The Song Of Moses And The Lamb (Revelation 15)

If I am reading the Old Testament correctly, the physical manifestations of God’s work in human history during the Old Testament/Old Covenant are meant to point us toward spiritual realities in the New Testament/New Covenant. 

• God’s deliverance of His people from Egyptian slavery points toward God’s deliverance of His people from spiritual slavery.

• the blood of the first Passover saved God’s people from literal death, pointing toward the blood of Jesus saving us from spiritual and eternal death. 

• the manna in the wilderness points toward God’s spiritual sustenance of His people

• in our spiritual journey out of bondage to sin, we are still led by the fire and cloud - God’s direction and protection.

• Moses struck a rock to get water for parched tongues; Jesus is the Rock who willingly gives the water of life for thirsty souls

• The Promised Land is a type of Heaven, or the Kingdom of God

• Noah’s ark of salvation comes before the Ark of the Covenant, which points toward Jesus, the ultimate ark in which the righteous are kept safe.

• Adam is explicitly said to have been a type of Christ (Rom. 5:12).

• Abel is shown to be a type of Christ (Matt. 23:34-35). 

• Melchizedek was a type of Christ (he was the King/Priest who blessed Abraham).

• Joseph was a type of Christ (he suffered unjustly and then was exalted to save his brethren). [1]

• Jesus is the true and better Moses, whose obedience leads us all into a new world of promise.[2] 

The Old Testament is thick with physical realities intended to point us toward spiritual realities. [3] I want to look today at some areas of theological significance of The Exodus that we need to have in place before we start Revelation 15.  Historical backdrop: The Egyptians enslaved God’s people, and if that wasn’t bad enough, things were getting worse rather than better. Long story short, God raises up Moses to force Pharaoh’s hand and lead God’s people to freedom.

• God’s people are delivered from what at the time was the primary “big bad” of the Old Testament in terms of oppressing God’s people: Egypt (Rome and Babylon were coming.)

•  God’s acts prove him to be greater than the Egyptian gods and the Pharaoh, whom Ezekiel calls a “tannin” – a dragon from the water. More on that in a minute.[4] The following chart explains:[5]

So, that was a clear broadside against the pretenders to divinity. It wasn’t just a dethroning of the gods; it was a clear message to the people of Egypt that there is a God, and it’s YAHWEH. King of King. Lord of Lords. The Most High God. 

A “vast mixed company” left with the Israelites, so apparently many Egyptians had begun to recognize Yahweh as God.[6] There is speculation that this multitude may have had more Egyptians than Israelites. It’s a good reminder that God “does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (2 Peter 3:9). Even in His judgment there is mercy.

Of course, Pharaoh eventually tried to exterminate them. When Pharaoh changed his mind, the Egyptians pursued the Israelites. God parted the waters of the sea[7] – a place representing chaos to the Israelites, because that’s where tannin live – but the very chaotic waters that felt like home to Pharaoh destroyed his army. 

Exodus 13:3 – 14:31 (excerpted)

Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.  On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’  

This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

This leads to the Song of Moses, which is going to show up in Revelation 15.

The Song of Moses (Exodus 15)

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying ,“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. 

The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name. Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea. The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power; your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.[8]

At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’ You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.[9] You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode. 

The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia. Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone, till your people, O Lord, pass by, till the people pass by whom you have purchased.

You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. The Lord will reign forever and ever.”

Alright. God’s people are rollin’! Israel was delivered and its oppressor judged (and keep in mind, this display of God’s power and protection of His people looked mighty compelling to a lot of Egyptians). They are headed for the Promised Land!

If you keep reading in Exodus, soon the people entered into a covenant relationship with YHWH. On the basis of the covenant relationship, YHWH showed His presence tangibly, first symbolized in the tabernacle and then the temple (which eventually point toward us, the church, with whom God ‘tabernacles’[10] and in whom the Holy Spirit dwells[11]).

Long story short, 40 years+ later[12] they are in the Promised Land. In this physical land, God’s people were intended to find freedom from bondage and freedom to flourish (“land flowing with milk and honey”[13])

This was a land of promised rest -  but, it could be lost if the people were disobedient to the covenant. Obedience to the covenant meant life and freedom, while disobedience resulted in a return to what it was like to live in Egypt: in bondage, enslaved by others, sometimes in their own land and sometimes in a land not their own.

In Israelite history as recorded in the Old Testament (and other Jewish writing), the people forfeited their right to live in the land over and over. It was deeply discouraging. By the end of the Old Testament, they were living as a ruled people in strange lands, weeping by the waters of Babylon as they remembered Zion.[14] It sure seemed as if the dragon just kept lurking about, hunting them, drawing them back into the bondage of Egypt.

Revelation 15:1 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues[15]—last, because with them God’s wrath[16] is completed.2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb:

Notice the Exodus overlap:

• The angels are preparing to pour out the last plagues (the last 7 which, in Exodus, did not touch God’s people like the other plagues did, so keep that in mind when we get to them next week). 

• Those victorious over the beast are standing by a Sea of Glass. Second Temple literature often associated the image of the Sea of Glass with the Red Sea of the exodus.[17]According to tradition, the Red Sea became congealed and appeared like a glass vessel with fire inside.[18]

• Add to that rabbinic tradition which claimed that just as Moses sang a song at the Red Sea, so he will sing a “new song” of praise in the world to come.

So, big picture view on how Revelation is the taking Old Testament events swirling around the Exodus and replaying them on a cosmic scale.[19]That’s the broader context of several chapters. More specifically, in how Revelation 15 interacts with Exodus themes:

• In both, the enemy seemed to have God’s people under him. But God acted decisively on behalf of His people. 

• In both exoduses, God leads His people out triumphantly. 

• There is a “vast mixed company” in both stories, many of whom are brought to repentance and then worship when they see the might deeds of God (which includes recognizing the severity of sin and the goodness of God’s path of life as revealed in judgment/punishment)

• Moses is the visible leader who leads Israel through crisis to victory. The Lamb is the cosmic leader who leads the saints to victory. 

