Revelation Ch12v1-17 - The Dragon Slayer

and talk with me. We're going to read Revelation chapter 12 this morning, chapter 12, 1, 17.

Revelation 12 · chapter mention

The title we've given this talk this morning is The Dragon Slayer, so I hope all that becomes

clear as we read. Revelation chapter 12, starting at verse 1.

Revelation 12 · chapter mention

A great sign appeared in heaven. A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet,

and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about

to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven. An enormous red dragon with seven heads

and ten horns and seven crowns on its head. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky

and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth,

so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 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,

to his throne. 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. Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels

fought against the dragon, and the dragon against his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough,

and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down. That ancient snake called the devil,

or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say,

Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah.

For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before God day and night,

has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.

They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them.

But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you.

He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth,

he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle,

so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness,

where she would be taken care of for a time, times, and half a time,

out of the snake's reach.

Then from his mouth the snake spewed water like a river,

to overtake the woman, sweep her away from the torrent.

But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth

and swallowing the river that the dragon spewed out of its mouth.

Then the dragon was enraged at the woman

and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring,

those who keep God's commands

and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

Well, let's pray.

Father God, we come here today

as those who seek to keep God's commands

and who seek to hold fast

our testimony about Jesus.

and yet we recognise that doing so

is going to be hard

for we have an enemy.

We need your help, Father, to know

that the victory has been won by the Lord Jesus.

help us to stand strong in his strength

and in his power

so that we too might overcome.

Father, please,

may not one of us fall,

but may each one of us

walk closely with you.

may your word do its work in our lives today.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, it's like something out of Lord of the Rings, isn't it?

Or a novel by J.K. Rowling.

The three main characters in chapter 12,

we've got a woman,

a son,

and a dragon.

The woman, verse 2,

was pregnant

and cried out in pain

as she was about to give birth.

Well, giving birth is always painful,

but this is much more than just physical pain.

Something dark and sinister

is prowling around in the shadows.

Look at the middle of verse 4.

The dragon stood in front of the woman

who was about to give birth

so that it might devour her child

the moment he was born.

What should be a moment of joy

is turning out to be filled with dread.

Before this baby is born

and has time to draw breath,

he's going to be devoured by the dragon.

The woman is in fear.

The child is helpless.

And when all seems hopelessly lost,

look at the end of verse 5.

Her child was snatched up to God

and to his throne.

We can all breathe a sigh of relief.

That was a close one.

Now as we read that,

there's something very familiar

about the vision, isn't there?

In our minds we can't help

but think about these three characters,

the woman, the son, and this dragon

and we begin to interpret, don't we?

We can't help but think,

Johnny, is that Mary?

And is this Jesus?

And is this Satan?

Well, while the characters in John's vision

are not real,

they do convey a literal truth.

It's not that there is a real woman

clothed with the sun

and a dragon with seven heads

wandering around the place.

No, John is using symbolism

to communicate a literal truth.

This isn't fantasy.

This is real.

This vision of a woman,

a son, and a dragon

retell the true story

of the whole Bible.

It's the epic battle

between God and Satan.

And we know Satan's objective

is crystal clear

to oppose Christ

and destroy the church.

Well, chapter 12

has been written

to remind us

in no uncertain terms

that God has the final victory

over Satan

and we can have assurance

that this victory

is ours too.

God has the final victory

over Satan

and we can have assurance

that this victory

is ours too.

So we're going to look

at three things.

There's three main scenes here

as we look at these characters.

We're going to see

Satan's promised defeat,

Jesus' triumphant victory,

and the church's guaranteed protection.

So first, scene one,

Satan's promised defeat.

Now to begin,

we need to go back

to an earlier true story.

Let's go back

to the beginning of the Bible,

to Genesis chapter 3.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

So find your way back.

It's the first book in the Bible,

Genesis chapter 3.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

And here we see

God's promise

to defeat Satan.

God had made a good

and beautiful world.

Adam and Eve

were the first man

and first woman,

God's image bearers

who were representing

God's rule

over the entire earth.

But as we go

to the Garden of Eden,

lurking in the shadows

was none other

than that snake,

Satan.

And with an enticing lie,

he proposed to Adam and Eve,

you can be like God.

You can rule your own life.

And with cunning deceit,

he promised,

you won't die.

