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REVELATION CHAPTER 12 KJV WEB See previous page Rev 12,1-17 (39j) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Jesus defeated this world system >> Jesus defeated Satan in the world – Satan's initial fall from heaven is analogous to the fall prophesied to occur in the last days. John the revelator relates the original story of Satan falling from heaven to show that his fall from the atmosphere surrounding the earth in the last days is not so different from his fall from God's heaven. The stars that fell from heaven to the earth have a duel meaning in that Satan took 1/3 of the host of heaven with him; it also refers to 1/3 of the Church falling from grace. The fate he suffered in heaven has afflicted him at the cross as God tricked him to incite Israel to crucify their own messiah, at which point the devil unwittingly handed over the keys of death and hell to Jesus, defeating him in the weakness of human flesh. Now, at the consummation of the ages God has predestined Satan to lose the war against the Church in the weakness of human flesh. (50db) Judgment >> Last Days >> Great Endtime Revival >> Jews lead the world into revival >> Prophesied to unite the body of Christ at the end of the age – It is no wonder people find the book of Revelation difficult; in many respects it is a summation of the entire word of God. It tries to say everything in only a few sentences, and to do so it must have multiple layers of significance, and it is especially true in this chapter. Sequentially, chapters 11&12 should have been placed after chapter seven, which initially speaks of the 144,000. Verse one says, “A great sign appeared in heaven a woman clothed with the sun.” This woman is the 144,000; she is Israel the repentant, having realized the error of her ways, having received Jesus Christ as her messiah, holding Him in a state of revival, clothed with the glory of God. See also: Great endtime revival; Rev 12,1-13; 225j / The woman; 252f (98m) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Endurance invites the Holy Spirit into your life >> Endurance invites the judgment of God (111j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Word and the judgment of God—Word (252f) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship God >> Worship God who is Spirit >> Worship God in the Spirit – The dragon was unable to destroy the woman (144,000 Jewish believers) and her children (gentile Church), because God protected her, leading her into the wilderness where she was nourished for 3½ years. It says that the woman took the two wings of the great eagle and used them to fly to her place of safety; these winged creatures were described in Rev 4,6-9 (Cherubim/Seraphim), heavenly creatures who continually worship God as they watch over His throne; a pair of them were prominently displayed on the Ark of the Covenant. These living creatures assisted the woman to a lofty place where she worshipped God continually throughout the trumpet judgments, a place where the serpent could not reach her, becoming the princess of the power of the air in the very place that was once Satan's domain but was since extricated. This is a place in the spirit where she could broadcast God's truth for the whole world to hear through unity on a global scale, a place where her faith in God clearly reverberated in the human consciousness. It was a place of paradise to her innermost being, but a wilderness to her flesh. The serpent stopped looking for her, because she was beyond his reach, where she awaited the First Resurrection, when God would Rapture His people (1The 4-17). Rev 14,6-8 says, "And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, 'Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.' And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.'" See also: Fall of Satan; Rev 12-6; 28k / Dragon (antichrist); Rev 12,1-13; 45k / Cherubim; Rev 12-14; 116e / The woman; Rev 12,1-13; 45k / Wilderness; Rev 12,1-13; 225j Rev 12,1-14 (131g) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Interdependence >> Serving one another Rev 12,1-13 (45k) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Subjecting your flesh >> Satan VS the saints >> Defeating Satan in weakness of sinful flesh -- These verses go with verse 17. The beast is part of Satan’s kingdom and so is the harlot, defined as a religious institution, the counterfeit Church, that opposes the woman. When we go back to the Old Testament and look at the way God viewed Israel when it walked in sin, God called her a harlot (Ezekiel chapter 16). Revelation chapter 12 speaks about the true woman, the bride of Christ, compared to the harlot, whose leader is the antichrist. The name of the false church is Catholicism, and so the antichrist is the pope. The moon under her feet represents Satan, who was once Lucifer the light bearer (Isaiah 14,12-15), who is now a fallen angel that can only reflect light. He must stand close enough to a light source to counterfeit its radiance for the purpose of deceiving the world, to make them believe he is a light source instead of darkness and decay. The moon is under the woman’s feet, meaning that at the end of the age, the 144,000 Jews will grow wise to the devil’s deceptions and finally believe that Jesus is their Messiah, though a materialized form of Satan will come as the great red dragon that will be a formidable threat to her existence. See also: Dragon (antichrist); 225j / Moon; Rev 12,1-10; 61f / Catholicism; Rev 12,7-11; 42b / The woman; 225j (225j) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about nurturing the people of God >> Parables about a woman in labor giving birth to a child – The Bible has used the analogy of a woman in labor many times to represent giving birth to the Kingdom of God. Jesus used it in Mat 24-7,8 to describe the pre-conditions of the seals as the beginning of birth pangs, referring to war, famine and earthquakes leading to the great tribulation and martyrdom of the saints. The earth will quake with increasing intensity until at last it gives birth to Christ’s thousand-year reign. So it seems the earth itself is aware of a coming new age when the Millennium will kick off Christ's eternal kingdom. Not only is the earth in travail, it says the woman also is in travail, the Jewish church, the 144,000. She is in labor to give birth to a Great Endtime Revival of the gentiles and to Christ's coming kingdom. Rev 12-4,5 says, “And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so when she gives birth he might devour her child.” This chapter speaks of a spiritual ascension of God's people that is a type of Rapture before the physical resurrection occurs. The beast and the harlot were martyring the saints when the woman fled into the wilderness to hide from the devil, where this spiritual ascension will take place. See also: Dragon (antichrist); Rev 12,1-10; 61f / Great endtime revival; Rev 12,1-10; 61f / Spiritual ascension; Rev 12,1-6; 50h / The woman; Rev 12,1-10; 61f / Wilderness; Rev 12,1-6; 50h KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 12,1-10 (61f) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> God’s people give birth to Christ—Israel (to Bethlehem’s baby) / the Church (to His second coming) – The meaning of the woman giving birth to the male child is a dual analogy. It refers to Israel giving birth to Christ through Mary, His mother, and it refers to the 144,000 giving birth to a Great Endtime Revival of the gentiles. The "child" refers to the revival, and "children" are gentile Christians of the revival. Just as Jesus grew in strength and stature, so this revival will grow in number and maturity, ranging into the millions. The dragon is enraged because the woman (the Jewish Church) has finally recognized Jesus Christ as her Messiah and is competing against Satan's kingdom for supremacy in the world. This has been God’s purpose from the very beginning that Israel should lead the world in matters of faith and truth. After Jesus shed his blood, God hoped Israel would repent of her unbelief and pick up the gospel and carry the great commission to the