Revelation chapter 12. I'm taking the title with a message
from what's said in verse 11. Revelation 12 verse 11. And they overcame him, the accuser, the devil, that old serpent,
Satan. They overcame him. Not because
they were strong. Not because the sinner has any
power. They overcame Him by the means
God has ordained, by the blood of the Lamb. By the blood of
the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the Lamb of God. The word
of their testimony, Christ crucified is all our salvation. And because
they loved Him, they loved Him because He first loved us. They
loved not their lives unto death, they loved the Lord Jesus Christ.
And they died in faith, believing the Lord Jesus Christ. Overcoming,
overcoming by the blood, overcoming by the blood of the Lamb. We
cannot defeat our spiritual enemies by the energy of the flesh. by
the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. We cannot
defeat our spiritual enemies by the deeds of the flesh, but
with the Lord Jesus Christ, by the energy of his sovereign almighty
power, by the strength and energy of his redeeming blood, by his
complete atonement for our sin, by his energy energizing, and
by His honoring the law of God for us, we have overcome all
our enemies. Sin, death, hell, and the grave. Our Lord said, because I live,
you shall live also. We are more than conquerors.
You remember Romans 8.37. We are more than conquerors through
Him that loved us. and gave himself for us. We only
overcome by Christ and him crucified. Overcome the law of God, he satisfied
that law of God in precept and in penalty. He honored the law
of God for us, therefore we can say with the Apostle Paul, As
he writes in 1 Corinthians 15 about the glorious resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ, he says, and our resurrection in
Him, thanks be unto God who has given us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. We overcome Him, our sin. Death, hell, the curse of the
law. He redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us. Now, let's review for
just a moment. Last week we learned the woman,
here in Revelation 12, represents to church the body, the bride
of Christ, through whom the incarnate Lord came. In the fullness of
time, the time, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made
under the law to redeem them that were under the law. We also
learned how the great red dragon, that is, the devil, Satan, and
his followers were ready to devour the incarnate Lord, the man-child,
as soon as he was born. All their plans were defeated.
We also saw how Satan and his demon angels were cast out of
heaven down to the earth. We learn something in verse 4
of Revelation 12 of Satan's rebellion against God, how he led a rebellion
against God and one-third of his angels. That is, one-third
of the angels followed Satan's rebellion. Now their fallen angels
cast out into the earth. We read last week from Jude,
verse 6, the angels which kept not their first estate, but were
cast out of God's presence. From the Lord's incarnation in
the flesh, Satan's object was to destroy the body of the Lord
Jesus Christ at His birth, but we know all of Satan's designs,
plans, and wishes were all defeated. Satan foolishly thought he had
conquered the Lord at Calvary, but rather it was Satan's defeat,
not the Lord's defeat. Calvary and the crucifixion of
the Lord Jesus Christ was all the ultimate design of the Lord.
Remember in chapter 13, Revelation 13 verse 8, we see and we read
about the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. So,
the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified was all part of God's
ultimate design of the Lord to put away our sin by the sacrifice
of Himself and to accomplish our salvation and defeat Satan's
dominion. Now, let me read this to you.
I think we read this last week. In Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14
and 15, for as much then as his children were partakers of flesh
and blood, he himself, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, is called
the captain of our salvation in Hebrews 2, likewise took part
of the same The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, that
through death, that is, the death of Christ and Him crucified,
He might destroy him that had power of death, that is, the
devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject unto bondage." So what did the Lord Jesus Christ
do? He destroyed him that had the power of death or who had
brought sin into this picture. From the Lord's incarnation,
Satan's object would destroy the Lord Jesus Christ, but the
Lord Jesus Christ destroyed His dominion. His dominion. Now look at verse 5. Verse 5,
Revelation 12, And she brought forth the man-child, had to. This is God's Christ, His anointed. Great is the mystery of Godliness.
God was manifested in the flesh. She brought forth that man-child.
He was born of our bone, flesh of our flesh, a real man, but
yet God Almighty, who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron.
