Well, good morning, church. Would you turn with me to Revelation chapter 12?
That's page 971 in the Pew Bible, if you want to follow along there, Revelation chapter 12.
So we've come to the middle of this great and bracing book of Revelation.
And here, at the midway point, I think it's good to remind ourselves that
Revelation was written to everyday churches a lot like our own.
Churches trying to live faithfully for the Lord Jesus, but beset by many challenges and trials.
You can go back and read chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation and learn more about the churches to whom John was writing.
Some of them faced persecution. Some of them faced false teaching and deception.
And others faced what we might call seduction.
The world around them had captivated their hearts and led them away from an earnest devotion to Jesus.
And I think it's easy in the middle of everyday life, as we kind of grind it out day by day,
it's easy to lose sight of the big story.
It's easy to miss the deeper realities at work.
And part of what Revelation is meant to do is to give us that fresh perspective,
to pull back the curtain on spiritual reality,
and to show us the deeper realities at work,
so that we can live in line with what's really real.
Revelation, in a sense, is meant to kind of break through the narratives that the world tells about who we are
and where we are,
and show us the deeper spiritual reality by which we can live really authentic and faithful lives to God.
And that's what John's going to be doing in the next few chapters, chapters 12, 13, and 14.
He's going to be really pulling back the curtain to help us see spiritual reality for what it is.
So, let's pick up this middle portion of the book of Revelation in chapter 12.
I'm going to read the whole chapter for us.
John writes this.
He says,
And another sign appeared in heaven.
She gave birth to a male child,
one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron.
But her child was caught up to God and to his throne.
And 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.
Now, war arose in heaven,
Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon.
And the dragon and his angels fought back.
But he was defeated,
and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
And 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.
And 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 brothers has been thrown down,
who accuses them day and night before our God.
And 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.
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, in 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.
And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to earth,
he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.
But 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.
The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth
after the woman to sweep her away with a flood.
But 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.
Then the dragon became furious with the woman
and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring
and on those who keep the commandments of God
and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
So we'll pause there because the rest of verse 17
actually introduces the next chapter,
which we'll get to next week.
Okay, so John, using deeply symbolic language,
is pulling back the curtain on reality
to help us see what's really real,
to help us know the story in which we live our lives.
And if we were to sum it up,
one way to do so would be like this.
Chapter 12 is telling us
that you are in a war,
that the victory has been secured,
but that the battle still rages on.
You are in a war,
the victory has been secured,
but the battle still rages on.
So the first paragraph, verses 1 through 6,
show us the first point.
You are in a war.
John introduces us here
to the three main figures of this passage,
a woman, a child, and a dragon.
Let's consider briefly kind of each one.
The woman is said to be clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of 12 stars.
Now, the 12 stars is an immediate hint
as to who this woman represents.
In the Old Testament, the number 12
almost always alludes to the 12 tribes of Israel.
In fact, this particular image of sun, moon, and stars
seems to be an allusion to the book of Genesis.
If you remember the story of Joseph
in the book of Genesis,
Joseph has a dream, right, in Genesis 37.
And one of his dreams is of the sun, the moon,
and 11 stars, him being the 12th,
bowing down to him.
And what do the sun, moon, and stars there represent
in Joseph's dream?
Well, they represent Joseph's father and mother and brothers.
In other words, they represent the people of Israel,
God's covenant family in the Old Testament era.
So this woman then represents God's people.
And we see that this woman is pregnant
and crying out in birth pains
and the agony of giving birth.
It's interesting that the word agony there
is almost always used not actually
in relation to giving birth,
but for the suffering of God's people
in persecution and trial.
So what's the picture then?
The picture is that this woman is an image
of God's Old Testament people
in trial and hardship,
waiting for a child to be born.
And so we come to the second character, the child.
And who is this child?
Verse 5 says,
She gave birth to a male child,
one who is to rule all the nations
with a rod of iron.
