Introduction

Revelation 12:1-6 ESV  And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.  (2)  She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.  (3)  And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.  (4)  His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.  (5)  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,  (6)  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.

• Before we get into it, we have a lot to cover, so let’s pray…

Ok church, do you remember the two laws of Scriptural interpretation? Because we are going to lean HEAVELY on these two laws for this message and really for the remainder of Revelation.

If you forgot them, here they are:

(This slide is already in ProClaim’s presentation for this Sunday)

The Two Laws of Scriptural Interpretation:

1. Whenever possible, take scripture literally.
2. Let Scripture interpret Scripture.

• So, whenever you are having difficulty understanding or applying a verse, first you use law one… whenever possible, take scripture literally… in other words… if it can be literal, then it probably is meant to be taken as literal.
  • Now if the text says “This is a parable” then we know it is not literal.
  • Or if the text says “This is a dream” then we know it is not literal.
  • Or, in poetic books like Revelation in particular, if what is being said could not physically be literal, then it is probably not literal, it is probably figurative.
• Now if something is going to be figurative then the second rule of Scriptural interpretation is imperative… let scripture interpret scripture…
• So, let’s look at this passage that we just read and use these rules to help us understand what we are reading…
  • In Revelation Chapter 12 we are introduced to a woman who gives birth. She is attacked by a dragon who tries to kill her child, but the child is taken up into heaven. The woman then flees into the wilderness were she is taken care of  by God for 3 and a half years.
  • Now at first glance, most of this seems like it can be taken literally, except for maybe the dragon part… but could the woman be literal, does rule 1 of Biblical interpretation mean this is a literal woman.
    • Well, no, not when we look at her description:

Revelation 12:1 ESV  And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

• Can a physical woman be clothed with the sun? No, of course not.
  • Can a physical woman have the moon under her feet? Well, not unless she is an apollo astronaut!
  • And since we are talking sun and moon, the 12 stars on her crown are probably not decorative stars with five points, but we are probably talking about the stars in space… big flaming balls of light, those kinds of stars.
• All of this points to her being figurative… a poetic use of words to describe something else.
  • Certainly, the dragon chasing her, is not literal, this too is figurative. Unless God intends on making dragons fly around the earth…
• Now if the dragon is figurative and the woman is figurative, then it is safe to say that the child is figurative… for a figurative woman can’t give birth to a literal child.
• So if all three of our man characters in this passage are figurative, what do they represent? This is where we come to the second law of Biblical interpretation, let scripture interpret scripture.
• But before I go into the WHY, let me tell you the WHAT. Let me jump straight to the point and tell you what I think these figures represent.

(This slide is already in ProClaim’s presentation for this Sunday)

The Figures of Revelation 12

• The woman represents the nation of Israel.
• The child represents the 144,00 sealed Jews.
• The dragon represents the devil.
• Now, let’s talk about why… where did I get these interpretations from?
  • Well, with the help of the Holy Spirit, a LOT of study, by letting scripture interpret scripture, and by applying a little bit of basic logic… it’s amazing how far common sense will go when it comes to reading the Bible!
• The woman represents Israel, why?
  • Because of her description. Those doing the Bible in 90 days will understand this… The sun, moon, and 12 stars Biblically represent Israel.
    • They were the representation of Israel and his 12 sons in Genesis when Joseph had a dream of them bowing down to him. That’s in Genesis 37:9
    • In Isaiah 60:19-20, speaking of restored Israel after the rapture, we are told Israel does not need it’s own sun or moon.
    • In at least 5 places in Isaiah the nation of Israel is referred to as a woman.
    • And then, in Isaiah 62:3-5 the nation of Israel is referred to as a bride wearing a crown, just like the woman’s description in Revelation.
• So then, who is her child?
  • At the first reading of this you may think, it is JESUS!
    • Afterall, when He was born, king Herod tried to kill him.
    • Then he fled into the wilderness.
    • And He is to rule with a Rod of Iron.
    • And He was definitely taken up after He rose again.
  • And all of that is true, but there is issue with this line of thinking…
    • How can a figurative woman have a literal child?
    • More over, why would God show John, in the middle of showing Him future events, show Him past events… Event’s that John was a part of and already witnessed in person!
    • Further, yes, Jesus will rule the nations with a rod of Iron, but that is true of EVERY believer. There are 7 old Testament passages that saw that believers will rule over the nations, and 13 New Testament passages that say we will rule alongside Christ over the nations.
  • So it’s not Jesus, then who is it? I believe it is the 144,000.
    • Why? Well of the 13 New Testament passages about the believers reigning over the nations with Christ, 7 are about the 144,000.
    • Further, if the woman is Israel, then her children would naturally be Israeli.
    • And finally, we know from Revelation 14 that the 144,000 will be raptured before the rest of the church.

