The End Times as God Reveals Them Pt. 35 Signs of the Dragon, the Woman & a Man Child

 I do have a prayer request. We have many readers from around the world (All praise to our Father in heaven!). I was reviewing CDC Travel guidelines and noted that almost 50 of the 86 nations where we have readers, are Level 4 with regard to COVID-19. Level 4 is the worst rating for COVID.

Please pray for people who have contracted the virus and pray to the Lord for recovery for the afflicted ones, and for protection to the most vulnerable groups. Pray that God will use this pandemic for His glory, to awaken people around the world to spiritual realities of sin, judgment, salvation.

Now we are going to look at four chapters (Revelation 12-15) that will describe events that will happen concurrently as the trumpets are sounded. The actual results from the 7th trumpet are not learned until Revelation 16. It will help us in our study to remember how these things related to each other.

In Revelation 12 and 13 we will see that seven personages are introduced. I will list them so  you can be watching to see them as we read the texts.

The Seven Personages in Revelation 12 & 13

• A woman clothed with the sun representing Israel.

• A red dragon with 7 heads and 10 horns representing Satan.

• The male child representing Christ.

• The archangel Michael casting Satan out of heaven.

• The offspring of the woman persecuted by the dragon.

• The beast out of the sea representing that world dictator, the Anti-Christ.

• The beast out of the earth representing the false prophet of the Anti-Christ.

The Woman clothed with the sun, moon and 12 stars.

Revelation 12:1-2  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: 2) And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.   

Remember that what we study in chapters 12 through 15 are things that will go on at the same time the trumpet judgments are occurring. 

John tells us that he saw a "great wonder" in heaven. The word "great" refers to something that will have grand majesty and the overwhelming intensity of an unusual and remarkable sign from God, of something that is going to happen shortly. Although the sign was seen in heaven, what it symbolizes has occurred or will take place on earth. 

What was the amazing scene that John saw?  He saw a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, wearing a crown of 12 stars. Even more remarkable, this woman was about to give birth to a child and John saw her cry out with the pains of labor.  

Who is the woman that John saw? The book of Genesis will help us identify this personage. 

The Woman represents Israel

Genesis 37:9-11  And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10) And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 11) And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying. 

Joseph received many dreams from God during his life and was given the ability to interpret dreams like the prophet Daniel had. His parents were Jacob and Rachel and the 11 stars (12 including Joseph) symbolize the 12 sons of Jacob who became the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel. The woman was clothed with the sun and the moon was under her feet which corresponds to Joseph seeing the sun and moon bowing down to him. It reminds us of Israel's blessing as the chosen people of God.

Thus, the woman that John saw represents Israel.

A Great Red Dragon with 7 heads and 10 horns.

Revelation 12:3-4  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. 4) 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.

The great wonder of seeing a woman robed with the sun and having a crown of 12 stars and the moon under her feet, was followed by another great wonder. This dragon will have a terrorizing appearance with 7 heads wearing crowns and 10 horns, which symbolize authority. The dragon corresponds with Daniel's vision. 

John is giving us a picture of what the devil is really like. He is "great" because he has great power (Matthew 4:8-9). He is described as "red" because he is a murderer (John 8:44). HE is called a "dragon" because his character is vicious. The 7 heads suggest the perfection of wisdom (Ezekiel 28:12) and the 10 horns reminds us of the final structure of the revived Roman empire under the Anti-Christ. 

Daniel's 10 horned Beast & little horn that smites 3, leaving 7 horns.

Daniel 7:7-8  After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. 8) I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. 

Daniel 7:24  And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 

Daniel saw a beast that represented the rise of the Anti-Christ's kingdom, his domination of the world and his great power. 10 kings will be subdued by the "little horn" which is the Anti-Christ and this will result in 7 remaining kings which corresponds to the 7 heads that John saw. 

The Dragon persecutes Israel and the line of Messiah.

The dragon represents Satan as Revelation 12:9 tells us. John saw the tail of the red dragon pulling 1/3 of the stars in heaven and casting them to the earth. This is teaching us about what happened in heaven when Lucifer rebelled against God and became Satan. 

The stars represent the angels that fell when they chose to follow the devil. (See Job 38:7) Thus, 1/3 of the angels in heaven joined Satan in rebellion (See Jude 1:6). Some fallen angels are so wicked that they are currently sealed in the great abyss and the other angels that fell are known as "demons" in the New Testament. 

What is the Red Dragon trying to do? He wants to kill the child that will be born to the woman who represents Israel. This was prophesied when God told Adam and Eve that the seed of the woman would be at war with the seed of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). The line of the promised seed of the woman through the line of Abel and then Seth. You may remember that Abel was murdered by his brother Cain and God blessed Adam and Eve with another son to replace Abel. 

Throughout history Satan has attacked the line of the Messiah in an effort to thwart God's plan. Throughout history God's plan has moved forward undisturbed by the devil's schemes.

