Lesson # 7
Opening
Question
If you had to pick
just one, and it can’t be the birth or death of Christ, what would you say is
the world’s most significant historical event?
THE POINT
God wants
to give us hope by helping us
see
reality as it actually is.
A Not So Silent Night – Revelation 12
Christians often neglect the book of Revelation, but they do so to their own detriment. No other book of the Bible offers us such a behind the scenes look - into reality. Revelation reminds us repeatedly that there is more going on around us than first meets the eye. Revelation 12 is a prime example of this.
Revelation 12 is a peek behind the curtain of the very first Christmas night and the birth of Jesus Christ. The picture is very much more chaotic than we see in the gospel accounts. The spiritual reality behind Jesus’ birth in a manger is the cosmic battle between God and Satan. Satan, the dragon, the serpent of old, wants to crush and kill baby Jesus.
However, Christ is born into the world and the beginning of Satan’s defeat is at hand. The dragon rages because through the victory was confirmed at the cross, it was started in the manger.
Revelation 12 also offers us a cosmic history lesson. We get a peek into the origins of the battle between God and Satan before the foundation of the earth. Satan was an angel who rose up in defiance of God and caused a literal civil war in heaven. Though Satan rebelled, he and his army were fighting a battle against a holy God that they could never win and were cast out of Heaven. This is a peek behind the curtain of cosmic reality. Things are never just as they seem.
This the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12
And a great sign
appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in
birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven:
behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads
seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them
to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give
birth, so that when she bore her child, he might devour it. She gave birth to a
male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her
child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the
wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be
nourished for 1,260 days.
Satan Thrown Down
to Earth
Now war arose in
heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and
his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place
for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent,
who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world — he was
thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard
a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the
kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser
of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our
God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of
their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore,
rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea,
for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his
time is short!”
And when the dragon
saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had
given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the
great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the
place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. The
serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep
her away with a flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the
earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from
his mouth. Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make
war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and
hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Revelation 12.
Study Notes:
This week’s
scripture is a history lesson. However, it’s a history lesson unlike anything
you’ve ever witnessed before. This is a history lesson regarding the cosmic
battle between good and evil, right and wrong, God and Satan. This cosmic
history lesson has two major dates that we all need to remember, the day the
war started, and the day the Savior came to the earth.
The day the war
started was a day that predates other human days. In Revelation 12, starting in
verse 7 we are allowed a peek into the original rebellion through
which sin entered the world. Satan was no longer content to be a subject
of God, instead, he wanted to be like God. So, Satan revolted against God and convinced
other angels to join him in his rebellion. Ultimately, the rebellion of Satan
was ended, and the rebels were exiled. Their exile landed them on earth
where the cosmic rebellion would soon spread to humanity in the garden. A second day is
also mentioned in this cosmic history lesson, the day the Savior came to earth.
Revelation 12 introduces us to the arrival of a baby who would defeat the
dragon and Satan. This is another example of how Revelation shows us ultimate
reality. We often think about that very first Christmas night as just like any
other, but in reality the night Jesus arrived on earth for the salvation of
sinners was a turning point in the cosmic war between good and evil.
Lesson points:
1. Jesus does not simply arrive as a Savior for humanity, Jesus arrives as a Warrior in a cosmic battle to defeat the enemies of God.
So often our imaginations conjure up images of a blonde haired, soft-spoken Jesus, and while Jesus was meek, we must remember that Jesus is not weak. Jesus arrives on the earth as a Warrior sent to accomplish His mission. That is the ultimate reality.
2. We must all choose a side in this cosmic war.
Revelation 12 makes
very clear that in this battle there are only two sides, you are on the side of
God or the side of Satan. You are either a servant or a rebel. There is no
in-between!
Bottom Line:
Though Satan battles against God, the war has been won.
1. We see the day the war began.
2. We see the day the war was won.
3. We see how to live in the in-between.
Quotes:
“The battle between God and Satan was over before it ever got started.” – Wayne Bray
“Jesus is all that Satan is not.” – Dallas Wilson
“It matters more how I live in this world for Jesus than where I live in this world.” – Corey Watson
“If you think you can win your battle with sin in your own strength, then you’re already losing.” – Will Bray
Questions for
Discussion:
Satan was cast down
because he coveted a place of authority and honor. How are you tempted to covet
places of honor, and how can you work to humble yourself in those areas?
Consider each of
the descriptors for Satan in 12:9. What do these tell us about his character
and his goals for humanity?
This passage shows
that our salvation is secure, and our enemy is defeated. How do Christians
sometimes fail to rest in these realities? How can we learn to rest in them?
What does it mean
to have victory as described in Revelation 12:11-12? How can believers walk in
this victory?
Why does Satan want
to destroy the people of God? This passage shows God’s provision of means for
the woman’s escape.
Read 1 Corinthians
10:13 and discuss how these passages relate to one another. What parallels does
this passage have to the traditional Christmas story found in the Gospels?
We are told in this
passage that we have a sure victory by the blood of Jesus. How can we help
spread that victory to others?
Who in your life
needs to know Jesus?
END
Teacher Notes:
But how did we get
a God complex?
