← ArchiveHidden RevealedA Woman, A Child, and a Dragon (Revelation 12:1-6)DateOctober 9, 2022SpeakerDr Josh BurnhamTextRevelation 12:1–6Passages in this sermonRevelation 12:23Revelation 52:39Revelation 123:41Romans 911:34Daniel 714:21Acts 218:41Revelation 12:720:46Exodus 19:429:51Exodus 1430:01TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00*music*0:30*music* Okay, welcome to the church that gathers at Bethel.0:59My name is Josh, one of the pastors here. And we gather because of the Gospel. And if you are a covenant member, you should know this by now. So this is your time to shine. The Gospel is simply this: Jesus in our place. He said, "Well, it can't be that easy. There has to be something more." No, God sent His only Son to take your place, that by faith we can receive abundant life.1:28It is so simple that a child can grasp, and it is so difficult that many clench their fist in despair. But Jesus died to take away your sin and He lived a life you could not live. That is why we gather. How could you not worship a God like this? We continue today through the book of Revelation, which is reminding us who Jesus Christ is and who He said He was and who He will be.1:56It is a sermon series we call Hidden Revealed. Because the word Apocalypse, the Apocalypse of John, means hidden things revealed. So Revelation is not written to make life more difficult. Revelation is given to believers to help give you hope in the midst of difficulty. So Revelation 1 through 5, we answer this question.2:23One question. Who is worthy? It is the reason that the Apostle John was weeping and he said, "God, there is no creature worthy to open the scroll. There is no creature worthy to open your will." And then he saw in Revelation chapter 5 a lamb as though slain. But this lamb wasn't dead. This lamb was standing. Because Jesus Christ lives again.2:51And in the next 14 chapters, John answers the question, "Who can stand in the judgment of this righteous lamb?" Can I just spoil the ending? No one. There is no one who is worthy to stand in the presence of God other than the ones who are made worthy by the lamb's blood.3:12And so we see all of these judgments, but they're asking the question, "Who is worthy?" And in chapter 12, amid the judgment of God upon the earth, we see the stage set for the final confrontation. This great cosmic spiritual battle. And we're introduced to three curious characters today in Revelation 12.3:41A woman, a child, and a dragon. A woman, a child, and a dragon. And I was super creative. And the title of the sermon is, "A woman, a child, and a dragon." So let's pray after we read the word of God. And we'll ask the Lord to open our hearts. Revelation 12, verse 1.4:09"A great sign appeared in heaven, and a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and a crown of stars on her head." You've never seen a woman like this before. She's clothed in splendor and majesty. This is visually symbolic of a deeper spirituality. We'll get to that shortly. "She was pregnant, and she cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth.4:34Then another sign appeared in heaven. There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns. And on his heads were seven crowns. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth so that when she did give birth, it might devour her child."5:00Now let's pause. How in the world will this woman ever prevail? If what the Bible says is true, how in the world can a woman in labor find relief from this dragon? Something curious happens. She gave birth to a son anyway.5:28A male who was going to rule all nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God to be nourished there for 1,260 days. And in years that would be time, times, and time and a half. Three and a half years.5:56Now some of you are thinking, "Pastor, you better pray because I have no clue what is going on here." So let's pray. Lord, we thank you for the reminder that there is no scheme of the devil that can prevent the sovereign will of a holy God. We thank you that Herod could not wipe out the birth of the Messiah. We thank you, Lord, that even though he was crucified, death did not stop the sovereign rule of this child.6:25And, Lord, we thank you that three days later there was an open tomb. And that everything Satan tried to devour raised to new life. Lord, we thank you for the reminder that through Jesus Christ you will breathe life into all who trust your Son as Savior and Lord.6:49Father, open our hearts and our minds that we might know you more. That we might think deeply of faith and that we might serve you. Lord, we do not want to be hearers only, but help us be doers and faithful witnesses of your holy word. Lord, dwell in our midst, we ask in Christ's name.7:17Amen. So the symbols are easy to recognize, aren't they? The woman represents the people of Christ. The dragon clearly embodies Satan. And John actually tells us that is the devil and Satan in the next couple of verses, which we will read. And the child is the anointed Messiah. But the plot behind the imagery is entirely unexpected for the Western reader. Some of you say, well, I get that.7:45That's the people of God. That is the Son of God. And that is Satanic forces. But you're