Now, this is a very clear reference
to the Messiah,
the one who would come from Israel
and rule all nations.
The rod of iron is an obvious literary allusion
to Psalm 2,
that great messianic psalm
about when God installs his king,
his son on his royal throne in Zion,
and all the nations become his inheritance,
and he rules them with a rod of iron.
And if you look ahead in Revelation
to chapter 19, verse 15,
we see there that there's no question for John
who this Messiah is.
Who is it that wields this rod of iron,
that is this shepherd's staff
of unbreakable strength?
Well, in Revelation 19, 15,
it's clearly the Lord Jesus
who will one day return in power
and before whom every knee will bow.
And so, with this vision of a woman
and her child,
John is bringing before our view
the great story of the Old Testament,
that from Eve, the mother of all living,
all the way to Mary, the mother of Jesus,
the people of God have survived
through many trials awaiting the coming of the king.
And at last, in the person of Jesus,
he came.
But there's a third figure here,
the dragon.
Now, looking ahead to verse 9,
we see exactly who this dragon represents.
John says it's that ancient serpent,
hearkening back to Genesis 3,
who is called the devil and Satan,
the deceiver of the whole world.
And the dragon here is depicted
as having seven heads and ten horns
and seven diadems,
that is, seven crowns.
And of course, it's, you know,
that sort of fearsome image.
It's a picture, on the one hand,
of ferocity, right?
A seven-headed beast would be
the fullness of terror.
And it's also a picture,
not just of ferocity,
but of power, right?
Horns are a classic image
of power and strength
in the Old Testament.
And here, this dragon has ten of them.
So it's ferocious,
it's powerful,
and it's also a picture of blasphemy.
Only God is truly worthy
to be crowned.
And yet, this dragon usurps a crown
for each of its heads.
And we're told that this dragon
stood before the woman,
actively seeking to devour the child.
I mean, consider, if you will,
the history of the Old Testament
people of God
from the murder of Abraham,
or excuse me,
from the murder of Abel,
right after they're banished
from the garden,
the murder of Abel,
to the machinations
of Pharaoh in Egypt,
to Saul's murderous pursuit
of David,
to Haman's edict
to murder the Jews
in the book of Ruth,
to the persecutions
perpetrated by Antiochus Epiphanes
that's foretold
in the book of Daniel,
even to the raging of Herod
as he seeks to massacre
the children of Bethlehem.
Who or what was at work?
It was that ancient serpent,
the deceiver of the whole world,
seeking to devour
the child of the woman.
We're told in verse 4
that his tail swept down
a third of the stars of heaven
and cast them to the earth.
Now, this could be referring
to fallen angels
who joined Satan
in his primordial rebellion
against God,
but it's just as likely
that this verse
is an allusion
to the book of Daniel,
chapter 8, verse 10.
In Daniel, chapter 8, verse 10,
the murder of God's people
by Antiochus Epiphanes
is likened to stars
being thrown down
and trampled.
Those stars that adorn
the head of the woman,
those stars that God loves
and cherishes,
it's Satan's desire
to persecute
and destroy them
if only he might devour
the child to come.
And why is the dragon
so bent on pursuing this woman
and devouring this child?
Because he knows
that this child
is the center of God's plan
to bring about his defeat
and to put an end
to all his forces of sin
and death and destruction
once and for all.
The promise goes all the way back
to the Garden of Eden.
Do you remember
the promise given
in Genesis 3, 15?
We read it earlier
in the service.
To the serpent, God says,
I'll put enmity
between you and the woman,
between your offspring
and her offspring.
He shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel.
Yes, the serpent would strike
the heel of the offspring of Eve,
but the child would in turn
crush the serpent's head.
And from this first glimmer
of the gospel
before the very gates of Eden,
the rest of the Old Testament story
begins to grow.
Looking, waiting, hoping
through great trial and suffering
for the offspring,
for the child,
for the king to come.
Waiting, hoping,
until
when the fullness of time
had come.
