The Woman and the Child

Have your Bibles with you turn with me if you would Revelation chapter 12.

Look at verses 1 to 6 this morning and a great sign appeared in heaven a woman closed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars.

She was pregnant was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. Another sign appeared in heaven. Behold a great red dragon with seven heads and 10 horns on his head. 7.dams his tail swept down 1/3 of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth and the dragon stood before the woman who is about to give birth, so that when she bore her child.

She might he might devour it. 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. The woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God, which she is to be nourished for 1260 days that with me as we go to our Lord in prayer.

Heavenly father, we come before your throne today to praise you to thank you to express our gratitude Lord that you have called us as your children saved us through the blood of Jesus Christ filled us with the Holy Spirit of God called us to be a people who would worship you help us father day that we might worship you through this message. Heavenly father may we understand that part of worship is spiritual warfare and Lord as we look at our enemy. Today we pray that you would give us wisdom and how to do the spiritual warfare that you've called us to do heavenly father may Christ be glorified through this message today. May this congregation be edified and will be sure to give you praise and honor and glory for all you do for us and it's Jesus precious and holy name we pray. Amen. You may be seated.

Today we start the second half of the book of Revelation as I shared with you last week. The book of Revelation was not written that it might be understood chronologically, but it's broken down into seven different divisions seven chapter divisions and H chapter division is a picture of the church age. From the first coming of Christ to the second coming of Christ. Every section of Scripture is that same picture is given to us from different angles, different perspectives and with a different emphasis.

Then as you finish them all. You take the whole 22 chapters and you have a perfect picture of the church age. From the first coming of Christ to the second last week we ended with a Chapter 11 and we heard the sounding of the last trump that announced the second coming of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of the just and unjust. The incoming of the eternal state. And God ending history. Today we start the fourth chapter to be chapter division chapters 12 through 14 and what is what we see going on here we see the birth of the Messiah only say this before we get started. When you study the book of love Revelation, you will come to understand very quickly that this is a book about war. I remember back in 1991 when Saddam Hussein was threatening Israel and threatening the United States and in the United States was kind of pushed into a a war to try to a stop. Iraq's aggression and I can remember Pres. George H Bush at that time getting on television and sharing with us that the US had kinda been pushed into a corner and that we had no recourse about to go to war and to fight to stop racks aggression and then Pres. Bush begin to spend some time explaining to us.

St. Augustine's theory of the just war. He told us how important it was to fight a war, but it had to be a just war and let me share with you what what St. Augustine who was a great theologian live background 400 A.D. I'll let me share with you what he said. I'm paraphrase this.

He said the just war theory means that one should not engage in a war unless it would cause more damage not to fight it, and if you engage in a war. It should be for some compelling reason or just calls the war should not be any more destructive than necessary to achieve it. CNN's that that is been the consistent view of the Catholic Church and the Protestant church since the days of Augustine and yet sometimes it still very difficult to figure out whether or not the calls is just as we get into the first six verses today of Revelation chapter 12, you were going to see that the Scripture teaches us that we are in a holy war and I want you to understand that there is never a time when you and I is God's children are engaged in this holy war that it is not just it is always just.

And it is absolutely necessary. This war has been raging since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and eight of the forbidden fruit votes. We have an enemy who hates God who hates God's children with such a vile anger that it's hard to even conceive how much he hates us and when a child of God comes our person comes into the kingdom and becomes a child of God. That child of God is immediately in the battle. He has no choice but to to be in the battle. He can't sit on the sidelines and and be neutral and passive. We have a few passages of Scripture that teach us that second Corinthians 10 336 for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ that that in heaven or a readiness to revenge all disobedience when obedience is fulfilled, and then in an Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 to 12 Paul said finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you might stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities and rules of darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places first half of the book of Revelation is focused primarily on the victory of the Lamb of God over his enemies. The second part of the book of Revelation is focused on us, who is us. It's the people of God, the bride of Christ and folks, we need to understand that the second part of Revelation that we are entering into day is a manual of warfare and we need to understand this, that although there may be tribulation and trial and persecution and even martyrdom. The bride of Christ is going to win and we are winning right now what you are experiencing in spiritual warfare. In this day and time is preparing you for the marriage supper of the Lamb no one to share with you today. Three points from these six verses the first point is the woman and the child who could make verses one into a great sign appeared in heaven. Woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and all her head a crown of 12 stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.

