*Below is Pastor Andrew’s preaching outline from Sunday’s sermon, not a word for word manuscript. This is meant as aid in seeing the thought and direction of the sermon.

Chapter 11 closed out the first part of the book, and now as we turn to 12-22 we begin to see a more vivid picture of what has been proclaimed already.

In our text today we will begin to set up the remainder of the book and the final parallel passage. .

Seven Seals, and seven trumpets now find another partner in the 7 signs.

The next 7 are signs:

The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Book of Revelation As a Result of Christ’s Victory over the Devil, God Protects the Messianic Community against the Devil’s Wrathful Harm (12:1–17)

Though 12:1–15:4 can be divided in various ways, the best way to discern its divisions objectively is to trace the repeated introductory vision formulas like “and I saw” (καὶ εἶδον) and “and behold” (καὶ ἰδού). Thus seven sections or “signs” are seen: (1) the conflict of the serpent with the woman and her seed (ch. 12), (2) persecution by the beast from the sea (13:1–10), (3) persecution by the beast from the land (13:11–18), (4) the Lamb and the 144,000 standing on Mount Zion (14:1–5), (5) the proclamation of the gospel and of judgment by three angels (14:6–13), (6) the Son of man’s harvest of the earth (14:14–20), and (7) the saints’ victory over the sea beast and their victory song (15:2–4).

Today specifically we will be introduced to three key characters for chapter 12:

The Woman

The Dragon

the Child

I. God Has called His People (1-2)

Revelation 12:1–2 ESV

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.

The Book of Geneses is in the background when we see the women Described:

Genesis 37:9 ESV

Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

The next section of our text will further identify the Women not simply with the OT saints but with the people of God chosen from every tribe and tongue who have labored with Christ.

However as we look at the unfolding of God’s Plan we see in this the whole of what God has done through His people bringing about the plan of Redemption

Isaiah 26:17–18 ESV

Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O Lord; we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.

The suffering of the can be seen as the pain and suffering of God’s people on a broken and destitute world.

Ill: The song O Come O Come Emmanuel: It reflects the darkness of the world awaiting the Christ.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Adonai, Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Into the gloom though was the hope of the Child.

Isaiah 7:14 ESV

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

II. The Enemy Has tried to destroy God’s Work (3-4a)

Revelation 12:3–4 ESV

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.

Here we are once again introduced to our primary antagonist not just in this text but in life itself:

Isaiah 27:1 ESV

In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.

(Connection to Rehab)

We see a connection to Dan. 7 and the Kingdoms of the earth represented by the dragon. But ultimately we see the dragon as the worldliness of the earthly kingdoms and the one whom they follow.

The seven heads and ten crowns reflect the completeness of His apparent rule and reign. he is the prince of this world. He is a false mirror of the true ruler. The child who is born.’

While the dragon holds seven the true lords are beyond number:

Revelation 19:12 ESV

His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.

He is the one attempting to undo the curse set upon Him at the fall itself:

Genesis 3:14–16 ESV

The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”

In many ways what we see in the concluding passages is the execution of this reality.

The judgment is about to be carried out.

However while judgment is coming the Dragon is still fierce and does persecuted and inflict pain on the saints:

The Stairs swept from heaven is reflective of the dragons attack on Gods people:

In Dan 8. The strs that are swept from heaven are directly connected to the people of  Israel being trampled on by the evils of the world.

Daniel 12:3 ESV

And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

-we also see in the picture of the women the stars as a part of the symbol of who see is.

-Again we see the tail doing destruction, this time against the saints themselves.

III. God’s Plans are secure and His people Protected (4-6)

Revelation 12:4–6 ESV

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.

-The Christ Has come (Here we see the fulfillment of this mornings sermon Text in Full Ps 2)

Psalm 2:7–9 ESV

I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

-The Lord Has Ascended and rules in Heaven:

Hebrews 1:3–4 ESV

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Ephesians 1:19–21 ESV

and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

-The Wilderness is both a place of provision and temptation:

Deuteronomy 8:15–16 ESV

who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.

Again we see this as an overlapping theme with the witness of our previous text. The witness of the church goes out in the wilderness and they are protected by the hand of God.

The church exists not in the promise land but the wilderness. We are exiles and aliens awaiting our true and lasting home.

The lord though is our provider in a land that is not our own. He is the one who sustains us in the dry and weary places.