Jesus Wins, Satan Loses pt. 3

Mark Finley: The devil is angry. He is angry with God's church. He goes to make war with this body of believers that are loyal, that are faithful, that are true to the word of God.
Guest (Female): This is HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: Jesus Wins, Satan Loses Part 3. Enjoy, and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up-to-date with HopeLives365 and Pastor Mark by going to HopeLives365.com. Stay with us for a free Bible study offer later in this program. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.
Mark Finley: As we study the book of Revelation, we have come halfway through the book. We have looked at 11 chapters in the book of Revelation; there are actually 22 chapters in the book. We've come to Revelation chapter 12. Revelation chapter 12 is a pivotal chapter in the book. In Revelation chapter 1, we see Christ introduced. He's introduced as the eternal Christ, the one who never had a beginning or never had an ending. He's introduced as the Christ who came to Earth. He plunged into the arena of human affairs and died for us. He in Revelation chapter 1 is the interceding Christ. Not only did he die for us, he's the one who lives for us. He's the coming-again Christ. Revelation 1:7 says he comes with clouds and every eye will see him. He is the Christ that will put an end to the controversy between good and evil, the Christ that's with us today, but the Christ that longs to take us home. In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, we see the sequence of the seven churches. In Revelation chapters 4 and 5, we see the two oratorios: the oratorio of creation and the oratorio of redemption, the two great themes of Revelation. Revelation chapters 6 and 7, we see the seven seals. The history of the Christian church revealed: its persecution, its triumphs, its tragedies, its joys, its sorrows, its high points, and its low points. We see Christ coming to deliver his people. In Revelation chapters 8 and 9, we see the seven trumpets, the judgments of God. So in the seven churches, the seven seals, and the seven trumpets, we see history revealed, whether it's the spiritual condition of the Christian church, whether it's the Christian church as it relates to society, or the judgments of God. In Revelation chapter 10, we see the rise of an end-time people to go out to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the Earth. Revelation 11, we see the tragedy of God's people being persecuted for 1,260 years in the Dark Ages. We also see in the seeds of the French Revolution the very essence of what we see in society today: godlessness, secularism, the seeds of Marxism, the seeds of Darwinism, the seeds of evolution and communism, and atheism. When you come to Revelation chapter 12, it's the hinge upon which the book turns. In Revelation chapter 12, we find four episodes. In those episodes, every one of them takes us down from the opening gun in the great controversy between good and evil to the final salvo of that controversy. We find in every instance Jesus wins and Satan loses. In Revelation chapter 12, you have introduced the Christ who is triumphant in the great controversy between good and evil. Then, from Revelation 13 to 22, every single chapter is about end-time events. Every single chapter is about the last days of Earth's history. Revelation chapter 12 reminds us that whatever the church faces in the end times, whatever the church has to deal with in the last days, no matter how dark the valley is, no matter how intense the persecution is, no matter how great the trials are, Christ is going to win, and Satan is going to lose. With that background, let's go to Revelation chapter 12, verse 1: "So there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." Now you have three symbols there. You have the woman, you have the fact that the moon is under her feet, and you have the fact that a crown of twelve stars is upon her head. The woman is clothed with the sun. She's iridescent with the glory of God. In the Bible, a woman is a symbol of God's church. Let's look at that and look at some texts on that. Second Corinthians 11:2, Paul says, speaking of Christ, "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy, for I have betrothed you to one husband that I might present you a chaste virgin to Christ." Notice the church was to be presented as a chaste virgin to Christ. The church in the New Testament is symbolized as a woman. Revelation reveals an angelic struggle between good and evil that focuses on God's church. In the book of Revelation chapter 12, you start with a picture of a woman. In that picture, God describes his true followers that would be in the midst of a struggle with Satan down through the ages. Notice, for example, in the book of Jeremiah, we also have this symbolism of a woman that represents God's church. Jeremiah 6:2, "I've likened the daughter of Zion—who is the daughter of Zion? Zion's the heavenly city, her daughter's the church—to a comely and delicate woman." So again, you have the woman representing the church. If you go to the book of Ephesians, we find this throughout all scripture. In the book of Ephesians, for example, chapter 5, there's also this concept of husband to wife, Christ to church. Ephesians chapter 5, "For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is head of the church; he is the savior of the body." Verse 32, "This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and his church." So Jesus is the husband, the church is the bride. When the bride of Christ is faithful to Christ, she's considered to be the daughter of Zion. When she drifts away from Christ and commits spiritual adultery and unites rather with the kings