So John starts off by telling us not to read this passage with the literal interpretation he says it was a great sign in heaven. The word sign is a Greek word semi on and that word means symbol or type or picture payee could have said it this way, when you interpret this passage of Scripture interpret it symbolically. And guess who the Roman Catholic Church says that the woman is the Roman Catholic Church takes literal interpretation here and they say that the woman is Mary that Mary is the one who gave birth to the son of God.

That is absolutely true at as a virgin she gave birth to Jesus Christ, the son of God but yet that's not the whole picture and who this woman is that this woman is much bigger than that.

It's not just marry this woman is bigger what how is she described she's described this way she is clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars is that statement bring you back to anything that you ever read in the Old Testament. What should it come from Genesis chapter 37 and verse nine. It comes from the dream of Jacob and and and and and and remember what Woody said.

Then he drained another dream and told it to his brothers and said, behold, I dreamed another dream all the sun, the moon and the 11 stars were bowing down to me as 12 star was Joseph himself. This is a picture of the 12 tribes of Israel who came from the seed of Jacob that came from the seed of Isaac that came from the seed of Abraham, who is this woman, this woman is the Old Testament believers the Old Testament children of God, but the woman is not just the Old Testament believers. It goes deeper than that. She is not just Old Testament Israel. She is also New Testament Israel, which is the church. Do you remember when we were studying last week the the 20 the 24 elders and who do they represent that 12 of them represented the patriarchs. The Old Testament people of God and then 12 of them represented the apostles the New Testament people of God. So, who do they represent. These people that these this passage. This vision these elders and and this woman here in Revelation chapter 12 represent what I represent all the believers for all time. All the believers from the time of Adam all the way down through history until that last person comes to Christ before the second coming of Jesus and the woman represents the same thing that the 24 elders do, but this is a beautiful thing about covenant theology covenant theology tells us that there is not too peoples of God. There is one people of God. And there's only one way of salvation, and there always have been that we are saved by grace through faith plus nothing and there's one primary purpose for the people of God for all times and that is that we might glorify God and enjoy him forever. You see that the Old Testament people of God will came to Christ in faith. They didn't know Christ yet but they were looking forward to the promise of the Messiah. They were looking forward in faith to the cross and his New Testament believers. What do we do. We are looking backward. We were looking backward in faith to the cross. The woman is not Mary, the woman is not just Old Testament Israel.

The woman is Old Testament Israel and New Testament Israel, the church. All the believers from the first person that came to know Christ. Adam all the way down to the last person that comes to know Christ before Jesus returns listener Richard Phillips words in a war started by mankind Spalding to see in childbearing always involves painful travail. So it is for the covenant mother she was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and agony of giving birth. This statement summarizes the entire history of Israel with all of her travails, until finally the long promised Messiah was born Douglas Kelly writes.

Old Testament Israel was pregnant with Christ for thousands of years Israel's B and uses the womb from which the Messiah would be born.

Isaiah wrote like a pregnant woman who rising cries out in her pains when she is near to giving birth. So were we. Because of you, oh Lord, vision of the heavenly woman reminds us of the mission of the church.

She is clothed in light and we are to shine forth with the light of God's word. She is holy. We are to be conformed not to the world, but to the character of our Lord.

Her mission is to deliver Christ in our mission is to proclaim him as Lord and Savior church does not exist to provide a variety of human services to the world but the calls Christ to be born in sinners hearts so that they may be saved. The church is the mother to God's covenant children and we are to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord .2 is the Dragon. Look at verses three and four them will drop down to verse nine and another sign appeared in heaven. Behold a great red dragon with seven heads and 10 horns, and on his heads seven died, dams his tail swept down 1/3 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. The great dragon was thrown down the 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 anytime there's a discussion of why we see in while we fail.