• The first the controversy was with the dragon Pharaoh; the second is with The Dragon. They both end the same: God’s people will be delivered into the Promised Land.[20]

The Song of Moses and of the Lamb

 “Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”[21]

Note the new elements compared to the Song of Moses:[22]

• The victory over the dragon has come not with the staff of Moses but through the blood of the Lamb. The battle is not ours; it’s the Lord’s. We will see this later when God’s final army appears – and does no fighting. 

• the faithful do not sing about their own deliverance, but of God’s works in the world and reign over all the nations. 

• instead of focusing on the destruction of the enemy, the song of the Lamb[23] focuses on the peoples of the world joining in praise and worship for the King of the nations.[24]

 One way to think of the importance of the addition of the Song of the Lamb is to think of The Song of Moses as a song about deliverance from, and the Song of the Lamb about deliverance to.

If you are a follower of Jesus, you have been delivered from the dragons and beasts of the world, the chains of sin that enslaves us, ultimately from the penalty of eternal death that would be the just wages of our sins. That’s all good news, but it’s only part of the news. 

We have been delivered to the just, true and holy King of the Nations. We have been delivered to a spiritual land of promise, in which:  

• the milk and honey is God’s love and grace

• our rest is not just from our physical labors but our spiritual exhaustion

• our manna is the beauty and truth of God’s Word that fills us 

• the Holy Spirit is the cloud and the fire that leads and protects

• the Passover Lamb is The Lamb who was slain so that we can live.

• the dragon that falls is not merely an earthly enemy; it’s the cosmic enemy, Satan, who is behind all the beasts. 

* * * * *

There is so much in the book of Revelation that can raise anxiety if we let it: “Where/Who is the Beast? Are we going to suffer? How long? How bad? What will the church be like when this happens? WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN ALL THIS HAPPENS?”

It’s perhaps natural in a country where life for followers of Jesus has been pretty smooth to wonder when those things will happen. For John’s audience – and for so many Christians in the history of the world, including right now – Revelation’s events were and are a present reality.

• Where is the Beast? (gesture vaguely all around)

• Are we going to suffer? (“You mean like we are right now?”)

• What will the church be like when this happens? (“Like this.”)

• WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN ALL THIS HAPPENS? (“Same thing you’ve been doing. Hold fast to the testimony of Jesus and keep His commandments.”)

 Revelation is supposed to reorient us. We have been delivered from the land of Worry about hardship, Anxiety for our safety, and Fear of the unknown; we’ve been delivered to the care of the just, true and holy King of the Nations. Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ. He’s the point. If anxiety, worry and fear arise as we think about End Times (or these times, for that matter), or we become consumed by our need to know precisely what will happen, we are missing the point. 

Let’s make it more practical right now.

“What if we in the United States ever face the kind of persecution and hardship because of our faith that our fellow Christians are experiencing in other parts of the world?” We have been delivered from the land of Worry about hardship, Anxiety for our safety, and Fear of the unknown, and delivered to the care of the just, true and holy King of the Nations. 

“What if we lose the freedoms we enjoy - like a right to assemble and speak and worship freely -  and we face severe penalties for living and speaking our faith?” We have been delivered from the land of Worry about hardship, Anxiety for our safety, and Fear of the unknown, and delivered to the care of the just, true and holy King of the Nations.

What if our economy collapses, gas prices double, inflation soars, housing prices never come down, the stock market crashes, Social Security disappears, health care implodes? We have been delivered from the land of Worry about hardship, Anxiety for our safety, and Fear of the unknown, and delivered to the care of the just, true and holy King of the Nations. 

“What if THAT PERSON becomes President, or Russia attacks the Ukraine, or COVID never stops, or Media gets even more ridiculous, or violence spills over in the streets, or another major terror attack rocks our land…or…???” We have been delivered from the land of Worry about hardship, Anxiety for our safety, and Fear of the unknown, and delivered to the care of the just, true and holy King of the Nations.

 “What if my health falls apart, my kids wander from family and faith, we never get back in the gymuary… What .  If.”   We have been delivered from the land of Worry about hardship, Anxiety for our safety, and Fear of the unknown, and delivered to the care of the just, true and holy King of the Nations.

________________________________________________________________________________

[1] Thanks to https://feedingonchrist.org/old-testament-personal-types-and-shadows-of-christ/ for the refresher/reminder J

[2] https://devotionalstsf.org/2016/07/28/the-true-and-better-moses-hebrews-3-4/

[3] I got so much good info from “The Exodus Motif In Revelation 15–16: Its Background And Nature,” by Laslo Gallus, Belgrade Theological Seminary. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3010&context=auss

[4] Ezekiel 29:3 (ASV) Speak, and say, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lies in the midst of his rivers, that has said, My river is my own, and I have made it for myself.”  

[5] From https://www.metrolife.org/blog/post/learning-from-the-plagues.

[6] Also, it seems clear from later passages that the Israelites and Egyptians had intermarried, so there were family ties. 

[7] Beale notes that the ‘sea’ is associated with the idea of evil. It’s a picture of the beasts’ origin a seen in Daniel 7. The Red Sea in the OT is the abode of the evil sea monster (Isa. 51:9–11; Ps.74:12–15; Ezek. 32:2) 

[8] Interesting. Fire language to describe a flood. It’s a good reminder that fire language is judgment language that can cover a lot of possibilities. 

[9] Same thing that happened to the flood the dragon sent against the woman in Rev. 12.

[10] John 1:14

[11] 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

[12] 40 represents a period of time in the Bible. #weighthenumbers

[13] Exodus 3:17

[14] David’s words in Psalm 137. What happened in the centuries before Jesus came had been happening on and off throughout Israel’s history.

