Satan's Persecution of the Church

Revelation 12:13-17

When I began my study of this book, I was quick to state that I was neither a scholar nor the son of a scholar, but I do know some scholars, and often I wonder about them.  Often thoughts come into my mind, and they are foreign to my way of thinking, and I believe by faith that the Holy Spirit of God is revealing truth to me.  I also believe that all truth is found in the Bible, so this is not new truth, no it is just revealed truth.

It is a good reminder that John is seeing things from heavens view, things of the future, and things he has not seen before, but it is also important to remember that our great God revealed all that we needed and it is a wise person who studies the Scriptures and God will reveal what is needed, it is also important to remember it is a spiritual book, and it requires a person to have the Spirit of God living in them, to understand what is written.  That being said let us explore verses 13-17.

We could get all hung up on the woman given two wings of an eagle so she could fly to a place prepared for her, or that the serpent spewed water from his mouth like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away, but lets not go there.  I believe it’s all about Jesus and the cosmic battle that goes on between God and Satan for the hearts of men.  These verses seem to be dealing with Satan being removed from heaven and his persecution of the church, (Note: the church is not a building it is the followers of Christ).

The New Testament is full of examples of Satan’s persecution of the Church, Hebrews 11:36-38, “Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword.  They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated – of whom the world was not worthy – wandering about in deserts and mountains, and dens and caves of the earth.”  The American Church has not yet seen this kind of persecution, but all over the world today, many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are experiencing this horror.  Do you ever wonder how you will act if God allows this to happen in America. I would bet my favorite coffee mug that many will not show up for services at the local church, when this comes to America.

Verse seventeen ends today’s study, “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.”  The devil, Satan is making war on those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus, are you participating in this war?  Our Lord had much encouragement for all of us in this vast Christian army; in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  When you and I entered into Christ we got a lot more than heaven, we entered into the  “time line” of the Son of God, He had no beginning or end, we call that eternal life, and if you are in Christ you are an eternal being.  So when Jesus said, “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22)  Or when Jesus tells us, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29)  Never forget whom you are and that we are in a war!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice