2023-Q2-L01

2023-Q2-L01: Jesus Wins — Satan Loses

Read for This Week’s Study: Revelation 12; Eph. 5:25-27, 32; Phil. 3:9; Dan. 7:25; Isa. 14:12-14; Rev. 13:14-17.

Memory Text: “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17, NKJV).

Scripture

Revelation 12.

Ephesians 5:25–27: Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Ephesians 5:32: This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Philippians 3:9: and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

Daniel 7:25: He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

Isaiah 14:12–14: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 13 You said in your heart,‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

Revelation 13:14–17: and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.

Deuteronomy 30:11-20: For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. 15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God[a] that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules,[b] then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Notes

Cosmic War. This war in not limited to two nations or even the entire earth.

Episode 1: Battle in Heaven. God allowed freedom of choice in Heaven.

Episode 2: Satan's attack on the male child. Revelation 12:4-5.

Episode 3: The woman going into the Wilderness.

Episode 4: Satan's attacks on God's people in the last days. (Revelation 12:17)

Symbolism, typology. Is meant to hide the message from unbelievers. Often covers a lot of ground in a few "symbolic" words.

Symbolizing the literal. Creation Story; Noah's Flood.

Literalizing the symbol. Christ died from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8: Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The Great Controversy and unmasking of Satan.

Satan's war on the Son of God and the sons of God.

Revelation 12:17: . . . to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

That is, both Christ and his brothers of of the same character.

The testimony of Jesus is that "God gave us eternal life and this life is in his son."

Revelation overview

Revelation 1. Introduction to the players with a focus on Christ.

Revelation 2-11. The 7 spirits, 7 churches, 7 seals, and 7 trumpets.

Revelation 12. The center of the chiasm.

Revelation 13. Beasts

Revelation 14. Three angels' messages.

Revelation 15-16. 7 last plagues.

Revelation 17-18. Woman + Scarlet Beast.

Revelation 19-20. Coming of Christ.

Revelation 21-22. New Heavens and New Earth.

7 lampstands are the 7 churches.

7 stars are the teachers:

AA 586.3: “These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand.” Revelation 2:1. These words are spoken to the teachers in the church—those entrusted by God with weighty responsibilities. The sweet influences that are to be abundant in the church are bound up with God's ministers, who are to reveal the love of Christ. The stars of heaven are under His control. He fills them with light. He guides and directs their movements. If He did not do this, they would become fallen stars. So with His ministers. They are but instruments in His hands, and all the good they accomplish is done through His power. Through them His light is to shine forth. The Saviour is to be their efficiency. If they will look to Him as He looked to the Father they will be enabled to do His work. As they make God their dependence, He will give them His brightness to reflect to the world.

Winning and losing

Winning by losing.

Ezekiel 28:14-17. Lucifer.

The battle is from the inside to the outside. It is the battle over hearts and minds.

Proverbs 3:5: Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

Proverbs 4:23: Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Psalm 51:10: Create in me a clean (or pure) heart, O God, and renew a right[a] spirit within me.

Matthew 5:8: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Matthew 6:21: . . for where your treasure is, there will you heart be also.

Seven spirits of God

Revelation 4:5: Out of the throne proceed lightnings, sounds, and thunders. There were seven lamps of fire burning before his throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Revelation 5:6: And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Revelation 8:2: Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

"the seven angels". Greek, tous hepta angelous. The definite article, "the" is in the Greek text. The same is true with the word "God". When it is "the God" it is referring to the Father. Thus, it is not any 7 angels, but "the" 7 angels before the throne. It is a specific group of 7 angels. The only question remains is if these 7 angels are different from the 7 spirits.

Around the throne. Per Revelation 4, there are 4 living creatures, 24 elders, and 7 spirits (7 lamps/torches). No other beings mentioned besides the myriads of angels around the throne (Revelation 5:11). When Revelation 8:2 mentions the 7 angels, they cannot be equivalent to any other group than the 7 spirits.

7 spirits = 7 lamps (or torches) of fire = 7 eyes of the Lamb = 7 angels who stand before God and blow 7 trumpets (8:2)

7 spirits. Interpreted as (1) sevenfold ministry of the Spirit. or (2) seven angels with special duties that they play out in the book of Revelation. That is, the 7 spirits are the 7 angels with trumpets and/or 7 angels that pour out the 7 last plagues.

Book of Enoch 9:1 and 40:9 (apocryphal, apocalyptic Hebrew book) lists 7 angels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Suriel, and Phanuel.

