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The Woman and The Dragon Rev 12:1 - 13:6
War In Heaven Rev 12:7 - 13:17
Revelation 12 & 13 introduce us to the three key
characters in the last half of the Tribulation, a "Satanic
Trinity" that opposes God:
(1) The Dragon - Satan
(2) The Beast From The Sea - Antichrist
(3) The Beast From The Earth - False Prophet
There are also three symbolic women that figure
prominently in the book of Revelation, one of which is
mentioned in chapter 12:
(1) The Woman Giving Birth - Israel (ch.12)
(2) The Harlot - Apostate World Church (ch.17)
(3) The Pure Bride - True Apostolic Church (ch.19)
John sees two wonders ("signs") in Heaven;
emphasizing history leading to the Tribulation:
(1) THE WOMAN GIVING BIRTH - ISRAEL
- Joseph's dream foreshadowed this (Gen. 37:9)
- A frequent type of Israel (Is. 26:17, 66:7-8)
- She gave birth to the Messiah (Rom. 9:5)
- Satan (ie: Herod) tried to kill Him (Matt. 2:16)
- Jesus will rule all nations (Rev. 12:5, 19:15)
- result of persecution in middle of Tribulation:
flight to wilderness (Matt. 24:16) for 42 months
- this will be the worst anti-Semitism the world
has ever seen, but God will protect a remnant!
- only 1/3 of Israel will survive! (Zech. 13:8-9)
(2) THE GREAT RED DRAGON - SATAN
- positively Satan (v.9); "Dragon" 13X in book
- 7 heads = 7 mountains (Rev. 17:9)
- 10 horns = 10 kings (Rev. 17:12)
- these are the same as the beast in Rev. 13:1,
because Satan controls the Antichrist!
- Rev. 12:4 - Satan cast out of Heaven in PAST,
with 1/3 of angels (Is. 14:12-15, Ez. 28:11-19)
- Rev. 12:7-10 - Satan cast out of Heaven in
FUTURE, & forever banished (mid-Tribulation)
John also sees a literal "current" war in Heaven:
- Michael (the archangel protector of Israel)
leads God's angels (Dn. 10:13,21; 12:1; Jude 9)
- the devil is cast down to earth, tries to destroy
Israel; he knows he only has 42 months left!
- Satan's banishment brings joy to Heaven but woe
to earth (he now completely possesses Antichrist)
- Israel helped by "eagle's wings" (divinity):
- Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 19:4)
- Wandering in Wilderness (Deut. 32:11-12)
- Return from Babylon (Isaiah 40:31)
- Satan sends flood (people - Rev. 17:15, Is. 17:12)
but the earth ("acts of God," etc.?) helps Israel
A POSSIBLE SCENARIO (?)
Perhaps Satan will be present at the Judgment Seat of
Christ (Rom. 14:10-12, 1 Cor. 3:10-15, 2 Cor. 5:10-11) as
the "accuser" of the brethren (Job 1-2, Zech. 3); he fails in
his last attempt to condemn the church (Rev. 12:11, Eph.
5:24-27) and is cast out of Heaven, never to have access
again!
The Beast From The Sea Rev 12:1 - 13:10
The Beast From The Earth Rev 12:11 - 13:18
THE ANTICHRIST
rises up out of the sea (chaotic events involving the
world's people - Daniel 7:2-3, Rev. 17:15)
will be empowered by Satan (v. 2, 4)
will be worshipped by the world (v. 4, 8, 12, 15)
begins his career as a Peacemaker (Rev. 6:2)
emerges as the ultimate military power (v. 4)
will have a government that is a composite of past
military kingdoms (v. 2, Daniel 7:2-7)
will have weaknesses in his kingdom that will cause
him problems (Dan. 2:41-43, 11:40-44)
is represented by a beast with seven heads (seven
mountains of Rome - Rev. 17:9, 18) and 10 horns (ten
kingdoms - Daniel 7:24, Rev. 17:12) - this shows us a
"Revived Holy Roman Empire" (the logical conclusion
of the "ecumenical" & "new age" movements, a
religious world government)
will blaspheme God (v.1, 6) - blasphemy can be
defined as calling human things divine, divine things
human, good things evil, or evil things good
persecutes those with faith in God (v. 7)
makes - then breaks - a 7 year covenant with the
Jews involving their temple and peace (Dan. 9:27)
will control the world's economy (v. 17)
will set himself up as a god (2 Thess. 2:3-4)
will have a deadly wound that is healed (v. 3) - either
literal or symbolic of his government
is the last of many false Messiahs in history who
manifest the antichrist spirit (Mt. 24:24, 1 Jo. 2:18)
will be defeated at Armageddon (Rev. 19:20)
THE FALSE PROPHET
is identified positively in Rev. 16:13, 19:20, 20:10
has religious authority (horns - v.11) but not political
authority (no crowns on the horns)
will craftily deceive the world ("like a lamb" - v.11)
will receive his power from Satan, who resides in the
Antichrist ("before him" - v.12, "in the sight of the
beast" - v.14) - Satan is not omnipresent!
will amaze the world with miracles (v.13, 14)
will promote worship of the Antichrist (v.12,15)
will use his religious influence to help the Antichrist
control the world's economy (v.16, 17)
will promote a "mark" that is a counterfeit and a
mockery of the "seal of God" (Rev. 7:2-4, 22:4)
NOTE: The Hebrew and Greek languages are alphanumeric
(they have no separate numerals, so each letter
has a numeric value). The Antichrist's name CAN be
identified by it's numeric value of 666, BUT ONLY IN
HEBREW OR GREEK. This should be looked at as a
warning to Tribulation saints rather than a sign to those
in the church age.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO SALVATION FOR ANYONE
WHO TAKES THE MARK OF THE BEAST IN THE
TRIBULATION (Rev. 14:9-11) |
