Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Rev 12:1 and following. Indeed, this new division is introduced in Ap 11.19. The dragon has seven heads: it is the fullness of authority in matters of government. It has ten horns; it is not something complete, but approaching it; it is a very large sum of power in the instruments implemented in the West. What is human is never complete. God gives the woman twelve stars, while the dragon has only ten horns. The seven heads offer us a complete succession of various forms of government; but God does not allow there to be that fullness of administrative power that we see belonging to women. It is therefore clear that God does not dispose here of the subjects in relation to time, but according to their relationship with Christ their center. John will soon enter into the description of the final scenes: before, he shows us God’s counsel for Israel. This is what leads to the devil’s fierce opposition to the fulfillment of this advice, because it is what the adversary fears the most. Satan puts into his resistance to Christ all possible tenacity, hatred and pride imaginable. He recognizes in Christ the one who crushed him, and who is the liberator of man and creation; hence the constant antagonism that exists between him and the Son of God. There is more: Satan rises up against Christ’s relationship with the poor people of Israel, doomed to contempt.
“Woe,” it is added, “woe to the land and the sea, for the devil has descended to you, being in great fury, knowing that he has little time.” This clearly links Satan’s expulsion from his place in the heavenly places, with the last crisis that Jews and Gentiles must go through at the end of the century; and gives us the hidden reason: Why this extraordinary outburst of persecution? Why this frightening action of Satan here on earth, for a short time, for three and a half years before the end? It is that Satan can no longer accuse above; as a result, he does all the harm he can here. He is rushed to earth and will never return to heaven again. Soon after, he will be banished from the earth, as we will see, and enclosed in the abyss and finally, although he must be “untied for a little time”, his final and irremediable ruin will arrive, for then he will be thrown, not into the abyss, but into the lake of fire, from which no one ever returns. This is what God reveals to us about his ways towards the one who, from beginning to end, shows himself to be the great enemy of men.
We then see the enemy, whose designs God has foiled, make further efforts. “And the serpent threw water from its mouth, like a river, after the woman, in order to make her carry away by the river.” He tries to raise those of the nations that are in a state of disorganization, to overwhelm the Jews, but it is in vain; “the earth,” which at that time was under a stable government, “came to the aid of the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and engulfed the river that the dragon had thrown from her mouth. And the dragon was angered against the woman, and went to war against the residue of the woman’s seed, those who keep the commandments of God and who have the testimony of Jesus.” By the latter, we must understand those of the Jews who will be remarkable by the power of their testimony. The woman represents this people under the most general idea.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
The woman and the dragon:
- Wonders of God
Ex 15:11 Who is like you among the gods, O Lord? Who is like you magnificent in holiness, Worthy of praise, Performing wonders? Ps 77:15 You are the God who does wonders; You have manifested among the people your power. Dn 3:25 He resumed and said, Well, I see four unconnected men, walking in the midst of fire, and having no trouble; and the figure of the fourth resembles that of a son of the gods. Acts 6:8 Stephen, full of grace and power, performed wonders and great miracles among the people.
- Providence protects
She watches over life with infinite care: Ps 115:12 Jehovah remembers us: He will bless, He will bless the house of Israel, He will bless the house of Aaron, Mt 6:32 For all these things are sought by the Gentiles. Heavenly Father knows that you need it. Lk 12:7 And even the hair on your head is all counted. So fear not: you are worth more than many passerines. 1 Pet 5:7 and unload all your worries on Him, for He himself takes care of you.
- Blood of Christ, Blood of the Atonement
Mt 26:28 for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins. Acts 20:28 Beware, therefore, of yourselves, and of all the flock upon which the Holy Spirit has established you as bishops, to feed the Lord’s Church, which he has acquired by his own blood. Rom 5:9 All the more so, now that we are justified by His blood, will we be saved by Him from wrath. Hb 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who by an eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your consciousness from dead works, so that you may serve the living God! 1 Pet 1:19 but by the precious blood of Christ, as of a flawless and spotless lamb, 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as He himself is in the light, we are mutually in communion, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. Rev 7:14 I said to Him, My Lord, you know this. And he said to me: These are those who come from the great tribulation; they washed their robes, and they bleached them in the blood of the lamb.
- Persecution, examples
1 Kings 19:2 Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, to say to him: Let the gods treat me in all their rigor, if tomorrow, at this hour, I do not make of your life what you have made of the life of each of them! Jer 20:2 And Paschhur struck Jeremiah, the prophet, and put him in the prison that was at Benjamin’s upper door, in the house of the Lord. Dn 3:20 Then he commanded some of the most vigorous soldiers of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed Nego, and throw them into the fiery furnace. Acts 4:3 They laid their hands on them, and threw them in prison until the next day; for it was already evening. Acts 8:1 Saul had approved of Stephen’s murder. On that day there was a great persecution against the Church of Jerusalem; and all, except the apostles, dispersed to the lands of Judea and Samaria. Hb 11.36 others suffered mockery and whipping, chains, and imprisonment;
From all of the above, we note that the seed residue is the portion that bears witness. For not all Jews of that time, let us understand it well, will have the same spiritual power: there will be differences. Some will be more energetic and smarter than others. Satan will hate them all the more, and will strive to destroy those who will especially maintain The Testimony of Jesus. For the ark of the covenant appears there as a sign of grace before the judgments on Israel. This people (staged under the symbol of the pregnant woman clothed in the sun) being the ones who were to give birth to the Messiah, excites as such the furious opposition of Satan, the great red dragon. This enmity between the woman’s descendants and “the ancient serpent,” foretold at the fall, continued throughout the Bible (Gen 3:14-15; Ex 1.15-22; 2 Kings 11:1-3; Mt 2:13-18). In vain the devil concentrated his efforts to prevent God’s plans from being fulfilled through the birth and elevation of the Lord Jesus. Christ and his heavenly saints—the child raptured to God—are now beyond His reach. Moreover, Satan will soon be cast from heaven to earth (Luke 10:17-20; Rom 16:20), where his helpless rage will be unleashed against the remnant of Israel. What will characterize the latter: he will keep the commandments of God. What was it for Christ and what is today for us the secret of strength and victory over the Wicked? It is the Word of God dwelling in the heart (Ps 17:3-4; Mat 4:1-4; 1 John 2:14-17). Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “the beast rising from the sea. »
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.