Revelation 14:1-4 ESV  Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.  (2)  And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps,  (3)  and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed (someone say redeemed) from the earth.  (4)  It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed (someone say redeemed)  from mankind as firstfruits (someone say firstfruits)  for God and the Lamb,

• The 144,000 had been redeemed, they had been taken, from the earth and from mankind, they are the FIRSTFRUITS for God… meaning, they get raptured first…
  • I will preach a whole sermon on this latter.
  • So, it makes the MOST sense that the child is the 144,000.
  • Finally, the dragon represents the devil.
    • How do we know, because we are told that in verse 9 of Chapter 12…

Revelation 12:9 ESV  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.

• We don’t have to guess if something is figurative if the Bible straight up tells us it is figurative…
• So there you have it, the woman represents the nation of Israel, the child represents the 144,000, and the Dragon represents the devil… knowing that, let’s read our key verses again…

Revelation 12:1-6 ESV  And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.  (2)  She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.  (3)  And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.  (4)  His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.  (5)  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,  (6)  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.

• So, Israel will bring fourth the 144,000 who are sealed by God.
  • Satan will try to destroy the 144,000.
  • God will take up, literally RAPTURE the 144,000.
  • The rest of Israel will flee into the wilderness, where God has provided a place for them. Meaning that the nation of Israel that we know today will be overthrown, likely by the Antichrist, and most jews will be forced to flee.
• And all of that is described figuratively, so far as I can tell, in Revelation 12:1-6.
  • And we will see more of the woman next week as we go through the rest of chapter 12

Now if all of this has you lost, let me give you a quick timeline of events to give you context.

(This slide is already in ProClaim’s presentation for this Sunday)

• The Seventh Trumpet – Rev 11:15-14:15
  • Trumpet introduced / overviewed (11:15-19)
  • The woman and the dragon (12:1-17)
  • The 144,000 raptured (12:5)
  • Two beasts persecute the church (13:1-18)
  • The song of the 144,000  in heaven (14:1-5)        
  • Three angels preach to the world (14:6-13)
  • The church is raptured (14:14-15)
• All of these things are covered under the banner of “The Seventh Trumpet”, which we overviewed in last weeks text and sermon, so for the next few months we will be talking in detail about the Seventh Trumpet starting with todays verses and ending with the rapture of the church.
• So, if we are all on the same page, let’s get into our two points of application for todays message…
• Show Title Slide
  • Today’s message is called “Provision in the wilderness – when you are forced to flee, God prepares a place for you”.
• Let’s get into our first point… know went to flee.

Point One – Know When To Flee

Revelation 12:6 ESV  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.

• Did you know that sometimes Christians flee?
  • Yes we are more than conquerors, yes we are victorious in Christ Jesus, no we do not fear death nor the world nor Satan and his minions.
  • Yet still, on occasion, the people of God flee.
    • The people of God fled Egypt in the book of Exodus. God could have overthrown Egypt, but instead He had his people flee, with His help.
    • David fled from King Saul, and God blessed David in his fleeing.
    • Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus fled King Herod and stayed in Egypt for a time, fulfilling the prophecy from Numbers 24:8 and Hosea 11:1 “Out of Egypt I have called my son”.
    • In Acts chapter 9 Paul flees Damascus by being lowered down the wall in a basket, because the Jews were trying to kill him and watching all of the gates.
    • And of course, in Revelation, the woman (the nation of Israel) will flee from Satan’s persecution.
• Now this does not mean that these people are cowards.
  • The people of God who fled Egypt would go on to win many a battle, even battle where the odds were stacked against them.
  • David killed Goliath, a giant, and thousands of other enemies, before fleeing from Saul. He went on to be a mighty king winning many wars.
  • Obviously Jesus wasn’t a coward, He had opportunities to bow to Satan and not be crucified, but He chose the cross for our sake.
  • Paul was about to be set free when he petitioned to see Caeser so he could preach the Gospel to him… Caeser ended up killing him!
  • And of course, God wins the victory over the devil who will chase Israel out of it’s own territory .
• So there may be times to flee, times of persecution, times of hardship, times of danger… but how do we know when to flee and when to fight?
  • It all comes from listening to God… other than reading your Bible, hearing God’s voice is probably the most important thing you can do…

John 10:27 ESV  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

John 8:47 ESV  Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

• Listen church, if you do not hear from God, something is very very wrong.
  • And men… no, it is not “your wife’s job” to hear from God… SO MANY MEN TELL ME THAT.
    • Stop passing the buck! You are the head of the household. You need to hear from God to know how to lead your family.
  • But not just men, every believer should be hearing from God.
    • If you are not hearing from God it is because either:
      • You are not born again.
      • You are not reading and obeying the Bible (God will not trust you with His spoken word if you can’t even listen to and obey His Written Word.
      • Or you are in some kind of sin that is keeping you separate from God.
  • But I also find that many people are hearing from God, but struggle to discern which voice is His, and which is the enemy or just idle thoughts.
    • Because 999 times out of 1000 God speaks silently to you in your mind, it can be hard to know…
      • God has only spoken to me Audibly twice, but He talks to me in my mind nearly every day.
  • And again, this is why Bible reading is so important, because God doesn’t change, He is not a man that He should lie, He doesn’t contradict Himself.
    • So you can learn the Character of God by reading His word… and then when you hear what you think is the voice of God you can say “Yup, this is the God of the bible speaking to me” or you can say “I know God would never say that because it contradicts His word”.
  • It is also important to have accountability, because you are not the only person who can hear from God… if God is telling you something and you want to know if it is Him… then call up you discipler and ask them about it and pray about it.
  • The Holy Spirt WILL help you church.
• What does all of these have to do with fleeing… well… we are more than conquerors, we fear God and God alone… So the only time we should flee is when God tells us to flee!
  • This is just like Paul… Many times the Holy Spirit would tell Paul to go and preach in a city, and Paul would get beaten or stoned at the end of it… but he wasn’t fearful, he always obeyed and God always provided…
  • But then there was one time when this happened…

Act 16:6  And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.

• So the Holy Spirit warned Paul to stay away from Asia at the time… latter this happened:

Acts 21:4 ESV  And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

• Now it wasn’t Paul hearing the Holy Spirit, it was others who the Holy Spirit told to warn Paul.
  • Remember, you are NOT the only one who hears from God.
• Now most of this has to do with being beaten or killed, but America is not that hostile to Christians yet… so what’s the application for TODAY? Well, there are other things we should flee from other then physical harm.

