REVELATION SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 12.4b

Gleanings from the Book of Revelation:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

The

REVELATION TO JOHN

(The Apocalypse)

                                                                           

Chapter Twelve

The Great Tribulation

(Parenthesis)

The Seven Trumpets

Trumpet Number 7: Woe Number 3

Tribulation Characters

 

 

2. The Great Red Dragon (continued)

(Verse 4b)

 

And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

 

Satan's Attempts to Kill the Line of the Messiah

Old Testament

As the woman, Israel travails in pain about to birth her Man-child (Christ), the dragon (Satan) has always lurked in the darkness ready to destroy Israel in an attempt to thwart God's plan of redemption. Since the promised seed prophecy (cf. Genesis 3:15), the conflict between the woman and Satan raged throughout the entire Old Testament to prevent the birth of Israel's Messiah.

Although the attempts are numerous, some notable examples are as follows:

1.  Satan's first attempt was after the birth of Eve's two sons, Cain and Abel. Even though Cain was the firstborn, Satan prompted Cain to murder Abel because Abel had a better and acceptable redemptive (blood) sacrifice unto God.

Genesis 4:8 - And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose against Abel his brother, and slew him.

a.  Marring the Messianic heritage, Cain became a fugitive (cf. Genesis 5:10-15). However, through the providence of God, the bloodline continued through Eve's third son, Seth, making Satan's attempt to snuff out the Messiah's lineage to no avail.

 

2.  Another circuitous scheme of Satan was to corrupt Adam's pedigree through the perversion of mankind's sinful nature. The cohabitation of the sons of God (fallen angelic beings) with the (human) daughters of men produced a giant race of Nephilim. This corruption of God's image and genes necessitated the destruction and cleansing of the earth via the flood.

Genesis 6:4 - There were giants (Nephilim) in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

a.  But through God's intervention, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (cf. Genesis 6:8). Noah and his family were spared, thus stopping Satan's attempt to forestall the promised seed.

 

3.  In Egypt, when Pharaoh ordered all midwives to cast the newborn sons of Hebrew slaves into the Nile River, a satanic attempt at genocide ensued.

Exodus 1:22 - And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

a.  Once again God averted the annihilation of the Hebrew race by providentially allowing Pharaoh's daughter to spare Moses' life.

 

4.  Satan, the Great Red Dragon enticed King Saul to murder David because of his popularity with the people.

1 Samuel 18: 7-10 – And the women answered one  another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

 9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.

11And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.

a.  Due to the sovereignty of God, Satan never succeeded to end the Messianic hope through the royal lineage of David.

 

5.  One of the strangest and perilous periods in Judah's history was during the devilish reign of Athalia, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, the only queen of Judah. Intrigue, murders, treachery, battles, and captivity all threatened the male royal descendants of David. During her six-year rule, Athalia initiated a bloody campaign to exterminate the whole royal family tree.

 

In reading the account in 2 Chronicles 21 through 23, the Messianic line was saved twice, and Satan's attack was circumvented by the preservation of one child, Prince Joash, who was in hiding spared execution. At age seven, Joash was revealed and crowned King, and Athalia was ordered killed by the palace guards.

2 Chronicles 22: 11b-12 - …So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him (Joash) from Athaliah, so that she slew him not. And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.

a.  The Lord disrupted another satanic attempt that allowed His seed promise by preserving the royal family tree of David.

 

6. During the seventy-year Babylonian captivity, most of the tribes co-mingled with pagans so the Hebrew race would not be pure. The hand of God finally allowed the Jews to return from captivity under the conquering King of Persia, Cyrus. Save the few that returned, the faithful rebuilt Jerusalem under Nehemiah and Ezra.

Ezra 1:2 - Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of Heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

a.  Once again God permitted a pure remnant to return and rebuild Jerusalem.

Ezra 1:5 - Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.

 

7.  In the book of Esther, Prime Minister Haman became Satan's tool to deceitfully promulgate Israel's extinction. However, the nation was saved by a young Israeli maiden (along with the help of her cousin Mordecai) who eventually rose to become Queen Esther by supplanting Persia's Queen Vashti. And the treacherous Haman was executed on his gallows.

Esther 7:2, 6, 10 - And the king (Ahasuerus) said again unto Esther…What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee…And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman…So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai.

a. God's hand continually manifested in all circumstantial details of this biblical account and Satan's strategy of race annihilation to prevent the Messiah's coming was again foiled.

 

 

Satan's Attempts to Subvert Jesus from Fulfilling His Destiny

New Testament - Gospels

Satan's desire was always to exterminate the lineage of the Messiah. His unsuccessful escapades caused the woman Israel much travail in birth and pain to be delivered (cf. verse 2). Despite numerous attempts to thwart the Messiah's mission by preventing His birth, God sovereignly protected the seed, thus allowing the promised Redeemer to be born. Some noteworthy examples given after Christ's birth include:

1.  Herod's attempt to kill all male children two years and younger (prophesized by Jeremiah – Called the Slaughter of the Innocents).