[15] The difference in the number of plagues of the Egyptian exodus and those in the book of Revelation is not surprising due to the strong tendency in OT and Second Temple literature to reduce the number of the plagues from ten to seven. The reason for this tendency should be sought in the significance of the number seven, which is indicative of the severity and completeness of YHWH’s judgment.

[16] “This anger is directed against sin with intense opposition.” HELPS Word Studies

[17] T. F. Torrance claims that the sea in Rev 13:1, out of which a beast emerges, is the same sea as the Sea of Glass (The Apocalypse Today)

[18]  Per Michael Heisser, when John later says that “there is no longer any sea” (21:1), he means that all evil on the earth will be not only defeated but also eradicated when Christ’s kingdom is established consummately on earth. There will no longer be a place for dragons to dwell among us.

[19] The chart is from https://sites.google.com/site/preteristpost/rethinking-revelation-11-the-woman-in-the-wilderness-ii

[20] https://drtscott.typepad.com/markedbythelamb/2013/10/exploring-revelation-151-4-the-song-of-moses-and-the-lamb.html

[21] Both songs remind me of Isaiah’s Song of Praise in Isaiah 26.

[22] https://drtscott.typepad.com/markedbythelamb/2013/10/exploring-revelation-151-4-the-song-of-moses-and-the-lamb.html

[23] Inspired by a number of Old Testament passages (Deut. 32:4; Ps. 86:8-10; 111:2; 139:14; 145:17; Jer. 10:6-7).

[24] “Christian worship… points “backward” and understands the present in its light (the “new exodus”), points “forward” to the future victory and celebrates its reality in the present, and points “upward” to the transcendent reality of God’s world, participating in the worship of the heavenly sanctuary that unites past, future, and present.”Eugene Boring, https://drtscott.typepad.com/markedbythelamb/2013/10/exploring-revelation-151-4-the-song-of-moses-and-the-lamb.html

The Dragon And The Woman (Revelation 12)

Close to the end of the 1st century, John received a vision that gave the readers hope in the midst of suffering while pointing toward the end of history. Here’s the CliffNotes version.

• The historical setting is conflict in the last days, which is simply they time between the first and second coming of Jesus. Front and center for John’s audience were the fearsome power and seductive allure of the Rome (Babylon/Egypt) and its (assumed or believed to be) divine emperors.

• The values of empires like Rome/Babylon are beastly rather than divine. The god-like rulers are only pretenders to the throne.

• Revelation begins with, “This is the revelation of Jesus the Anointed,” and ends with, “the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Revelation is about Jesus above all else as the source of our hope.

• Only God is worthy to receive worship, so check your allegiance – which will “mark” you as a follower of the Conquering Lamb or the devouring Dragon.

• Faithfulness will cost you; God will be with you, and indescribable goodness and beauty of an eternity with God awaits the faithful.

So far, we have covered 7 letters that addressed threats coming from inside and outside the church; 7 seals that revealed the forces of evil unleashed against first believers and then the world in general; and 7 trumpets that heralded God's judgment on hardened humanity modeled after the god-toppling plagues of Egypt, with the hope of repentance.

In all of this, the souls of God’s people are kept safe, even when their bodies were not. It’s the history of the church. None of these things can separate God’s true people from His love or their eternal reward. And one day, there will be a final reckoning as the cycle ends in this life and world and we move into our existence in the next.

Ch. 12 begins the second half of Revelation. As always, it’s going to be thick with ‘hyperlinks’ to Old Testament references, which is our primary tool for understanding this text (along with extra-biblical Jewish literature and culture events that formed John’s audience).

• 12:1 Genesis 37:9-11

• 12:2 Isaiah 26:17; 66:7; Micah 4:9-10

• 12:3 Isaiah 27:1; Daniel 7:7, 20, 24

• 12:4 Daniel 8:10

• 12:5 Psalm 2:8-9; Isaiah 66:7

• 12:7 Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1

• 12:9 Genesis 3:1; Job 1:6; 2:1; Zechariah 3:1 12:10 Job 1:9-11; 2:4-5; Zechariah 3:1

• 12:14 Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:11; Isaiah 40:31: Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Hosea 2:14-15

• 12:15 Hosea 15:10 12:17 Genesis 3:15

* * * * *

12:1-5(ish)

As I looked, a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman came into view clothed in the radiance of the sun, standing with the moon under her feet, and she was crowned with a wreath of twelve stars on her head. She was painfully pregnant and was crying out in the agony of labor… She gave birth to a male child, who is destined to rule the nations with an iron scepter

The Woman

John clearly says this is a sign, a symbol pointing toward something else, just like the other women in Revelation. So, what is this symbol pointing toward? Some people favor the woman being Eve because of this reference:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise (crush) your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen 3:15).

There will be war between the lineage of Eve (the mother of Life) and the serpent (the father of chaos). That is the story of the Bible. Revelation12 has a woman, the Serpent (Satan), and their offspring at war. There is clearly a correlation.

But… in the Old Testament, Israel is constantly pictured as the wife of God (Is. 54:5, 6; Jer. 3:6–8; 31:32; Ezek. 16:32; Hos. 2:16), a mother giving birth (Is. 26:17, 18; 54:1; 66:7–12; Hos. 13:13; Mic. 4:10; 5:2, 3; Matt. 24:8) or as the mother of the leader who embodied Israel’s restoration (Isa 9:6; Mic 5:2- 3). So is Zion (Isa. 54:1–3; 61:9–10; 65:9, 23; 66:10, 22.) This mother had agonized and suffered for centuries, longing for the Messiah to come and destroy Satan, sin, and death, and usher in the kingdom. ,

There’s Mary too, of course. A very real child who “rules the nations with a rod of iron” is a clear reference to Jesus (Psalm 2). But the details that follow after the birth don't match the timeline of Mary’s life, the Bible never describes her as ‘travailing in childbirth,’ and the upcoming reference to the woman’s children is clearly more than just Mary and Joseph’s biological kids.