Book of Enoch (1 Enoch before Christ era; the other two 2 and 3 Enoch are post-Christ era). The Book of Enoch contains unique material on the origins of demons and Nephilim, why some angels fell from heaven, an explanation of why the Genesis flood was morally necessary, and prophetic exposition of the thousand-year reign of the Messiah. None are canonical scripture by either Jews or Christians. A short section of 1 Enoch (1:9) is cited in the New Testament Epistle of Jude, Jude 1:14–15, and is attributed there to "Enoch the Seventh from Adam" (1 Enoch 60:8)

It has also been alleged that the First Epistle of Peter (1 Peter 3:19–20) and the Second Epistle of Peter (2 Peter 2:4–5) make reference to some Enochian material.

In 1 Enoch 46:1-2 a reference to "the Lord of the spirits" and says:

"There I beheld the Ancient of Days, whose head was like white wool, and with him another, whose countenance resembled that of man… Then I inquired of one of the angels, who went with me, and who showed me every secret thing, concerning this Son of man; who he was; whence he was and why he accompanied the Ancient of days. He answered and said to me, This is the Son of man, to whom righteousness belongs; with whom righteousness has dwelt; and who will reveal all the treasures of that which is concealed: for the Lord of Spirits has chosen him; and his portion has surpassed all before the Lord of spirits in everlasting uprightness."

This common Enochian phrase, “the Lord of the Spirits,” may be connected with, “…the seven spirits who are before his throne,” in Revelation 1:4.

A third interpretive possibility, however, presents itself when we once again compare the book of Revelation to 1 Enoch. The seven spirits may also be seen as seven angelic figures who serve before the throne of God. This is a concept found in some such Jewish extra-canonical texts. It is significant that these seven figures appear not only in 1 Enoch, but also in other Jewish books – both Biblical and para-biblical.

It is at least conceivable that first-century Jews (including John, the Jew, who authored the book of Revelation) had a similar concept in mind when he spoke of the Seven Spirits that are before the throne of God (compare Revelation 1:4-5 with 1 Enoch 20:1-8). In so doing, John may have been describing the Heavenly Court assembled and ready to act.

Israel’s God, His Anointed Messiah, and these seven powerful angelic beings were sending both a message of hope and a challenge to endure to the first century followers of Jewish Christ who were struggling under extreme pressure to find their social identity in the unapologetically and forcefully polytheistic Roman society (Rev. 1:4-5).

Psalm 103:19-20: The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!

SUNDAY. The Battle in Heaven.

From the lesson: The freedom to choose is a fundamental principle of God’s government, both in heaven and on earth. God did not create robots, either in heaven or on earth. Created in the image of God, we as humans can make moral choices. The power of choice is closely aligned with the ability to love. If you take away the power of choice, you destroy the ability to love, for love can never be forced or coerced. Love is an expression of free will.

Notes

Coercion. Forcing the will.

Sin has caused a weakened will. We barely can choice to submit to God.

MONDAY. Satan’s Attack

Scripture

Revelation 12:4–6: 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.

Revelation 12:9: 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.

Ephesians 5:25–27: Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Ephesians 5:32: This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Notes

Victory is assured. There is a cosmic victory, but there is also a personal battle. The battle rages in the heart. Even though we know that sin is wrong, we still struggle to resist.

TUESDAY. Accepting Jesus’ Victory

Scripture

Revelation 12:10–11: 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. 11 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.

Notes

Living a life of defeat. A self-directed life, not dying to self and living to Christ.

Blood of the Lamb. Christ' life integrated, engrafted. The two lives become one.

Word of their testimony. Manifest change in the life. A doer of the word and not a hearer only (deceiving himself).

The testimony has power because it shows God's power manifest in the life of the believer.

WEDNESDAY. The Woman in the Wilderness

Notes

1260 days; time, times and 1/2 time. Seven times: Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 11:2 (42 months); 11:3 (1260 days); 12:6; 12:14; 13:5 (42 months).

Why 538 A.D.? Why not earlier? By the 5th and 6th centuries, the Papacy had taken a firm hold. Paganism had given place to the Papacy. Christians were forced to obey the Catholic Church or they would wear away their lives in dungeon cells, or suffer death by torture of various kinds. The only escape was in seclusion and obscurity. "The woman fled into the wilderness."

The Church Leadership over Christ; Salvation thru the Church. The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the Dark Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened. Faith was transferred from Christ, the true foundation, to the pope of Rome. Instead of trusting in the Son of God for forgiveness of sins and for eternal salvation, the people looked to the pope, and to the priests and prelates to whom he delegated authority. They were taught that the pope was their mediator, and that none could approach God except through him, and, further, that he stood in the place of God to them, and was therefore to be implicitly obeyed. 4SP 58.1

THURSDAY. God’s End-time Remnant

Notes

Remnant characterized by: (1) Keep the commandments of God and (2) have the testimony of Jesus.