God sent an angel
to a virgin named Mary
and through Mary
the promise made to Eve
was finally fulfilled.
The long years of travail
had come to their greatest hour
and the king was born.
And was this king
devoured by the dragon?
No, John says.
Her child was caught up to God
and to his throne.
It's a pretty short summary
of the life of Jesus,
isn't it?
But it puts our focus
in the right place
for the reality
that John wants us to see.
Jesus was caught up to God.
The verb means
taken up forcefully.
Though Satan thought
he had won,
crucifying Jesus,
putting him to death,
the resurrection forcefully
broke through
Satan's supposed victory
as the Messiah
was caught up from death
and brought to God.
And brought to God
and his throne
in the ascension of Jesus.
He was enthroned
taking his rightful place
at the Father's right hand.
So what are we meant
to take away then
from this first paragraph?
Well, John's kind of
pulling back the curtain
and showing us
that the story we live in,
the world we live in,
is a world in the midst of war.
It's not ultimately
a physical war
between nation states.
It's a spiritual war.
There's an enemy
of the people of God
and of the kingdom of God.
And he'll do whatever he can
to thwart and devour
the people of this king.
And friend,
if you've placed your faith
in Jesus,
then you are
in this company of saints
represented by this woman.
Paul says in Galatians 3
very clearly,
it's those who have faith
in Jesus
who are the sons of Abraham.
Whether you're Jew
or Gentile,
if you believe in Jesus
as the Messiah,
then you too
are part of God's covenant family.
You too are her offspring,
as verse 17
later in our passage says.
And that means
you woke up this morning
in the middle of a great war.
As you were making your coffee,
as you were listening to the news,
as you were flipping
through Instagram,
whatever you do in the morning,
I don't know.
You woke up in the middle of a war.
Imagine John's first readers,
you know,
picture perhaps
the church at Laodicea
at the end of chapter 3.
One of those original recipients
of this long letter
we call Revelation.
You know,
the typical Christian
at Laodicea,
we're told,
would wake up
and, you know,
they'd be tempted to say,
I'm rich,
I've prospered,
I sort of need nothing.
They could go about their day
and their greatest concern
was how they looked
to their friends
in the marketplace.
How similar we are today
to the church of Laodicea.
But John is saying,
open your eyes,
shake off your complacency.
It may seem like
all is well in your world.
You may be tempted
to just drift through your days,
chasing the world's prizes
and favors,
but don't you see
you're in a war?
Shake off your lethargy.
Stop hunting
for the latest gadget
that will entertain you
out of your boredom.
Stop living
as if your life
is just a series
of promotions
until you can
comfortably retire.
Those are stories
that the world
wants to tell you,
but that's not
the real story.
You see,
one of the greatest tactics
of our enemy
is to convince us
that there really isn't
a spiritual battle
going on.
And then we can simply
drift through life,
neither hot nor cold,
imagining that we're
just sort of neutral.
But there is no neutral ground,
not in the spiritual war.
Either our allegiance
is given to the child king
and he commands our steps,
or we remain
under the sway
of the dragon.
Of course,
on the surface
it doesn't look that way.
And yes,
it is true
that in this life
every human heart
and every human institution
will always be a mix
of common grace
and of rejection
of God,
both at the same time.
But at the deepest level,
where is your allegiance?
There's a war going on
for your very soul,
and there's a war going on
for the very heart
of every person
you and I meet,
and there's a very real enemy
who seeks to devour.
But you know,
lest our vigilance
and our alertness
give way to fear
and panic,
John's shows us
the second part
of this vision.
In the second paragraph,
verses 7 through 12,
we see not just
that we're in a war,
but that the victory
has been secured.
The victory has been secured.
Verse 7 begins
by describing
a war in heaven.
And at first,
we might think
that this speaks
of that original fall
of Satan
and his primordial rebellion
against God,
but you know,
as we read more carefully,
we realize
that what's being described
here is not the fall
of Satan
at the time of creation,
but the defeat of Satan
in the crucifixion,
resurrection,
and ascension of Jesus.