The Royal line of Messiah almost destroyed.

2 Kings 11:1-3  And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. 2) But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. 3) And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land. 

In this example a wicked pagan queen killed all of the royal seed which would include the line of Messiah. However, Joash was hidden by a daughter of King Joram and the line was preserved.

Herod murdered infants trying to kill Jesus.

Matthew 2:16  Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. 

Satan influenced wicked king Herod to murder all male children in an attempt to kill the Messiah. Joseph and Mary were warned to flee by an angel of God so the Christ child was spared. This also shows us that even a wicked king like Herod took the prophecies of Israel very seriously.

The Messiah was born through the Godly line of Seth and from the tribe of Judah.

Revelation 12:5  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.

John saw the woman give birth to a man child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. This clearly refers to the virgin birth of Christ, His sinless life, His death, burial and resurrection. It will culminate with the reign of Jesus Christ on the throne of David.

 

The child being caught up to God and His throne is a picture of the resurrection of Jesus  Christ. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father as our great high priest, waiting until the Father puts all things under the authority of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). 

God protects Israel for the last 3 1/2 years of the great tribulation. 

Revelation 12:6  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. 

Notice that this paragraph ends by telling us what the woman (Israel) will do when the Anti-Christ commits the abomination of desolation in the temple of God. They are going to flee just as Jesus warned them to do in that day. God will have a special place of refuge prepared for them and He will provide for their safety for the last 3 1/2 years of Daniel's 70th week.

Jesus warned what would happen during the tribulation.

Matthew 24:15-22  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17) Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: 18) Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19) And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20) But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21)  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22) And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 

Jesus spoke of the abomination of desolation that was prophesied by Daniel (Daniel 12:11). The word "abomination" refers to something that is morally foul and abhorrent and is detestable to the people of God. The word "desolation" means to destroy, lay waste, to devastate so badly that a person observing it will be rendered  speechless.

Jesus warns that people living when this happens must flee into the mountains, not stopping to gather up any of their earthly things. Why? Because the "great tribulation" will be unleashed and unless God put a limit on those days, all flesh would perish. Thankfully, we know that God does put a time limit on the tribulation of 3 1/2 years duration. 

Paul warned about the Anti-Christ. 

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4)  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

What then, is the abomination of desolation? Paul provides us with a clear description. It will happen after there is a great falling away (apostasy) from God's truth. The context indicates that this happens when the Spirit of God stops restraining the evil forces that He has been restraining during the church age. Those who fall away will be people who "played" church but were never born again. Jesus referred to them as tares mixed in with the wheat (Matthew 13). 

The idea is that the world will be spiritually bankrupt with no truth from God to condemn sin, warn of judgment and eternal condemnation.

The Anti-Christ will be opposing God and exalting himself. In fact, the Anti-Christ is going to sit in the temple of God in Jerusalem and claim that he is God and demand to be worshipped. This is the abomination of desolation. 

At this point, the Jewish people will realize that the son of perdition is Satanic and a blasphemer, causing them to flee for their lives. 

We know what is coming. God says "Stand fast."

2 Thessalonians 2:15-17  Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. 16) Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 17) Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. 

We know what is coming. God has graciously told us in His word what things will happen and how life as we know it will be impacted. We also know that only the Father in heaven knows the day, hour, month and year when the rapture of the church will happen and the 7 years of the 70th week begins.  

Paul wrote these words in the very same context where he spoke about the son of perdition and he points all believers to the inspired truth from God. This is where we must anchor firmly, standing on what God has said. Our Father loves us and has given us consolation, comfort, and a blessed hope through His grace. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

We are reminded that the nation Israel is His special people and the Lord Jesus Christ descended from the tribe of Judah. 

We are reminded that the dragon is always  fighting against Israel and world history is full of vivid reminders of his murderous attacks. 

We are reminded that the dragon will always war against the born again believers of Jesus Christ  right up to the rapture. 

We are reminded that the dragon is always against the inspired scriptures, working relentlessly to get God's people to set the Bible aside so that they live for self instead of living for the glory of God. 

We are reminded that the dragon is always against the Lord Jesus Christ and he will try to get people to think of Jesus as a good teacher or a man of sound morals. However, he will fiercely fight against anyone who upholds the deity of Christ and teaches that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

We are reminded that the God of scripture is our refuge. 

We live in very troubling times. It seems that our culture is hanging together by a thread and any moment, violence could erupt. Governmental controls and invasions into the private lives of ordinary people seems to be increasingly draconian and onerous. 

America's pastors must turn to the Bible once more and proclaim "Thus saith the Lord" until God calls them home. Those who are born again must be broken by the sins of our nation and cry out to God for help to turn us away from the evil path that we are on. We must seek God's strength and determine to stand firm upon His truth. 

May our Lord Jesus Christ impress upon us how close the rapture truly is. May He help us understand why He left us here so that we can be about His kingdom work. 

Bob