1 Corinthians 6:18 ESV  Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

2 Timothy 2:22 ESV  So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

• Flee from Sexual immorality!
  • If you have a co-worker who is trying to seduce you, it may be time to start looking for a new job.
  • Watch a TV show that tempts you to lust… STOP watching that TV show.
  • Instagram causes you to stumble… UNINSTALL IT FROM YOUR PHONE.
    • This is why as a church we have a rule to NEVER BE ALONE with the opposite sex if they are not your children or your spouse… We just don’t do it. BECAUSE WE STAY AS FAR AWAY FROM SEXUAL IMORALITY AS POSSIBLE.
• Flee from youthful passions…
  • now I know you are thinking this is another verse about sex, but actually it’s about childish sins… the very next verse continues to say “Don’t have silly arguments and avoid pointless controversy”…
    • In other words, don’t get in arguments on Facebook.
    • Don’t fight with your family over covid regulations.
    • Flee from these things… I had to delete my Facebook for YEARS because I kept getting into dumb arguments that never bore fruit, I fled.
    • Flee from other youthful passions too… partying, drinking, staying out all night, bar hopping, gossiping… whatever… This are sins for EVERYONE but come one now! You are grown, flee from these things…
• And escape from temptation.
  • When you feel tempted to sin, whatever the sin is… God will provide a way of escape… GET OUT OF THERE.
• And it’s not always situational, sometimes you really have to flee…
  • Some of you need to flee from your Job…
  • Some of you need to flee from the public school system…
  • Some of you need to flee from people you call your friends…
    • Again it is important to hear from God as you make these decisions… but there is a time for the Christian to flee.
  • And that brings us to our final point… when  you flee, God will provide for you…
    • Now I will try to make this point quick, because I know these Revelation sermons have all been doozies!

Point Two – When You Flee God’s Way, God Will Provide For You

Revelation 12:6 ESV  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.

• God not only provides a place for the woman, the Nation of Israel, but He will NURISH her for 3 and a half years!
  • WHEN YOU FLEE, GOD WILL PROVIDE FOR YOU.
  • Now of course this comes with a caveat… It’s only when you flee for Godly reasons, either to escape temptation, to flee from sexual sin and lust, or to flee from youthful passions… or because God specifically told you to flee.
  • But assuming you are fleeing for holy reasons, then God will provide for you! That’s our second point.
  • Consider Elijah, he just won a many major victories over the prophets of Baal and was an influential voice over Israel…
    • Even Elijah, , who would defeat the prophets of Baal, who would be taken up in the could… even the great prophet Elijah was told by God to flee! In fact, it is the FIRST thing we read about Elijah

1 Kings 17:1-6 ESV  Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”  (2)  And the word of the LORD came to him:  (3)  “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.  (4)  You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”  (5)  So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan.  (6)  And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

• So Elijah prophecies a great drought, a judgement of God against King Ahab and the people of Israel because of their Idolatry.But God tells Him, specifically and clearly, tells Him to flee, and where to flee to… and what happens next? GOD MIRACULOSLY PROVIDES FOR HIM!
• This is a theme we see time and time again in the Bible… God providing for those force to flee… be it because of persecution or temptation… God provides for those who flee for Holy reasons.
• What does this mean for you…
  • If God is telling you to leave your job because it is causing you to sin, or be tempted… or because the environment is hostile towards Christians or whatever… if GOD is telling you to leave your job and your discipler or a pastor confirms that… then LEAVE YOUR JOB.
    • God will provide for you, there may be a better job right around the corner.
  • Single people… If God is telling you to break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend… then do it… FLEE THAT SINFUL RELATIONSHIP.
    • God knows you desire a companion, He made Eve for Adam after all… but God can’t bring you the right person if you keep staying with the wrong people.
  • If God is telling you to leave your friend group because they keep tempting you to do sinful things… then flee from those people, they aren’t really your friends anyway.
    • God will provide new friends who stick closer to you than any brother even would.
  • Whatever God is telling you to flee, trust Him and FLEE!
    • He will provide for you!

Philippians 4:19 ESV  And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Matthew 6:31-33 ESV  Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  (32)  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  (33)  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Conclusion

Before I pray for the saints in this room, let me address anyone who might not be born again… God want’s to provide for you too, but it starts at being born again…

• Gospel Call
  • After Gospel, pray for people to hear and trust the word of God. If you don’t hear, start by asking “What do I need to repent from”.
  • You will hear… and you won’t like it… of course you won’t because we like our sin… but ask, then repent, then ask more…
    • What is keeping me from hearing your voice…