Verses 10 and 11
make this clear.
And 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 brothers
has been thrown down,
who accuses them
day and night
before our God,
and they have conquered him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word
of their testimony,
for they love not their lives,
even unto death.
So we see that
this war in heaven
is something that ensues
because Jesus has triumphed
through his earthly ministry.
He shed his blood
for sins.
He's taken the place
of authority
at God's right hand
in his resurrection
and ascension.
And because of what
Jesus has done,
now Satan no longer
has a rightful place
in heaven
to stand and accuse
the people of God.
So we're told
that Michael,
Michael who in the book
of Daniel
is depicted
as sort of an angelic
protector of God's people.
So Michael
and the other angels
now ensuing
on Jesus' triumph,
they drive Satan
out of heaven.
We see this same idea
actually in other places
of the New Testament.
Consider John chapter 12
verses 31 through 32.
Jesus is on the verge
of going to the cross
and he says,
now is the judgment
of this world.
Now will the ruler
of this world
be cast out
and I when I am lifted up
will draw all people
to myself.
So there Jesus looks ahead
to his own passion
to the cross
and resurrection
saying that Satan's
going to be cast out
because of what
I'm about to do.
Or think about
Colossians 2.15
where Paul says,
God disarmed
the rulers and authorities
and he means
the heavenly demonic
rulers and authorities.
God disarmed
the rulers and authorities
and put them
to open shame.
How?
By triumphing over them
in him,
Colossians says,
meaning in Christ crucified.
Or we might also
go on to Hebrews chapter 2
verses 14 through 15.
Since therefore
the children share
in flesh and blood,
Jesus himself likewise
partook of the same things.
He became flesh and blood
for us.
Why?
That through death
he might destroy
the one who has
the power of death,
that is the devil,
and deliver all those
who through fear of death
were subject
to lifelong slavery.
But now we might
ask a question.
How?
How does the death
and resurrection
of Jesus
defeat Satan
and cast him down
from heaven?
What's the connection?
How does that win
the ultimate victory?
Well, the answer
to that is found
in that word
accuser.
Verse 10,
the accuser
of our brothers
has been thrown down
who accuses them
day and night
before our God.
You see, friends,
before Christ came,
Satan actually had a right
to stand in heaven
before God's throne
and accuse God's people
of their guilt and sin.
And we actually see this
depicted in Job
chapters 1 and 2
and we see it again
in the book of Zechariah
chapter 3.
Satan stands in heaven
and brings his charges
against God's people.
In fact,
that's what the name
Satan literally means,
the accuser.
And the truth is,
his accusations
are just.
After all,
who among us
has not sinned
against God?
Who among us
does not truly
deserve death
as the penalty
for their heart's rebellion
against our Creator?
The accuser
makes his case.
And friends,
the tragedy is
against all of us,
that case is airtight.
We stand condemned.
Unless,
unless,
there could be one
to stand in our place.
One who could represent us
before the throne.
One who could enter
the heavenly courtroom,
sit down in the dock
where we sit accused
and guilty and say,
I'll pay their penalty.
I will let the sentence
fall on me.
And this is exactly
what Christ has done.
The same passage
from Colossians 2
that speaks of Christ
defeating Satan
at the cross
explains how he's done it.
Paul writes in Colossians 2,
13 through 14,
and you
who were dead
in your trespasses.
God made alive
together with him,
having forgiven
all of our trespasses.
How?
By canceling
the record of debt
that stood against us
with its legal demands.
This he set aside,
nailing it
to the cross.
Every accusation
that Satan
could make
against you and I,
every sin,
past,
present,
and future,
the record of debt
with its legal demands,
every single sentence
of guilt and condemnation
that you rightly deserve
has been nailed
to the cross,
Paul says.
As the hammers
drove the nails
through the hands
and feet of Jesus,
your sins
were being pinned
to the sinless one.