This is ‘lineage of Jesus’ symbolism, “seed” language if you will. The descendent of the promise will crush the serpent. So, from what women is the serpent-crusher descended: Eve? Israel? Zion? Mary? Because it’s a sign, I lean toward this woman in Revelation 12 being the true Israel, the true children of Abraham who are the true people of God, through whom both Jesus and the church are birthed. And in the end, the child is the point, so let’s not get too hung up on who the woman is ☺

* * * * *

Then a second sign appeared in heaven, ominous, foreboding: a great red dragon, with seven crowned heads and ten horns. The dragon’s tail brushed one-third of the stars from the sky and hurled them down to the earth. The dragon crouched in front of the laboring woman, waiting to devour her child the moment it was born.

Before the dragon could bite and devour her son, the child was whisked away and brought to God and His throne. The woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place of refuge and safety where she could find sustenance for 1,260 days.

A battle broke out in heaven. Michael, along with his heavenly messengers, clashed against the dragon. The dragon and his messengers returned the fight, but they did not prevail and were defeated. As a result, there was no place left for them in heaven. So the great dragon, that ancient serpent who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, was cast down to the earth along with his messengers.

The Dragon (drakon)

1. Recalls OT descriptions of the sea monster Leviathan, representing chaos and God’s enemies (Ps 74:13–14; Isa 27:1; Ezek 29:3)

2. In Isaiah, God promised the suffering, pregnant Israel that she would bear new life in the time of the resurrection (Isa 26:17 – 19) when God would slay the serpent (Isa 26:20 — 27:1).

3. Isaiah 27:1, referring to the future Day of the LORD. “In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan (livyathan; drakōn) the fleeing serpent (nachash ), Leviathan (livyathan; drakōn) the twisting serpent (nachash), and he will slay the dragon(tannin; drakōn) that is in the sea.”

4. Remember the tie-in to the Exodus motif? “Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a drakōn” (Ex 7:9). It’s Egypt in Psalm 74:13-14. “You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters (tannin; drakōn) on the waters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan (livyathan; drakōn) you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.”God crushed this monster when he brought his people through the sea (Isa 51:9 – 10).

The dragon is clearly Satan under all names and aliases. He can’t destroy everything (remember our discussion of “a third” language with the trumpets?), but he can wreak havoc either in the heavens (if stars are celestial beings) or on earth (if stars at God’s people), or both.

* * * * *

Then I heard a great voice in heaven. “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Anointed One have come. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who relentlessly accuses them day and night before our God has been cast down and silenced. By the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witnesses, they have become victorious over him, for they did not hold on to their lives, even under threat of death.

Therefore, rejoice, all you heavens; celebrate, all you who live in them. But disaster will befall the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to your spheres. And he is incredibly angry because he knows his time is nearly over.

The victory predicted in Genesis is now explained as having happened. Jesus threw down/cast out the Dragon when he was lifted up at the cross-resurrection-ascension (Revelation 12:5). Look at what Jesus said in John 12:30-33:

“ ‘Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.”

This is a part of the “now and not yet” dynamic we have discussed before. The fate of Satan (not yet) was assured and inaugurated (now) in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ (v. 12; John 12:31; Col. 2:15). Satan is now being repeatedly crushed since the death and resurrection of Jesus. His final and complete destruction has not yet happened, but will happen when the Lord returns to establish the New Heaven and Earth.

The present eschatological period between Christ’s two comings is often compared to two decisive events in World War II—D day (a term for the day it happens) and V(ictory) day. D day marked the landing of Allied troops in Europe. This decisive operation guaranteed the final defeat of Germany. The beach has been taken. The war’s outcome has been decided. However, the final surrender of the Axis forces did not occur until almost a year later on V day. The land still needed to be taken.

Think of D day as the first coming of Jesus portrayed in Revelation 12. Christ’s second coming—the V day for the church—remains a future event.

* * * * *

When the dragon realized he had been cast down to the earth, he pursued the mother of the male infant. In order to escape the serpent, she was given the two wings of the great eagle to fly deeper into the wilderness to her own special place where she would find sustenance for a time, and times, and half a time.

Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a raging river that chased after the woman, trying to sweep her away in the flood. But the earth came to her rescue. It opened its gaping mouth and swallowed the river that spewed from the dragon’s mouth.

Revelation loves stuff coming out of people’s mouths. With God, it’s a sword (His word). With Satan, it’s chaos words, deception leading to death and persecution. , Scripture poetically depicted the defeat of Israel’s pursuers in the sea as the earth swallowing them (Ex 15:10,12). The targum (Aramaic paraphrase or interpretation of the Hebrew Bible) of Moses’ great Song of the Sea says,

“The sea spoke to the earth, Receive your children: but the earth spoke to the sea, Receive your murderers. And the sea was not willing to overwhelm them, and the earth was not willing to swallow them up. The earth was afraid to receive them, lest they should be required from her in the day of the great judgment in the world to come, even as the blood of Abel will be required of her. Whereupon You, O Lord, did stretch forth your right hand in swearing to the earth that in the world to come they should not be required of her. And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed [the Egyptians].” (Ex 15:12).

It just means God fights for His people in language John’s audience understood.

* * * * *

As a result, the dragon was enraged at the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children —those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the testimony of Jesus.

The offspring are “those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” So, that’s the true church ☺ The targum (Aramaic paraphrase or interpretation of the Hebrew Bible) of Genesis 3:15 says,

“When the children of the woman keep the commandments of the Law, they will take aim and strike you [the Serpent] on your head ...”

The offspring of Jesus – the true church, the true children of Abraham – participate in serpent-crushing through the power of the blood of the Lamb, their faithful testimony, and their commitments to living in the path of righteousness.

There are times when we read of visible spiritual warfare: Elijah and the prophets of Baal; Moses and Pharaoh; Jesus casting out demons, stories throughout church history of the clash between the power of the Holy Spirit and other spirits. I have seen this with my own eyes and have heard incidents recounted from trustworthy friends.