He shall reign forever and ever, and he was caught up, having
accomplished all God's purpose in saving us, honoring the law
of God, redeeming us from our sin. He was caught up to the
throne of God, and there he sits today. The God-man mediator sitting
actually, literally on the throne of God as our mediator, as our
intercessor right now. Right now. The glorious ascension
of the Lord Jesus Christ. When He by Himself purged our
sin, He sat down on the right hand of the throne of God. He became obedient. even obedient
to the death of the cross, wherefore God hath highly exalted Him,
and given Him a name which is above every name, that at that
name every knee should bow, every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord." Look at verse 6, Revelation 12, the woman fled
into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared of God. The Lord ascended back to glory,
but we still live in this wilderness. But God prepared a place for
us that they should feed her, the
church, this 1260 days. Once the Lord accomplished our
salvation, Satan now has turned his rage once again against The
church. And that's what this warfare
is about. Look at verse 13 and 14. Revelation
12. When the dragon saw that he was
cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth
the man-child, and the woman was given two wings of a great
eagle to fly away, and she was protected by the Lord. Although Satan is defeated, his
dominion is foiled, he's not completely out of business. He
has great hatred for the Lord's church and for the Lord Jesus
Christ, and it's vented out against his people. When Peter writes
in 1 Peter 5, he said, And he still, He's still going about seeking
whom He may devour. Thank God that we're not left
alone. The Lord prepared a place for
the woman to abide under the sheltering wings of the Savior
where He leads us and feeds us by the great, cheap, and good
shepherd. Remember Psalm 23, the Lord is
my shepherd, I shall not want. God shall supply all our need
according to His riches in glory through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The last part of verse 6, when it mentions the 1260 days, it's
the same as the 42 months, it's the same as the three and a half
years, And all represent the gospel age, these last days,
from the first coming of the Lord to his second. We are living
in the last days and the last time. Perilous times shall come.
Now notice the place where the Lord has prepared for his people
to dwell in is a place where they are fed. The Word of Truth. They desire the milk of the Word
that they might grow, thereby we feed upon the sincere milk
of the Word that they should feed her all these days in this
gospel age. Now, in verse 7 and following,
7, 8, and 9, we see Satan is defeated and cast out. His goals
and ambitions are not realized or fulfilled. Now, this war that's
spoken of here in verse 7, is not to be understood in a literal
sense that there was a war in God's heaven that is a place
of God's abode. Heaven is a place of joy and
peace, not war, confusion, and turmoil. Remember, Satan had
already been cast out of heaven in verse 3 and verse 4. Satan is hurled down and cast
out in this sense He lost his place as accuser of the brethren,
because the Lord Jesus Christ has made complete atonement for
our sin. Therefore, Satan has nothing
whereby he may accuse us. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who
is he that condemneth? It's Christ that has died. He rather is risen again who
is even at the right hand of God. It is true that he is an
accuser, And that is his evil work that he loves to accuse,
but in reality our mediator, our advocate, our intercessor
ever lives to intercede for us. Now I can give you two examples.
I thought of how Satan yet tries to attack God's people and God's
church. Remember Peter when they were
arguing about who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom
of heaven? And Peter made several boasts and then he said, the
Lord said to Peter, Satan has desired to have you that he may
sift you like wheat. Remember? But what did the Lord
say? I prayed for you that your faith
fail not. So there is an accuser, he would
accuse us, and Peter had that experience, but Satan did not
overcome him because the Lord Jesus Christ stood as his surety
and as his Savior. And then I thought about this
other example. The Apostle Paul, when he writes,
don't turn, let me read it to you. When he writes in 2 Corinthians
chapter 11, you remember what he writes? He said, lest I should
be exalted above measure through the abundance of revelation,
there was given me a thorn in the flesh, the message of Satan
to buffet me. You see, he can buffet us, he
may desire to have us and sift us, but lest I should be exalted
above measure, this thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan
to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this
thing I besought the Lord three times, thrice, that it might
depart from me. And he said unto me, my grace
is sufficient, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is
made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, while
I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may
rest upon me. Rest upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at verse 7 again. There
was a war in heaven. I want to consider this as a
warfare in the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven, which
is right here, right now in God's church. There was a war or warfare
in heaven. Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels. Now, most
of the commentators that I read after, and I read after some
good ones I think, John Gill and Robert Hawker and others,
most of the commentators believe the angel here named Michael
is another name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the reason that we
think that is because the name means one who is of God. Now throughout the Old Testament
