Tag: great dragon
Overcome by the Blood!
Scripture reading for December 15th: Revelation 12th
Key Scriptures for over-comers: Revelation 12:10-11 “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
John saw a cosmic battle story in a heavenly vision. A woman, pregnant with a man-child, was ready to give birth. A great dragon was waiting to devour the child. She gave birth to a Son, and He was snatched up to God. This Son would rule the nations with an iron scepter! The woman hid in the wilderness where God cared for her. The great dragon–Satan or the Devil, was hurled down to earth and made war with the saints, accusing them before God’s throne. They over-came by the blood of the Lamb of God and by their testimony of faith in Him!
Observations for over-comers: We simply trust in the blood shed by Jesus Christ and testify of His grace and Lordship over our lives. “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)
The overcoming Blood!
Scripture reading for December 21st: Revelation 12:1-17
A great drama with interesting characters was the next sign seen in heaven by John on his tour of the throne room. Images have powerful ability in the hearts of men to convey truth or to deceive. Those who have been redeemed now have hearts that are teachable and open to truth. John wrote of these characters to describe the things God showed him that were yet to come.
“A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars 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 with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His 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 he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a Son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her Child was snatched up to God and to His throne. (Revelation 12:1-5)
The Jewish believers of that day would recognize this character of the pregnant woman as the nation of Israel. The twelve stars were the twelve sons of Jacob. The child was the promised ruler from the line of Judah. Psalm 2:9 described this ruler as One with an ‘iron scepter’ the nations of the earth. Believers would recognize in the description of this child being ‘snatched up’ to God and His throne, a picture of Jesus Christ who his ruling in heaven now until all his enemies be put under his feet. (Psalm 110:1-2, 5-6)
The dragon is the old serpent from the Garden of Eden, Satan. He was kicked out of heaven and a third of the angels who rebelled with him fell also. (Ezekiel 28:12-18) The dragon has been at war with the seed of woman since the Garden of Eden where God told him of his end. (Genesis 3:15) In this cosmic contest, devouring mankind is now the dragon’s interest. Believers overcome him by their confession of trust in the blood of the Lamb! (Revelation 12:11-12) All heaven rejoices because the dragon’s time is short!