thinking, I have no clue where the whole dragon thing comes from. But we must realize for the ancient reader, the age old tale of a dragon and a conqueror hit close to heart. For instance, Egyptian, Greek, Akkadian, and Roman literature represent the war between good and evil8:08evil as a war between chaos and a conqueror figure. So the Roman church would have read this and said, oh, this makes much sense. We get this dragon imagery. Even more striking, the Rome used imperial propaganda, which is not new, by the way.8:31Propaganda is not a modern invention. Rome used imperial propaganda that portrayed the emperor as Apollo, the son of the gods who defeated the chaos monster. So Rome was telling the church, hey, we are the God who defeats chaos. And the Bible says, no, you're not.8:57There is only one. His name is Jesus, who is the hero who can conquer the dragon. There is only one. His name is Jesus, who is worthy to defeat sin, death, and the grave. So do not get lost in all the apocalyptic imagery and miss the beautiful gospel truth. Jesus is the only one who can stand against the enemy. And for those who follow him as Lord and Savior, you too will find victory over the grave and over Satan.9:25So in verses one through six, the battle begins. And in all the judgments, we've read it, John sees a what? Verse one, he sees a sign, but not any sign. What type of sign? A great sign. Now that could be a really big sign or a really impactful sign. I think it's the second.9:54It's the latter. But there's this marvelous picture. And it's the reminder that this sign points us to a greater symbolic reality. And the entire conflict of Revelation centers around these verses. Now there's a woman. She is the great sign. And this woman is clothed, not with Louis or Vuitton or Prada, but these are clothes you've never seen before. She's clothed with the sun and the moon and the stars.10:23Now you might think, I recognize that somewhere. Do you remember the young man with many coats in the book of Genesis? He was a dreamer and an interpreter of dreams. And some of the dreams that he had caused agitation in his brother's lives. Because he said, I saw a vision of stocks and my stock stood up and yours bowed down.10:50And they said, we will never bow down to you. He's like, that's not, you're not excited as I am about the dream. But in chapter 37, verse 9, he gives them another dream. And he says, in my dream, I saw the sun, moon and stars bowing down. So Revelation is picking up on this clearly image of Israel.11:15It's the same language used in Genesis for the people of God. So the woman represents the people of God, the faithful Israel. Because Romans 9 says that not all by birth are spiritual Israel. Israel represents what was always true. Those by faith in the covenant God are true Israel.11:42You say, well, how do you know that? Ask Rahab, who was in Jericho, who was a pagan, who made covenant with the covenant God, whose home was spared because she was brought into relationship. Ask any by faith who have been grafted into the vine through the blood of Jesus Christ. True Israel are those by faith. Now, some see the woman as Mary.12:10And the Roman Catholic Church would say, well, this is the mother of Jesus. But I would remind them that there is nowhere in Revelation that ever makes this link. And there's no other scripture verse that makes this link. This is a clear picture of the people of God. And you might be thinking, okay, how in the world do I live this out then? This is a reminder that the cosmic battle began when Yahweh chose a people for himself and clothed them in majesty.12:31You see, Satan doesn't want you to be in the presence of God. What does Satan desire for Adam and Eve, for them to sin and be banished from the garden? When God brings people into covenant relationship, cosmic battles begin because Satan does not want you to know a Lord who loves you and created you to know him and to make him known.12:55So the cosmic battle begins because of covenant relationship. But that's not the only sign. There's another great sign. I don't know if you caught it here, but in verse 3, John says there is another sign.13:20And it's a great sign. There's a great, fiery, red dragon. And so this dragon has seven heads and ten horns. I don't know how many dragons you've ever seen in your life. But I would imagine you've never seen a dragon like this dragon before. And there's a reason because it's an apocalyptic imagery of the darkness that Satan represents.13:45So to avoid confusion, you say, well, okay, who is this? Or what is this? Look at verse 9. I like that the Bible is written for simple people. John says, so the great dragon was thrown out, the ancient serpent, who is called devil and Satan. So the dragon is clearly Satan.14:14And we are told that. But think of it like this. The dragon has seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns, which echoes the beast that we see in Daniel 7. Same imagery. Because every single empire that is earthly is actually a product of Satan's work against the work of Jesus Christ. But do you notice what Satan does not have?14:40We see that Jesus has seven horns and seven eyes. Satan only has crowns and heads, which I believe