The just sentence
of death
was being paid
for each one.
Why?
So that you could
stand before
the throne of God
completely innocent
and free.
And so that the voice
of the accuser
might have no right
any longer
to speak.
This is why
Paul can say
in Romans 8,
no one can bring
a charge
against God's elect.
Not even angels
or principalities
or powers.
Nothing can now
separate us
from the love of God
in Christ Jesus
our Lord.
And so because
of the love of Christ
and his work
on the cross
for you and me,
the devil's been
thrown down,
cast from the
heavenly courtroom
with no place
to stand.
But of course,
the dragon still
tries this tactic
today,
doesn't he?
He will still
come to you
and show you
your sins
and failings.
And he will say,
a real Christian
wouldn't do
something like that.
God could never
accept you.
You're worthless.
You're lost.
Just give up.
You've tried so hard
to follow God.
His rules are so impossible.
What's the point
of even trying?
Accusation,
accusation,
accusation.
Are you able,
Christian,
to recognize
the voice
of the accuser?
The voice
of the Holy Spirit
convicting you
of sin
will bring you
to life
and freedom
at the cross.
The voice
of the accuser
will drive you
away,
miring you
in guilt
and shame.
Friends,
he has been
cast down
and that's
what he'll
try to do,
cast you down.
Get you
to think
that your
forgiveness
is conditional.
Try to get you
to think
that God's
love for you
is based
on your
performance,
that God's
acceptance of you
is based
on your
efforts
and your
achievements.
But friends,
that's not
the gospel.
Christianity
is not
be a good
person
so that God
will forgive
and accept
you.
Satan
would love
you to think
that that's
the message
of Christianity,
but it's
not.
The message
of Christianity
is this,
you could
never be good
enough.
you've
sinned
and fallen
short of
the glory
of God.
The wages
of sin
is death,
but God
loves you
and sent
his son
to die
in your
place
for your
sin
so that
you can
be accepted
because of
his work
and not
your own.
The song
we sang
earlier
I think
says it
pretty well.
Before
the throne
of God
above
I have
a strong
and perfect
plea,
a great
high priest
whose name
is love.
Whoever lives
and pleads
for me,
my name
is graven
on his hands.
My name
is written
on his heart.
I know
that while
in heaven
he stands,
no tongue
can bid
me thence
to part.
When Satan
tempts me
to despair
and tells
me of the
guilt within,
upward
I look
and see
him there
who made
an end
to all
my sin.
Because
the sinless
Savior died,
my sinful
soul is
counted free
for God
the just
is satisfied
to look
on him
Jesus
and pardon
me.
You're in a war
brothers and
sisters but
the victory
has ultimately
been won.
Let not
the voice
of the accuser
bring you
to guilt
and despair.
He has
been cast
down.
That's the
second point
of our
passage.
But now
lest we think
that the battle
is simply
over
and that's
all that
there is
to say.
John
gives us
one more
piece of
the story.
In the
third paragraph
verses 13
through 17
we see
that even
though the
decisive
victory
has been
won,
the battle
still rages
on.
This battle
still rages
on.
I think
the analogy
of World
War II
has often
been used
to describe
the spiritual
reality
and I think
it's a
helpful one.
You know
when the
allied forces
landed at
Normandy
and gained
a foothold
on the
continent
it was a
sign that
the tide
had turned
and the
Axis powers
would eventually
fall.
But you
know
from D-Day
to victory
in Europe
there were
still 11
long months
right?
Or at least
that's what I
remember from
history class.
And you
know
that's a bit
of what we
see here.
Satan
is cast
down from
heaven.
His
accusations
are now
finished
but on
earth
he still
fights to
devour
as many
as he
can
knowing
that his
time is
short.
John
sees the
dragon's
attacks
flowing like
a river
issuing from
his mouth
trying to
sweep away
the people
of God
in its
flood.