world. Israel was originally called to do this, but after they consistently blasphemed and rejected the gospel, making Paul’s administration unproductive (all he got for his trouble was whips and beatings by the Jews), he turned to the gentiles at the direction of the Holy Spirit, and the gentiles have carried the gospel ever since into all the world in Israel's stead. However, the Jews will resume their rightful place in the last days as emissaries of all things pertaining to God. See also: Dragon (antichrist); 61f / Great endtime revival; Rev 12,1-6; 50h / The woman; 61f / Plutonomy; 61f / Lk 16-19; 170d (61f) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> The dragon—King Herod / Satan – It said earlier that the moon was under the woman’s feet, referring to satanic deception. A great red dragon appeared, which is the materialization of this deception in the form of absolute wickedness. Satan is raising up a kingdom, consisting of many nations to be his strong arm that will murder many people, including and especially Christians. This dragon has seven heads and ten horns, more horns than heads. Heads represent kings and kingdoms, while the horns represent power, suggesting that the kings do not have power but are puppet rulers of the ultra rich. These horns are tied to money, being economic powers. Traditionally, the ultra rich controlled kings and presidents for the purpose of wielding power and authority (plutocracy), but in the last days the new world order will be run by world-banks and conglomerate financial institutions that control governmental powers for the purpose of increasing their wealth, called a plutonomy. This political/economical system will be brought to its knees by the woman. See also: Dragon (antichrist); Rev 12-3,4; 243a / King Herod; Rev 12,1-6; 50h / Moon; Rev 12,1-13; 45k / Plutonomy; 61f / The woman; Rev 12,1-6; 210h Rev 12,1-6 (50h) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Second half of the tribulation >> The saints flee into the wilderness - spiritual warfare (Pre-rapture ascension) -- These verses go with verse 14. Jesus survived Herod’s attempt on His life as an infant (Mat 2,16-20), and He grew into manhood to enter His 3½ year ministry, and at the end of that ministry He gave His life for the sins of the world and then ascended back to the Father. This recap of Jesus’ life has an application to the endtimes. It is essential to understand that this child caught up to heaven represents a spiritual ascension of the Church in a Great Endtime Revival led by the Jews. One might say that this is the Rapture, but we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves; before the Rapture there must be a spiritual ascension that occurs during the trumpet judgments, and at the Last Trumpet God will physically Rapture His people. Before that, though, a spiritual ascension/revival will enable them to walk in in a powerful anointing so that it won’t matter to them whether they are in heaven or on earth. The First Resurrection occurs at the Last Trumpet, so the spiritual ascension will occur at the first trumpet that awakes the Church to walk through the door provided for them (Mat 25,1-13; Rev 3,8-10). The Church will be wisped to heaven in the spirit, while their bodies remain in the flesh, just as it happened to John the revelator (Rev 4-1,2). God will use the Church in this way to again defeat Satan in the flesh; the first time Jesus defeated him on the cross, taking from him the keys of death and hell. God will use the Church to take his position from him and become princess of the power of the air. See also: King Herod; Rev 12-4; 189h / Great endtime revival; Rev 12-4; 204d / Spiritual ascension; Rev 12-5,6; 237i / Wilderness; 210h (136hb) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Body of Christ consists of individual members >> We are being fitted together (210h) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Salvation is from the Jews >> The Jew first >> Jews lead the world to faith in Jesus – “On her head [was] a crown of twelve stars.” This crown upon her head represents a number of things. First and foremost, it represents her anointing from God. These twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel. It also represents the twelve apostles as well as the twelve gates of the heavenly city and the twelve angels posted at each gate. Keep in mind that in the early chapters of Revelation it spoke of stars representing angels, and those angels represented churches. During the trumpets, God will call the woman to lead the gentile believers into the wilderness, where they will set up camps similar to Moses and the Israelites in their exodus from Egypt. There will be many of these camps spotted around the globe with Jewish leaders of the 144,000 acting as judges, and each camp will have the capacity for many thousands of gentile believers, and God will personally take care of them feeding them manna that falls from heaven as in the days of Moses. It will be the most glorious spiritual time in the Church's history. See also: The woman; Rev 12-5,6; 105l / Wilderness; Rev 12-5,6; 105l Rev 12-1,2 (95b) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude >> Speaking in tongues >> Groaning too deep for words (104k) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see Jesus >> Shall see His appearing (132b) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> Spirit of God in the spirit of man >> Spirit of Jesus (135e) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Sins of the body >> Abortion >> Consequences of abortion >> The woman has no authority over the fetus because she cannot control what she conceives -- These verses go with verses 5&6 (140a) Temple >> Temple made without hands >> Hiding place >> The doorway -- These verses go with verses 5&6 (213g) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >> We are his instruments >> We are reflectors of His glory -- These verses go with verse 5 Rev 12-1 (92d) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Trail of good works >> Putting on His good works (112f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Obeying the truth in broad daylight >> Church’s deeds in the light (113f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >> Garments of warfare KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 12-3,4 (243a) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Reacting to persecution >> Falling away through persecution – This great red dragon will defeat one third of Christians in the last days. They will fall to the dread that the great red dragon invokes. It is in reference to the parable of the ten virgins, five were wise and five were foolish, depicting one half of the Church falling away from God. This is only one third, so we can assume there are others; another sixth will fall away from the faith prior to the first trumpet, taking the mark of the beast, effectively joining God’s enemy as they see the dragon coming to power, being members of the foolish virgins. See also: Dragon (antichrist); Rev 12-4; 189h Rev 12-4 (26g) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Death is Satan’s nature – Lucifer transgressed God’s throne and sought to rise above the heavens to somehow defeat the most high. He literally went insane thinking he could do this, but not a single aspect of his plan was remotely possible. Even if he somehow defeated the Son, what would he do with the Father? Also, since he didn’t create the universe, how could he sustain it? Once Lucifer put his plan into action, God divested Himself from Lucifer’s inheritance, which was the entire creation, and the result was poverty descending all the way to the atomic level, affectively radiating through everything, and for that reason we were born with nothing and we will die with nothing. God never offered the universe to Adam and Eve; He only gave them the earth; but after Jesus died and rose again on our behave, we have since inherited the future new creation, and God will invest Himself into its fabric, so that the properties of the atoms and molecules will be of a giving nature instead of a taking one. See also: Curse; Rom 