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Texts -- Revelation 12:1-13 (NET)

Context
The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon
12:1 Then a great sign appeared in heaven : a woman clothed with the sun , and with the moon under her feet , and on her head was a crown of twelve stars . 12:2 She was pregnant and was screaming in labor pains , struggling to give birth . 12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven : a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns , and on its heads were seven diadem crowns . 12:4 Now the dragon’s tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth . Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth , so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born . 12:5 So the woman gave birth to a son , a male child , who is going to rule over all the nations with an iron rod . Her child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne , 12:6 and she fled into the wilderness where a place had been prepared for her by God , so she could be taken care of for 1,260 days.
War in Heaven
12:7 Then war broke out in heaven : Michael and his angels fought against the dragon , and the dragon and his angels fought back . 12:8 But the dragon was not strong enough to prevail, so there was no longer any place left in heaven for him and his angels. 12:9 So that huge dragon – the ancient serpent , the one called the devil and Satan , who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth , and his angels along with him . 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying , “The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God , and the ruling authority of his Christ , have now come , because the accuser of our brothers and sisters , the one who accuses them day and night before our God , has been thrown down . 12:11 But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony , and they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die . 12:12 Therefore you heavens rejoice , and all who reside in them ! But woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you ! He is filled with terrible anger , for he knows that he only has a little time !” 12:13 Now when the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth , he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child .

Pericope

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Hymns

(Note: In "active" or "on" condition, the hymns music will be played automatically when mouse hover on a hymns title)
  • Batu Penjuru G'reja [KJ.252]
  • Dalam Dana Penuh Kerusuhan [KJ.260]
  • Maju, Laskar Kristus [KJ.339] ( Onward, Christian Soldiers )
  • Pengikut Kristus, Nyanyilah [KJ.284]
  • Serahkan pada Tuhan [KJ.417]
  • Yesus Hidup dan Menang [KJ.210]
  • [Rev 12:7] Where Shall My Wondering Soul Begin?
  • [Rev 12:10] Come, Kingdom Of Our God
  • [Rev 12:10] To Thee And To Thy Christ, O God

Questions

Sermon Illustrations

The Events of the Tribulation Period; Judgments in Scripture; World Originally Created Good; Revelation 12:11; Stragies of Satan with Unbelievers; 2 Corinthians 2:11; Isaiah 27:1; Beware of …; Symbolic Of Satan; Job 41:21; Acts of Satan

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The events recorded in Genesis stretch historically from Creation to Joseph's death, a period of at least 2500 years. The first part of the book (ch. 1-11) is not as easy to date precisely as the second part (ch. 12-50). The ...
  • Joshua reveals that God hates sin because He loves people. (This is the message statement.) Of course He also hates sin because it offends His holiness. However in Joshua I believe the emphasis is on God's concern for the Isr...
  • Nehemiah prayed for four months about conditions in Jerusalem before he spoke to Artaxerxes about them (cf. 1:1; 2:1). Artaxerxes' reign began in the seventh Jewish month, Tishri (late September and early October), of 464 B.C...
  • Verses 6 and 7 are the climax of the psalm, the answer sought in verses 1-5 and expounded in verses 8-12.212:7 David's reference to the Lord's decree declaring David God's son goes back to the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:14). ...
  • Isaiah hinted at the coming of a great future King in his oracles against Philistia and Edom (14:29-30, 32; 21:11-12). Now he revealed more.24:21 When Yahweh brings universal judgment on the world again, He will sovereignly p...
  • The prophet now addressed his people rather than God.26:20 Before the restoration of Israel, however, God's people would experience hard times (in the Tribulation, cf. Rev. 12). Before God opened the gates of the new city to ...
  • Chapters 28-35 are somewhat similar to chapters 13-27 in content and form. The same general pattern of argument unfolds, but the historical context is generally later. The historical context of chapters 13-27 was mainly Ahaz'...
  • These two chapters begin with an introduction of the Servant (Messiah) and His mission. That the Servant of the Servant Songs is the same person as the Anointed One (Messiah) of chapter 11 is clear from what Isaiah wrote abou...