While we don't glorify God. We like to take the approach that flip Wilson took why I did that because the devil made me do it I'm you normally a good person but I stole that money are cheated on my wife or I hit that person that I shouldn't have because the devil made me do it now we know that's a copout. We know that's just kind of the joke that flip Wilson came up with this result, we tend to dismiss Satan is a joke or a silly thought or childish way to express what evil is. We want reviews. Satan is a as a cartoon character with a red suit and a pointed tail Linda and a pitchfork and focus when we do that we talk our sales in the doubting the seriousness of a literal Satan and the seriousness of genuine spiritual warfare. When John writes this section of Revelation chapter 12, you can rest assured of this. He was not laughing. Here's a man who knows the Lord Jesus in a deeper and sweeter and more intimate way that I think any other person will face the earth at that particular time.

By this time, he writes this. All the other apostles have already died and John remember sitting there with Jesus and and is Jesus tells him about the temptations that he experienced by Satan in the wilderness he remembers watching Jesus test demons out of people and set them free. He remembers hearing Jesus say that Hale was prepared for the devil and his angels. In verse nine. John describes this Satan is that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, you cannot take the Bible seriously without acknowledging the reality of the personal the personal and powerful spirit who is the enemy of Christ and his church, the devil first appears in our Bible as a serpent, and the garden of Eden exists evenings tempted Adam and Eve to break God's command and when they do that the whole human race is plunged into sin. As a consequence of that there was discipline upon Satan. In Genesis chapter 3 verse 15 God said this to Satan.

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between her seed and her seed now who is the seed of the woman.

The seed of the woman is Jesus Christ. And all those that are he is the seed of the serpent is Satan and all those who reject Christ and do not love him. Then God said to Satan, you shall bruise his heel. But he will crush your head, Peter describes Satan as a rowing line, seeking whom he may devour. Jesus describes Satan as a thief that cometh not, but to kill, steal and destroy. John chapter 8 verse 44 Jesus said, you have your you are of the devil, and the lust of your father you will do.

He was a murderer from the beginning abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. Paul described him in Ephesians chapter 2 verse two is the prince of the power of the air as the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience. Notice in verse four that his tail he is Satan's tail swept down 1/3 of the stars in heaven, and cast them to the earth now quarter the stars go back Revelation chapter 1 you see the stars of angels.

These were third of the angels that were with God and and Lucifer in heaven at that particular time loser with Lucifer was a archangel and 1/3 of the angels in heaven rebelled against God was Satan and recast down to this earth and these are the demons that carry out Satan's plans in his agenda today in this passage John portrays Satan is a powerful Dragon is a monster of a billion who is just pure evil. He hates God hates God's people he loves wickedness.

His color is red, which represents his love for death and his love for bloodshed. He has seven heads and only seven heads are seven died. DM's this points to his faults rule over earthly kingdoms onto the listen, the Lucifer's boast in in Isaiah chapter 14 and Isaiah 14. He is claiming that he has greater power than God, that he is the ultimate power and he is greater than God Almighty God said this about Lucifer how you are fallen from heaven O'Day*son of Dawn, how you are cut to the ground. You laid the nations load you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven above the stars of God.

I will set my throne on high. I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the North. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the most high books. There has never been a greater deceiver, Satan cannot make you sin, but he can deceive you into believing that the sin will be worth the cost.

I will never forget the incident that took place here in our church several years ago now where a family called Eugene and I to come to their house was the to something terrible had happened. We got there we found out that the the husband had been involved in an adulterous affair. And it is just come out. The wife open the door.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks hands were shaking like a leaf looked at the children. The children were just crying.

They know what the world was going on.

We looked over on the floor and there was a husband just balled up in a fetal position and he was weeping like a baby. He had believe the lie that an affair would be worth the cost.