That is important, but it’s not where John lands for his audience on the primary means of doing spiritual warfare in their time and place. You want to participate in crushing the head of the serpent? Keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the testimony of Jesus.

* * * * *

Two things stand out to me in this section.

First, the Satan's chief role as ‘adversary’ or ‘accuser’ in the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, was directed toward accusing God's people of disobedience to God. The framework in the Old Testament seems to be that in God’s court, the Satan had a role allowed by God. He tested people, then reported to God how they were doing and apparently demanded that justice be meted out. At least some of these accusations were true– why else would Old Covenant sacrifices and Jesus’ eventual death establishing the New Covenant be necessary?

But the crucified Savior provided the required satisfaction of God's justice regarding our sins (1Jn 2:1-2; 4:10). The Satan no longer has a place in the divine courtroom, He has been cast out – and he’s pissed. In his anger, it become quite clear that he was not an impartial adjudicator advocating for justice - he was a hostile accuser bent on unleashing pain and suffering. He comes after us like a dragon. He has lost his voice in heaven, but not on earth. The flood that pours from the dragon’s mouth is his ongoing accusatory hatred poured out into the world. Satan's not tattling to God (fairly or unfairly) anymore - he's whispering self-condemnations and lies to everyone who will listen.

The good news: if you have trusted your life to obedience to and worship of Jesus, you are no longer being accused of your sin before the court of heaven. Instead of an accuser, you have an advocate. Advocates don’t ignore wrongdoing – Jesus doesn't pretend our sin didn’t happen – but He is there to offer Himself as the price that needs to be paid on our behalf.

Second, the Apostle ends his letter to the Romans by saying,

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (Rom 16:20).

We have been delivered from the penalty of sin (the Accuser’s voice is no longer accusing us in the heavenly court, because our eternal debt has been covered by Jesus). In addition, the chaining power of sin has been broken: that dragon cannot control us as slaves because Jesus has broken that power. However, we will not be free of the presence of sin or the pursuit of the dragon until V day.

As we live between D day and V day, we are called by God to overcome the dragon and his forces by putting on the spiritual armor that he has given us (cf. Eph. 6:10–18) and crushing his power by keeping the commandments of God and holding fast to the testimony of Jesus.

The Day After Christmas: The Story Of The Christmas Dragon (Revelation 12: 1-6, 13-17)

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars[1] on her head.  She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon[2] with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns[3] on its heads. Its 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 it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”[4] And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days[5]… 

The dragon pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle,[6] so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time,[7] out of the serpent’s reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.  

 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.[8] Then the dragon was enraged at the woman[9] and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus. (Revelation 12: 1-6, 13-17)

Did you know that was a Christmas story? Here’s what part of it looks like in Matthew’s Gospel.

When [the Wise Men] had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”  (Matthew 2: 13-18)

What happens after Christmas? “The dragon will wage war against those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” I think John intended his audience to understand Rome/Herod/Caesar as the dragon. It would make sense considering how biblical writers used the image of Babylon.

• Babylon, the actual city, become an image of all great cities and empires whose love of pleasure, indulgence, and excess wreaks havoc among God’s people. In Revelation, she is represented as a prostitute seducing the people of God.

• Rome, the actual city, represents the power empires used to undermine and attack God’s people. 

 We can be attacked by both; we can fall in love with both. Revelation’s ‘prostitute’ (Babylon’s pleasure) and ‘dragon’ (Rome’s power) have made war with us for 2,000 years.

I think John was reminding God’s people that what the old map-makers wrote was right: “Here there be dragons.” Except now it’s everywhere. Isn’t Revelation the first version of Huxley’s Brave New World (Babylon) and Orwell’s 1984 (Rome)? In the United States, I think we get to battle both: the spiritual war we face in a culture infatuated by both pleasure and power.[10] But that’s another sermon….  

* * * * *

We've already talked about life in between the two Advents, the birth of Christ in the return of Christ. We've already talked about how while Advent begins in the darkness it ends in the light. We have the hope of Jesus behind us and in front of us. There is a stabilization in our lives because of this. The Advent focus on peace, hope, love, and joy all depend on the reality of the life, death, resurrection and future return of Jesus.

That foundation is in place.

But we see how life unfolds between the two advents right away in scripture. After Jesus is born, Mary and Joseph have to flee with him to a foreign land, a land that represented a history of bondage and slavery to the people of Israel. They live separated from family and perhaps livelihood for months, perhaps years. In the area from which they fled, Herod promptly slaughtered children.[11]

The dragon was unleashed. Just like that, the darkness begins to push in to the light. As John made clear in his apocalypse, that war would continue. Indeed, it has, in great and small ways. The dragon hates the light of truth, love, goodness, hope, joy, peace…. When life feels ‘kingdom good,’ expect pushback. Expect war. It’s after Advent begins and the gymnatorium gets decorated and peace on earth starts for feel tangible after a hard year that a fire forces us to pivot yet again in a year with an exhausting number of pivots. 

It's often after great moments of God's revelatory light that the darkness pushes in hard.[12]

I’ve not been persecuted in any meaningful sense of the world, so I don’t want to compare my experience with that of the persecuted church around the world. When I talk about the dragon in my life, I’m talking of the ways in which spiritual/emotional/relational darkness presses in to spiritual light. I don't know if you've experienced this in your life, but I've often found moments of great depression after times of great satisfaction.  

• I go teach in Costa Rica, and it's a profound experience, and I come home and I wrestle with physical and emotional health.  

•  It's the sermon that feels really good followed by a Monday of doubt and anxiety and second-guessing. 

•  It's the fantastic vacation with my wife, and two weeks later feeling like there is a relational chasm between us. 

•  It's feeling really good about my fathering one day, and then having the wheels come off the next.

• It's thinking one day how much I love the people in my life and the next day having my heart torn out by one of them. 