And indeed
when you
read church
history you
will see
that there
has been
a flood
of persecutions
of false
teachings
of seasons
of complacency
and compromise
that have
nearly drowned
the church.
Given that
this flood
issues from
the mouth
of the
dragon
this vision
might be
particularly
speaking of
the false
teaching
and deception
that the
devil has
constantly
tried to
use against
the church.
It's as if
his accusations
have been
foiled by
the work
of Christ
then he
will try
to use
his deceptions
to keep
as many
people away
from the
finished work
of the gospel
as possible.
And so
church history
tells us
of a river
of heresies
and false
teachings that
have run
through the
church.
Some denying
the full
deity of
Christ.
Some denying
the full
humanity of
Christ.
Some denying
the free
grace of
God.
Some denying
the sufficiency
and authority
of scripture
and on
they go.
But Satan's
deceptions
also try
to reach
to our
hearts.
Remember
how he
came to
Eve in
the garden
trying to
get her
to question
God's
word and
God's
character.
Did God
really say?
God knows
that when you
eat this
you'll be
like him.
In other
words,
God's trying
to keep
something good
from you,
you know.
You can't
trust him.
His tactics
haven't
changed.
He sort
of has
the same
playbook and
he just
keeps playing
it over
and over
again.
Like a
flood,
he's going
to try
to get
us to
doubt
God's
word and
doubt
God's
character.
And yet
as the
battle
rages
on,
God
promises
to preserve
his
church.
John
sees the
woman
given
the two
wings
of the
great
eagle
so that
she might
fly from
the serpent
into the
wilderness.
What a
beautiful
image.
It's taken
actually from
Exodus 19.
Just like
the people
of the Old
Testament were
said to be
brought out
of Egypt
on eagle's
wings into
the wilderness
to be with
God.
That great
picture of
their rescue
from Pharaoh's
death and
destruction to
be with God
in his presence
in the
wilderness.
So the
New Testament
church will
be carried
by God
and protected
from Satan's
attacks.
The
wilderness was
often a
place in
the Old
Testament where
God purified
and protected
his people.
And we're
told here that
there in the
wilderness the
earth opens
its mouth and
swallows the
destructive waters
of the dragon.
Just like in
Exodus 15 the
earth is said to
swallow Pharaoh
and his chariots
or like number
16 the earth is
said to swallow
Korah's rebellion
as they rebelled
against God's
goodness and God's
word.
So the
sovereign God will
continue to
protect his
people from
all that
threatens to
destroy them.
Though we live
in the final
stages of the
great spiritual
battle though we
have an enemy
bent on washing
us away God
will not allow
his people to
be overcome.
And there in
the wilderness
John says
they'll be
nourished for
a time times
and half a
time.
As Pastor
Matt mentioned
last week this
number comes up
often in the
book of Revelation
and it comes up
in different forms.
Earlier in this
passage it was
given as
1260 days.
In chapter
11 it was
called 42
months.
And here
again it's
called time
times and
half a time
which is
one time
times two
and a half.
It's all
three and a
half.
42 months
is three and
a half years.
If a month
is 30 days
then 1260
days is three
and a half
years.
Just different
ways of talking
about this same
period of time.
But what's the
significance of
three and a
half years?
Well one clue
that John may
be using this
number in a
symbolic way is
found right here
in Revelation
12.
We see in
verse 6 that
immediately after
the ascension of
Jesus when he's
caught up to be
with God in his
throne it says
the woman fled
into the
wilderness where
she has a place
prepared by God
in which she is
to be nourished
for 1260 days
or a time
times and half
a time.
In other words
that period starts
at the ascension
of Jesus.
So it seems
to be that
John's saying
that the whole
period from
Christ's ascension
to his return
will be covered
by that time
times and half
a time.
And that makes
sense when you
look at where
this phrase comes
from in the Old
Testament.
In the book of
Daniel time
times and half
a time was a
way of speaking
about an intense
time of persecution
for God's people
that will ultimately
and graciously be cut
short by God's
rescue and judgment.
