Search This Blog

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Revelation 12:1-18 The Woman and the Dragon = Week 50 - Thursday

The Woman and the Dragon

Revelation 12:1-18



Reminder: Pray to God to set your heart right as you engage His word. The text you are about to study was not written to you but is written for you. So, before applying we must ask the following questions:
  • What did it mean to the original reader or original audience?
READ THE SCRIPTURE (Multiple times & translations and notice the words that standout)
Biblegateway (NIV) (My choice of all-round site. It is a great app, better on computers or on a smartphone)
StepBible (ESV) (Great on phone or computer with good resources.)
Literal Word  (New American Standard Bible) (Works well on a smartphone or computer + for searching for words like a printed concordance)
Biblia.com (New Century Version) (Great on a computer especially if you have a logos account)


Summarize the main story: Describe the events of the scriptural story in your own words.

  • Review and retell the story.




Themes
Spiritual warfare
Prophecy and symbolism
Divine protection
Triumph of good over evil
Persecution and endurance

Topics
The pregnant woman and her child
The dragon
War in heaven
Michael the Archangel
Expulsion of the dragon from heaven
The dragon’s persecution of the woman and her offspring



Potential Sermon Titles: ??

Intro Questions to get us thinking:

ESV Text with Highlights
#God =
#People =
#Time =
#Place = Heaven, Earth, The wilderness
#Obedient faith
#Sin
#Key Idea

Revelation 12 ESV

The Woman and the Dragon

1And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rulea all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Satan Thrown Down to Earth

7Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothersb has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

13And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. 16But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stoodc on the sand of the sea.







OBSERVATIONS (Reflect on the topic and build the concept the writer is trying to communicate to the original audience)
ebible (NLT) (Best for having Bible sections divided by "pericope" or sections by thought)
Bible Project (NLT) (Helpful videos and instructions for the bigger picture)
Thematic Bible (Books and Chapters Structure)
Bible Hub = Outline, Themes, Topics, People, Locations, and Questions

Revelation Chapter 12 is a pivotal chapter in the Book of Revelation that describes several significant events related to the ultimate victory of God over evil forces. Here's a summary of the key elements:

The Woman Clothed with Sun
The chapter begins with a powerful image of a woman clothed with the sun, standing on the moon, and wearing a crown of twelve stars (Rev 12:1). This woman represents God’s people, symbolizing her spiritual state during this period.

The Dragon and His Fall
A great red dragon appears, representing Satan, who has seven heads and ten horns (Rev 12:3). This dragon is cast out of heaven, symbolizing Satan's expulsion from God's presence due to his rebellion against God.

The dragon takes up residence on the earth, seeking to persecute the woman (Israel/church) who gave birth to Jesus Christ (Rev 12:4).

The Child Born
Jesus Christ is described as a male child born of the woman, who is caught up to God and His throne (Rev 12:5). This represents Jesus' ascension to heaven after his crucifixion and resurrection.

The Dragon's Wrath
The dragon becomes enraged at losing his position in heaven and begins to persecute the woman (Israel/church) who gave birth to Jesus (Rev 12:13-17).

He causes her to flee to the wilderness, where she receives divine care for 1,260 days (Rev 12:14). 

The Dragon's Deception
The dragon attempts to deceive the nations at war against the woman and her offspring (Rev 12:9). This refers to Satan's role in inciting persecution against believers throughout history.

The Final Victory
The chapter concludes with a promise of ultimate victory over Satan:

"He who is victorious will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son" (Rev 12:17).

This verse emphasizes the ultimate triumph of God over evil forces, providing hope and encouragement to believers facing persecution.

Revelation Chapter 12 serves as a bridge between the heavenly events described earlier in Revelation and the earthly events that follow in subsequent chapters. It reinforces the central theme of the Book of Revelation: the ultimate victory of God over Satan and his followers.



STUDY RESOURCES (This takes some work and here are more resources than you can go through completely)
Rhys N. Thomas @ Thomas Theology Hub has written a Commentary on Revelation.
NETBible (New English Translation) (Great for original text/manuscript information)
BlueLetter  (King James Version) (A variety of resources and good on Phones / better on Computers)
BibleHub (HCSB) (Good on computer or app/phone with lots of well-organized information.)
BibleHub (BSB) (Good on computer or app/phone with lots of well-organized information.)
BibleRef.com (New King James Version) Basic able to compare core translations.
StudyLight (Amplified Bible) (Great site with commentaries by Burton Coffman)
KnowingJesus (Phone / Computer and great for comparing translations)
Bible.com (Lexham English Bible) App is best on a mobile device.
  • God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
  • We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?



APPLICATION (God wants us all to arrive at action, life-changing faith)
ESV (English Standard Version) Good translation with some helpful resources.
Biblegateway (Christian Standard Bible) has some application resources.
The Message (MSG) (An easy-to-read paraphrase that helps some with application)
Heartlight (Great for practical application of scripture)

  • I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
  • What transformative move needs to be made?
  • You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.


Take Away Challenges

  • What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage? How will you apply it to your life this week?

  • Whom do you know who needs to hear this?

  • What is God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts, or actions need to be addressed or changed?



  • Other YouTube Videos
SearchTV
Living for Jesus in Revelation 11-12
Today we heard the sounding of the seventh trumpet and took a deeper look into the Christmas dragon in Revelation 11:13-12:9

Living For Jesus in Revelation 12:9-13:9
This week we get to see how to defeat Satan even when he is trying to defeat us and then we get to see the beast that rises out of the sea (Revelation 12:9-13:9)

  • Articles

  • Devotions

  • Links 


    Please let me know if you find any broken links or corrections that need to be made. Thank you for the help to make this most useful.

    No comments:

    Post a Comment