Where the surviving Jews spend 3 ½
years
Do not make the error of trying to
think of these things as necessarily one event after another but as a view, a
picture made of words, showing you what will happen. Imagine, not a description
of progressive events, but more like a painting, showing everything at once to
you in a cascade of words, as to John in his vision.
1 ¶ And there appeared a great
wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet,
and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2
And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be
delivered.
This refers to Israel who will
give birth to Christ.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put
enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Here is an interesting cross
reference having to do with Joseph.
Genesis 37:9 And he dreamed yet
another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a
dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made
obeisance to me.
Read the prophet Hosea for Israel
as an unfaithful wife.
Some historical commentators
viewed the woman as the church itself while some American writers regarded the
man-child in verse 5 to come as the United States, but this has been mentioned
previously and is so wrong it need not be mentioned again.
Israel suffered greatly for her
apostasy and Christ came into Israel as a Jew when the Roman Empire ruled them
and they had lost all their former glory under David and Solomon. Not long
after His resurrection, about forty years, Herod’s version of the Temple was
destroyed by the Romans as the result of an insurrection against them by the
Jews. Israel struggled and labored spiritually, politically, and physically
before giving birth, in a manner of speaking, to Christ.
3 And there appeared another
wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten
horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
This is clearly Satan, who is also
known as Lucifer. He is described in part physically in Job 41 as the
description there is of a dragon,
what we since the 1800’s have called a dinosaur.
The last verse in the chapter is revealing.
Note that leviathan in the following references simply a large creature, just
as the word whale does, and is not
referring to a specific species or other taxonomic classification, which were
invented after this Bible was translated and cannot be read back into it
honestly.
Genesis 1:21 And God created
great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought
forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and
God saw that it was good.
Psalm 104:26 There go the ships:
there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
Job 41:1 ¶ Canst thou draw out
leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?
2 Canst thou put an hook into his nose?
or bore his jaw through with a thorn? 3
Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto
thee? 4 Will he make a covenant with
thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever? 5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or
wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? 6
Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among
the merchants? 7 Canst thou fill his
skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears? 8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle,
do no more. 9 Behold, the hope of him is
in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? 10 None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who
then is able to stand before me?
11 ¶ Who hath prevented me, that I should repay
him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. 12 I will not conceal his parts, nor his power,
nor his comely proportion. 13 Who can
discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double
bridle? 14 Who can open the doors of his
face? his teeth are terrible round about. 15
His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. 16 One is so near to another, that no air can
come between them. 17 They are joined
one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered. 18 By his neesings a light doth shine, and his
eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 19
Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. 20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a
seething pot or caldron. 21 His breath
kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. 22 In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is
turned into joy before him. 23 The
flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they
cannot be moved. 24 His heart is as firm
as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone. 25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are
afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves. 26 The sword of him that layeth at him cannot
hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. 27 He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as
rotten wood. 28 The arrow cannot make
him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble. 29 Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at
the shaking of a spear. 30 Sharp stones
are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire. 31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he
maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. 32
He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be
hoary. 33 Upon earth there is not his
like, who is made without fear. 34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king
over all the children of pride.
Notice another cross-reference in
Isaiah.
Isaiah 27:1 ¶ In that day the
LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the
piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the
dragon that is in the sea.
We have his color, red, and this symbology, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven
crowns upon his heads which will be discussed more in chapters 13 and 17.
This is a reference to his nature
and that over which he rules. As for Red,
remember the red horse of the second seal?
Revelation 6:4 And there went
out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to
take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was
given unto him a great sword.
The crimson stain of our sin?
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us
reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be
as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Red is a very significant color.
It was the color of baby Esau.
Genesis 25:25 And the first came
out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
And, among other things, it was in
the name of the sea through which God safely led the Hebrews, like the passage
He makes for Christians through death and destruction.
What about the seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns
upon his heads?
Revelation 17:3 So he carried me
away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet
coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
This woman, whom we will discuss
later, possesses these seven heads and ten horns. She sits upon a scarlet
colored beast. Scarlet is synonymous with red or crimson.
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us
reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as
wool.
Let’s not jump ahead as there are
many things to review before we get to those explanations, which like chapters
11 and 12, take us out of the linear exposition of events and repeat what is
happening in the 3 ½ year time frame.
