Revelation 12:1-17

(Revelation 12:1-17)

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:  And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.  And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.  And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.  And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

 

Chapter 12 contains a woman who refers to the Old and New Testament churches, and Satan the Devil, a great dragon who had lost the war in heaven, persecutes the woman who gave birth to Jesus Christ, knowing that her time is short. 『There appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. First, a woman instills a child and gives birth. The child symbolizes the birth of Jesus Christ.

Also, struggling because of sickness refers to the church that longed for the Messiah. And in verse 4, in front of the woman who was about to disperse the dragon, when he was disbanded, he tried to swallow the child, and from the birth of Jesus, he was under the attack of Satan. In other words, Herod's murder of a child was described as a spiritual war. However, the son of a woman is a man who will rule all nations with an iron fence in the future and a person who will rise to the throne of God. And the woman is there to raise her son for 1,260 days, symbolizing the period of the First and Second Coming, in the wilderness, symbolizing the place of temptation and tribulation.

『 there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 』 In heaven, Michael and his messengers and the dragon fought war. Here Michael is the heavenly representative of Israel, referring to God's army. Eventually, the dragon defeated in the war is thrown to the ground. Therefore, 『when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. In other words, Satan the Devil, who had been defeated by war in heaven, was cast out to the earth and persecuted the church, and the period is 1,260 days, symbolizing the first and second coming. The period is sometimes expressed as one and two and a half, or three and a half years.

 

『 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.  Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 』

The Heavenly Church was built with the blood of the Lamb and the blood of the martyrs by the word of Jesus. Because of this, the church won the war against Satan the Devil in heaven, and they come down to harass and persecute the church on earth. They are angry and persecuted when Satan the Devil knows that his time is running out, so he takes the last act. In the end, the Church on Earth, a community of witnesses that must live according to the Word between the First and Second Coming, must fight a dragon like a defeated soldier as a remnant of a woman.

This period is regarded as the period of nurturing, and it shows that the current state of the church is repeated the process of attack and defense. However, the heavenly church and the earthly church will be united by the Holy Spirit. He looked at that time with the eyes of faith, and as those who have already won, he clearly admonished them to keep the word of God and live as a witness of Jesus.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Revelation 3:7-13

(Revelation 3:7-13) And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;   I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.   Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.   Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.   Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will wri...
Read more

Revelation 2:12-17

(Revelation 2:12-17) And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;   I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.   But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.   So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.   Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone...
Read more

Revelation 2:1-7

(Revelation 2:1-7) Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;   I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.   He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, ...
Read more