is a reminder that Satan has no eyes because he is always spiritually blind to the light of Jesus Christ. How? How? How does the world know that the Messiah would be born in this small town of Bethlehem?15:09How can the dragon lie in wait for the pregnant woman ready to devour this child? And by some miracle, the child is born. How can Jesus of Nazareth be born in Bethlehem? And when Satan calls the prophets and says, you tell me, where is this child going to be born? And their answer? Bethlehem.15:38Bethlehem. Everyone knows that. How can the Son of God be born in Bethlehem underneath this current of Satan desiring to stamp out the light of Jesus Christ? Because Satan has no spiritual eye. How can Satan and his forces kill the Son of God?15:58And how can he gloat and boast for three days, not realizing that this was all part of God's holy plan, that his Son would rise again, and that all who have faith in Jesus would also experience new life? Because Satan is always spiritually blind. Listen, never worry about a seven-headed dragon that's blind.16:25Because Satan cannot see. And it's a reminder in my life, Satan's best attempts will never thwart God's holy will. There is no plan A for Satan that can defeat God's plan D. God is always one step ahead because Satan cannot see spiritual realities.16:50And if you're going through temptation, if you're going through difficult today, and you say, "Well, Satan has the upper hand," let Revelation remind you that Satan will never have the upper hand. He can't see. He can't see the light of Jesus Christ. And may you find hope in this reminder that God's plan will always come to fruition. Satan's best attempts will never thwart God's sovereign will.17:18And so, the Savior was born. And the Bible says that he will rule the nations, in verse 5, from his heavenly throne. Now, John fails to give us any details of Jesus' life. But that's okay because we have the Gospels. We know about the life of Jesus Christ. And the Apostles' Creed recaps what we believe and what we worship.17:45We believe that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. That he was suffered and he tried under Pontius Pilate that he crucified. He's crucified, he died, was buried. And three days later, he rose again. From the dead, he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. And from there, he will come to judge the living and the dead.18:10Church, never forget this fact. For every scheme of the dragon, Yahweh has a better and more glorious plan. A more glorious plan. But this is just the beginning of the cosmic story between good and evil. So John now gives us the end.18:37Not act 2, but he jumps to the end. Look at verse 7. Then war broke out. We meet a fourth character, Michael, and his angel, who fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, but he could not prevail because he's blind. That's my parenthesis. And there was no place for them in heaven any longer. Circle that word or highlight that mentally.19:05There is no place for them in heaven. So the great dragon was thrown out, the ancient serpent who is called devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. So who does he deceive? The whole world. So when you say, well, our world is falling apart. No, it's just deceived. But one day Jesus Christ will reign fully and ultimately. He was thrown to earth and the angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, salvation and power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come.19:33Because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, the one who accuses them before God day and night. Listen, Satan will not stop accusing you. But he has been thrown down. They conquered him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives to the point of death.19:54Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you with great fury and he knows his time is short. The battle concludes. Michael, accompanied by his angels, enter the scene.20:21Michael's role in scripture is always in a military capacity. You can see that in the book of Jude, verse 9. But did you notice who Satan is fighting and who he is not fighting? Who is Satan? Who is Satan? Satan. Who is Satan fighting here? Okay. Revelation chapter 12, verse 7. Then war broke out in heaven.20:49Thank you, Chris. I appreciate you. Michael and his angels. Why does the Bible not say that Satan fights against Yahweh? Because they are not equals. Satan does not fight God directly. He fights Michael because Satan is not Yahweh's equal. So if you feel tempted, if you feel beaten, if you feel warned, you say, well, I can't believe Satan is conquering.21:16He's not. He is not equal to God. He never was and he never will be. He fights with Michael and still he does not prevail. And he is no longer welcome into the presence of the Lord. So four times in verse 8, verse 9, verse 9 and verse 10. The Bible demonstrates that the adversary was thrown out of heaven because there is no place in him.21:43Or for him. It's the reminder in scripture that the dragon is now physically banned from the throne of God. I believe Revelation is teaching us a deeper and more profound spiritual truth. So before Jesus atoning death on the cross, Satan could legitimately accuse