and New, the Lord Jesus Christ is known by many different names. Many different names. I did a
series of messages years ago, starting with A all the way through
the alphabet. considering all the different
names of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it was a series of about
seven or eight messages, considering all the names of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And Michael here is another name
for the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that he is the eternal
Son of God, one who is of God, one who is God. The Lord Jesus
Christ is known by many names, different names in Scripture
that describe His person and His work. For example, Isaiah
9, His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the
Everlasting Father, He is the Prince of Peace. So He's known
by many names. And I think Michael here is just
another name for the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this battle against
the Lord's church is a spiritual warfare with spiritual weapons
that's going on right now. That's why I read over there
in Ephesians 6, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle
not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
power, against rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places. So it's a spiritual warfare that's
going on. Now, I want you to turn and read
this one with me. Turn over here to 2 Corinthians
10, when Paul writes about this warfare. that we're involved
in. The flesh against the spirit
and the spirit against the flesh. In 2 Corinthians 10, this will
help us here, verse 3. For though we walk in the flesh,
we do not war. 2 Corinthians 10, verse 3. We don't war after the flesh.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through
God to the pulling down of strongholds. Above all, taking the sword and
the spirit, remember we read, which is the word of God? Verse
5 says, casting down imaginations, every high thing that exalted
itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ. So the weapons of
our warfare are not carnal, We don't use carnal means and carnal
weapons. It's the spiritual things that
God has given us in the gospel of Christ. Now, look at verse
8. Revelation 12, verse 8. So there's
a warfare. There's a warfare in God's kingdom,
in God's church. And the dragon, the devil, The
old serpent and Satan, verse 8, prevailed not. They did not
win. They did not get the victory.
God's people and God's Christ has won the victory for us. Neither
was their place found anymore. The Lord is always victorious
over all enemies, including the chief accuser of the brethren.
Satan cannot prevail. Neither does he have any place
to launch his vicious attacks against us. He has nothing more
to accuse us with. There's no condemnation to those
who are in Christ Jesus. Now look at verse 9. This was the fulfillment of promise
that God has given in Genesis 3, verse 15. And the great dragon
was cast out, That old serpent called the devil, Satan which
deceiveth the whole world, that is, everybody but the elect of
God, they're deceived. And he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him. This is the fulfillment
of that promise given in the garden when the woman's seed,
that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, the man-child, would crush Satan's
dominion. And was completely fulfilled
at Calvary when the Lord Jesus Christ put away all our sin.
Now this is critical. This is a critical point right
here. Turn to John chapter 12. I want you to see this and mark
it in your Bible. What happened at Calvary was
the fulfillment of what was promised when judgment fell upon the Lord
Jesus Christ for our sin, and Satan was put out of business.
And the Lord tells us about it here in John chapter 12, look
at verse 31. John 12, 31. Now is the judgment
of this world. Now shall the prince of this
world, talking about Satan, the God of this world, the prince
of this world, is cast out. Now, when did that happen? And I, If I be lifted up from
the earth will draw all unto me. Leave out the word men, it's
been added. Will draw all the elect unto
me. This he said signifying what death he should die. When did judgment fall on Satan? When Christ was crucified. It
crushed his dominion. Look at verse 10, 11, and 12. Here we see the threefold effect
of the Lord's complete atonement for our sin, and the victory
He won for us, and the demise of Satan's dominion. And I heard
a loud voice in heaven saying, Now! Now salvation come! Because Christ had died. Christ
had put away our sin. Now has salvation come! Now is
strength, power come, and the kingdom of our God, now is the
kingdom of our God is come, and the power of His Christ, I love
that statement, the power of the Christ, the power of His
Christ, for the hues of the brethren is cast down, which accused them
before our God day and night, and they overcame Him by the
blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and they
loved not their lives unto death." Now, let's take a minute or two
and look at those things found in verse 10 and verse 11. Salvation, we know. Salvation
has come. Salvation is never presented
in the Scripture as a possibility. or as something that might happen
or might not happen depending upon what sinners do. It says
in the text here, now is salvation come. The Savior is here. The Savior has accomplished salvation. Now is salvation come. Salvation
is the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf. Peter writes about it this way,
1 Peter 3.18, Christ also suffered once for our sins, the just for
the unjust, that He might bring us unto God. One sacrifice for
sin He perfected forever, them that are sanctified. Call His
name Jesus, He shall save His people from their sin. Satan was defeated by the death
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now here's another scripture.