Satan, the deceiver
was thrown down to the earth.
Genesis 3:1-5
Now the serpent was
the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to
the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden.
But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You
must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’” “No! You will not die,” the
serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes
will be opened and you will be like God, ….”
Do you believe that
we have a God Complex today?
Definition: A god
complex is a belief characterized by inflated feelings of personal ability,
privilege, or infallibility.
What’s another name
for this?
As we read last
week, the 7th trumpet ushers in the bowl judgments (15:1 – 16:21), but the
intervening chapters beginning with chapter 12, give us a peek behind the
curtain at this cosmic battle between God and Satan.
John sees the
source of all sin, all evil, all persecution, and all suffering here on the
earth.
Revelation 12:7-12
Now war arose in
heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and
his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place
for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent,
who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world — he was
thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
And I heard a loud
voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of
our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our
brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their
testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice,
O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the
devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is
short!”
The devil is not a
symbol or legend; he is very real.
Originally Satan
was an angel of God, but through his own pride, he became corrupt.
Ezekiel 28:14-17
You were anointed
as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day
you were created till wickedness was found in you. … you were filled with
violence, and you sinned. So, I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart
became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because
of your splendor. So, I threw you to the earth…
There was a war in
heaven, Michael and his angels fought the dragon, and the dragon and his angels
lost.
Even though God
permits the devil to do his work in this world, God is still in control.
Revelation 12 makes
it very clear - in this battle there are only two sides. You are on the side of
God or Satan.
You are either a
servant or a rebel. There is no in-between!
So, why
did Satan even think he could defeat God?
Isaiah 14:12-15
How you have fallen
from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the
earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will
ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will
sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most
High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the
pit.
But why did Satan
think he could defeat God?
It is hard to
imagine a being like Lucifer (Satan) believing he could even do battle with
God, much less defeat Him. Even the most depraved mind should be able to see
that a creature cannot possibly contend with the Creator. Yet Satan
attempted to dethrone God and strives to this day to defy God’s authority,
thwart His plans, and harass His people.
Perhaps part of the
explanation is that pride has blinded Satan to reality.
Two Old Testament
passages (Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-19) discuss Satan’s original
position and the reasons for his loss of that position. They tell of an exalted
angelic being, one of God’s creatures, who became proud. He determined to
take the throne of God for himself. But God removed him from his position.
Why is
pride so sinful?
C.S. Lewis writes,
“The essential vice, the utmost evil, is pride. Unchastity, anger, greed,
drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through
Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is
the complete anti-God state of mind.” It is pride that leads men to believe we
can live without God.
Pride is giving
ourselves the credit for something that God has accomplished. Pride is taking
the glory that belongs to God alone and keeping it for us. Pride is essentially
self-worship. Anything we accomplish in this world would not have been possible
were it not for God enabling and sustaining us. Sinful pride is self-centered
and boastful and makes us take credit for everything we are and everything we
do.
The Bible warns,
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” - Proverbs
16:18
How do
you think we can fight this sin of Pride?
What
should we do as Christians to guard against this sin?
God sent
a clear warning to Nebuchadnezzar.
Nebuchadnezzar
said: I was walking on the roof of my palace in Babylon. I said, “Isn’t this
the great Babylon I have built as a place for my royal palace? I used my mighty
power to build it. It shows how glorious my majesty is.” - Daniel 4:28-30
And what happened?
God took everything
away from Nebuchadnezzar, everything even his mind! God stands against those
who are proud. If we are proud of our own talents or abilities, looks or
possessions, God may take those things away so we will see what is true - God
is the One who gives every good thing that we have (James 1:17). Without God we
are helpless. We should never brag about what we have accomplished (1
Corinthians 5:6). The only thing we should ever brag about is that we know the
Lord! (Jeremiah 9:24)
PRIDE will cost you EVERYTHING
but leave you with NOTHING!!
“Never give the
devil a ride; he always wants to drive!”
Author Unknown
Why
didn’t God destroy Satan immediately after Satan sinned?
One of the reasons
God allows Satan to work evil and bring temptation is so that those who pretend
to be Christ’s followers will be weeded out from Christ’s true believers.
Free Will – Free
Choice
Revelation 12 shows
that our salvation is secure, and our enemy is defeated.
How do
Christians sometimes fail to rest in these realities?
“HOW'S LIFE?”
someone asks.
And we who have
been forgiven of all our sins, have become a child of God, have been given
eternal life, and are heaven-bound say,
“Well, things could
be better.” - Seriously?
As a believer in
Christ, are you so focused on what you don’t have that you’re blind to what you
do?
Don’t focus on
yourself; focus on all that you have in Christ!!
“If you think you
can win your battle with sin in your own strength, then you’re already losing.”
Will Bray
In the
meantime,
we worship our way to victory and share the Gospel so others can overcome
Satan’s schemes.
When we’re
following Jesus and doing what He says, no attack from Satan can knock us off
our feet. And when our trust is in Jesus, no attack from Satan can separate us
from His love.
That’s a promise
from Romans 8:38-39 — “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of
God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Next Week… the Anti-Christ 666 The Mark of the Beast