• It's having a much better financial year at church than I would have anticipated because of Covid, only to realize we have to cut budget for next year because we lost momentum in the latter half of the year.  

• It’s going from a moment where I think, “I am finally grounding my identity in Christ” to days of thinking, “Dear God, I am such a screw-up.” 

• Sheila and I both had bad experiences with dreams this past week. We went to sleep after a meaninful evening at home, and woke up from inexplicable chaos in a way that darkens and disorders our day. I told Sheila, “I think the dragon is making war.”

This is the pattern.[13]

But how does it end? With the resurrection and life. How will history end? With the return of the king to make a New Heaven and New Earth. What happens when my life ends? Joy unspeakable and full of glory.

So we know the beginning, we know the middle, and we know the end of the story. We're just in the middle right now. The light shines, the dark pushes in, the light shines, the dark pushes in. This is life between the advents.

This, too, is an apocalypse of sorts, an unveiling that the Bible makes clear to us and that is confirmed throughout our life. We think of the apocalypse as something earth-shattering and perhaps catastrophic, but in some ways it's the ongoing pattern of our life. Truth is constantly being unveiled to us by the grace of God. We see through a glass darkly on this side of heaven (1 Corinthians 123:12), so there is a constant need for an unveiling.

·      It's when we finally understand that obscure passage of scripture. 

·      It's when we finally see how a biblical truth applies to our life in a life-changing way. 

·      It's when we begin to actually understand the power of repentance, and grace, and justice, and mercy.

·      It's when the biblical interplay of both grace and works clicks. 

·      it's when we see the flow of our life in the reality of God's plan. 

·      It's when one our Christian brothers or sisters speaks truth into our life that opens our eyes. 

·      It's when we see ourselves as God sees us. 

·      It's when we learn how to lift up our heads (Psalm 27:6; 3:3; Luke 21:28)

·      It's when we understand how God in his mercy and power could take people like us and tell us to arise and reflect his light  (Isaiah 60:1) in a way that will bring glory to him. 

These, too, are unveilings. We participate in an ongoing apocalypse. So one of the questions I have between the two advents of God is this: “How do these dark valleys work in our favor? How does God take the war leveled by the dragon and use it for our good and God’s glory?” 

Apocalyptic literature in scripture was always literature of Hope. How does my life participate in that kind of story?

Think back to what we've read the last two weeks from the prophets in the Old Testament. What was the key to living in the light? It was repentance. 

Those who walked in darkness had often walked in the darkness of their own making. In fact, the Bible has far less to say about the attacks from the dragons “out there” than the ones that have burrowed into our hearts. We tend to think of dragons like Smaug in The Hobbit: huge, overwhelming, flying over out towns or churches and just breathing fire, and so we pick up weapons and fight the dragon that came from over there, on that mountain. Let’s go take that mountain! That feels like a noble quest, right? It fits with the image in Revelation nicely.

To be sure, the dragon will make war against the saints in a very public way, no doubt. There are Smaugs that fly over our spiritual Laketowns. The church for 2,000 can give testimony to persecution and martyrdom. In those situations, we are told to be strong. The story ends in glory for the people of God, even if we wade there through blood.

But that’s only part of the story. God’s people in the Old Testament didn't get taken into exile in Babylon and bondage in Rome because Babylon and Rome were overwhelmingly strong. Israel had Yahweh. If Yahweh was for them, who could take them? 

God’s people ended up there because they trashed their covenant with God and reaped the consequences of what they sowed – consequences God had made clear. And if Old Covenant physical realities are meant to teach us truths about New Covenant spiritual realities – and I think they are – I find myself with this conclusion: Our greatest threats as Christians and as a Church are not out there. Diablo- the devil, the dragon - is in here too, ever since Eden. “The call is coming from inside the house!” 

There is no person, politician, law, educational system, Hollywood star, or organization that can make us give in to Babylon or Rome. There is no dragon that can force our hand or batter down our spiritual doors. The gates of hell cannot prevail against a holy church. But… we can embrace temptation.  

They may not be able to force my hand, but I can choose to lie in Babylon’s bed or sit on Rome’s throne. They can’t storm the gates of heaven, but I can begin to worship their power and influence and pleasure. The most thoroughly conquered people are not those who are too weak to plot resistance; it’s those who see no reason to resist.[14]

If you read through the Old Testament prophets, they don't pull any punches. God's people gave in, and they did not see their sin. They did not see the darkness as darkness, and they embraced it. 

“Arise, shine – absorb the light and shine in the darkness.” A crucial step to staying in the light of salvation in the Glorious kingdom of God is to repent. Since we started with a passage from Revelation, let’s look at where John goes with this. 

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven. (Revelation 18:4-5) 

God told his people through the Prophet Jeremiah that if they humbled themselves and sought the face of God, their nation would experience the blessings that God told them were in store for them if they were true and loyal to God. If they didn't (as Jeremiah warned so vividly), it wasn't going to end well for their nation at all. They were always going to be God’s covenant people, but their experience of that covenant, their experience of life, was going to be radically different based on the posture of their hearts. 

Their flourishing in the Kingdom God had planned for them had almost nothing to do with what the nations around them did. It had everything to do with how seriously they took the covenant. And if Old Testament physical realities teach us something about New Testament spiritual realities, our flourishing as Christian individuals and as a church will have almost nothing to do with what our Empire does to us or for us. It will have everything to do with how seriously we take our covenant. 

This, I think, is the way in which we experience life more abundant, the fullness of the richness of God’s redemption of the world in our lives. And that can’t help but make us the kind of salt and light in the world that God intends.