believers before God because of their sins.22:09He could. Because your sins were not ultimately forgiven before Jesus Christ on the cross. But now your sins are cleansed and forgiven through the cross. So here's the spiritual reality of Satan being thrown out of the presence of God.22:36Yahweh pays no regard to Satan's accusations since the penalty for your sin has been paid by the blood of the lamb. Through the cross and the resurrection, the accuser has been thrown down. And church, this is cause for rejoicing. Look at verse 10. A loud voice says, Salvation, power, kingdom of our God, the authority of his Christ has now come.23:05Because the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown out of heaven. Why would John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, skip to the end of the battle? Because sometimes I think John knows that we need a glimpse of something more glorious.23:31So before I go on, I want you to understand the spiritual truth. Because of what Jesus did for you on the cross, Satan has no right to ever accuse you again. Because all of your sins have been forgiven. So when Satan comes before the throne of the Lord and says, Yahweh, don't you remember what Josh did? Day and night he's accusing, right?24:00Jesus says, "Father, we choose not to remember because I paid for that sin." Satan can no longer accuse him because his sins are paid for and they are paid in full. Church, because of Jesus Christ, Satan has no legitimate accusation over you ever again if you have given your life to Jesus. So we have hope.24:27We have hope that the accuser has been banished from the presence of an almighty God. But there are times that we don't feel hopeful. And John is reminding us of verse 11. For those that are beaten, worn, tired, frustrated. John says, look at verse 11. Church, don't forget that the people of God conquer the dragon.24:54And we say, well, what do we do with them? Not in strength. Not in strength. Not in programming. Not in might. Not in large edifices. Not in cooperative programs. Or not in the strength of any man-made institution. Don't forget that the people of God conquered the dragon by the blood of the lamb. And the word of their testimony.25:23For they did not love their lives even to the point of death. And we say, well, what do we do with this news? Again, the Bible is written for simple people. John says in verse 12. Therefore rejoice, heavens, all you who dwell in them, but woe to the earth and the sea. Again, those are for people who have not confessed Christ as Lord. There is hope in the blood of the lamb.25:51And this is the reminder spiritually. Satan will wage war against your heart, body, and mind when he knows he has already lost your soul. If you've given your life to Christ, Satan has lost his right on your soul. He's lost his right to accuse you. But Satan doesn't want you to remember that. Sometimes we forget that Satan can't accuse us before God anymore.26:20And so Satan tempts us and he ridicules us. If Satan can't win the battle, he will forever live to render you useless. But never forget that the adversary is overcome through the blood of the lamb. The church rejoice. But woe to you who do not trust Christ.26:47So now the battle continues in verse 13. So we've gone to the end. And now we come back to the second or the middle act of this cosmic battle. Look at verse 13. When the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, He persecuted the woman who had given birth to the male child. Again, the woman represents the faithful community of God.27:15The child clearly is Jesus Christ. The woman was given two wings of a great eagle so that she could fly from the serpent's presence to her place in the wilderness where she was nourished for a time, times, and half a time. Three and a half years. From his mouth, the serpent spewed water. Again, where is it coming from? From his mouth. Because revelation is a war of testimony.27:43It's a testimony. Is Christ the way, the truth, and the life? Or is he not in your life? But the earth helped the woman in verse 16. And the earth opened his mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. So the dragon was furious with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep the commands of God and hold firmly to the testimony about Jesus Christ.28:06Because Jesus rose from the dead and because Satan has been thrown out of the presence of God, he wages war continually in your life. He is furious. The Bible describes it in verse 17. Church, we need to pay attention. Because the Bible is very clear.28:35Spiritual warfare is real. And I believe reasons that are deeply spiritually impactful. Sometimes we read Revelation and we say, well, I don't understand it. I'm going to close it. But John is saying, wake up. Spiritual war is all around us. Whether you see it or not, heaven sees it. And heaven is much more eternally minded than Satan could ever be because he's blind spiritually. He lives in darkness.29:04Spiritual warfare is often neglected in the life of the believer in church. To remain neutral is to lose the war. But we overcome by the blood of the lamb. And God will not leave you empty or naked or afraid. When Satan wages war against the