| The Woman and
the Dragon "12:1)
A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman
clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet
and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2) She was
pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to
give birth. 3) Then another sign appeared in heaven:
an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns
and seven crowns on his heads."
|
This is John's third
major vision. In highly symbolic scenes he sees the
focal point of the great conflict. God's people
appear glorious and yet in great pain; the enemy
seems overwhelmingly large. He tries every trick to
deceive humanity but God's faithful few endure to the
end. The woman is surrounded by signs of Jesus;
righteousness and grace. The dragon has all the
symbols of political and religious power with heads,
horns, and crowns. "Seven" here indicates a
spiritual counterfeit. |
| "4) His tail
swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung
them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the
woman who was about to give birth, so that he might
devour her child the moment it was born." |
How many instances
can you remember from the life of Jesus when it
appeared that the dragon would devour Him?
What
have others said? Have
you ever faced a dragon-like problem? How did you
survive?
What
have others said?
|
| "5) She gave
birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the
nations with an iron scepter." |
"Rule" is
from a word meaning shepherd. Are you comfortable
with Jesus, the shepherd of love, ruling with an iron
staff? Why?
What have others said? |
| "And her child
was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6) The
woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for
her by God, where she might be taken care of for
1,260 days." |
After the ascension
of Jesus, His people were persecuted right through
the Middle Ages. Satan used the church-state power
that dominated the world. Now
John is taken back into history and given a view of
the origin of the conflict.
|
| "7) And there
was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels
fought back. 8) But he was not strong enough, and
they lost their place in heaven." |
In what ways are
you encouraged to know that "Satan was not
strong enough?"
What have others said? |
| "9) The great dragon was
hurled down -- that ancient serpent called the devil,
or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was
hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 10)
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the
power and the kingdom of our God,
"And the authority of his Christ.
"For the accuser of our brothers,
"Who accuses them before our God day and night,
"Has been hurled down."
|
Satan is the
accuser. How do you relate to someone who tells tales
and gossips behind your back?
What
have others said? |
| "11) They
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word
of their testimony; "They did not love their
lives so much as to shrink from death." |
Jesus is your Witness; the Ten
Commandments are God's witness, along with the
witness of the prophets, but how will your personal
witness to others help you to overcome?
What have others said? Cross Reference:
What do you learn from Jesus'
description of the fall of Satan? John 12:31; Luke 10:17-20
What have others said?
|
| "12) Therefore
rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!
"But woe to the earth and the sea, "Because
the devil has gone down to you! "He is filled
with fury, "Because he knows that his time is
short." |
The word translated
"short time," "limited time,"
"little while" is used 34 times in the New
Testament, meaning an eventual termination. Why do
you think this so enrages Satan?
What
have others said? |
| "13) When the
dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he
pursued the woman who had given birth to the male
child. 14) The woman was given the two wings of a
great eagle, so that she might fly to the place
prepared for her in the desert, where she would be
taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out
of the serpent's reach." |
Three time John says
Satan was 'hurled down.' Now he tries to hurl down
the people of God. Both times John sees this scene he
says the woman is 'taken care of' (verses 6 and 14).
During the Middle Ages the church-state power killed
50 to 100 million true Christians. What does this
suggest to you about God's care -- is it primarily
spiritual care or physical care? Notice verse 11.
What
have others said? |
| "15) Then from
his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to
overtake the woman and sweep her away with the
torrent. 16) But the earth helped the woman by
opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the
dragon had spewed out of his mouth." |
"Mouth"
represents teachings and "waters" people.
How did the opening up of the land of religious and
political freedom in the "new world" in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries help the people
of God?
What
have others said? |
| "17) Then the
dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make
war against the rest of her offspring -- those who
obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of
Jesus." |
In this key verse how
are God's last day people identified?
What have others said? While Revelation 14 will give much more
information on "the rest of her offspring,"
Revelation 13 shows how Satan works against God's
people and truth.