We want revival in ourselves and in our nation; we want holiness in ourselves and in our nation; we want a rejection of sin and a love of justice and mercy in ourselves and in our nation. We want the light of Christ and his gospel to push back the darkness of sin. Where does this start? In the church (1 Peter 4:17). Revival begins here.[15]

Cultures cannot become more holy if the church does not become more holy; churches cannot become more holy if we fail to repent of our sinful contribution to the brokenness of the world and beg first for forgiveness from God and those we have wronged, and then for God’s wisdom, love and strength to walk in righteousness.[16]

We are going to take time for repentance this morning. I’m going to pull from the list of sins that were undermining Timothy’s church because it’s fresh in our memory.[17] You don’t have to limit yourself to this, but if you follow these categories as far as the Holy Spirit takes them in reference to your life, I think you might be surprised how much territory this will cover. 

Areas of Repentance

1.  proud/boastful  “Boasting to anyone who is foolish enough to take him seriously! This kind of person claims many things he can't really do, so he must always keep moving on to new, naive listeners.”  (HELPS Word Studies).  Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you humility. God gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5) “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”  (James 3:13) “Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” (Proverbs 16:19) 

2.  arrogant/haughty  “Literally, ‘hyper shiny’. These are they who contemptuously look down on others beneath them, either in social position or wealth (the boasters), or perhaps in natural gifts (the proud).” (Ellicott’s Commentary)  Pray for Holy Spirit to help you “honor everyone” (1 Peter 2:17) “above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). “God has put the body [the church] together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” (1 Corinthians 12:24-25) “Don't do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3) 

3.  abusive “Revilers/railers/blasphemers. Reverses spiritual and moral realities” by calling evil good, and good evil. (HELPS Word Studies) Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you gentleness and truth. “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2)  “Let every word you speak be drenched with grace and tempered with truth and clarity. For then you will be prepared to give a respectful answer to anyone who asks about your faith. (Colossians 4:6)

4.  Treacherous; Traitors.—Or, betrayers… of their Christian brethren. It does not mean traitors to their king or country, but generally betrayers of the persons who trust in them, and of the cause of the trust committed to them; perhaps specially… of their brethren in times of persecution. (Pulpit Commentary) Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you loyalty. “Never let loyalty (steadfast love) and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.” (Proverbs 3:3) “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1) “Be devoted to one another in love.” (Romans 12:10)

5.  Reckless - Better rendered “headstrong” in words, or thoughts, or actions. Rash. "Headstrong" rather denotes obstinacy which will not be influenced by wise advice… the person who acts from impulse, without considering consequences, or weighing principles. (Pulpit Commentary) Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you prudence and self-control. “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32) “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.” (Proverbs 25:28) “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” (Proverbs 14:8)

6.   Self-important - Highminded.— blinded by or inflated by  pride. (See 1Timothy 3:6.) Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you humble self-awareness. "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord." (Lamentations 3:40) "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." (James 1:22-24)  “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:3)

7. Rebellious against parents [authority] ’Unwilling to be persuaded (by God), which shows itself in outward disobedience (outward spiritual rebellion).” (HELPS Word Studies)  Pray for the Holy Spirit to help us honor our parents/spiritual authorities. Pray for the ability to “add wealth” or “give weight” (biblical imagery) to godly voices in your life.  Paul planted and Apollos watered (1 Corinthians 3:6-7); we all need holy planters and waterers in our lives. Hebrews 5:12 says, "you need someone to teach you." Pray for those that ‘have weight’ in your life; they are in desperate need wisdom, grace and truth.

 8.   Ungrateful – “properly, without God's grace (favor) which results in unthankfulness (literally, "ungrace-full"). (HELPS Word Studies) Pray for the ability to respond to God’s grace by “presenting our bodies (lives) as a living sacrifice” as a “reasonable act of service” (Romans 12:1). Pray for the Holy Spirit to enable you to pass this grace on to others.

9.   Unholy - “A lack of reverence for what should be hallowed.” (HELPS WORD STUDIES) Pray for Holy Spirit to help you treat with reverence, or set apart as holy, all that should be hallowed. What are those things? God, clearly, and people (who are all image bearers (Genesis 1:26-27, 5:1-2); followers of Jesus are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3 and 6). Now ask yourself, “Am I treating everything in God’s created world with appropriate  honor, with appropriate care and reverence?

10.  Without restraint  - “Incontinent.—Having no control over the passions or urges – emotions, words, appetites of all kinds.” (HELPS WORD STUDIES) Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you temperance and restraint, especially when it comes to moral and relational issues. Between the Holy Spirit, the guidelines of God’s Word, and the company of God’s people, there is no temptation to sin that we cannot bear (1 Corinthians 10:13)

11.   Savage (bestial) - Fierce.—Inhuman, savage, or merciless, harsh, cruel. They are both soft and hard, incontinently indulging themselves and inhuman to others, when they should be hardened to self-indulgence and soft toward others.” (Pulpit Commentary) Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you the ability to be hospitable (merciful), or “soft toward others.” God is described as “abounding in mercy.”  Jesus told people to learn what it means that God desires mercy more than sacrifices (Matthew 9:13).  Blessed are the meek and the peacemakers (Matthew 5). Greater love has no one more than laying down your life (John 15:13). Serve others sacrificially. Turn away wrath with a soft answer (Proverbs 15:1). Overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). If someone strikes you or takes your cloak, don’t seek revenge (Luke 6:29). ‘Shame’ them with kindness (Romans 12:20). Give food and water to your enemy, and the Lord will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21-22)

12.  Haters of anything good - “Despisers of those that are good; that is, hostile to every good thought and work and person.”  (HELPS Word Studies) Pray for the ability to be lovers of good (good thoughts, actions and persons), the things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Philippians 4:8). Pray for the ability to not only dwell on them, but to celebrate them everywhere we see them.

 13.  “Uncaring, coldhearted; without natural affection.” “Careless and regardless of the welfare of those connected with them by ties of blood, like spouses, parents and children. Plato says, ‘A child loves his parents, and is loved by them;’ and so, according to St. Paul's judgment in 1 Timothy 5:8, were "worse than infidels."  (Pulpit Commentary) Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you the ability to love your spouses, parents, children and extended family. This may be a hard prayer. Remember: you are praying for a miracle, as supernatural gift from God. Also, pray for the wisdom to know what genuine love looks like in your situation. This may be a good one to pray in a small group of people who can offer wisdom. 