2,1-11; 26j / God is committed to proving the devil wrong; Act 15-20; 196b (189h) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Martyr >> Dying to self through persecution – This verse is reminiscent of King Herod who attempted to kill Jesus as a baby, ordering the death of all male children under the age of two in Bethlehem, because he heard through the Scriptures that Jesus would grow up to become a great King and rule the nations. John is referring to Jesus when He came in the flesh, but it also speaks of His second coming, since the book of Revelation is a book about endtime prophecy. The timelessness of Revelation is exemplified in that some prophesied events have already occurred, suggesting they will happen again in the last days. These recurring events model predictions of the future; they take on different forms, have different causes and reemerge at the end of the age to ultimately fulfill Bible prophecy. In this example, Herod murdered babies in Ramah trying to kill Jesus, whom Scripture prophesied would become a great king (Mat 2,16-18), so the antichrist will martyr Christians under the misguided logic that Christ cannot be a King if He has no kingdom. The antichrist will use the mark of the beast, an economic system specifically designed to isolate and identify Christians for the purpose of exterminating them. See also: Dragon (antichrist); Rev 12-5,6; 105l / King Herod; Rev 12,1-10; 61f (204d) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Back-slider >> Practicing sin >> The apostasy – Many Christians in the first century were completely committed to the grace of God and to the administration of the gospel, but if we had their zeal, people would assume we were part of a cult, or perhaps that we are trying to work our way to heaven. To blend with the complacency of the Church is the expectation of Christendom these days. The clergy wants people to get involved tithing, folding chairs, setting up tables, vacuuming floors, cleaning bathrooms, giving us the drudgery work that the pastor doesn’t want to do, but when it comes to preaching and teaching, he says there is no need, but to say that is to expose the symptoms of apostasy that has gripped the Church and has made it impotent. Pastors jealously covet their ministries, because they have made it their livelihood. The reason there is no need for any preaching or teaching is that maybe no one would come if they were offered, complacency again being the culprit. With revival coming, there will be a need for preachers and teachers, but those pastors who try to squelch this movement will kill their own ministries. In fact, many churches are dying even now. See also: Great endtime revival; Rev 12-6; 28k / Apostasy (Walk while you have the light); Jn 12-35,36; 33a (242g) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Worldly pressure >> World pressures you to forsake God -- This verse goes with verse 13 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 12-5,6 (105k) Wilderness (Key verse) (105l) Thy kingdom come >> Led by the Spirit into the wilderness >> Wilderness of safety – Instead of facing the dragon the woman will run into the wilderness. In so doing she will find her place prepared by God, a place of safety, protection and nourishment. God will feed His people as He did Israel during the time of Moses when they ran from the pharaoh of Egypt. It will be a time of great victory, glory and power. The woman is the 144,000 Jews, and the gentile Church will meet them there. While Satan is manifesting his kingdom, controlling the world, deciding who lives and who dies, God will bring his kingdom to ruin using His people by the fact that Satan is powerless to destroy them. God will prove to the devil that he is weaker than human flesh by protecting the Church in those days. Their wilderness experience will last 3½ years, during the Trumpets, during the ministry of the Two Witnesses. See also: See also: Dragon (antichrist); Rev 12-6; 28k / The woman; Rev 12-6; 28k / Wilderness; Rev 12-6; 28k (135e) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Sins of the body >> Abortion >> Consequences of abortion >> The woman has no authority over the fetus because she cannot control what she conceives -- These verses go with verses 1&2 (140a) Temple >> Temple made without hands >> Hiding place >> The doorway -- These verses go with verses 1&2 (237i) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The ascension >> Believers’ spiritual ascension – See commentary: Spiritual ascension; Rev 12-14; 50h Rev 12-5 (153a) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Church bears witness of the Father through Christ (213g) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >> We are his instruments >> We are reflectors of His glory -- This verse goes with verses 1&2 Rev 12,6-17 (82k) Thy kingdom come >> Power of prayer >> Prayer prepares you to meet Jesus Rev 12-6 (28j) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> God protects us from the devil -- This verse goes with verses 13-16. To be nourished in the wilderness (dessert) is quite a challenge, since there is nothing to eat; consequently, God Himself will nourish the woman for 3½ years. She refers to the Jewish Church consisting of the 144,000, and it says that the woman has children, referring to gentile believers among the nations, who comprise the Great Endtime Revival numbering in the millions. They will not all be in one place. Wilderness camps will be designated around the globe, and they will attract millions of gentile believers in Jesus, who will flee to one of these camps for protection from the antichrist and his emerging empire. God will personally supply their needs and hide them from their enemies. This 3½-year period happens during the trumpets, and their ministry will be prayer night and day for God’s protection. Their prayers will give strength to the angelic world to overpower Satan and his world empire, who is searching to destroy them. Paul called him the prince of the power of the air, but in the last days when God's people evict him from his lofty place, characterized by the atmosphere of the earth, until he is thrown to the earth, and the Church will take his place as the princess of the power of the air, breaking Satan’s spell over the world. See also: Fall of Satan; Rev 12,7-17; 50ha / Dragon (antichrist); Rev 12,7-17; 50ha / Great endtime revival / The woman; Rev 12,7-17; 50ha / Wilderness; 140d / Great Endtime Revival (Catfight between the princess of the Lamb and Jezebel the adulteress); Rev 2-20; 198h (116e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through worship >> Entering His hiding place -- This verse goes with verse 14 (140d) Temple >> Temple made without hands >> Hiding place >> Living in the spiritual revelation of the word -- This verse goes with verse 14. Rev 18-4 says, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues.” This refers to Babylon, which was a city that was built thousands of years ago and was destroyed, and the Bible says it will never be rebuilt (Jeremiah 50,11-13). Satan's world empire is a type of Babylon that will spread its influence throughout the world, and where else would he station such a deception than in the holy city, Jerusalem, but before that it will be stationed in Rome. God will direct us to run into the wilderness to escape the influence of this technological system of our modern era that is limited to the parameters of civilization. God will protect us in the wilderness during the Trumpet Judgments and nourish us for 3½ years, just as He nourished Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness of their exile from Egypt. This means we will need to survive the first five seals of Satan’s wrath before we enter God’s protective period of the Trumpets. These first five seals will be extremely severe for Christians, the most arduous period of the last days. Many millions of people will die during this time. Doomsday preppers will not span this 3½-year period without their stockpile running out of food and supplies. The great tribulation will be a time of difficulty as Jesus