  • The mood now reverts back to hope (cf. 65:17-25). In contrast to all the bereavement and deprivation that Jerusalem had experienced and would yet experience (cf. 26:16-18; 37:3; 51:18-20), the ultimate future of the city and ...
  • 25:30 Jeremiah was also to announce that God would prepare to judge all the inhabitants of the earth (v. 29). As a lion announces its intent to attack with a roar, so Yahweh would one day announce His attack on earth dwellers...
  • 30:4 This oracle concerns all the Israelites, those of both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms.30:5-6 A time of great terror, dread, and unrest was coming. Men would behave as though they were in labor; they would hold themse...
  • Ackroyd, Peter R. Exile and Restoration. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1968.Alexander, Ralph H. Ezekiel. Everyman's Bible Commentary series. Chicago: Moody Press, 1976._____. "Ezekiel."In Isaiah-Ezekiel. Vol. 6 of The Expo...
  • 2:28-29 Nebuchadnezzar's acknowledgment of Yahweh's superior power was an advance upon his earlier tribute to Yahweh's ability to reveal mysteries (2:47). The pagans believed that the gods used messengers to carry out their w...
  • Daniel repeated the descriptions of the fourth beast and the little horn and in doing so mentioned four previously unrevealed details about them. The beast had claws of bronze stressing its fierce nature (v. 19). The little h...
  • 7:23 The interpreting angel now granted the prophet more insight about the fourth beast and particularly about the little horn. Here the dual identification of the beasts with kings and kingdoms becomes transparent. The fourt...
  • 10:20 The angel asked if Daniel knew why he had come to him. He apparently did this to focus the prophet's attention on the vision to follow anew since Daniel was quite weak.The angel informed Daniel that he needed to return ...
  • Whereas the previous verses have focused on the Antichrist, those in this pericope concern Israel. Here we learn that this "end time"will definitely be a time of intense persecution of Jews. This section constitutes the clima...
  • 12:9 The angel reminded Daniel that much of what he had received would remain obscure until the end time (cf. v. 4). Then people will be able to look back, marvel at the total fulfillment of prophecy, and glorify the sovereig...
  • 2:10 The earth trembles as this army advances. The heavens also tremble. The sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars fade from view. Cosmic disturbances like these are common in biblical descriptions of Yahweh waging war (c...
  • 2:28-29 After this, namely, after the deliverance from the northern invader just described, God promised to pour out His Spirit on all mankind without gender, age, class, or position distinction.29In Old Testament times God g...
  • References to the work and word of the Lord frame this section. Obadiah announced that a reversal of rolls was coming for Edom and all the nations.v. 15 "The day of the Lord"here is a future day in which God will reverse the ...
  • 5:10-11 In that future eschatological day the Lord also promised to remove the vain sources of security that had always tempted the Israelites represented by horses, chariots, cities, and fortifications (cf. Deut. 17:16).5:12...
  • 1:2 Yahweh revealed that He would completely remove everything from the face of the earth (cf. 2 Pet. 3:10-12). This is one of the most explicit announcement of the total devastation of planet Earth in the Old Testament (cf. ...
  • 1:4 Yahweh announced that He would stretch out His hand in judgment against Judah and the people of Jerusalem. Stretching out the hand is a figure of speech that implies a special work of punishment (cf. Exod. 6:6; Deut. 4:34...
  • 3:1 Zechariah's guiding angel next showed the prophet, in his vision, Joshua (lit. Yahweh saves), Israel's current high priest (6:11; Ezra 5:2; Neh. 7:7; Hag. 1:1), standing before the angel of the Lord (1:11-12). "The accuse...
  • 14:16 The remaining former enemies of Israel who would not die would bow to the sovereignty of Yahweh (cf. 8:20-23; Isa. 2:2-4; 45:21-24; 60:4-14; Ezek. 40-48; Phil. 2:10). They would be expected to make annual pilgrimages to...
  • Jesus proceeded to give His disciples a general picture of conditions just before He will return to end the present age and inaugurate His kingdom.24:7-8 Wars, famines, and earthquakes will anticipate the end of the present a...
