Presentation 09
Presentation 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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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War On Earth [12:13-17]
The final assault of the dragon is described in v1317. 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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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