said, “such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will” (Mat 24-21). It will closely resemble Hitler’s attempt at world-domination, but that was just one nation, whereas the antichrist will recruit the whole world to war against the saints, and like Hitler he will lose. See also: Wilderness; Rev 12-14; 50h (187d) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> Dying to receive the glory of God >> Die to self through prayer KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 12,7-17 (50ha) Judgment >> Seque nce of Revelatio ns >> Second half of the tribulation >> Fall of Satan – This depicts a time when the antichrist comes to power. His empire will be based in Rome at first; then he will migrate to Jerusalem. The antichrist’s deception will be to hide the fact that his power is failing him as Christ's millennial kingdom encroaches on his domain. Someone else now controls the “airways”, the princess of the power of the air. This atmosphere refers to social consciousness, the very air we collectively breathe, and the princess refers to the woman, the 144,000 witnesses of Jesus. Once Satan is thrown from his domain, God will take it over and broadcast his message of grace and truth to the hearts of all people. All the nations will realize that God loves the world, and a massive revival will take place, because the accuser of the brethren has been thrown down, who once incited mankind against God. These events will begin some time during the seals and carry through the trumpets. The seals have demonstrated human depravity instigated by the devil, but when the period of trumpets begins, and the spiritual realm will come alive, and mankind will recognized Satan is its nemesis. The spiritual world that exists beyond the unseen spectrum will be filled with spiritual activity, and God will glorify His people, while those who hate Him will be horrified by the manifestations of Satan, yet many will still not repent of their unbelief, and those who have taken the Mark of the Beast cannot repent. A spiritual standoff will ensue where light and darkness collide for supremacy with the prize of human souls weighing in the balance. See also: Fall of Satan; Rev 12,7-14; 164f / Dragon (antichrist); Rev 12,7-11; 42b / Great endtime revival; Rev 12-11; 209g / The woman; Rev 12-14; 116e / Pseudo-spiritual warfare; 1Tim 2-8; 134f Rev 12,7-14 (164f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world system >> Satan’s system of authority >> He is the prince of the power of the air – The Book of Revelation talks about prayer as a type of spiritual warfare. The prayers of the saints will cause Satan’s system of spiritual authority to crumble, and God will put the devil in his place. This concept of "prince of the power of the air" (Eph 2-1,2) refers to Satan’s vantage point where he spiritually controls the world. Everyone has his own opinion, but all the world’s many belief systems are controlled within the parameters of Satan's influence, except the disciples of Jesus who have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, who are free to think the thoughts of God, and through them the world will know the truth about Jesus, that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Heb 11-6). Therefore anyone who continues to serve Satan and His antichrist in full knowledge of the truth will do so at his own peril. See also: Fall of Satan; 245l (245l) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Manifestation of the prince of the power of the air – This is the account of Lucifer being thrown from heaven after he rebelled against God, but why is John mentioning this now? The spiritual war that ensues in the last days will be similar to the war that occurred so many eons ago when Lucifer fell into sin and was removed from God's presence. These two skirmishes are similar, the difference being that the initial rebellion occurred in heaven where God lives, and the exorcism of Satan the second time will be from heaven that surrounds the earth. Before God created man, He bound Satan to the earth, which really shrank his empire in that he once had dominion over God’s entire universe, so to be confined to the earth was like being confined to a dot in the vast ocean of space, quite a setback. Demons speak to individuals, while principalities and powers of satanic authority control social consciousness. Just as there is an unseen atmosphere surrounding us consisting mostly of Nitrogen and oxygen, so there are unseen forces of spiritual wickedness surrounding us consisting of demonic entities, and we are unaware of them communicating their philosophies that contradict God and renounce his mercy and deny Him as the Savior of the world and the Creator of the universe. Jesus said in Lk 10-18, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning." In the last days God will remove Satan from his vantage point of social consciousness and put the Church in his place, and he will fall to the earth, forcing him to rule the world from the limitation of human flesh. At each censoring of Satan’s domain his influence shrinks, until eventually his domain reduces to the lake of fire. See also: Fall of Satan; Rev 12,7-11; 42b Rev 12,7-11 (42b) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> Blameless before men – The saints will aim the spotlight on Satan at a time when he is convincing the world of the Jews' culpability for the collapse of the global economy and for the Church's support of them and their involvement in the crumble of civilization through their preaching that has come to pass as a self-fulfilled prophecy, saying that the Jews and believing gentiles are responsible for all the suffering and evil that is in the world. The early Church suffered terrible persecution too; for many years they were treated like dogs, pushed off their land, their crops stolen or burned, their women raped and their children murdered, until the Catholic Church took root. The world didn't persecute Catholicism, because it was a religious institution ratified by the state, having become the official religion of Rome. Instead, it became the persecutors of Christians who remained faithful in Christ. It says the saints in the last days did not love their lives even to the point of death, meaning they will not establish a religion that is approved by the antichrist to avoid persecution. The Church through prayer gave power to Michael and his angels to overcome Satan, and threw him to the earth, and as a result the antichrist was conceived. He could no longer rule the world as a spirit, but was forced to rule from the limitations of human flesh; then he will realize how hard it is to be a man in a fallen world. In the last days God's people will grow strong and courageous, and they will not be intimidated by the devil, for God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, and many millions of people will be saved. See also: Fall of Satan; 46h / Dragon (antichrist); 46h / Catholicism; Rev 12,1-13; 45k / History of the Church (First century Christians) Act 4,13-16; 149j (46h) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Satan falls from heaven – This is the Bible’s most detailed account of Lucifer’s rebellion in heaven, but why is John relating it now? It is another one of John’s duel analogies. He describes Satan being thrown from heaven to the earth, saying this was Satan’s fate in heaven, but John is using the story to illustrate Satan’s future fall from the atmosphere surrounding the earth. What happened to him will happen again, only instead of being thrown from heaven where God lives, he will be thrown from heaven where man lives. Satan rules man’s world from a spiritual standpoint and has beguiled the nations, having essentially taught them to live apart from God. The devil lies to man's heart with spiritual forces of wickedness in high places as Paul put it in Eph 6-12. There was war in heaven, and the spirit that deceived the nations will be extricated from his position above the earth, forced to the ground to inhabit a man. Eve went to the boundary of Eden's Garden and met the serpent, who spoke face-to-face to her, and when she and the man ate the forbidden