John is given these Interludes, these  “extra” visions for us to have a little more understanding. They are filled with imagery and symbols which can be confusing, but I think, if we talk through them, we can make sense of them. So let’s break them down and see if they add a little more insight to the bigger picture.

THE “SIGN” OF THE GREAT CONFLICT (Read Rev 12:1-17)

We are told at the very beginning of this passage that these are “Signs”.  This vision, which is shown is great imagery, is going to give us a quick snapshot of the full picture from beginning to end of the great conflict between Jesus and Satan. This conflict has been going on since Genesis and will continue until the end. So, with that understanding, I think we can pick out who these different characters are:

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

The Dragon is Satan
Let’s identify the Dragon first. He’s fairly easy to pick out, but just in case we are not completely sure about who he is, just a few chapters later in Revelation 20:1-3, we are  clearly told that the Dragon refers to Satan, who is also called the Ancient Serpent and the Devil. Lot’s of descriptive names for him. The word “Dragon” is used 13x in Revelation to refer to Satan. Call him whatever you want, but he is a dragon and he is out to destroy. 

The Child is Jesus
Here we are told that the Dragon wanted to devour the “Child” the moment he was born. So, how do we know that the “Child” is Jesus? Think back to the time of Jesus’s birth. Who tried to kill Jesus as soon as he was born?  Matthew 2:13 says, “Take the Child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill him.” If you remember the story, King Herod gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem who were two years old and under. And if you can probably recall some other times in history that Satan tried to destroy Jesus or those in the lineage of Abraham which would directly lead to the birth of Jesus. Think about when Pharaoh ordered all the baby boys killed during at the birth of Moses. Haman ordered the extension of all the Jews in Persia. The Romans who carried out the order to crucify Jesus on the cross. The Jews have always had enemies and nations that have tried to destroy them since their existence. This is all part of that great conflict. 

Another sign that the “Child” is Jesus, is the reference to him ruling all the nations with an iron scepter. This can only be one person. In Revelation 19:15 when Jesus returns to this earth, we are told that he is the one who will “rule them with an iron scepter.” (Gen 29:10 is another scripture that speaks of the scepter.)

The Woman is the Nation of Israel

Think of this “woman” as not one person, but a nation. The nation of Israel whom God raised up to be a light to the world and from whom Jesus, the Savior of the world would come. So this nation that God raised up gave birth to Christ and then after his time on earth he was snatched up, (ascended) to God and to his throne. Satan can no longer attack the man Jesus because he is residing in Heaven, but he can go after his family!

So, the vision has basically identified all the people and a little of the background history. Now, starting in verse 6 it will fast forward to the Tribulation, back to the time at hand. Once again, (but honestly he has never stopped trying), Satan will try to destroy the woman (Israel). She will  hide in the mountains for 1,260 days, which we recognize as the last half of the Tribulation (3 ½ years). God will protect her in a special place that he has prepared for her. But, Jesus tells the disciples in Matthew 24 that when Jerusalem is surrounded and the Abomination that causes Desolation happens, run for your life to the mountains in the desert! The ones who “flee” will be protected there. Daniel also speaks about this time in Daniel 9. He calls this same period as “Time, times and half a time”. (3 1/2 years)

WAR IN HEAVEN (Rev 12:7-13)
Okay, so I know this seems very strange, but Satan has some access to God in Heaven. Even after his fall and being cast out, and taking 1/3 of the angels with him, he still has some limited access to God. We read about one such instance in Job 1:6, 2:1. He seems to come and go freely, perhaps only in a specific area, and have conversations with God. We really have no idea exactly how that looks. But, the whole book of Job emphasizes the power and limit that God has over Satan. God is completely in control of everything. And we have to trust him that everything that he does is for good reason.

Now, at some point, possibly the midpoint of the Tribulation, an “Angelic Battle” breaks out in Heaven with Michael & his angels. Spiritual warfare is strong on earth and in the Heavens. Satan is cast out. Filled with fury & hate, he so he pursues the Woman with a greater vengeance.