Three and a half
after all is half
of seven.
You can tell I did
really well in math
right?
If seven represents
a full or complete
cycle of trial
and persecution
and suffering
God's going to
cut it in half
and rescue his
people at just
the right time
when the times
get hard and it
feels like it's
turning into times
of hardship
God says that's
when it will come
to an end
and I will rescue
you.
at just the
right time.
Now of course
there are other
ways of understanding
this number.
Some Christians
believe that this
number could represent
the three and a half
years of suffering
during the Jewish
war of 66 to 70
AD when the temple
was eventually
destroyed.
That was a time
of great suffering.
Some think that
this number represents
a three and a half
year period of intense
persecution just
before Jesus returns.
And the reality is
I think John's vision
could speak to all
of these just like
Old Testament
prophecy.
Revelation has
multiple horizons
of fulfillment.
But I think John's
pastoral point to his
churches is the same.
We live in a time
of trial,
of battle,
of hardship.
There will be days
when it seems like
the fight is
overwhelming,
like a flood.
Yeah,
there will be days
when it seems like
the earth opens
its mouth and
swallows the whole
trial and brings
relief.
But not always.
But through it all
there's coming a day
when this time will
end.
This period won't
last forever.
Just like it didn't
last forever in the
Jewish war,
just like it won't
last forever,
right before Jesus
comes it won't last
forever.
Just when you think
your strength is
giving way,
just when you think
you can't hold out
any longer,
God's rescue will
come.
And we know that
will ultimately be
true one day.
The king who was
caught up to God
and to his throne,
who cast Satan
down from heaven,
he will return
bodily in glory.
And the great
dragon will be
condemned forever.
And he will be
removed from the
earth once and for
all.
And the church
will reign with
Christ for eternity
in a new heavens
and a new earth.
Yes, friends,
the battle still
rages on.
Yes, we need to
take up the armor
of God each day.
And if you're
wondering, how do I
do that?
You can come to
Sunday school.
Because we're
going through
Ephesians and
we're going to
talk about the
armor of God.
Yes, we need to
immerse ourselves
in God's word
and God's gospel
to ready ourselves
for the fight,
to be ready
against these
floods that
come our way.
Yes, we need
to bear witness
even if it means
losing what we
love, even our
own lives.
But friends,
one day the
battle will end.
The time is
short, friends.
So don't give
up.
Stand firm
against the
devil's
accusations
and lies,
knowing that
he is ultimately
a defeated
foe.
Stand firm
in your
King, the
Lord Jesus.
He will
win the
battle.
Did we in
our own
strength confide?
Our striving
would be
losing, Martin
Luther wrote
many years ago.
We're not the
right man on
our side, the
man of God's
own choosing.
Do you ask
who that may
be?
Christ Jesus
it is he, the
Lord of hosts
his name, from
age to age the
same, and he
must win the
battle.
Let's pray.
Father in
heaven,
help us now
in these quiet
moments
to be reminded
again
that if we are
in the midst
of trial,
persecution,
suffering,
Lord, that you
promise to win
the victory one
day.
Lord, this life
may not be
full of ease
and comfort.
In fact, you
promise us
that it won't
be, but we
know there's
coming a great
and glorious
day when the
battle will be
won and you
will be all in
all.
So encourage
our hearts
now to keep
up in the
fight.
Equip us
with what we
need, help
us to
encourage one
another in
this race.
And Lord, if
we've grown
complacent, if
we've grown
stagnant, if
we've grown
sleepy, Lord,
by your Holy
Spirit, cause
us to wake
up.
Renew our
vision, renew
our zeal for
you and for
your kingdom.
Silence the
voice of the
accuser.
Help us to
stand in the
truth of your
word against
his deceptions.
And Lord, we
pray that through
our witness as a
church, many
would come to
know the
forgiving,
liberating
grace of the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
Pray this in
his name.
Amen.