fruit, their disobedience empowered the serpent to rule them from a higher domain. Once they sinned he could rule man’s world on a subconscious level, wherein his presence and influence was covert. In this way he can make man believe that the spiritual realm doesn't exist, sowing his secular mindset into the world to exclude God, making man think that all the ideas in his head are his own, and they actually are if he believes them. After Satan was thrown to the earth he was forced to take on human flesh as the antichrist. Therefore, he is coming, not because he is gaining strength but for the opposite reason, because he has lost his position as prince of the power of the air (Eph 2-2). That is, the man of lawlessness is a sign that Satan is losing the war against God and is on the run! See also: Fall of Satan; 68c / Dragon (antichrist); 68c / Adam); Lk 4,1-13; 183j (49e) Judgment >> Enemies of God’s church are destroyed -- These verses go with verse 16,17 (68c) Authority >> Jesus delegates authority to execute judgment against Satan – This passage speaks about the dragon that was cast to the earth, which has already happened, and it will happen again at the end of the age. The first time he was cast to the earth from the pinnacle of heaven where God lives; the second time he will be cast to the earth from the atmosphere surrounding the earth. To say that the earth’s atmosphere is Satan's domain is symbolic. It works well as an analogy in that it suggests the very air we breathe is immersed in spiritual deception, but the reality is that Satan controls the world from a type of spiritual broadcast system similar to the television set, being the reason Satan immediately confiscated the airways the moment TV was invented. This vantage point affords him the ability to control everybody simultaneously instead of individually, but in the last days he will be removed from his place as prince of the power of the air (Eph 2-2). The Church will replace him and communicate her own message from God, just as Satan is setting up his one-world government. Those who don’t get saved in the last days will no less understand that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, but they will reject this message in full knowledge, blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and they will align with the antichrist. They will take his mark and war against the saints and see many thousands of Christians martyred, which will call God's judgment upon themselves through the trumpets and the bowls of His fierce wrath. See also: Fall of Satan; Rev 12,9-11; 9a / Dragon (antichrist); Rev 12-9; 183g Rev 12,7-9 (15i) Servant >> Angels execute Judgment >> For the sake of the Church (112d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Jesus light in us overcomes darkness >> The light of His power (245i) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Manifestation of God’s righteous judgment >> Manifestation of Jesus’ victory over sin -- These verses go with verse 11 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 12,9-11 (9a) Responsibility >> Prevent being blamed for something you did not do >> Prevent accusations – They say that Christians are the most guilt-ridden, self-conscious people on earth. No wonder; who else has an enemy so cruel as ours, accusing us day and night? It is important to maintain a blameless reputation, so when the lies come, we can prove them wrong, nor can anyone rightly testify against us. The essence of Satan’s power is in accusation, bringing attention to our sins before God and man. The fact that He has been thrown-down means his power of accusation has been disarmed in that God is now accusing him. Instead of Satan placing us in the way of God’s judgment, Satan is now in the way of God’s judgment, and he will be run over as by a Mack Truck. Satan cannot very well accuse us while he is under trial. Satan came to God about Job and said, ‘This man serves you well enough, but touch all that he has and he will curse you to your face,’ and then God allowed Satan to test his theory and Job remained true to the Lord (Job chapter one). Satan then brought accusation against Job to the Lord again and said, ‘Touch his flesh and he will curse you to your face,’ and God allowed it, and Job remained faithful (Job chapter two). What happened? Satan accused Job, God tested him, and Job did not accuse God of evil. The book of Job doesn’t say what happened to Satan after this. No doubt he skipped merrily away scot-free, but the devil's time is coming. The book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible, but the latest written book says what eventually happens to the devil when the children of God are found true, God turned on their accuser and passed judgment against him. See also: Fall of Satan; Rev 12-9; 183g / Suffering and Evil; Rev 12-11; 209g / God tests us in this life because the next life will be just as real; Rom 4,18-22; 102m Rev 12-9 (183g) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >> Spirit of the broad road >> Spirit of the world – Satan was exorcized from the atmosphere surrounding the earth that he once occupied, so he is no longer prince of the power of the air; he has been demoted to the earth and forced to take on the body of a man. He came to this point as a result of God taking all his options from him, so possessing the antichrist was his only choice. He will attempt to rule the world from a physical body, and he will quickly discover the limitations of human flesh. Instead of surreptitiously presenting subliminal messages and having people unconsciously accepting them as he once did, filling the air with hypnotic notions and people readily accepting them without question, he now must speak directly to man's flesh and allow him to mull over His ideas before accepting them. This is why the judgment of God will be so severe: people will have carefully considered their options and decided that serving Satan is better than serving God. Man is susceptible to Satan’s thoughts because of his sinful nature, and Satan's plan will work smoothly for a while, until God creates circumstances that will lead to the ruin of his empire. See also: Fall of Satan; Rev 12,12-14; 62o Rev 12-10,11 (101d) Thy kingdom come >> Zeal does not count the cost >> Zeal of God has consumed me Rev 12-10 (66f) Authority >> Jesus’ authority >> His position with the Father >> Jesus has authority over all things from the Father (81i) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> Sinning from a lack of prayer – God will expect a lot from His people in the last days, much more than today. Sunday morning we go to church, and many Christians believe they are saved because of it, yet many church-goers are devoid of a relationship with God. They made a commitment to their religion but not to Christ. In the last days this level of so-called "faith" will not suffice. We will either be Christians ready to sacrifice our lives for the cause of Christ, or we will serve the antichrist with very little gray area in-between. (104h) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see the Father >> God is in our presence (136hb) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Body of Christ consists of individual members >> We are being fitted together (158i) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >> Division (Cliques) >> Satan is the origin of division – Satan is called the accuser of the brethren; he is not called false accuser of the brethren. He rightly accuses us of sin, though He is not our judge and has only assumed his role; he didn't receive it from God, and he doesn't have any authority except his own false-authority. He has no right to judge us, being the epitome of sin. If Satan's accusations are true of us and God listens to him, how much more will He listen to us if we are blameless in all our behavior and pray to Him day and night for justice (Lk 18,1-8)? Satan is in rebellion against God, but we have made peace with Him through the blood of His cross (Rom 5-1). Nevertheless, Satan gets by with his wickedness for now, because his judgment has not yet come, but it is coming. When Satan rightly accuses us, how can we defend ourselves? We can only repent to make Satan's accusations hollow. Therefore, the time is now to repent (2Cor 6-1,2), so the enemy has nothing bad to say about us (Tit 2-8). See also: Accuser of the brethren; Rev 12-11; 209g (161j) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Satan’s attitude determines our direction >> Carried Away >> Condemnation >> Condemnation without basis of sin (178b) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Presuming the facts about the circumstances >> Presumption is not founded on facts (237g) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The rapture >> The Church in heaven – We find a similar statement in Rev 11-15, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” These statements are similar but refer to separate events. This verse denotes God toppling Satan’s empire on a spiritual plane, whereas the statement in chapter eleven denotes the kingdom of Christ beginning to take on a physical shape. Between these two statements we understand that Christ’s eternal kingdom is beginning to emerge from a spiritual standpoint to one that begins to invade the material realm, while Satan’s kingdom is kaput. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 12-11 (25d) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Murder >> Persecution to the death >> Murder is the way of the world (37h) Judgment >> Redemption of man >> His blood delivered us from destruction (39e) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Victory >> Jesus overcame the world (53b) Paradox >> Opposites >> Of life and death >> Death cannot hurt you (85i) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> That are spoken in faith >> Will justify you (144d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> The Church bears witness of Jesus >> It bears witness of His word -- This verse goes with verse 17 (147i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Solemnly testify about Jesus -- This verse goes with verse 17 (150cb) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Confessing Jesus to be saved >> Confessing Jesus for the sake of heaven -- This verse goes with verse 17 (189g) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Martyrs >> Martyrs witness to the life of God – Jesus was very protective of His disciples. Does that mean there won’t be any martyrs? The past 2000 years has been stained with the blood of the saints! Their spilled blood is what has propelled the gospel into the world. Without their blood sacrifice the gospel simply would not have had the impact it did. It is the only way to get through to people. Tell them, ‘I believe in Jesus,’ and they will be unimpressed, but dying for our faith tends to open people’s eyes. Unbelievers see this life as the only one they will ever know, and so they protect it, but Christians are hoping for the Kingdom of Heaven at the end of this life, so they are perfectly happy to give their lives for their faith, especially since it will get them to heaven that much quicker and ensure them a better resurrection, especially opposed to renouncing the faith. (192i) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by losing >> Gain God’s kingdom to lose the domain of darkness >> Gain heaven to lose the world (209g) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Righteous saved with difficulty >> Righteous saved with casualties – The saints overcame Satan because of the sacrifice Jesus made for them. They trusted in God’s love rather than the deceptions of Satan that contradict the character of Christ, and at last, the accuser of the brethren has been thrown-down. Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer, “Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Mat 6-13). When the devil approaches us like Job, we should not listen to Him but pray for guidance instead from these spiritual forces. Satan for centuries has been pushing mankind under the bus and accusing man of sin in front of God. The saints in the last days are willing to repent of their sins and give up their lives, causing many to die for their faith rather than accuse God of evil. The challenge of this spiritual war is to become innocent of evil so we can put the spotlight on Satan’s guilt, instead. It is ineffective to expose darkness with darkness. Satan sees no wrong in the trials and temptations that he imposes on us but considers himself innocent before God, no matter how much evil he perpetrates against the saints. So long as he can make us sin it takes the spotlight off his own wickedness and onto ours. Satan has been consistent in doing this for centuries, but in the last days, God will effect a Great Endtime Revival that will engender faith, so God's people would rather give up their lives than agree with the devil, refusing to find fault with their heavenly Father for allowing them to suffer even to the point of death. See also: Suffering and Evil; Rev 12,9-11; 9a / Great endtime revival; Rev 12,1-17; 50db / Accuser of the brethren; Rev 12,12-14; 62o (245i) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Manifestation of God’s righteous judgment >> Manifestation of Jesus’ victory over sin -- This verse goes with verses 7-9 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 12,12-14 (62o) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Righteous deception >> God deceives the world (the ruler of the world) – God has tricked the devil on multiple occasions, using the devil’s own wickedness against him. Before Satan rebelled, God was happy to give him everything. Lucifer was in control of the entire universe, and then he thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to literally own the universe; wouldn’t it be nice not to bow in reverence to God; wouldn’t it be nice to actually be God?’ He sought to separate himself from God's authority and to become his own authority, so God cast the devil and his angels to the earth. This planet has become Satan’s prison. Starting with the entire universe and being restricted to a single planet, less than a dot in infinity, shows just how far Satan has fallen from his former glory. God has taken everything from him, reducing him to a puddle of self-delusion. Then God created man and gave him dominion over the earth; in other words, God gave Adam stewardship of Satan’s prison house, essentially making him the devil’s warden. Since the shedding of Jesus’ blood, God has given man the entire universe as his inheritance (not this universe but the one to come). Now Satan is really mad, because the universe once belonged to him, until he lost it through rebellion. Therefore, Satan's goal is to cause as many people as possible to lose their eternal inheritance through rebellion. God placed the Garden of Eden on the earth, in the midst of Lucifer’s prison to tempt Satan, and he naturally fell to the temptation and tempted Eve, and then Satan walked away, laughing at God for being so stupid as to place man in proximity of him, right under his nose. God created a way to forgive man for his sin through the blood of His Son, and now we know about sin but are forgiven, making us more in the image of God than when originally created. God tricked Lucifer into tempting man. Jesus visited the people He created and tricked Satan into convincing man to crucify Him; then Jesus rose from the dead and became Savior of the world. In these last days, we think Satan would be wary of God’s tricks, but he will run headlong once again into God’s trap. Rev 12,7-9 says that the angels of God have removed Satan and his hoard of demons from the atmosphere surrounding the earth (figuratively speaking) and cast him to the ground so that he can only rule mankind in the form of a man, greatly limiting his ability to influence the world. Satan is insanely angry at God for everything He has done to him, to the point of claiming that God's foreknowledge makes him malicious, but Satan is the malicious one. Lucifer wanted to rebel, and God gave him freedom to do so; how is Satan's rebellion God's fault? Had God stopped him, Lucifer would have been far more offended for infringing on his freedom, and the devil