{"id":30292,"date":"2024-03-07T22:00:30","date_gmt":"2024-03-08T05:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/revelation-11_1-19-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-02-27T17:16:17","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T00:16:17","slug":"revelation-12_1-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/revelation-12_1-17\/","title":{"rendered":"How You Overcome Satan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Revelation\u00a0 12:1-17\u00a0 \u00a0 (CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today’s passage is\u00a0Revelation 12:1-17.\u00a0 As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a012<\/em><\/strong>:<\/em><\/strong>1<\/em><\/strong>-2 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n1<\/sup>\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0A great and wondrous 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.\u00a0<\/em>
\n2\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses\u00a01-2:\u00a0 Who is this pregnant woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head?\u00a0 According to many commentators, the best interpretation is that the woman represents the nation of Israel.\u00a0 On what basis do commentators reach this conclusion?\u00a0 One reason is that for a Jew like John, an image of the sun, the moon and\u00a012\u00a0stars together would likely remind him of Joseph\u2019s dream in Genesis 37:9 where Joseph dreams of the sun (symbolizing his father Israel), the moon (symbolizing his mother Rachel) and 11 stars (symbolizing his brothers, the other sons of Israel) bowing down to him.\u00a0 The idea is that when John sees this woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet and a crown of\u00a012\u00a0stars on her head (representing the\u00a012\u00a0tribes of Israel), John would think of the nation of Israel.\u00a0 A second reason is that when you consider the entire vision John describes in this chapter and its meaning, the woman as a symbol for Israel seems to make the most sense.<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a012<\/em><\/strong>:3-4 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n3\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.\u00a0<\/em>
\n4\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0His 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 he might devour her child the moment it was born.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 3-4:\u00a0 Who is the red dragon with seven heads, ten horns and seven crowns on his heads (v3)?\u00a0 This is a picture of Satan, as verse 9 will explicitly confirm.\u00a0 When verse 4 describes how his tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to earth, many commentators believe that this is a reference to how before the world began Satan was cast out of heaven and took with him a third of the angels.\u00a0 Various other Scriptures in the Bible are said to speak of Satan\u2019s fall, such as Isaiah 14:12, Ezekiel 28, Jude\u00a01:6, and 2 Peter 2:4.<\/p>\n

Who is the child that Satan the dragon stands in front of the pregnant woman Israel to devour?\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at him in verse 5.<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a012<\/em><\/strong>:5 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0She 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 and to his throne.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 5:\u00a0 Who is the male child who is born and who will rule the nations with an iron scepter?\u00a0 The best interpretation is that this baby is the Messiah Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Earlier in\u00a0Revelation\u00a02:27, Jesus describes Himself as the One who \u201cwill rule them with an iron scepter\u201d.\u00a0 The picture of the child being snatched up to God and to His throne symbolizes Jesus\u2019 ascension back to heaven to the right hand of the throne of God.<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a012<\/em><\/strong>:6 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n6\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for\u00a0<\/em>1,260 days.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 6:\u00a0 Having failed to devour the Christ child, Satan the red dragon directs his anger at the woman (the nation of Israel), who flees to the desert to be protected for\u00a01,260 days.\u00a0 This time period of\u00a01,260 days, or 42 months, or 3.5 years, or \u201ca time, times, and half a time\u201d comes up often in\u00a0Revelation.\u00a0 In the book of Daniel, the prophet Daniel mentions this\u00a01,260 day time period in connection with a vision that the prophet Daniel has about the end times (Daniel\u00a012:7, 11).<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a012<\/em><\/strong>:7-9 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n7\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.<\/em>
\n8\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.\u00a0<\/em>
\n9\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0The great dragon was hurled down–that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 7-9:\u00a0 In Daniel\u00a012, the prophet Daniel has a vision of the end times where he sees the archangel Michael protecting God\u2019s people from attack.\u00a0 Here in\u00a0Revelation\u00a012, John has a similar vision of Michael and his angels fighting Satan the dragon in a great war.\u00a0 Satan loses the war and with it his place in heaven.\u00a0 He is hurled to the earth and his angels with him (v9).<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a012<\/em><\/strong>:10-<\/em><\/strong>12<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Then 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 Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.<\/em>
\n11\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0They overcame 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.\u00a0<\/em>
\n12<\/sup>\u00a0\u00a0Therefore 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.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 10-12:\u00a0 With Satan defeated, ousted from heaven and hurled down to earth, the salvation, power and kingdom of God and the authority of Jesus Christ the Son are fully established in heaven.\u00a0 In the great conflict between heaven and Satan, heaven wins and Satan loses.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, we learn something about Satan from this verse: he is an accuser of God\u2019s people.\u00a0 Verse 10 says that \u201cday and night\u201d Satan never stops accusing them before God.\u00a0 Though Satan has been defeated by God and knows his final destiny is to be destroyed, until that time Satan the accuser will do whatever he can to divert people away from the grace of God.\u00a0\u00a0So when you hear voices of accusation condemning you for the things you have done in the past for which you have already sought and received God\u2019s forgiveness, you know that it is not the Holy Spirit but Satan who is accusing you.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0In those situations,\u00a0you must remind Satan that you have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and that through Christ you are now forgiven, accepted, and righteous in God\u2019s sight.<\/strong>\u00a0That is how Christians can overcome Satan \u201cby the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony\u201d (v11).<\/strong>\u00a0 It is the blood of Jesus as well as our professed faith in His blood (our testimony) that give us victory over the enemy.<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a012<\/em><\/strong>:13-16 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.\u00a0<\/em>
\n14\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.\u00a0<\/em>
\n15\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.\u00a0<\/em>
\n16\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 13-16:\u00a0 Similar to what was stated in verse 6, verses 13-14 describe how Satan, having been ousted from heaven and being unable to hurt the Christ child, now directs his anger at the woman (the nation of Israel) who gave birth to Him.\u00a0 Yet the woman is given eagles\u2019 wings to fly to a place where she is protected and taken care of for \u201ca time, times and half a time\u201d (v14), or 3.5 years.\u00a0 It is not clear what exactly the water spewing from the serpent\u2019s mouth is meant to symbolize, but the general idea is that Israel is ultimately delivered from Satan’s attacks.<\/p>\n