It was not worth the cost and if that man at that point in time could have pushed back the clock and if he could've said to that woman know we will not do this. I love my wife and I love my children.

I do not look them devastated and I will not believe the deceptive live. Satan I will honor God tail husbands we ought to frequently go back to Genesis chapter 39 and read that chapter to chapter where the beautiful Miss Potter for Potiphar's wife tries to seduce young Joseph and she comes to him with all of her enticements and Joseph looks at her and he said how can I see him against your husband and against my great God no, he said any took off, literally ran out of that house.

Joseph was young he was single and he was lonely and yet he still said no brothers and sisters, we can say no hail by refusing to believe Satan's deception by having a resolved down in our heart empowered by the Holy Spirit to say no to Satan's deception. Jesus said that Satan was a liar and the father of lies. Everything he says or does is field with deception and Satan is such a deceiver that he's even deceived himself these dye dams that are on his header died. The M's of his own making.

His kingdom is illegitimate. His kingdom is just temporary. GK Bill said this describes Satan as the evil angelic guide for corrupt kings, nations and kingdoms.

This would include the Roman empire and its Caesar's who wanted to be worshiped as God as well is more modern examples that often come in the form of humanistic societies and governments who treat God in his word and his people with disdain, and persecute them.

Satan remembers the curse that God put up in him that he will he will crush your head, he will destroy you and Satan did everything in his power to stop that from happening. What did he do Revelation 12 verse four says, and the dragon stood before the woman was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child, he might devour it.

That brings to mind immediately. What he care Inc. King Herod the great did when he ordered that all the baby boys and in Bethlehem be killed that were under two years old was he trying to do. He knew that Jesus would be born of the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and so we thought kill all the babies and surely I'll get the Messiah but you know it didn't even start their goes all the way back to Cain and Abel were inside. He came to kill his brother Abel to try to stop the messianic bloodline and then he he incited the Pharaoh to kill the Hebrew baby boys to try to stop the messianic bloodline and then he went to Satan went today to solve any encouraged Saul to try to kill David to try to stop the Davidic bloodline and then he entered into Haman, Andy, and he got Haman to come up with this plot.

This agenda to destroy the entire Jewish race. If, for what purpose to stop the Messiah from the unborn and then as I said with King Herod the great and the massacre of the baby boys in Bethlehem. Then Satan's ploy to kill the Messiah when he couldn't keep them from being born.

He tried to killing and what did he do he and or Judas Iscariot to get Judas to betray Jesus.

And then he entered the Jewish religious leaders to get them to falsely accuse Jesus and any entered Pontius Pilate to getting order the crucifixion of Christ. I took Jesus and they nailed him to a cross and Satan believe that that was his greatest victory and three days later he came to understand, for there was a rude awakening. Jesus rose from the dead, and in so doing sealed Satan's doom. First Corinthians chapter 2 verse nine says if the princes of this world had known what they were doing they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. And that's true all through history. Satan is raged with a murderous purpose.

A murderous intent focused on one thing destroy the Messiah in order that your diminutive evil might continue, folks.

It did not work. It could not work and it will not work .3 the child who will rule. Look at verses 5 to 6 she gave birth to a male child who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God in which she is to be nourished for 1260 days this thing.

Johnny wrote the book of Revelation also wrote the three epistles of John in first John chapter 3 verse eight he said this the reason the son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. When Jesus died on the cross. He raised a cried out from the cross to tell your sty paid in full. What did that mean that meant that the the root. The payment for our sin debt was complete totally completely paid off and our sins were forgiven because of what Jesus did for us on the cross of Calvary. What did that mean that meant that the gates of hail could not prevail against the church at that time the church was given a new commission a new commission to take the gospel, not just Israel but to the entire world that all might hear that Jesus Christ died for sinners. Now the church would evangelize.

