of the world.

Revelation 12:3(KJV) having SEVEN heads and TEN horns,
and SEVEN crowns upon his heads.

The Dragon wants to be God.
He appears to have the authority of God –note the SEVENS used for his description
(SEVEN heads and SEVEN crowns)
He has Ten Horns – Great Authority

He will have a child called the Anti-Christ or the Beast. The Beast, like his father Satan, will have seven heads and ten horns (Revelation 13:1). The Dragon will cause a rebellion and a war in Heaven:

Revelation 12:4(KJV) And his tail drew the THIRD PART OF THE STARS OF HEAVEN, and did cast them to the earth

The word “Stars” in Scripture can refer to the heavenly stars that we see in the night sky, but can also refer to angels. We saw this earlier in this very Book:

Revelation 9:1 (KJV)1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a STAR fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

When Lucifer revolted against the Creator he led a third of the angels of Heaven to follow him. The Dragon goes even farther than this. We are told:

Revelation 12:4(KJV) … and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for TO DEVOUR HER CHILD AS SOON AS IT WAS BORN.

The Dragon – that old Devil – did his best to destroy Jesus when He was born. He inhabited Herod and his jealousies. If you remember Herod told the Wise Men who were looking for the Christ:

Matthew 2:8 (KJV) …. Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

The Dragon did not want to worship the Child, but to KILL HIM. The Dragon has a son called the Anti-Christ or Beast that he wishes to rule the earth. The Christ must go! The Bible says:

Matthew 2:16 (KJV) Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

Yet the Dragon did not win. The Lord warned Joseph to take Mary and the Christ Child to Egypt (Matthew 2:13)where they stayed until Herod died. The Dragon could not defeat God’s Christ.

her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne

The Christ finished the work that the Father set before Him, and has ascended unto the right hand of God the Father. Unable to destroy the Christ the Dragon now turns his attention to Israel.

Revelation 12:6 (KJV) And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Here is a wonderful parallel to the Old Testament. When Jesus was born the Lord had Joseph take the Lord to Egypt, the wilderness, to protect and keep Him until old Herod died. When Israel was just a family and not a nation God had Joseph (of the coat of many colors) sold into slavery, then exalted as Regent of Egypt. Israel and his family hid in the wilderness of Egypt until they became a mighty nation. During the Great Tribulation, God will have His True Israel – the Israel that had received the Messiah – hidden for 3 ½ years. The Lord will preserve His Israel. Why? Because God WANTS to preserve His Israel. The Apostle Paul clarified:

Romans 9:6-7 (KJV) …. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:  [7]  Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

During the Tribulation, there will be a PHYSICAL Israel and a SPIRITUAL Israel. The SPIRITUAL Israel, those who are redeemed by faith in the Messiah – will be hidden as a nation in the wilderness. The PHYSICAL Israel will be inhabited and tread underfoot of the forces of the Anti-Christ. But God’s true Nation will be preserved.

The Dragon will not be able to destroy Israel because God will protect her. Since the Dragon cannot destroy Israel (for she is protected of God) he, like a mad dog, turns his attention to Heaven.

Revelation 12:7-9 (KJV) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 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.

The Dragon Has Six Names

In verse 9 we see all the names by which the fallen angel Lucifer now goes by. While he followed God he was “Lucifer” which means “The Shining One”. But now we see in verse 9:

The Great Dragon – fierce and destructive
That Old Serpent – the deceiver in Eden (Genesis 3:1)
The Devil – mostly evil
Satan – the accuser of the brethren
The Deceiver – he deceives the whole world

There is one more title given Lucifer in this chapter. He is the LOSER.

He could not destroy the Christ. He could not destroy Israel. He went to Heaven, and could not defeat Michael the Arch-Angel nor his forces. He is literally cast out of Heaven and forced to stay on the earth. There is rejoicing in Heaven:

Revelation 12:10 (KJV) And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Do you know how the Dragon-Serpent-Devil-Satan-Deceiver wins? He wins when we stop following God and start following the flesh. When we use the tactics of the world to do battle we bring shame to our God. The Bible says:

Ephesians 6:12 (KJV)  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

The ongoing and future battle which all of God’s people are in is not against FLESH AND BLOOD but against SPIRITUAL FORCES. We cannot win the battle by misusing our tongues, by screaming at the darkness. We cast out Satan the same way that they will cast out Satan in the future:

Revelation 12:11 (KJV) And they OVERCAME him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

What defeats Satan?
The Blood of the Lamb.
The Word of our Testimony.
By a Willing Self Sacrifice.

• The Dragon’s power is defeated by The Blood of the Lamb. It is the Blood that defeats SIN, which is Satan’s chain on the earth. What did we read at the beginning of this Book?

Revelation 1:5 (KJV) … Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

His Blood cleanses us from ALL SIN. His Blood POSITIONALLY CHANGES us:

Revelation 1:6 (KJV)  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

We are no longer slaves to SIN but are Children of the LIVING GOD by His Blood. The Dragon-Serpent-Devil-Satan-Deceiver has no hold on a Child of God.

• The Dragon’s power is defeated by The Word Of Our Testimony. We have a witness that we can share with the world. We can testify that HE IS IN US, and

1 John 4:4 (KJV) {you} have overcome them: because GREATER is He THAT IS IN YOU that HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD

I know that I am saved because I was there the day that Christ inhabited me. The Evil One is no longer my father, but I have a Father Greater than any – and you do, too.

• Finally, the Dragon’s power is defeated by a Christ-like sacrifice of self. The Scripture says “they loved NOT their lives unto death”. If you belong to God, you will not be selfish but sacrificial in your lives. True Religion serves God and others, not self.

James 1:27 (KJV)  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

When the Dragon is cast to the earth during the last 3 ½ years of the Tribulation we read:

Revelation 12:12 (KJV) Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

The evil that he has instituted before will be nothing compared to the evil he will institute now. The last 3 ½ years of the Tribulation will be horrific because Satan will do all he can to destroy Israel, to kill the saints left on the earth, and to take over humanity. He will not be able to destroy the True Israel, though he will try.

Revelation 12:14-17 (KJV) And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Who is the True Israel?
Who is the True Christian?
The Scripture says“Which KEEP the Commandments of God”
“And Have the Testimony of Christ”

If you are His you do as He says.
You walk by His Spirit.
You love Him and others.
You also have the testimony of Christ!

There are many who profess to be Christ’s but who are not. They go to Church, but do not walk with God. These are no threat to Satan. But God – and Satan – knows who are Christ’s.