THE WHOLE STORY IN A NUTSHELL:
God births a nation of Israel (The Woman). She gives birth to Jesus (The Child) who will one day rule the earth with an iron scepter. Satan (The Dragon) and his evil minion of demonic angels, try to kill the Child (Jesus) when he was born. Satan was unsuccessful in wiping out the line of Israel or killing Jesus during his time on earth. Jesus was then ascended up into Heaven and Satan was no longer able to attack him. The story quickly jumps ahead to the time of the 7 year Tribulation when the Dragon will once again try desperately to destroy God’s chosen nation, Israel, whom he still has promises and covenants to fulfill.  But, the woman, (Israel) will flee to the desert where God will protect her for 3 ½ years during the Great Tribulation. There is war in Heaven around  this midpoint of the Tribulation. The Dragon is hurled out of Heaven (he losses any access that he had) and is cast down to the earth where he spends the the remaining time pursuing the woman with all the deception and hatred that he possesses. He becomes enraged because the Woman (Israel) is protected & he knows that his time is short. He turns his attention to make war against the rest of her offspring. (Gentile believers, Saints) “And the Dragon stood on the shore of the Sea” (Rev 13:1)

This is a chilling visual to me. The Dragon standing on the shore of the Sea, waiting to make his next move. 

 THE “BEAST” OF THE SEA (Rev 12:1-10)

WHO IS THIS BEAST
The “Beast” is the Antichrist
After just a little bit of reading we can quickly know that this “Beast” is the Antichrist. He will be Satan’s instrument in carrying out his evil plan for the final 3 1/2 years. Satan will give him his full power to reign & he will be Satan’s puppet (13:2). Make no mistake. Satan will be doing his work through this “Beast”. So, we are not to be fooled, or persuaded by this man no matter well spoken or attractive that he seems. He is a “Beast”. And he is out to destroy.

Here are a few other descriptions that help in the understanding. They are not necessary, but if you are like me, I’m curious about who or what these things are. So, here is the best explanation that I have. You may have other ideas and that’s okay. There are a lot of mysteries to solve and I’m not sure that anyone has everything figured out, but we will do our best.

• The “Sea” is Gentile nations
• Sun, Moon, 12 Stars – Remind us of the dream that Joseph had that represented Israel & the 12 Tribes
• 7 Heads – 7 World Kingdoms; (The last 4 great empires are described in Daniel 7)
  1. Egypt
  2. Assyria
  3. Babylon (Lion)
  4. Persia (Bear)
  5. Greece (Leopard)
  6. Rome (A beast)
  7. Antichrist
• Horns – 10 rulers of 10 nations that will come together for a short time at the end, which the Antichrist will take authority over to rule the world
• 7 Crowns – 7 World Powers

The Beast, (Antichrist) will deceive the whole world with signs and wonders and lies. (Matt 24:24) He is resurrected from some type of “fatal” wound. He probably fakes a resurrection in order to copy the resurrection of Christ. (Notice how many times Satan copies Christ) The world  will be astonished. They follow him and worship him. A strong delusion (Rev 13:5-10) is given to those who do not have their name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The Antichrist blasphemies and slanders God’s name and his Temple for 42 months (last 3 ½ years).

It will be extremely vital to have made the decision for Christ at this point, to have your name written in the Lambs Book of Life. For those who do not, the temptation and the deception and the delusion will be so strong that it will be hard to resist. Matthew 24:24 warns that the deception will be so great that “if possible, even the elect” will fall away. 

Why and how can they be so deceived when during this time Satan seems to come out from behind the curtains and shows all his true colors? Because man’s heart is wicked and they choose to love there sin.

• 2 Thess. 2:10-12 “They perish because they REFUSE to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful DELUSION so that they will believe the lie… they delighted in wickedness”
• Rom 1:29-32 “For although they KNEW GOD, they neither glorified Him nor gave thanks to him… God gave them over to a DEPRAVED mind…”

THE “BEAST” OF THE EARTH (Rev 12:11-18)

Okay, so now if the Dragon and the Beast are  not enough, we are introduced to another BEAST? Who is this Beast?

