Jesus’ Revelations to John, chapter 8
We hope the two previous inserts to our Revelations study helps all understand how it is that David’s dynasty, ‘kingdom’ continues in this age and forever through Jesus our Savior and coming king of kings. David worshiped his Lord and knew believers would inherit eternal life though Him, understood how and why Jesus’ spiritual kingdom ‘His Church of God’ would grow, and believers in Jesus would inherit eternal life for future rulership positions with Jesus. (The called in this age are much like Abraham in that he was ‘called to separate from this world’s society and follow Jesus as He dictated.’) Abraham, like today’s followers of Jesus was being made heir with his Lord God Jesus and inherit the promises made to himself and ancestors, ‘that is to rule with Jesus in His everlasting kingdom.’
Spiritual resurrections of the dead in Christ are to serve with Jesus, and physical resurrected Israel will be delivered back to and prosper in the promised lands. After 1,000 years New Jerusalem will come down, ‘Jesus then will yield to His and our Father as prophesied.’
Followers of Jesus in this age are called to serve and overcome our inherited from Adam sin nature, Satan’s temptations and his influences that mimic Jesus’ Church of God. ‘Believers do this through faith in Jesus’ shed blood for the remission of sins.’ It isn’t supposed to be easy, Jesus said; (John 15:18-27; “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. ‘However, because you do not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world for this reason the world hates you.’ Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed My word, they will obey yours too. (But they will do all these things to you on account of My name, because they do not know the One who sent Me.) -– ‘If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But they no longer have any excuse for their sin.’ ‘The one who hates Me hates My Father too.’ If I had not performed among them the miraculous deeds that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin.) But now they have seen the deeds and have hated both Me and My Father.
Now this happened to fulfill the word that is written in their (Israel’s) law, ‘They hated Me without reason.’
When the Advocate comes, whom I will send you from the Father –‘the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father will testify about Me, and you (apostles) also will testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.’)
Dealing with Satan and temptations is what Jesus did for our benefit. (Hebrews 4:14-16; Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.)
NOW BACK TO REVELATIONS, The Woman and the Dragon. The woman is the church and the dragon is Satan who makes war because of jealously. (Rev 12:1-6; Then a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was screaming in labor pains, struggling to give birth.— (Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns. ‘Now the dragon’s tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. So the woman gave birth to a son, a male child, who is going to rule over all the nations with an iron rod.) Her child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne, and she (The Church) fled into the wilderness where a place had been prepared for her by God, so she could be taken care of for 1,260 days.) (These 6 verses describe Satan’s rebellion, Jesus’ birth, ascension, and 4 months before His return.)
Long before Satan was thrown Down to Earth. See Isaiah 14 also. (Rev 12:7-18; Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But the dragon was not strong enough to prevail, so there was no longer any place left in heaven for him and his angels. So that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him. — (Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, “The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the ruling authority of his Christ, have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, the one who accuses them day and night before our God, has been thrown down. But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Therefore you heavens rejoice, and all who reside in them! But woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you! He is filled with terrible anger, for he knows that he only has a little time!”)
Now when the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman (church) who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of a giant eagle so that she could fly out into the wilderness, to the place God prepared for her, where she is taken care of – away from the presence of the serpent – for a time, times, and half a time. Then the serpent spouted water like a river out of his mouth after the woman in an attempt to sweep her away by a flood, but the earth came to her rescue; the ground opened up and swallowed the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. So the dragon became enraged at the woman (church) and went away to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep God’s commandments and hold to the testimony about Jesus. And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.)
Satan manifest himself as an angel of light and controls various beast, ‘organizations of man.’ The First Beast. (Rev 13:1-10; Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadem crowns, and on its heads a blasphemous name. (Babylon and like organizations of confusion.) Now the beast that I saw was like a leopard, but its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon (Satan) gave the beast his power, (his throne) and great authority to rule. One of the beast’s heads appeared to have been killed, but the lethal wound had been healed. And the whole world followed the beast in amazement; they worshiped the dragon (Satan) because he had given ruling authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast too, saying: “Who is like the beast?” and “Who is able to make war against him?” The beast was given a mouth speaking proud words and blasphemies, and he was permitted to exercise ruling authority for forty-two months. So the beast opened his mouth to blaspheme against God – to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place, that is, those who dwell in heaven. The beast was permitted to go to war against the Saints and conquer them. He was given ruling authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation, and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed. If anyone has an ear, he had better listen! If anyone is meant for captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed by the sword, then by the sword he must be killed. This requires steadfast endurance and faith from the Saints.)
The Second Beast. (Rev 13:11-18; Then I saw another beast coming up from the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but was speaking like a dragon. He exercised all the ruling authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, the one whose lethal wound had been healed. He performed momentous signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people and, by the signs he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, he deceived those who live on the earth. He told those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had been wounded by the sword, but still lived. The second beast was empowered to give life to the image of the first beast so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He also caused everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave) to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. Thus no one was allowed to buy or sell things unless he bore the mark of the beast – that is, his name or his number. This calls for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the beast’s number, for it is man’s number, and his number is 666.) (Refers to enslaving organizations of man.)