Matthew 2:16-17 - Then Herod…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 inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying…

 

Jeremiah 31:15 - Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not (perished).

a.   This time God sovereignly intervened by causing the royal family to flee to Egypt until the death of Herod. Satan's attempt was again a failure.

 

2.  During Jesus' 40 days and nights of fasting, Satan tied to tempt Jesus to renounce His authority.

Matthew 4:9 - And (Satan) saith unto Him, All these things (all the kingdoms of the world) will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.

a.   Before Jesus went into the wilderness, however, He was full of the Holy Spirit (cf. Luke 4:1). The Lord's refusal to pay homage to Satan rather than adoration to His Father collapsed another satanic devious endeavor.

 

3.  At the commencement of Jesus' ministry, Jesus chose His hometown of Nazareth to identify Himself as Israel's Messiah. As was the custom, on the Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and read a portion of Scripture – Isaiah 61:1-2a. He stopped and said, "This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears" (cf. Luke 4:21b).

 

Claiming blasphemy, the townspeople who were in the synagogue were filled with anger:

Luke 4:29 – And (they) rose up, and thrust Him out of the city, and led Him unto the brow (edge, brink or precipice) of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong (over a cliff).

a.  The rage of the mob, incited by Satan, was subverted when Jesus escaped their plot to murder Him because His time had not yet come. Hence, Jesus demonstrated His supernatural ability to avoid capture.

Luke 4: 30 - But He passing through the midst of them went His way.

 

4.  Satan incites political and religious pressure upon the Pharisees. On the Sabbath, the Pharisees accused Jesus of being unlawful to sabbatical rules.

Matthew 12:14 - Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against Him, how they might destroy (kill) Him.

a.  Repeatedly, through God's providential will, avoidance of any premature assassination stratagems was repudiated.

Matthew 12:15-16 - But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew Himself from thence: and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all; And charged (warned) them that they should not make Him known.

 

5.  When Jesus began teaching His disciples about His rejection, suffering, and death, the Apostle Peter became Satan's spokesperson and tried persuading Him to bypass the Cross. Jesus then rebuked Peter and declared such ideas were satanic.

Mark 8:33 - But when He had turned about and looked on His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind Me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

a.  Satan foreknew that Jesus' death on the cross would be his defeat. Jesus never succumbed to any of Satan's vigorous attempts to derail God's plan of redemption.

 

6.  Satan used Judas Iscariot as a pawn to betray Christ which ultimately led to His death on the Cross. The moment Judas turned traitor, God's divine mercy gave way to divine judgment as Judas was handed over to Satan.

John 13:27 - And after the sop Satan entered into him (Judas). Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

 

John 6:70-71 - Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil (specifically Satan)? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray Him, being one of the twelve.

 

Matthew 25:14-15 - Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver Him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

a.  Jesus allowed this betrayal with full knowledge that God's plan of redemption would soon be accomplished - The Cross being the ultimate goal. Unknowingly, Judas Iscariot served as a reminder that there is nothing anyone can do to impede God's sovereign will.

 

7.  At the Crucifixion, an attempt was made by the people, rulers, and soldiers for Jesus to relinquish His authority – Another satanic scheme.

Luke 23:37 - And saying, If Thou be the King of the Jews, save Thyself.

a.  His death on the Cross permitted the seed of the woman to finally complete the task of fatally bruising the head of that old serpent, Satan.  

Philippians 2:8 - And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

 

Consequently, Jesus won the spiritual battle when He proclaimed, "It is finished." (cf. John 19:30). And the proof of Christ's victory is His Ascension (Cf. Acts 1:11). Jesus later announced:

Revelation 1:18 - I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

 

Satan's Post-Resurrection Strategies

During the Church Age, satanic attacks have been at the forefront for over two thousand years. History records:

1.  The destruction of Jerusalem by Titus Vespasian 70 A.D.

2.  The Persecution of Christians

3.   Infiltrating the Church with immorality

4. Adulterating the Church with false religions

5.   The Armenian Genocide

6. The Jewish Holocaust

7.  Christian persecution by Isis and other terrorist groups

But as in all cases, Satan has failed to stop the plan of God.

 

After the Rapture and During the Tribulation

Jews and Gentiles alike, Satan will deliberately try to deceive as many as possible to prevent them from receiving eternal glory. God will allow Satan, Antichrist, and the false prophet (the unholy trinity) to achieve great power on earth and win the allegiance of what remains of humanity. They temporarily triumph until the last intensified bowl judgments are poured out.

 

Satan's Doom

However, Jesus' final and complete victory over Satan will occur at the end of the Millennium when he, the Antichrist, and the false prophet will be cast into the eternal Lake of Fire.

Revelation 20:10 - And the devil that deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

 

In the next study, the third character of Tribulation will be introduced along with the continuation of Satan's exposure.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1.   What was the promised prophecy of redemption?

2.   What was Satan's intent throughout the Old Testament?

3.   Name three instances where Satan almost succeeded.

4.   What was Satan's strategy in the Gospels?

5.   Name three attempts to thwart the mission of Jesus.

6.   Why did Stan not succeed in any of his missions?

7.   What is Satan's scheme during the Tribulation Period?

 

 

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