woman, the people of God, what happens? She flees. And what does she find in the wilderness?29:33In verse 16, the earth opens and swallows up the river. The dragon is spewed from his mouth. In verse 14, we see that the woman was given wings of a great eagle so she could fly from the serpent's presence. In Exodus 19:4, God reminds his people, never forget that you left Egypt on the wings like eagle. Never forget in Exodus 14 that God parted the Red Sea.30:01This is Exodus language to remind the people of God. Listen, God has always protected his people. Don't you remember the time you were in the wilderness and you were hungry and there was no food? God gave bread from heaven called manna. Don't you remember when you cried out in Egypt and you could find no way of escape? God delivered you.30:30Don't you remember the Red Sea where you knew you were going to die because chariots were encroaching? God parted the Red Sea. And if God has done that throughout history, how much more will he do that for you? God always nurtures and cares for his own. And church, I submit to you, what if Satan's greatest temptation in your life is spiritual forgetfulness?30:53Because spiritual thankfulness is memory lodged in the heart. Satan knows that his time is what? We've read it already. Short. Satan knows that, but he wants you to forget it. Satan knows that he has no spiritual eyes, but he wants you to forget it. Satan knows that when God's people were in Egypt and Satan tried to exterminate them, God delivered.31:22Satan knows that when the world was trying to execute all the babies of Bethlehem, that he could not stop the Messiah's birth. Satan knows that when the Messiah died and three days the world was dark, that Jesus rose again. Satan knows this, but he wants you to forget. Never forget God's holy promises in your life.31:52I love what Martin Luther said in A Mighty Fortress is Our God. He says, "Did we in our own strength confide our striving would be losing? We're not the right man on our side, a man of God's own choosing. You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He. Lord Jesus is His name from age to age the same, and He must win the battle."32:22Church, never forget that when you confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the right man is always on your side. This is the hope that we have in our Savior. I've found in my life that sometimes children's books best describe adult truths.32:47So if you would indulge me, I want to read to you a bedtime story. It comes from the Biggest Story Bible. If you have that Bible at home, some of you read this to your children. It's page 518. Listen to how this children's Bible summarizes this passage. "Didn't it look like the snake was crawling to victory when Cain killed Abel,33:16when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, when everyone did what was right in his own eyes, when the prophets were ignored, when the priests led the people into sin, when the kings went from bad to worse? Even the disciples could not help but wonder if God's word had failed them and the snake crusher fell." In church, the snake crusher did fall.33:46But then he got back up. He defeated death. He conquered the grave. He routed sin and the devil. But that was just the beginning and not the end for our scaly enemy. The devil hissed like a snake. Sometimes he roars like a lion. Even when his defeat was sure, even when his head was stomped, he still spread lies. He still hurled accusations.34:16The day of his final doom had not yet come. But it will. You can count on that. It will most certainly come. The ancient serpent, the dragon, Satan, the tempter of Jesus and the enemy of God's people. He will be thrown into the lake of fire, never to deceive or accuse again. This is the power of Jesus Christ.34:44If you have never trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, how will you answer the question, who can stand before God? Only he who is sinless. Is that you? And if you're living a life hoping, I hope that I'm good enough one day, you'll never be good enough.35:12Because your sin separates you from a holy God. But God knows that to be true. And so he sent his only son, Jesus, the snake crusher, the dragon slayer, to live a sinless life. That all who believe in him and confess him as Lord will be saved. Because all who trust in Jesus will never be accused again. Because the blood of the lamb covers our sin.35:40If you've never put your hope in Jesus, would you do so today? Would you come to the altar? Would you come to the throne and say, God, I'm sorry that I have failed you. Lord, I turn from myself and I turn to you today. God, take away my sin. I believe you sent Jesus to live a sinless life. I believe that you let Jesus die for me.36:09I believe Jesus rose again. And Lord, I believe what you say is true. Whoever believes in their heart and confesses you as Lord will be saved. The Bible says that God hears every prayer of a repentant heart. And he will hear yours today. And may you hear for the first time, welcome home. You are forgiven.36:39You are free. And your accusations are no more. Father, we thank you.← Previous in Hidden RevealedWho Can Stand? 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