As a number of commentators point out, it is puzzling that while Jews make up a tiny fraction of the world\u2019s population and while the nation of Israel sits on a tiny land with limited natural resources and few other economically valuable assets, nonetheless the Jews and the land of Israel have been the object of more hostility, hate and attack than possibly any other group in history.\u00a0 Verses like these help us to see why: throughout history Satan has had a personal agenda to destroy the Jewish nation.<\/p>\n

Revelation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a012<\/em><\/strong>:17 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n17\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring–those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 17:\u00a0 Not only is Satan\u2019s agenda to destroy the woman Israel, but also \u201cto make war against the rest of her offspring\u201d, that is, Christians (\u201cthose who obey God\u2019s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus\u201d).\u00a0 Satan\u2019s agenda is to kill, steal and destroy the church of Jesus Christ (see John 10:10), but praise God that by the blood of Jesus and the word of our testimony (i.e. our professed faith in Jesus), we have victory over Satan.<\/p>\n

Heavenly Father, both now and forever You reign victorious over Your enemy Satan.\u00a0 Though Satan\u2019s agenda remains to kill, steal and destroy Your people, thank You that through Jesus Christ, His precious blood and our faith in Him, we have victory over Satan too.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today’s passage is\u00a0Revelation 12:1-17.\u00a0 As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Revelation\u00a012:1-2 (NIV)\u00a0
\n1\u00a0\u00a0A great and wondrous 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.\u00a0
\n2\u00a0\u00a0She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.<\/p>\n

On verses\u00a01-2:\u00a0 Who is this pregnant woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head?\u00a0 According to many commentators, the best interpretation is that the woman represents the nation of Israel.\u00a0 On what basis do commentators reach this conclusion?\u00a0 One reason is that for a Jew like John, an image of the sun, the moon and\u00a012\u00a0stars together would likely remind him of Joseph\u2019s dream in Genesis 37:9 where Joseph dreams of the sun (symbolizing his father Israel), the moon (symbolizing his mother Rachel) and 11 stars (symbolizing his brothers, the other sons of Israel) bowing down to him.\u00a0 The idea is that when John sees this woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet and a crown of\u00a012\u00a0stars on her head (representing the\u00a012\u00a0tribes of Israel), John would think of the nation of Israel.\u00a0 A second reason is that when you consider the entire vision John describes in this chapter and its meaning, the woman as a symbol for Israel seems to make the most sense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30294,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30292"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30295,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30292\/revisions\/30295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}