  • Having given a general description of conditions preceding His return and the end of the present age, Jesus next described one particular event that would be the greatest sign of all.24:15 "Therefore"or "So"(Gr. oun) ties thi...
  • These verses do not describe the destruction of Jerusalem but the Tribulation at the end of the present age and the Second Coming that will follow it. The Second Coming is the climax of the Olivet Discourse.32013:24-25 In con...
  • In contrast to most people, the inhabitants of Jesus' hometown did not praise Him. When Jesus began to speak of God extending salvation to the Gentiles, a particular interest of Luke's, the Jews there opposed Him violently. P...
  • Luke stressed the joy that the Seventy experienced because they participated in God's program. As we have noted before, Luke often referred to the joy that Jesus brought to people (cf. 1:14, 46; 24:52; et al.). In view of Jes...
  • 21:10-11 Luke's interruption of Jesus' teaching suggests a break of some kind in His thought. It seems clear from what follows, in verse 11 especially, that Jesus now broadened His perspective from the wars that would precede...
  • Luke omitted Jesus' warnings about false prophets that Matthew and Mark recorded (Matt. 24:23-28; Mark 13:21-23). Perhaps he did this because he had included similar warnings in his account of Jesus' earlier teachings (17:21-...
  • The key to the apostles' successful fulfillment of Jesus' commission was their baptism with and consequent indwelling by the Holy Spirit. Without this divine enablement they would only have been able to follow Jesus' example,...
  • The apostle developed the fact that God will not lose one whom He has foreknown in this climactic section, and he gloried in this great truth."Nowhere in the annals of sacred literature do we find anything to match the power ...
  • These verses are really preliminary to Paul's main point. They describe the Christian's condition as an unbeliever before God justified him or her. In the Greek text verses 1-7 are one sentence. The subject of this sentence i...
  • Paul next turned to another subject on which his readers needed instruction in view of their newness in Christ (cf. 3:10). He outlined the immediate hope of his readers. He did this to explain that those of their number who h...
  • Paul continued his instruction concerning the events that must precede the beginning of the day of the Lord by stressing the lawlessness of that period. His purpose was to explain more clearly that his readers had not missed ...
  • John reminded his readers of their spiritual blessings to motivate them to cultivate intimate fellowship with God."Because his readers are Christians and have in part experienced the power of their faith he moves them to nobl...
  • The subject of the Book of Revelation is Jesus Christ (1:1). It is an unveiling ("revelation") of Him. What does this book reveal about Christ? The Book of Revelation is the unveiling of the person of Jesus Christ, the power ...
  • I. The preparation of the prophet ch. 1A. The prologue of the book 1:1-81. The preface 1:1-32. The address and doxology 1:4-63. The theme 1:7-8B. The commission of the prophet 1:9-201. The first commission to write 1:9-112. T...
  • John turned to see the person who had given him his commission. These verses describe what he saw.1:12 When John turned to see the person who spoke to him he saw a majestic figure clothed in a long robe standing among seven l...
  • John's response to this revelation was similar to Daniel's response to the vision God gave him (cf. Dan. 10:7-9). Jesus then proceeded to give John more information about what He wanted him to do.1:17 This revelation of Jesus...
  • The prize for faithfulness was the privilege of reigning with Christ in His earthly kingdom (cf. 1:6; 12:5; 19:15; Ps. 2:8-9; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 20:4-6). As with the promises in the other letters, this one is probably for all ...
  • Jesus Christ gave no rebuke to this church, as was true of the church in Smyrna. He gave the Christians five promises instead.1. Their Jewish antagonists would eventually have to acknowledge that the Christians were the true ...
  • John recorded the rest of this book to reveal those aspects of the future that God wanted His people to know (cf. 1:19). He revealed the events in chapters 4-18 to enable the readers to understand events leading up to Jesus C...
  • Chapters 4 and 5 prepared John, and they prepare the reader, for the outpouring of judgments on the earth that follow. They present the place from which these judgments originate and the Person from whom they come. Before rev...
  • 4:2 As soon as John heard this invitation, he entered another ecstatic state (cf. 1:10). His body remained on the earth, but he saw a throne and someone sitting on it in heaven (cf. Ezek. 11:1, 5). "Throne"occurs 45 times in ...