4 And his tail drew the third
part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon
stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child
as soon as it was born. 5 And she
brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and
her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Satan led the third part of the stars of heaven, which we have
established as angels, and they were cast to earth. This is perhaps history and
whether or not it is worthy of discussion. Evidence shows us that Satan’s
rebellion began a long time ago in our sense of linear history and time. Events
in the spiritual world do not have to happen that way, as we are seeing, but
happen in what, to us, would seem like a cascade effect, more like a picture
than one after another events.
Remember the phrase and also after that Genesis 6:4 which I
will quote in a little bit.
As the Holy Ghost gave inspiration
to the writers of the Old Testament they wove a description of Satan into their
descriptions of human kings and even beasts. Here, Ezekiel starts out and ends
up talking about the king of Tyre, who was the very powerful ruler of that city
and Phoenicia, whose navy traveled the world, including rounding Africa and
perhaps even reaching what are today called the Americas. But, in the
description a key is given that could only apply to Satan.
Ezekiel 28:13 Thou hast been in
Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius,
topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the
emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy
pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth;
and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast
walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day
that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
In addition, Satan, the adversary,
also known as Lucifer, had his motivations exposed early on. In speaking to the
king of Babylon, Isaiah gives us this;
Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen
from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will
exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north: 14
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most
High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down
to hell, to the sides of the pit.
By a literal view of the text and evidence
available, this happened in Eden when he tempted Adam and Eve. You might say
that it was before that, between verses one and two of Genesis, called the Gap
Theory, but that is speculation not brought on by depending on the text and the
cross-references.
The evidence we have in the Bible
shows the sons of God, whose visible representatives are called angels, like
any visible representative of God, man on earth, or even a church, is called an
angel, which we have already discussed as having in part succumbed to Satan’s
pride and temptation.
The question is, do these verses
following have to do with this mention in Revelation, chapter 12? Or is 12
referring to a future event? Here is the literal history;
Genesis 6:1 ¶ And it came to
pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were
born unto them, 2 That the sons of God
saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all
which they chose.
3 ¶ And the LORD said, My spirit
shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall
be an hundred and twenty years.
4 ¶ There were giants 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. 5 And
GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every
imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Jude 1:6 And the angels which
kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in
everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
In any event, Satan knew Christ
was coming, and wanted to kill Him, but did not know when.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put
enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Jeremiah 31:22 How long wilt
thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new
thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.
This gives us a spiritual reason
why Israel was so deceived and spiritually buffeted about as Satan did
everything in his power to destroy them both physically and spiritually. We
must remember, though, that Satan could go no further than God allowed. We have
that certainty from reading the book of Job. It also explains why he tested and
tempted Christ to try to have Him seek a crown before a cross, thus
overthrowing God’s plan.
Luke 4:1 ¶ And Jesus being full
of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness, 2 Being forty days tempted
of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended,
he afterward hungered. 3 And the devil
said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made
bread. 4 And Jesus answered him, saying,
It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of
God. 5 And the devil, taking him up into
an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of
time. 6 And the devil said unto him, All
this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto
me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7
If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get
thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and him only shalt thou serve. 9 And he
brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said
unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10 For it is written, He shall give his angels
charge over thee, to keep thee: 11 And
in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot
against a stone. 12 And Jesus answering
said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13 And when the devil had ended all the
temptation, he departed from him for a season.
Ruling the nations with a rod of iron will occur in the millennial
reign of Christ. See this in a great chapter on the rising up of the kings of
the earth as spelled out later in Revelation at the end of the millennium;
Psalm 2.
Psalm 2:1 ¶ Why do the heathen
rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel
together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast
away their cords from us. 4 He that
sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his
wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 ¶ I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said
unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen
for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou
shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a
potter’s vessel.
10 ¶ Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be
instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish
from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that
put their trust in him.
This promise is given in chapter 2
of Revelation, as well, to those who reign with Christ.
Revelation 2:26 And he that
overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over
the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter
shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star.
Of course, Christ is the morning
star (not Satan, as the NIV states in
Isaiah 14:12).
Revelation 22:16 I Jesus have
sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root
and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
After His ascension to Heaven Jesus is said to be seated next to God the
Father, as a symbol of His authority and place, with God, as God.
Psalm 110:1 « A Psalm of
David. » The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I
make thine enemies thy footstool.
Matthew 26:64 Jesus saith unto
him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the
Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of
heaven.
Mark 16:19 So then after the
Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right
hand of God.
Luke 22:69 Hereafter shall the
Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
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