It helps us to understand that, how we overcome. Look at Colossians
chapter 2. Colossians chapter 2. And you, verse 13, Colossians
2 verse 13, and you, being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision
of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven
you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us, which was contrary to us, took it out of
the way, nailing it to his cross, having spoiled principalities
and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over
them himself. is Himself, the marginal reference
has it. And that's a better rendering
of that verse. The Lord Jesus Christ, look back
at the text again, verse 10. Now is salvation come. Because
the Lord Jesus Christ has put away our sin. Now has come strength. You see that? Power. That's the
same word that's used, that word strength is the same power that's
used in Romans 1, 16. We're about ashamed of the gospel
of Christ. It is the power of God and the
salvation to everyone that believe it. Now is salvation come with
power. With power. What kind of power
does it take to raise a dead sinner and quicken him and make
him a new creature in Christ? It takes almighty power. And
that's what we have through the Gospel. Thou with salvation comest
because the Lord Jesus Christ has come. Thou with salvation
with power and the kingdom of our God. The kingdom of our God
and the power of His Christ for the accuser of the brethren He
cast down, which accused them before our God day and night,
day and night. The believers' testimony, as
it says there in verse 11, they overcame Him by the blood of
the Lamb, by the blood of the Lamb. You can't get away from that
blood atonement of Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanses us from all our sin. The believer's testimony
and witness is they have the victory. over all enemies through
the blood atonement of Jesus Christ, through the blood of
the Lamb. Remember John said of the Lord Jesus, Behold the
Lamb of God, behold the Lamb of God that taketh away our sin.
We are redeemed with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. They overcome by the blood, the
blood, the blood. Paul says, I'm determined in
nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And believers
prove the genuine character of their testimony in that they
die in faithfulness to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. By
the word of their testimony. What is the word of their testimony?
Look at the last part of verse 17. Revelation 12 verse 17. "...which keep the commandments
of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." What is the
testimony of Jesus Christ? Our Lord said, I'm the way, I'm
the truth, I'm the light. No man comes to the Father but
by and through Me. They overcome Him by the blood
of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and they love not
their lives unto death. Now, look at verse 12. Therefore,
rejoice. Therefore, rejoice. Be thankful,
you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Those who dwell in Christ,
those who are in Christ, and those who have Christ in them,
we rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say, rejoice in
Him. We are the true Israel, which
worship God in the Spirit, that rejoice in Christ Jesus, and
we have no confidence No confidence in this flesh, do we? Our confidence
is in Christ, the Christ of God. Therefore rejoice, you heavens!
Rejoice! Satan is defeated and he is filled
with wrath. But rejoice in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, here's a flip side to that
in verse 12. There is a woe. unto the inhabitants of this
earth and of this sea. For those who have no mediator,
for those who have no savior, for those who think, well, I'll
just go and do it my own way, do my own thing. Be the captain
of my ship and the master of my fate, as the old saying goes.
Woe to the habiters of the earth and of the sea, for the devil
has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows
that his time is short." He is on a short leash. Believers do
rejoice. And the inhabitants of this world,
those who are not found in Christ, woe unto them. Satan is defeated,
but he still was wrath. He's not a happy loser. We read
about it in Romans 16, where Paul writes about his end. The
God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. One day soon, Satan
and all of his Friends will be forever silent, and the rage
against the church will be no more. Let's turn and read about
it one more time. Revelation 19. Turn over there. And I saw the beast and the kings
of the earth. Verse 19. Revelation 19, 19.