In Bible prophecy a beast
represents a kingdom. In your last study guide you
compared the prophecy of Daniel 7 with Revelation 13:1-8
and noticed how the world kingdoms from ancient
Babylon to present times are represented.
|
| "13:1) And the
dragon stood on the shore of the sea. The Beast out of the Sea
"And I saw a beast coming out
of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with
ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a
blasphemous name. 2) The beast I saw resembled a
leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a
mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast
his power and his throne and great authority.
|
Historical Note: Following the downfall of the pagan Roman
empire, power was given to the church-state empire
which dominated through the Middle Ages and
introduced many of the mixtures of truth and error
that exist today.
|
| "3) One of the
heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound,
but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world
was astonished and followed the beast." |
Whom do you consider
to be the most "charismatic" Christian
leader today?
What have others said? What would you say is his greatest potential
for good or evil?
What
have others said?
|
| "4) Men
worshiped the dragon because he had given authority
to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and
asked, 'Who is like the beast? Who can make war
against him?'" |
The beast leads most
of the world into false worship. The first four of
the Ten Commandments center on worship so what clue
to do see in Daniel 7:25 of
Satan's attack on the commandments of God?
What
have others said? |
| "5) The beast
was given a mouth to utter proud words and
blasphemies and to exercise his authority for
forty-two months. 6) He opened his mouth to blaspheme
God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place
and those who live in heaven." |
Cross
Reference: What was
considered the worst blasphemy in New Testament
times? Mark 2:7; John 10:31-33
What
have others said?
|
| "7) He was given
power to make war against the saint and to conquer
them. And he was given authority over every tribe,
people, language and nation. 8) All inhabitants of
the earth will worship the beast -- all whose names
have not been written in the book of life belonging
to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the
world." |
As the beast
intensifies his pressure on humanity to turn to false
or non-biblical worship practices, God's people are
kept safe. What safety factors are highlighted in Revelation 12:17
and 14:12?
What have others said? |
| "9) He who has an ear, let
him hear. "10) If
anyone is to go into captivity, "Into captivity
he will go. "If anyone is to be killed with the
sword, "with the sword he will be killed.
"This calls for patient
endurance and faithfulness on the part of the
saints."
|
In what ways do you
see the fulfilling of prophecy as different from the
fatalistic philosophy that "whatever will be,
will be?"
What have others said? |
| The Beast out
of the Earth "11)
Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He
had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a
dragon. 12) He exercised all the authority of the
first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its
inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal
wound had been healed."
|
John sees now, around
the same time as the beast receives the deadly wound
by the sword (verse 3 and 14), a counterfeit lamblike
power coming up out of the earth. From Revelation 12:16
what could the "earth" represent?
What
have others said? The
lamblike power does not become the dragon but follows
the beast's methodologies of mixing religion and
politics to enforce false worship.
Cross Reference:
Satan may try to counterfeit the
second coming of Jesus. Do you think this is
possible, and if so, who will allow it? 2 Corinthians 1:14;
2 Thessalonians 2:3-12
What
have others said?
|
| "13) And he
performed great and miraculous signs, even causing
fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view
of men. 14) Because of the signs he was given power
to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the
inhabitants of the earth." |
Do you think that
Bible truth should be tested by miracles or miracles
by Bible truth? Why?
What
have others said? |
| "He ordered them
to set up an image in honor of the beast who was
wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15) He was given
power to give breath to the image of the first beast,
so that it could speak and cause all who refused to
worship the image to be killed." |
The image is a
reflection or representation of characteristics of
the original beast. Would
you be willing to worship according to the first four
commandments, even in view of a death decree?
What
have others said?
What source of strength do you
expect to be the most helpful to you in the crisis?
What
have others said?
|
| "16) He also
forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free
and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on
his forehead, 17) so that no one could buy or sell
unless he had the mark, which is the name of the
beast or the number of his name." "This calls for wisdom. If anyone has
insight, let him calculate the number of the beast,
for it is man's number. His number is 666."
|
The mark of the beast
is symbolic of a character opposite to that
represented by the seal of God. The seal and mark
will be studied in the next "Symbolism"
Study Guide. "six" represents humanity
deliberately falling short of God's "seven"
or spiritual completeness. Six was the number of
Babylon -- an ancient enemy of God and His people --
and will be examined in the Study Guide on Revelation
17. The triple six reveals the completeness of
Antichrist's rejection of true worship. The number of
a letter or the numerical value of the letters in
many names have been added to equal 666. But this in
only of the 12 identifying signs. |