would have had a point. All these things God has done for His creation without infringing on anyone’s freewill. In Rom 11-29 Paul made this statement, “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” God refuses to take back anything he gives us, so that if we don’t use His gifts properly, they can actually become a curse to us. This is what happened to Lucifer; he turned his inheritance, including himself, into a curse. The devil can do what he wants and God will trump him every time, and he keeps digging himself a deeper and deeper hole by his own wickedness. The same goes for man. See also: Fall of Satan; Rev 12-12; 24g / Satan is accuser of the brethren; Rev 12-10; 158i / Satan is released at the end of the Millennium; Rev 18-20,21; 29h Rev 12-12 (24g) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Envy >> Angry at God because of their poverty -- This verse goes with verse 17. People who have died in the Lord and are safe and sound in heaven ought to consider themselves fortunate, compared to those of their brethren in the days of the antichrist when he appears and manifests his kingdom on the earth. These will be very difficult times Jesus promised, more difficult than any other time in human history, and that is saying a lot. It says, “The devil has come down to you,” meaning He was “up” before he came down. Paul called him "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph 2,1-3). A few verses earlier (v9) says, “The serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” It says that he is full of wrath; with whom is he angry? We could rightly say that he is angry with the saints, but he is even angrier at God. Satan has always been angry with God since he fell into sin. In fact, he is so angry that he has targeted His people over the centuries to thwart them from believing in Jesus so they will not inherit eternal life, and if he cannot deceive them, then he will kill them. See also: Fall of Satan; Rev 12-14; 140d (117f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Rest in Jesus (Sabbath) >> Rest in His mercy (157i) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being hell-bound >> Having a reprobate mind – It says that the devil knows his time is short. Knowing that his plan will ultimately fail, he plots against God along his prideful journey, but it is more likely that God would forgive a reprobate than Satan. The Bible speaks about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit as an unforgivable sin, but the Scriptures don’t teach that a man cannot be forgiven who blaspheme the Holy Spirit; it says that the sin itself cannot be forgiven. God cannot forgive blasphemy in the sense that he cannot reward us for the things we have not done by disobeying the Holy Spirit. It is until the man crosses an indeterminate line that he develops a reprobate mind, which terminates God’s ability to forgive the man. Every time we disobey the Holy Spirit it is a type of blasphemy; everyone blasphemes the Holy Spirit, but it is when we develop a lifestyle of rebellion that our blasphemy gives way to a reprobate mind, which is incapable of faith toward God and incapable of repentance. This is also the case with the devil. Satan has a reprobate mind; he cannot believe in God; he cannot repent of his unbelief; he cannot be forgiven, and he cannot be saved. The devil cannot humble himself before God Almighty. Jesus died for the sins of mankind, not for the devil. God could not forgive Lucifer for his sin because he sinned in the very presence of God, which hardened his heart, whereas the sin of man apart from the presence of God is forgivable in most cases. See also: Blasphemy (Denying the truth we know from God); Mat 7,24-27; 114a (214c) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> God’s timing transcends our comprehension >> God’s time line gives the wicked just enough rope to hang himself KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 12,13-17 (136hb) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Body of Christ consists of individual members >> We are being fitted together Rev 12,13-16 (28j) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> God protects us from the devil -- These verses go with verse 6 Rev 12-13 (242g) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Worldly pressure >> World pressures you to forsake God -- This verse goes with verse 17 Rev 12-14 (50h) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Second half of the tribulation >> The saints flee into the wilderness - spiritual warfare (Pre-rapture ascension) -- This verse goes with verses 1-6. Rev 8,3-5 says, “Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.” Note the end of that verse in italics; then read Rev 11-19, "...there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm." This statement resulted from blowing the Last Trumpet, the signal for the First Resurrection/Rapture. The fact that Rev 8-5 and Rev 11-19 repeat the same phrase ties them together and indicates what the saints are doing just prior to the Rapture: they are praying with all their hearts. This golden censer filled with incense, which is the prayers of the saints, represents an anointing that God will give to the Church to pray regarding the angelic war that is transpiring all around them, just as the Seraphim worship God without ceasing, and fervently as Daniel prayed during an angelic war that transpired in his own time (Dan 10,12-15). Their prayers will lift them to a spiritual domain that is beyond the serpents reach. See also: Spiritual ascension; Rev 12,1-13; 225j / Wilderness; 116e (116e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through worship >> Entering His hiding place -- This verse goes with verse 6. During this 3½ year period the wings of the great eagle came from one of the four living creatures mentioned in Revelation chapter 4, obviously the one that looked like an eagle. John the revelator called them creatures because there was nothing else like them. They are cherubim and seraphim. Seraphim are worshippers of God, while cherubim guard His throne. Both of their ministries will be employed at this time, and we can assume that these four living creatures are the only four in existence. There were cherubim sculpted on the Ark of the Covenant facing each other that God commanded Moses to place in the Holy of Holies, hinting at the kind of experience the Church will have in the last days. The Bible describes the Holy of Holies as it were a prayer closet, and since cherubim are associated with it, and these living creatures worship God in His presence guarding the throne, and since Jesus commanded His disciples to watch and pray, we understand that the woman received the wings of the great eagle to fly to her place in the wilderness for the purpose of prayer. Hence, the wilderness represents a great prayer closet, a type of Holy of Holies. God has called the woman to remain there for 3½ years, while the two witnesses divert the attention of their enemies, like a mother bird diverts attention of a predator from her eggs, as the seven angels blow their seven trumpets. Cherubim have given the Church ability to fly in the airspace that once belonged to Satan, who was previously evicted from this vantage point as Prince of the Power of the Air, and now the Church has taken her place as Princess of the Power of the Air, and she will broadcast to the world through the spirit realm that Jesus Christ has become King of the earth. See also: Cherubim; Rev 12,1-17; 252f / The woman; Rev 12-15,16; 55h / Wilderness; 140d (140d) Temple >> Temple made without hands >> Hiding place >> Living in the spiritual revelation of the word -- This verse goes with verse 6. Satan has been the main spiritual influence on the world, who broadcasts His message of unbelief into the hearts and minds of all mankind around the globe like a giant radio station, ever since Adam and Eve fell into sin. Now the Church has his position after the wings of the great eagle were given to her, and she flew to her place in the wilderness from the presence of the serpent. All these things took place before she entered the wilderness. That is, the