This “Beast” is the False Prophet. He will be a Religious Leader who will convince many that the Antichrist is god.

• He had two horns like a lamb but spoke like a Dragon. He deceives the world with his perhaps his gentleness and soft spoken words. People may think that he is a prophet from God, but he is controlled by Satan and speaking lies of Satan.
• His authority and power is obtained the same as the Antichrist, by Satan.
• He convinces & demands the world to worship the Antichrist
• He has some ability to perform great miracles and signs which amaze people
• He is able to give some kind of power to the image of the Beast which causes it to speak and feel as if it is alive. Again people will be amazed!

SATAN’S EVIL TRINITY:
This completes the 3 who make up Satan’s Evil Trinity: Satan, The Antichrist & The False Prophet
All three are working together for evil (Rev 16:13).

Once again we see Satan copying God. 

MARK OF THE “BEAST” (Rev 13:16-18)

WHAT IS THIS MARK?
• It will be a visible mark on the forehead or hand. Everyone will know who you are following. No closet Christians.
• It will try to be forced upon people. Everyone will have to make a decision if they will take it or not regardless of the consequences, which could mean death
• It will be a sign of loyalty and allegiance to the Antichrist. Once you decide to receive Satan’s mark on the forehead, there is no taking it back. You are sealed at that point, just as a believer is “sealed” at the moment of salvation.
• It will be the name or number of the Antichrist
• It will be needed for survival: To buy or sell, to provide food or shelter for your family
• It will be a permanent decision that will result in the full strength of God’s wrath upon them. (Rev 14:9-11)

Just as believers are “sealed” with the seal of God, the unbelievers are “marked/sealed” with the seal of Satan. Many will sadly believe the lies and deception of the False Trinity. Many will willing worship the Beast and take the mark. Many will be afraid and will go into survival mode and take the mark. But, it will not be without your knowledge. It will be a decision. It will be a confirmation of where one’s true loyalty lies.

VALLEY OF DECISION: One of the names for the 2nd half of the Tribulation is called the Valley of Decision. Everyone on earth will choose who they will serve and there is only two choices: Satan or God. There comes a time in everyone’s life that a decision must be made. To not decide  to trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior is an automatic decision to remain in the stronghold of sin and Satan.

“If anyone worships the Beast and his image and receives his “mark” on the forehead or on the hand, he too, will drink of the wine of God’s Fury which has been poured out FULL STRENGTH into the Cup of His Wrath.” (Rev 14:9)

The image here is that wine is a diluted drink. Imagine a glass of Wine, which is God’s Fury (anger for sin), being poured INTO a bigger Cup of God’s Wrath. God’s Wrath is not diluted but FULL STRENGTH of punishment and judgement.

“144,000 STANDING WITH THE LAMB” (Rev 14:1-5)

We discussed them earlier when we first saw them in Revelation chapter 7 when they were sealed. Here is a beautiful picture of them standing beside Jesus at the end of the Tribulation.

WHERE ARE THEY?
• Standing on Mt. Zion, the Heavenly City with Christ (Heb 12:22-24)

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THEM
• The Father’s name is on their foreheads
• They are playing harps and singing a new song
• They are Redeemed
• They are pure, blameless, undefiled (They have not committed adultery against God)
• They have followed the Lamb
• They are the First Fruits to God from the Jews
• They have finished their mission to spread the Gospel across the earth. They are unharmed and everyone one is accounted for. Not even one was harmed or killed.

 
“THREE ANGELS WITH 3 PROCLAIMATIONS” (Rev 14:6-12)

During the reign of the Antichrist and the Unholy Trinity demanding worship and the Mark of the Beast, these 3 Angel are flying over the earth with very important messages!