14.  Slanderers/false-accusers - the word is diabolos. People who a) have no regard for truth and b) like quarrels. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth (John 16:13), beginning with Scripture and extending into the rest of the world (Proverbs 23:23). Pray for the ability to know which ‘hills to die on,’ and which ones to give ground. Pray for the abilit to listen before you speak, and long for peace rather than thrive on conflict. 

15.  Despisers of covenant - Those unwilling to embrace bonds of treaty or covenant….one who will make no truce or treaty with his enemy.”  (Pulpit  Commentary)  Pray for the longing to enter into biblically covenanted relationships (spouses (Genesis 2), friends (1 Samuel 20), family (see #13), church (Hebrews 10). Pray for the strength and grace to endure. Pray for wisdom to know how to be faithfully present in the covenants in your life. 

THREE QUESTIONS

In what ares of your life do you need to repent?

To whom, besides God, do you need to repent?

What does it look like for you to move forward in a lifestyle of repentance?

_________________________________________________________________________________

[1] “The woman is commonly thought to represent Israel. The imagery is similar to the sun, moon, and 12 stars that bowed down to Joseph in his dream (Genesis 37:9–11). In Revelation 12:2 we see Isaiah’s prediction (Isaiah 66:7–8) of a woman (Israel) bringing forth a man child fulfilled.” (Halley’s Bible Handbook Notes). The 12 stars are the faithful remnent from the Tribes of Israel. “The prophets portrayed righteous Israel as the mother of the restored future remnant of Israel (Isa 26:18 – 19; 54:1; 66:7 – 10; Mic 4:9 – 10; 5:3), and also as the mother of the leader who embodied Israel’s restoration (Isa 9:6; cf. Mic 5:2 – 3).” (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)  In this case, the mother of Jesus, Mary, arises from ‘mother’ Israel. 

[2] The dragon is commonly understood as the Roman empire.

[3] These symbols represents great power.

[4] This is Jesus, the Messiah. See Isaiah 7:14 and Psalm 2:7–9.

[5] “1,260 days. The time of spiritual protection corresponds to the time of persecution (see Revelation 11:2; and 13:5). (NIV Study Bible Notes)

[6] Exodus 19:4

[7] See Daniel 12:7. This is also 1,260 days. 

[8] Jesus is delivering them from bondage, just like Moses. Thus the borrowing of image from the Exodus. “A flood of water could represent any sufferings (Ps 32:6; Jer 47:2), including unjust opposition (Ps 18:3 – 4; 69:1 – 4,14 – 15; 124:2 – 5); serpents’ mouths represent slander in Ps 140:1 – 5. But God would be with his people through the waters (Isa 43:2).” (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)

[9] “The victory that God has previously accomplished over Leviathan is the pattern for the woman’s triumph over the dragon.”  See Isaiah 51:9-10; Psalm 74:14; Job 41. (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary)

[10] “If God is dead, somebody is going to have to take his place. It will be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner.” – Malcolm Muggeridge

[11] “Advent is the right time for the asking of hard questions. Advent comes to a climax, not only on Christmas Day but also in the massacre of the innocents by Herod. The church has historically observed the Feast of the Holy Innocents on December 27, a remarkable conjuncture that remembers a massacre of infants in the same season that we rejoice in the birth of Christ. The great theme of Advent is hope, but it is not tolerable to speak of hope unless we are willing to look squarely at the overwhelming presence of evil in our world.”  Fleming Rutledge

[12] It’s a pattern found in Scripture. 

·       After God calls light into the world in Genesis 1, in Genesis 3 the darkness moves in with serpents and sin. 

·       After God Saves Noah and his family, Noah falls into sin almost immediately. 

·       Joseph gets miraculously insightful dreams from God, and it turns him into an arrogant, boastful jerk. 

·       Moses meets God on the mountain, and yet his sin keeps him from entering the Promised Land. 

·       Israel gets the promised land and then ends up in Exile when it all falls apart.

·       Mary gives birth to the Messiah, but will eventually lose her husband and watch her son be crucified.

·       Paul’s account of what his life was like after a personal apocalypse of the Risen savior is characterized by persecution.

[13] It doesn't surprise God. He entered into a world in which he experienced life in this pattern. He was revealed in the light of God's glory, only to go to a wilderness to endure temptation. (Matthew 3-4) He entered Jerusalem to adoring crowds who would eventually kill him. (Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19).He surrounded himself with 12 disciples, only to have one of them betray him. (Luke 22)

[14] Me. I just put it like a quote so I could read it word-for-word J

·       [15] Isaiah 30:15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.”

·       Psalm 139:23: “Search me o God and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. See if there be any wicked way in me, and Lead Me into life.” 

·       Acts 20:20-21 "I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus."

·       1 John 1: 8 "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 

·       2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." 

·       Acts 3:19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” 

·       Acts 2:38 “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

·       Matthew 3:8 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

·       Romans 2:4  “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

·       1 John 1:8-9  “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

·       Revelation 2:5  “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

·       Proverbs 28:13  “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

·       Acts 26:20  “[They] declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.”

[16] What about Ninevah? Jonah told Ninevah that there was one particular thing God was going to judge them for: violence. They paid attention. There is every reason to believe the rest of life in Ninevah remained as pagan as ever. They did not become holy. What about Constantine’s embrace of Christianity for Rome? That, too, did not bring about holiness. It doesn’t appear much changed in daily Roman life except that Christians weren’t persecuted. And because Christians (understandably) were quite pleased not to be killed, they eventually began to support the nationalistic agenda of Roman to stay on Rome’s good side. And that, friends, is called syncretism.

[17] We went through in our 2 Timothy series in the three “Roots and Fruits” sermons.