Now the spirit of God would reach down into the hearts of people from all over the world and bring conviction of sin, and regenerate and bring people to Christ and people from all over the world from every tribe, kindred tongue and nation would come to know this. Jesus and where is Jesus. During this time Jesus is in heaven and he is ruling us from their look at verse five verse five says her child was called up to God and his throne.

What is that that's the ascension of Christ.

That's where Christ left this earth, that he might rule in rain from heaven and that's where we are right now Christ is in heaven raining and ruling. We are here on this earth, we are doing what our purpose is to carry the gospel to a lost and hurting world and what's happening people from every tribe kindred night kindred tongue and nation are coming to know Christ as Lord and Savior was happening was Satan. Scripture tells us that he is bound during the church age.

But he is bound only in his ability to deceive the nations. He can't stop the gospel from going out but he is still very active and he is a great war with the church. Verse six is in the woman. The church fled in the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God in which he is to be nourished for 1260 days, we give you three quick applications for this verse number one. Christians must not think of this world is our home. We cannot think of this. This world is our home for now is the time of our wilderness journey.

This is a time of testing for us as believers.

John 1519 says if you were of this world, the world would love you as its own, but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you are calling is not to slay the dragon. That's the Lord's calling our calling is to stand against him.

How do we stand against Satan and spiritual warfare we stand against him. First of all, by refusing to compromise by the power the Holy Spirit and second by saturated our heart with the word of God so that we won't be deceived so that we will know what the truth is the second application emphasizes God's care for the woman who fled into the wilderness and who is that that's the church is the church and the promise is that the Lord will nourish us for 1260 days and we see that all the way through the book of Revelation 1260 days 3 1/2 years 42 months.

Same thing but all the way from Genesis all the way through revelation that particular time.

His representative of a time of trial and deep deep persecution and tribulation.

Now sometimes there is deeper persecution in different places the world than at other times, but in that time period immediately preceding the second coming of Christ. There is going to be a deeper time of tribulation than the world has ever seen before. So how was the hat I was the Lord and to protect us during this time, the Scripture says that we, the woman is going to be nourished during this time by God, would she do. She teaches the Lord teaches us how to separate ourselves from the world and have not get called up in our culture. The safety that he's referring to their is a spiritual safety of physical safety, but a spiritual safety audit. Thirdly, we must remember that our enemy is a defeated foe a close with Richard Phillips illustration. He said an analogy is drawn between Christians in the church age 20, Christ conquering death and resurrection and his glorious triumphal return and the situation of the Allied armies between the Normandy landings on D-Day in 1944 and the final end of the war. On the day in 1945 when Eisenhower's armies landed in France on D-Day. There was no longer any doubt that World War II would be one. The decisive blow had been struck in the war needed only to be pursued with vigor for the enemy to collapse the German generals were quite aware that in many of them sought to bring about surrender as soon as possible.

Yet the war raged on for many more months many bloodied battles had to be fault, but those battles were fought by victorious army who knew that their calls was already one what a difference this knowledge makes in our fight is Christians, the child of the woman has come, he has conquered sin and Satan on the cross and risen to heaven with his father.

These promise to return and end the war in total victory, there are still battles some of them bloodied and painful that God's people must fight you and I must take hard stands that may prove costly, but we stand for Jesus not only grateful for his love, but certain of his victory in the end. Does that excite your soul that excites my soul that I know. Not only does Jesus love me, but he has promised me that there is victory and there will always be victory was probably heavenly father we thank you and praise you for your precious word of this book of Revelation is so filled with glorious truths and yet Lord is also filled with with things that are almost frightening to us as we look at at the prophecies Lord that have to do with the last days in the tribulation, that is before us. Heavenly father, we would pray that you would help us, that we might so trust Christ that we would go on and fight in boldness no matter what the cost. Lord, we know that that you have promised us a glorious future that we are going to be with you forever and whatever trouble we may be dealing with here in this life. Lord we need to look to eternity where all that will be behind us. And Lord, we will be with you forever got indirectness Lord in all that we do. May our lives bring you honor and glory and it is in the holy and precious name of Jesus that would pray, amen