WHAT IS THEIR MESSAGE? Warning! Danger!
1. Angel 1 – “Fear God and give him Glory” Proclaiming the Gospel, the Truth, Judgement is coming!
2. Angel 2 – “Babylon is fallen” (False religion, rebellion, paganism, wine of adultery, world system, etc)
3. Angel 3 – “Don’t take the mark of the Beast” or the full strength of wrath will come upon you

Will people be able to see the angels? We are not told exactly, but it would seem that they would. This time of the Tribulation seems to open up the Spiritual world to the Physical world to some extent. The demonic forces (Trumpets 5&6) who are tormenting people seem to be visible. If that is the case, then perhaps these angelic being are visible as well.

 “HARVEST OF THE EARTH” (Rev 14:14-20)

Jesus is seen with a golden crown. It is not a crown that a king wears. This is a “Victor’s Crown” (“stephanos”). We can be assured that he will be victorious over all that he has set to do in this last 7 years. He will win the battle over Satan and over evil. He will Redeem the righteous. He will deliver justice and judgement. He will right all wrongs and deal with sin and its consequences. He will finish all prophecy. He will reward his servants. He will set up his Kingdom of Righteousness on the earth.

So, exactly who are being “harvested” in this passage? Is the the harvest of believers or unbelievers? Keep reading and it becomes clear.

In this passage, we see that a “harvest” of the earth is to come. We are told that the “harvest” is ripe, giving us the idea that the harvest may be over ripe… it is overdue. We see an angel with a sharp “sickle” to cut down the “harvest” and throw it into the Great “Winepress”. Having already talked about the Cup of Wine, the Cup of God’s Wrath, so we can understand this picture continues. The imagery is clear. The rebellious will be cut down and trampled in the winepress of God. A winepress is a place of pressing and pressure in order to squeeze out the liquid. “Blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 200 miles” (Rev 14:20) That is a huge amount of blood!

This is a Pre-view of the Battle of Armageddon which comes at the very end of the BOWL judgements after Jesus returns. (Rev 19) He will conquer the nations with a word! Blood will be great. A blood payment for all the blood of the Martyrs, Saints, Murders, Sacrifices throughout time. So, much innocent blood has been shed over the centuries of time. Jesus’s blood was the ultimate innocent blood that was completely poured out on the cross. Jesus, the Lamb slain.

THE BATTLE of ARMAGEDDON happens in Revelation 19:17-21 when Jesus comes back, riding on a white horse. All the armies, all the kings of all the nations will gather at the Valley of Megiddo to fight against just one. It won’t be a fair fight! Why? Because the “One” is Jesus! He will only speak the word and the battle is over (19:21).

• (Zech 14:1-03) “The Lord will go forth & fight against those nations”
• (Zech 12: 2-5) “I will strike every horse, with confusion, riders with madness”

THINK ABOUT: Jesus grew up in the small town of Nazareth which sits on a mountainside. That mountainside overlooks the Jezreel Valley, the Valley of Jehoshaphat, also known as the valley of Megiddo, where the Battle of Armageddon will one day take place, in the “Day of the Lord”. When we visited Israel, we stood on Mt. Carmel and could see to the other side of the valley. We could see Nazareth clearly. I wonder how many times Jesus stood on the mountain of Nazareth and overlooked this huge battlefield and his heart broke for those who would gather to fight against him and forever seal their eternal doom?

This was A LOT to take in for one lesson!  My head is hurting, how about yours?  But can I just say, “Way to go!”? Good job hanging in there. Not everyone will dig into scripture when it gets hard, but you did! I’m so proud of you!

We have one final lesson in Revelation. We will wrap it all up and bring it all together next time so you do not want to miss it.  We will refocus our attention on Christ and his goodness and his mercy, even during the Tribulation which will be the worst time on earth. We will look and open our eyes to see all the blessings and wonderful things that Jesus is doing!

For now, we can keep our focus on Jesus during our troubles and struggles and hurts and discouragements. Jesus is always there. He is always working. He is always in control. Don’t focus on your problems, focus on Jesus! If you are his child, if you have trusted him as your Redeemer, then He is always right there beside you! Oh what blessings and hope and goodness  that the Lord gives! 

If you do not know Christ as your Lord and Savior today would be a great day!