The desire for self-rule

was too great

and Adam and Eve

disobeyed their loving creator

which unleashed

God's judgment on the world,

the curse of death.

But that wasn't the end,

was it?

God made a promise

to undo the curse

and put things right.

And we can read about

that promise here.

Genesis chapter 3,

Genesis 3:14

verse 14.

So after these events,

the Lord God said to the snake,

because you have done this,

because you have deceived

the man and woman,

cursed are you above all livestock

and all wild animals.

You will crawl on your belly

and you will eat dust

all the days of your life.

And I will put enmity

between you,

Satan,

and the woman,

between your offspring

and her offspring.

And he will crush your head

and you will strike his heel.

God promised that a seed

from the woman,

one of her offspring,

a son would come

who would crush

the head of Satan.

But Satan would strike out.

Yes, he will be crushed,

but not before he delivers

a striking blow.

That's the promise

at the beginning of this Bible,

the true story.

And that promise

will be worked out

through every page,

through God's people,

Israel.

From the line of Abraham,

a child would be born

who would come

and crush Satan.

Now as we follow the promise,

we discover that this promised son

would also be God's king.

Have a look with me

to Psalm 2.

Psalm 2.

We're making some big jumps

as we follow the promise of God

through the Bible.

Psalm 2.

Psalm 2 is all about the nations

plotting the downfall

and the destruction

of God's promised king.

Just as Satan had caused Adam

to rebel against God's rule,

so the conflict continues.

We can imagine Satan

still lurking in the background.

Psalm 2, verse 1.

Psalms 2:1

Why do the nations conspire

and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth rise up

and the rulers band together

against who?

Against the Lord

and against his anointed,

saying,

let us break their chains

and throw off their shackles.

We don't need God.

Let us live as we please

and be God's ourselves.

But look at God's response,

verse 4.

The one enthroned in heaven

laughs.

The Lord scoffs at them.

He rebukes them in his anger

and he terrifies them

in his wrath,

saying,

I have installed my king

on Zion,

my holy mountain.

And look what God says

the king will do

to those who oppose him.

Look at the end of verse 9.

You will break them

with a rod of iron

and you will dash them

to pieces like pottery.

God's promised son

would be a king

who would crush his enemies

and rule over all things

and all peoples.

Is God going to make good

on his promise?

Well, let's go back

to Revelation chapter 12.

Revelation 12 · chapter mention

You see,

there is the promised son

and there is the great defeat.

The promise is fulfilled.

You see,

the vision of Revelation 12

is the fulfillment

of God's promise.

The woman in the vision

represents the people of God

through whom the promised son

would come.

The dragon, of course,

is none other than Satan.

And the son

is Jesus himself.

Look at verse 5

of Revelation 12.

She will give birth

to a son,

a male child,

who will rule

all the nations

with an iron scepter.

That quote

comes from

Psalm 2,

which we just read.

Jesus is

the promised king,

God's son

who would come

to crush

Satan's head.

Jesus came

to slay

the dragon

and the way

in which

Satan will defeat

or the way

in which

Satan will be

defeated

is through

the work

of Jesus.

Look very closely

at verse 5.

It clearly speaks

about the birth

of a son.

She will give birth

to a male child.

It also speaks

about the

ascension of Jesus.

Her child

was snatched up

to God

and to his throne.

Now,

in between

these two events,

the birth

of Jesus

and the

ascension

of Jesus,

we have the

death

and the

resurrection

of Jesus.

Now,

John doesn't

mention them

here,

but he wants

us to see

in verse 5

that the

whole work

and ministry

of Jesus

is in view.

In other words,

Satan is

crushed,

the dragon

is slayed,

the devil

is defeated

by the work

of Jesus.

He's coming

into the world

as the God-man,

the one

who lived

the perfect

life,

who never

failed

under temptation,

who never

sinned.

And when

Jesus died,

it seemed

like Satan

had won.

As Jesus

was crucified,

it looked

like it was

over,

but it was

just a

strike

to the

heel.

Because as

Jesus rose

from the

dead,

he proved

his victory

over Satan.

He crushed

Satan's

head.

So God

promised

the defeat

of Satan.

And God

through Jesus

has fulfilled

that promise.

Jesus is

now reigning

and ruling

in heaven

over all

things

and all

people,

even

Satan

himself.

So

Satan's

promised

defeat.

The second

theme

is

Jesus'

triumphant

victory.