fall of Satan was the result of something else that caused Satan to fall prior to entering the wilderness, even before the first trumpet. It was the heavenly angelic world, including the living creatures that precipitated his fall, at the orchestration of Christ, establishing the Great Endtime Revival as a worldwide movement. Soon as God began organizing His people, selecting His 144,000, calling His Two Witnesses and establishing them as leaders over the Church, in the mere arrangement of these things Satan was deposed. It didn’t take much for God to remove Him, any amount of resistance and he crumbles, proving that man throughout the millennia never opposed him on any significant front, proving that we can do nothing without the Lord (Jn 15-5). The two wings of the great eagle constitute the Spirit and the Word, and together we work with the grace of God to become the most powerful spiritual influence on earth. See also: Fall of Satan; Rev 12,1-17; 252f / Wilderness; Rev 12-17; 45k KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 12-15,16 (55h) Paradox >> Opposites >> People preserving the earth will destroying it – God has subjected the creation to suffer the pains of childbirth (Rom 8,19-22). Satan was destroying the earth trying to get at the woman, so (anthropomorphically) the earth knows that when the Church achieves immortality, it too will be liberated from its "slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Rom 8-21). The earth opened its mouth and once more drank in the toxic poison of Satan’s lies and deceptions. The First Resurrection precedes the redemption of all creation, and we know the angst of wanting to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven. See also: The woman; 159k (159k) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit anointing >> Counterfeit signs and wonders – This river coming out of the mouth of the serpent refers to Satan tempting the woman with a false anointing. It will be a religious deception aimed at diverting attention off her prayers and onto the devil’s lies. He will try to exchange the anointing the woman has received from God for his own anointing consisting of unbelief, attempting to redirect the Church to the antichrist and to the Mark of the Beast. However, the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the anointing, suggesting that an earthquake occurred, making a great crevasse, and the water fell into it, while redirecting the Church's attention back on prayer. See also: The woman; Rev 12-15; 183d Rev 12-15 (175e) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >> Using religion to persecute the Church (183a) Witchcraft (Key verse) – Definition: Seeking guidance and favor from a god other than the God of heaven. (183d) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >> Witchcraft >> Anointing of error – The New Testament uses water to represent the Holy Spirit; therefore, Satan used this river as a false anointing in effort to drown the woman with lies and deception. He tried to deceive her, but it says the earth helped the woman and absorbed the river, which the dragon poured from its mouth. The earth proved Satan’s lies, similar to many of Solomon’s proverbs that speak of this natural realm judging the ways of a fool. The woman only had to stay with the Lord and the principles of wisdom that God had sown into creation judged the dragon. Satan was no doubt making many accusations against the woman that were unfounded and making many false promises to his followers that did not come to pass. See also: Dragon (antichrist); Rev 12-17; 45k / The woman; Rev 12-17; 232h Rev 12-16,17 (49e) Judgment >> Enemies of God’s Church are destroyed -- This verse goes with verses 7-11 Rev 12-16 (89g) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom is the key that unlocks the mysteries of God KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 12-17 (6a) Responsibility >> Jesus’ yoke of obedience >> Our obligation to keep His commandments – These will be times in which we dare not move a muscle unless we are sure it is sanctioned by the Lord, lest we blow our cover and many friends suffer from our mistake. The Church will be leaning heavily on the Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom. It will be a time when all the people faithful in Christ are either reading His word or praying. It will be a time of intense godly strength and insight into the Scriptures and unity unknown even to the early Church. (24g) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Envy >> Angry at God because of their poverty -- This verse goes with verse 12 (45k) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Subjecting your flesh >> Satan VS the saints >> Defeating Satan in weakness of sinful flesh -- This verse goes with verses 1-13. Satan will make war with the Gentile Church, who have followed the 144,000 Jewish witnesses into the wilderness and are being protected by God. Those who have not fled into the wilderness and have stayed behind and remained in big cities and have taken their chances on civilization are in jeopardy of their lives, with whom Satan is warring. We know that the book of Revelation skips around a bit; there is a reason for that: John wanted to finish a thought before he started a new one. This resulted in the book of Revelation appearing out of sequence, when in fact John did what he could to write the story in sequence. For example, chapter 11 depicts the Rapture of the Church, yet in chapter 12 the Church is still here. John is writing about the dragon being thrown to the earth, having been overcome by the saints as spoken in verse 9, yet in verse 17 we see the dragon is still persecuting the Church, though he has been defeated. If we kill a venomous snake and even cut off its head, if its fangs pierced our skin, it could still inject venom into our body and kill us. That is why we bury the head! Satan was overcome on a spiritual level, and for this reason he adopted a physical body of the antichrist, like the head of a dead snake, whom God will eventually bury in the lake of fire. See also: Dragon (antichrist); 232h / Wilderness; Rev 12,1-17; 252f (87f) Thy kingdom come >> Ministry to God through obedience >> The obedience of prayer (90j) Thy kingdom come >> Keeping the law >> We do not nullify the law through faith; we fulfill it (144d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> The Church bears witness of Jesus >> It bears witness of His word -- This verse goes with verse 11 (147i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Solemnly testify about Jesus -- This verse goes with verse 11 (150cb) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Confessing Jesus to be saved >> Confessing Jesus for the sake of heaven -- This verse goes with verse 11 (232h) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Embrace (Jesus during the storm) >> Hold to the word of God – There was a war between Satan and his minions and Michael and his angels, and after they defeated Satan, he resorted to possessing a man that we call antichrist, and he was enraged with the woman, who is the 144,000 and her gentile believers. Satan through the antichrist is enraged with her, because they will not conform to his will or submit to his authority, nor were they intimidated by his threats, nor were they afraid when he rounded up Christians and was destroying them. The saints overcame him by keeping the commandments of God, holding to the testimony of Jesus and refusing to receive the devil's mark, and for this reason he is seeking to kill them. Their victory over Satan was to develop a hearing ear through the word of God and prayer, so that whatever the spirit said to them they did, and by this they overcame the serpent, though it cost many their lives in the flesh. They had the hope of eternal life in their sights and they were not about to take their eyes off the prize for anything. See also: Dragon (antichrist); Rev 12,1-17; 252f / The woman; Rev 12,1-17; 50db (242g) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Worldly pressure >> World pressures you to forsake God -- This verse goes with verse 4 See next page