  • 4:9 Whenever it is appropriate and possible the four living creatures give praise to eternal God. They glorify and honor Him for His perfections, and they thank Him for His great works, especially His creation (v. 11).4:10 Th...
  • John next recorded the revelation of the sealed scroll and its recipient. He did so to continue the revelation of what will be going on in heaven before God pours out the judgments to follow on the earth (chs. 6-18). This cha...
  • 5:6 As with our dreams, John's vision contained some unusual features. John saw the Messiah as a Lamb.229The Lamb is a symbol of Jesus Christ at His first advent, meek and submissive to a sacrificial death as our substitute (...
  • The scene now shifts back to earth."The entire passage in every clause utilizes well known prophetic anticipations of the day of the Lord, and by his use of these images John identifies the day for his readers. One may check ...
  • There are a number of contrasts between the 144,000 and this great multitude. The number of the first group is not only smaller but definite whereas the number of the second group is larger and indefinite. People from the 12 ...
  • 9:7 John proceeded to describe the creatures he saw from head to tail. Some interpreters view these beings as natural locusts while others believe they represent an army of men. Locusts resemble horses when viewed with magnif...
  • 9:13 Someone near the four horns (symbolic of power) of the golden altar in heaven, probably the angel identified with it in 8:3, gave a command after the sixth angel blew the sixth trumpet (cf. 8:2, 6). Instead of seeing som...
  • 10:8 God or Christ (v. 4) then commanded John to take the little book from the strong angel with authority over the whole planet.10:9 Evidently the little scroll symbolizes God's revelation that John was about to set forth. I...
  • John's revelation continued to unfold future events as God revealed these to him in his vision. The scene John saw next was in heaven. The seventh trumpet judgment did not begin immediately (cf. 8:1-5), but John received info...
  • This pericope furnishes the plot for the drama that unfolds in the rest of the chapter.12:1 John saw a "sign,"something that signified or represented something else (cf. v. 3; 13:13-14; 15:1; 16:14; 19:29). Usually John used ...
  • 12:7 Michael the archangel (Jude 9) is the leader of God's angelic army. He is Israel's special patron (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1). He evidently holds high rank among unfallen angels as Satan does among the fallen. John saw him en...
  • The revelation of Satan's activity, which the song of the martyrs (vv. 10-12) interrupted, now resumes.12:13 Satan will concentrate his vengeance on Israelites during the Great Tribulation, under the sovereign control of God,...
  • John also received information about Satan's chief instruments through whom he will pursue his goals during the Tribulation. He recorded this to enable his readers to identify these individuals and to respond properly. This c...
  • 13:1 The dragon stood on the seashore watching a beast come out of the sea, in John's vision (cf. Dan. 7:2, 3, 7, 8, 19-27).415The implication is that the dragon summoned the beast out of the sea.416Evidently this was part of...
  • The notable abilities of the beast are blasphemy against God and deception of people. These activities also marked Antiochus Epiphanes, the prototype of Antichrist (Dan. 7:8, 11, 20, 25; 12:7).13:5 God (cf. 6:4, 8; 7:2; 9:5; ...
  • Most interpreters who see the first beast as an individual also see the second beast as one. Others who see the first beast as a power or movement tend to view the second beast similarly. Many of the Reformers identified the ...
  • John recorded these scenes of his vision to assure his readers of the triumph of believers and the judgment of unbelievers at the end of the Tribulation."The two previous chapters have prepared Christians for the reality that...
  • 14:1 "And I looked"(Gr. kai eidon) introduces three scenes in chapter 14 (vv. 1, 6, 14), as this phrase did twice in chapter 13 (vv. 1, 11). "Behold"(Gr. idou, cf. v. 14) calls special attention to the greatness of the sight ...
  • 14:6 John next saw another angel (cf. 7:2; 8:3; 10:1) flying between heaven and earth (cf. 8:13). He was "another"probably like Michael (12:7), the nearest specific angel in the context. This is the first of six specific ange...