The death

and resurrection

of Jesus

was decisive.

It signalled

the defeat

and the

undoing

of Satan.

And when

these events

happened,

as Jesus

died and

as he

rose,

it unleashed

at that

very moment

an almighty

conflict

in heaven.

Look at

verse 7.

Then war

broke out

in heaven.

Now,

as I read

these verses,

I often

thought,

well,

this is

referring to

Satan's

initial

rebellion

against God,

kind of

somewhere way

back at the

beginning of

the story.

And maybe

in some

ways we

can read

it like

this,

but I

think it's

saying that

when

Jesus

died

and rose,

verse 7,

then war

broke out

in heaven.

Michael

and his

angels

fought

against

the

dragon

and the

dragon

and his

angels

fought

back,

but he

wasn't

strong

enough

and they

lost

their

place

in heaven.

The

great

dragon

was

hurled

down,

that

ancient

snake

called

the

devil

or

Satan

who

leads

the

whole

world

astray.

He

was

hurled

to

the

earth

and

his

angels

with

him.

So

it

seems

that

even

though

Satan

is a

fallen

angel,

he

still

had

access

to

God

and

he

was

still

roaming

around

in

heaven.

That's

what the

text is

telling us.

Look at the

end of

verse 10

and think of

where he

is.

For the

accuser of

our brothers

and sisters

who accuses

them

before

our God

day and

night

has been

hurled

down.

Satan

is there

in heaven

accusing

God's

people

but now

because of

Jesus'

victory

he has

been

hurled

down.

He

has

been

thrown

out.

Two

things will

help us

to see

this.

First,

Jesus'

victory

over

Satan.

As

Satan

was

defeated

and

removed,

look at

verse 10,

then I

heard a

voice in

heaven

say,

now have

come the

salvation

and the

power and

the kingdom

of our

God and

the authority

of his

Messiah.

Victory

has now

been achieved.

Why?

For the

accuser of

our brothers

and sisters

who accuses

them before

our God

day and

night

has been

hurled

down.

I want

us to

picture for

a moment

heaven

as a

courtroom.

Imagine

the scene.

Seated

in the

dock,

the

defendants

are

God's

people.

And up

stands the

chief

prosecutor,

Satan.

He

begins to

accuse

God's

people,

before

God,

highlighting

their

sin,

presenting

their

failures.

Day and

night,

he never

ever stops

accusing,

piling up

all the

evidence of

disobedience.

And then

when all

seems lost,

when judgment

is about to

be announced,

someone

comes rushing

into the

courtroom,

them,

now have

come the

salvation and

the power of

the kingdom

of our

God and

the authority

of his

Messiah.

Jesus has

won.

Jesus has

been judged

for their

sin.

Jesus has

been condemned

for their

failures.

He has

died their

death and

he has

defeated sin's

penalty by

rising from

the grave.

death.

And at

that very

moment,

Satan's

accusations

are torn

in shreds.

They no

longer stand.

They no

longer count.

He is hurled

out of the

courtroom

forever.

The chief

prosecutor

has been

booted out

and his

powers have

been taken

from him.

Satan has

been kicked

out once

and for

all, never

to return

and never

to accuse

again.

He has

been hurled

down.

What a

wonderful

victory.

And the

good news

is that

victory can

be ours

too.

The victory

over Satan

is our

victory.

Look at

verse 11

with me.

they

triumphed

over him.

Well,

who's

they?

Who's

triumphed?

Well,

look back

at just

at the

end of

verse 10

where it

talks about

the accuser

of our

brothers and

sisters.

They

have

triumphed

over

Satan.

The church,

God's

people have

triumphed.

How?

By the

blood of

the Lamb

and by

the word

of their

testimony.

You see,

Jesus

won the

victory

and that

victory

now becomes

ours as

we trust

in the

blood of

the Lamb.

As we

look to

Jesus,

as we

see him

die on

the cross,

it's as if

I am

saying,

Jesus is

being judged

for me.

Jesus is

being condemned

for my

failure.

Jesus is

accused in

my place.

He is

treated as

guilty for

me.

You see,

as I trust

in Jesus,

as I claim

his death

for me,

I am free

from accusation

forever.

The battle

has been won.

The victory

is ours.

And this

is something

that God's

people should

celebrate,

verse 12.

Therefore,

rejoice,

you heavens,

and you

who dwell

in them.