We're going to see about the beast out of the sea, and the
beast out of the earth, The beast and the false prophet and the
kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make
war against him that sat on the horse and against his army. And
the beast was taken with the false prophet that wrought miracle
before him, which deceiveth them that had received the mark of
the beast." You remember that number 666 in their hands and
in their forehead? Those that had the mark of the
beast that worshipped his image, These both were cast alive into
the lake of fire, burning with brimstone. So we know that his
end is short. He knows his end is short. And
he's filled with great wrath, going about seeking whom he may
devour. 3rd and verse 13. Revelation 12 verse 13. I'll
wind this up. When the dragon saw, this is
the devil, this is the Satan, this is the great red dragon,
saw that he was cast out into the earth, he persecuted the
woman which brought forth the man-child, and to the woman were
given two great wings of a great eagle that she might fly into
the wilderness, into her place where she is nourished, for the
three and a half years from the face of the serpent. Satan, having failed to defeat
Christ, continued to attack God's people, God's church, because
they bring forth the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse
14, the Lord graciously provide for his church during this relentless
attack, the time in which the gospel church is persecuted by
Satan and his followers, in which the church is preserved, protected,
and nourished by God, were kept by the power of God, through
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, given these two wings of a great
eagle to fly away in a place prepared by God." Again, it's
symbolic language to know that the Lord sends His mercy and
His grace, His love and His goodness that shall follow us all the
days of our life. You remember David in Psalm 23?
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my
life." That could be the symbol of these two wings of the great
eagle, goodness and mercy. Our Lord says this, you remember,
that Israel was in bondage in Egypt for 400 years, and how
God delivered them through the blood of the Lamb, dividing of
the Red Sea, and sustained them in that wilderness for 40 years
with the bread that fell from heaven. And God says this in
Exodus 19 verse 4. Let me read it to you. You have
seen what I did unto the Egyptians, how I bear you on eagles' wings,
and brought you to Myself. God did it in that day forty
years. He provided for them bread from
heaven, six days a week, the quails that came, water out of
the rock, the manna that fell from heaven, They were nourished,
and God does nourish us here in this wilderness where we live. The earth, it says there, the
earth helped, read verse 15. The serpent cast out of his mouth,
his mouth, water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause
her to be carried away with the flood, and the earth help the
woman And the earth opened up her mouth and swallowed up the
flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth." Again, symbolic
language. Satan cast out of his mouth a
flood of vicious lies against the church to destroy it. It
is a flood of heresies. Remember, the Lord called Satan
the father of lies and a murderer. The earth, it says in verse 16,
helped the woman, the church, that is the ungodly world, swallowed
up the flood of heresy and the lies of the devil to the fervent
of the gospel. God will use whatever means it
pleases Him to provide and protect His church. Even Satan's attacks
against us work out for our eternal good. He comes with a vicious
lie and heresies, and God caused the earth to open up and to swallow
up all those lies. And the dragon, verse 17, the
dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the
remnant of her seed. That's the remnant of God's elect.
which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of
the Lord Jesus Christ." Now how do believers keep the commandments
of God? He's not talking about the law
of Moses. He's talking about the command
of the Gospel. He commands us to believe the
Gospel, and by His grace we do. "...which keep the commandments
of God." That is, believing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They believe Him as all their
salvation. This is His commandment. He says
in John chapter 3, this is His commandment, that you should
believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and love one another
as He gave us commandments. We do keep the commandments.
That's His commandment, to believe Him. And because we believe Him,
believers have the testimony of Jesus Christ. the testimony,
the witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I want you to look
at one scripture with me, thinking about the testimony of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Find over here in 2 Timothy,
2 Timothy chapter 1. It talks about a testimony here,
the testimony of Jesus Christ. And here we have a description
of it, 2 Timothy chapter 1. Look at verse 7. For God hath
not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and
of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ, nor of me his prisoner,
but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God. Now look at verse 9. Here it
is. Who saved us. according to the
power of God. That's our testimony. He saved
us. He called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to His own purpose and grace, given us in
the Lord Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world.
That's our testimony. By God's own purpose and God's
own grace, He saved us, He called us, according to His purpose
and grace given to us in Christ before the foundation of the
world. That's my testimony. That's the testimony of every
believer. The dragon was rocked with a woman, and went to make
war with a remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of
God, and they have the testimony of Jesus Christ. He's all our
salvation. He's all our hope.