  • John recorded what he saw in this chapter to heighten further his readers' expectation for the climactic judgments of the Great Tribulation that we read in chapter 16 (cf. 8:1-5). This chapter continues supplementary revelati...
  • This verse serves as a superscription for chapters 15 and 16 and even, perhaps, for the rest of the book.499"And I saw"(Gr. kai idou) again introduces a new scene, this time in heaven (cf. 13:1, 11; 14:1, 6, 14; 15:2, 5). The...
  • 15:2 John again "saw"(cf. vv. 1, 5) the sea of glass that was similar to crystal (4:6; cf. Exod. 24:10; Ezek. 1:22), though here he wrote that it also had fire in it. The sea most likely represents the holiness and majesty of...
  • 15:5 "After these things I looked"(Gr. meta tauta eidon) indicates a transition to a new vision and a new subject: the bowl judgments. These are in a category of their own. John saw the heavenly temple opened. This gave the s...
  • The first four trumpet judgments fall on man's environment rather than on man himself, but the first bowl judgment falls directly on man himself. This plague resulted in some loathsome (bad) and malignant (evil) sores breakin...
  • The final three bowl judgments all have political consequences.16:12 The problem that this judgment poses for earth-dwellers is not a result of the judgment itself but its consequences, namely, war. It does not inflict a plag...
  • Further revelation concerning the destruction of Babylon follows in chapters 17 and 18. Both chapters are parenthetic in that they do not advance the revelation chronologically. They give further supplementary information abo...
  • 17:1 The fact that this chapter describes the judgment of Babylon referred to in 14:8 and 16:19 seems clear. It was one of the angels who poured out the bowl judgments who served as John's guide as he viewed these events in h...
  • 17:7 The angel promised to interpret these revelations that were so baffling to John, particularly the mystery concerning the woman and the beast. More information about the beast follows in verses 7-14 and more about the wom...
  • Three groups of people mourn Babylon's destruction in these verses: kings (vv. 9-10; cf. Ezek. 26:15-18), merchants (vv. 11-13, 15-17a; cf. Ezek. 27:36), and sea people (vv. 17b-19; cf. Ezek. 27:29-36).18:9 World government l...
  • In contrast to the earth-dwellers, God's people will rejoice when Babylon falls (cf. 11:10). The songs in 19:1-5 may be their response to this invitation. Heaven rejoiced over the fall of ancient Babylon too (Jer. 51:48-49).6...
  • 18:21 The angelic act of throwing the millstone into the sea is symbolic of Babylon's fate (cf. Jer. 51:63-64). As it is impossible for that huge stone to rise to the surface, so the economic system that has driven this world...
  • This pericope has strong ties to what precedes (16:17-18:24). It is the concluding revelation concerning the fall of Babylon, the latter-day Egypt and Tyre, and Antichrist, the ultimate Pharaoh of the Exodus and King of Tyre....
  • On the one hand, the return of Jesus Christ to the earth is the climax of all that has preceded. On the other, it is the first of seven final things that John saw and recorded. These things were Christ's return, Satan's captu...
  • 20:1 The first word, "And,"supports the idea of chronological sequence. It implies a continuation from what John just revealed (cf. 19:11, 17, 19; 20:4, 11, 12; 21:1, 2, 22). Amillennial interpreters disagree."John says nothi...
  • ". . . it is not difficult to see why the early church understood John to be teaching a millennium in Revelation 20. Three arguments support this interpretation: (1) the teaching of two resurrections, (2) the binding of Satan...
  • 22:6 The angel who had been revealing the new creation to John, one of the angels who had the seven bowls (21:9), continued to speak to him.782He assured John that the things prophesied to happen soon (4:1-22:5), which John h...
  • Symbols Used in the Book of Revelation That the Book Itself Interprets1. The seven lampstands (1:12) are seven churches (1:20).2. The seven stars (1:16) are seven angels or messengers (1:20).3. The morning star (2:28; 22:16),...
  • Abbott-Smith, George. A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1950.Aldrich, Roy L. "The Divisions of the First Resurrection."Bibliotheca Sacra128:510 (April-June 1971):117-19.Alford, Henry. ...
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