It's as if

we should

stop right

now and

start singing

songs of

praise and

celebration for

the victory

that's been

achieved for

you and

for me.

But,

Jesus has

crushed

Satan's

head.

The dragon

has been

slayed.

But,

look at the

rest of

verse 12.

Woe to

the earth

and the

sea because

the devil

has gone

down to

you.

He is

filled with

fury because

he knows

that his

time is

short.

Satan

may be

defeated,

but he

is not

yet

surrendered.

he is

still

opposed to

Christ and

his church,

but he

hasn't waved

the white

flag.

The conflict

goes on,

but hear

this,

God's

people,

the church,

are still

protected.

Which brings

us to the

third scene,

the church's

guaranteed

protection.

having been

defeated by

Jesus,

Satan now

moves his

point of

attack.

Look at

verse 13.

When the

dragon saw

that he had

been hurled

to the

earth,

he pursued

the woman

who had

given birth

to the

male child.

The woman

represents,

as we've

been saying,

all of

God's

people,

the church.

This is

clear from

verse 17.

Look down

with me to

verse 17.

Then the

dragon was

enraged at

the woman

and went

off to

wage war

against the

rest of

her offspring.

And who

are her

offspring?

Those who

keep God's

commands and

hold fast to

their testimony

about Jesus.

They're God's

people,

the church,

people like

you and

me.

And Satan

is angry.

He is

mad.

He hates

Jesus and

he hates

those who

follow him.

In fact,

look back at

the end of

verse 12.

He's filled

with fury

because he

knows that

his time

is short.

He has

been defeated.

The battle

has been won

but he

hasn't yet

surrendered.

And he

knows that

it's only a

matter of

time before

he is thrown

into the

lake of fire

to be

tormented

forever and

ever.

He knows

his days

are numbered

so he

is hell

bent on

destroying

the church.

So we

need to be

aware of

Satan's

attack.

Look at

verse 17.

It's

clear,

clear,

isn't it?

Satan is

waging a

war against

God's

people.

He is

at war

with

Carigoline

Baptist

Church right

now.

He hates

you.

But let

us not

remember,

let us not

forget that

he's been

defeated.

The dragon

has been

slayed.

Satan has

been

disarmed.

He presents

himself as

threatening

and dangerous

but he

has no

weapons.

He can

snort and

he can

snarl but

the smoke

and the

fire have

been

extinguished.

All he

can do

is lie,

deceive

and tempt.

It may

seem harmless,

I mean,

what's a

lie?

What's a

temptation?

But if

we listen

to his

lies,

we begin

to doubt

our

salvation

and question

our

security

and we

will live

a life

as if

we

have

been

crushed.

Look,

when I

sin,

and I'm

not the

only one

in this

room who

does that,

I immediately

feel the

accusation of

Satan.

I become

very conscious

of his

judgment.

He might

not stand

before God

any longer

but he

presents himself

to me

highlighting

my sin

and reminds

me of

my failure.

He presents

his case

and ashamed

to say it,

the evidence

piles up

in front

of me.

Johnny,

you call

yourself a

Christian?

You think

God loves

you?

You want

to serve

in the

church?

Johnny,

you're a

fake and

you're a

fraud.

How can

God forgive

you again?

You think

he loves

you?

He's given

up on you

and you

might as

well give

up.

we can

feel quite

small

before a

dragon.

We can

get weighed

down by

guilt and

shame.

And our

response is

to sneak

off to the

sides and

hide in

the shadows.

Pull back

and believe

his lies and

go, no,

I can't

serve in

the church.

I can't

do that.

Look at

my life.

And his

accusations

crushes.

us.

We don't

open up

our Bible

because we

think, yeah,

I am a

fraud.

But it's

all deception.

It's all

deception.

Yes, I

have sinned.

But guess

what?

It's all

forgiven

sin.

It's all

paid for

sin.

In that

moment and

throughout our

daily lives,

we need to

remember that

Jesus has

defeated

Satan.

His powers

to accuse

and condemn

are broken.

He has

no weapon.

He's been

disarmed.

He may

snort and

snarl at you,

but the

fire that he

breathes out

has been

extinguished.

Peter talks

about him

being like a

prowling lion,

looking for

someone to

devour.

Well, it's

as if

the lion,

his fangs

have been

taken out

and all he

can give you

is a wet,

slobbery

munch.