FRIDAY. Further Thought: “The law of love being the foundation of the government of God, the happiness of all intelligent beings depends upon their perfect accord with its great principles of righteousness. God desires from all His creatures the service of love — service that springs from an appreciation of His character. He takes no pleasure in a forced obedience; and to all He grants freedom of will, that they may render Him voluntary service.

So long as all created beings acknowledged the allegiance of love, there was perfect harmony throughout the universe of God. It was the joy of the heavenly host to fulfill the purpose of their Creator. They delighted in reflecting His glory and showing forth His praise. And while love to God was supreme, love for one another was confiding and unselfish. There was no note of discord to mar the celestial harmonies.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 34, 35.

APPENDIX

Bone marrow transplant. A man who had a bone marrow transplant to treat acute myeloid leukemia later found out that only the DNA in his chest and head was still his own. See Transplant patient finds out his DNA has been replaced by that of his donor

Second Vatican Council, Nostra Aetate 3, October 28, 1965. hurch has also a high regard for the Muslims. They worship God, who is one, living and subsistent, merciful and almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth (Cf. St. Gregory VII, Letter III, 21 to Anazir [Al-Nasir], King of Mauretania PL, 148.451A.), who has spoken to men. They strive to submit themselves without reserve to the hidden decrees of God, just as Abraham submitted himself to God’s plan, to whose faith Muslims eagerly link their own. Although not acknowledging him as God, they venerate Jesus as a prophet, his Virgin Mother they also honor, and even at times devoutly invoke. Further, they await the day of judgment and the reward of God following the resurrection of the dead. For this reason they highly esteem an upright life and worship God, especially by way of prayer, alms-deeds and fasting.

“Over the centuries many quarrels and dissensions have arisen between Christians and Muslims. The sacred Council now pleads with all to forget the past, and urges that a sincere effort be made to achieve mutual understanding; for the benefit of all men, let them together preserve and promote peace, liberty, social justice and moral values.”

Catechism #841: The Church's relationship with the Muslims. "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day."

New World Church via Ecumenism. This goal was expressed at Vatican II which declares: “The encouragement of unity is in harmony with the deepest nature of the [Roman Catholic] Church’s mission… The profound danger facing Evangelical Christians today is to naively accept the Pope’s claim to be the official spokesman for Christ on earth—a deception that is deeply embedded in the new thrust to create a global coalition of nations on the basis of a politically constructed god which can be adapted to different religious systems.

Luther on Catholics and Muslims. In 1532 he made one of the clearest statement: “I am entirely of the opinion that the Papacy is the Antichrist. But if anyone wants to add the Turk —then the Pope is the spirit of Antichrist, and the Turk is the flesh of Antichrist. They help each other in their murderous work. The latter slaughters bodily by the sword; and the former spiritually by doctrine."

Revelation 1:1-11 Chiasm

Revelation 1:1-11: The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,

5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail[b] on account of him. Even so. Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

Commentary on Revelation 1:1-11

"word of God and the testimony of Jesus." This is parallel with the phrase, "keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus." The comandments of God are the "words of God." The 10 commandments is the "testimony" in the Old Testament. To the law and the testimony. In the original Hebrew it is not 10 commandments, but 10 "words" (dabar). Thus, 10 cmds = 10 words = the testimony = the covenant.

Exodus 20:1: And God spoke all these words [dabar], saying,

Exodus 31:18, "And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God."

Exodus 34:27-29: And the Lord said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments [H1697: dabar; "words"]. 29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.

Deuteronomy 4:13: And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments [H1697: dabar; "words"], and he wrote them on two tablets of stone.

"words of God." Not "commands" of God, but words of God. The reason this is significant is because there was no impulsion for anyone to do what He uttered. God was not forcing the people to Obey Him. A “Commandment” had the connotation of force, but God simply declared these Ten Matters as what really was important in His eyes. His people were given a choice to walk in the upright path, and He was showing the way.

See also

More Evidence that the Ten Commandments Apply to All and Remain Unchanged.

The Ten Words of God.

Revelation (book) chiasm.

The Chiastic Nature of the Book of Revelation. Duration 1:00:14.

Revelation 1:12-20 Chiasm

Revelation 1:12-20: 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.

But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.

20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.