He cannot

do anything

to you.

You see,

when the

attack comes,

we need to

remember our

protection.

Did you

notice that

when the

attack comes,

in Revelation

12,

there's

always

deliverance?

Look at

verse 13.

When the

dragon saw

that he

had been

hurled to

the earth,

he pursued

the woman

who had

given birth

to the

male child.

The woman

was given

the wings

of a

great eagle

so that

she might

fly to

the place

prepared for

her in

the wilderness

where she

would be

taken care

of for

a time,

times,

and half

a time,

out of

the snake's

reach,

the woman,

God's

people,

the church,

will be

protected.

Now,

to help us

grasp this

and to

get the

most out

of it,

we need

to understand

the symbolism

and the

imagery here.

First,

look with me

at the

symbolism.

We're told

that the

church will

be taken

care of

for a

time,

times,

and

half a

time.

Well,

what's

all that

about?

Well,

a time

is

considered

to be

a year,

so a

time,

times,

half a

time is

equal to

three and

a half

years.

It's the

same length

of time

that was

mentioned

in verse

six.

Have a look

back at

verse six

and again

note the

way in

which they

are delivered.

the woman

fled into

the wilderness

to a

place prepared

for her

by God

where she

might be

taken care

of for

1260

days.

Now,

there are

1260

days in

three and

a half

years,

so these

two numbers

are talking

about the

same time

frame.

And I

think here

the time

frame that

it's

representing

or symbolising

is from

the resurrection

of Jesus

to the

return of

Jesus.

So all

people who

live in

that time,

who have

trusted in

Jesus and

who are

waiting on

his return

will be

protected by

Jesus.

We do

not need

to fear

Satan.

We will

be protected.

Now look

at the

imagery.

In

verse 6

and in

verse 14

we're

told that

they were

taken into

the wilderness

for protection.

Now why

would he say

they're taken

into the

wilderness?

It doesn't

sound a very

protective place,

does it?

A desert.

Well,

remember the

account of

the Exodus.

God's

people.

Remember the

account?

They were in

slavery under

the cruel

tyrant

Pharaoh.

And God

heard their

cry and

rescued them.

He delivered

them.

In fact,

God defeated

their enemy.

He crushed

Pharaoh and

his enemies.

God opened

up the Red

Sea to let

his people

cross.

But when

Pharaoh came

chasing after

with his

armies,

remember the

sea came in

on top of

them and

destroyed

them.

And as

they went

through the

Red Sea,

so they

entered into

the wilderness

and they

travelled and

they made

their way to

the promised

land.

And as

they travelled,

God protected

them and

provided for

them.

He gave

them food and

water.

He was a

cloud by day

from which they

could follow,

a fire by night.

his presence

amongst them.

In fact,

in Exodus,

that whole

event is

summarised like

this, as

God spoke to

his people.

You

yourselves have

seen what I

did to Egypt

and how I

carried you on

eagles' wings

and brought

you to

myself.

Now, can

you begin to

see the

imagery?

Look again

at verse

14.

The woman

was given

the two

wings of

a great

eagle, so

that she

might fly

to the

place prepared

for her

in the

wilderness.

You see,

as God's

people, we

have been

rescued from

a cruel

tyrant,

Satan

himself.

Our enemy

has been

crushed and

defeated.

the promised

land awaits

us.

The new

heavens and

the new

earth is

coming, but

right now

today, we

are walking

through the

wilderness.

And as we

travel, we

are guaranteed

God's protection

and care.

He will walk

with us.

He will

provide for

us.

The dragon

may confront

us.

He may

frighten us

and scare

us, but

we are

safe and

secure.

Yes,

opposition

will come.

Yes,

persecution

will be

experienced.

Yes, there

will be

suffering and

struggles.

Yes, we

all will

fail and

fall.

But as

we walk

through our

wilderness

years, God

has us in

his hands.

Our

salvation is

secure.

Our hope

remains.

The

guarantees of

the new

heaven and

new earth

are kept

for us.

He will

bring us

through.

He will

carry you

on eagle's

wings

wings and

will carry

you to

himself.

So in

our journey,

can I

encourage us

to remind

each other

as we

walk along

that we

don't walk

alone.

We walk

together as

an army of

God's people

singing the

song that

Satan is

defeated,

Jesus is

victorious,

and the

church

is

protected.

Let's

pray

together.