of the Earth in church and state unite, that's considered to be spiritual fornication. We go back to Revelation chapter 12 and we're looking there at verse 1. There appeared a great wonder in heaven: a woman—the church—clothed with the sun—the sun of righteousness. Jesus in his beauty and glory shines through his church. The moon is under her feet. Just as the moon reflects the glorious light of the sun, so the Old Testament reflects the light of Christ. The woman is standing upon the moon, in other words, the Old Testament period is fading away. Upon her head is a crown of twelve stars, or the twelve disciples. So you have the New Testament church emerging, a pure chaste woman, iridescent with the glory of God. The Old Testament light is fading away. The moon does not reflect the glory or the brightness of the sun. The Old Testament points forward to Christ but never matches the majesty of Jesus and his glory. And the twelve disciples are leading God's people or God's church. Here, Revelation now introduces the first episode in the great controversy between good and evil. There are four episodes that Revelation 12 presents in this cosmic battle, in this great controversy. We'll look at all four of them. In episode one, Satan attempts to take over God's throne. In episode two, Satan attempts to kill Jesus. In episode three, Satan attempts to destroy God's followers in every age. In episode four, Satan attempts to destroy Jesus' end-time church. Revelation 12 is divided into these four episodes. In every episode, Jesus wins. In every episode, Satan loses. So, in episode one, Satan tries to take over God's throne. That doesn't work. God wins; Satan loses. In episode two, Satan attempts to kill Jesus. That doesn't work. God wins; Satan loses. In episode three, Satan attempts to destroy Jesus' followers on Earth. That doesn't work. God wins; Satan loses. In episode four, Satan attempts to destroy God's end-time church. That doesn't work. God wins; Satan loses. It's exciting to sense that God always is going to win and Satan is always going to lose. Let's look at these four episodes. We begin with episode one, Revelation chapter 12, verse 7: "There was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels and prevailed not, neither was there place found anymore in heaven. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world." What two illustrations of Satan are given here? The symbols of Satan are given in Revelation 12:9. He's called the dragon and the serpent. He's called the serpent because he deceives and the dragon because he destroys. He's the serpent who wants to deceive you and he's the dragon who wants to destroy you. But the great dragon is cast out of heaven. He rebels against God in heaven. He says that God's government is unfair, that God is unjust. Satan says in heaven that if he were sitting on the throne, he could do a better job than God. In that rebellion in heaven, Satan is cast out of heaven. In episode one, he's cast to the Earth and he is a defeated foe. He's cast to the Earth and his angels are cast out of heaven with him. Satan loses. What I want you to see in Revelation chapter 12 in this first episode is that every angel in heaven had to take sides. Every angel took a side. There was no neutral ground. In heaven, you couldn't say, "Well, I'm going to sit on the sidelines and not get involved in this conflict. Let others fight, but I'm not going to get involved." In heaven, you were either on God's side or Satan's side. In heaven, you were either with God and his loyal followers or Satan and his loyal followers. Here in heaven, Satan battles against God.
Guest (Female): We'll be right back with Pastor Mark Finley. We thank you for listening and hope you're enjoying today's message. Our mission is to attractively present the Christ-centered biblical truths of scripture in a practical, relevant way to people around the world so that they may experience the abundant life that Christ offers. If you want to learn more about the Bible, check out our free Bible series at GlobalBibleSchool.org. That's GlobalBibleSchool.org. Discover answers to your deepest questions straight from God's word. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.
Mark Finley: In Isaiah chapter 14, we see the curtain swept aside and we're able to understand a little bit about what's behind this battle. Isaiah chapter 14, and we're going to start there with what was going on in the heart and mind of Satan and what Satan's thinking process was all about. Isaiah 14, we'll start with verse 12: "How are thou fallen from heaven, oh Lucifer." Now the word Lucifer comes from two Latin words: lux ferre. Lux meaning light, ferre being bearer. Lucifer, a being of dazzling brightness, stood close to the throne of God as the light bearer. "Oh Lucifer, son of the morning, how are you cut down to the ground which did weaken the nations? For you said in your heart"—so here the curtain is swept aside, we know exactly what Satan was thinking—"I will ascend into heaven." Wasn't he in heaven? Yes, but he wanted a higher place. "I'll exalt my throne above the stars of God." So it's a battle for the throne. Throne implies kingdom. Throne implies rulership. "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God." He wants to rule and not be ruled. He wants to establish his kingdom. "I'll sit in the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north." What was the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north? It was Mount Sinai. What happened there? God gave the law. So north is a symbol of solidarity, it's a symbol of the law of God, the foundation of society and the transcript of God's character. So the devil then, Satan, Lucifer who has rebelled against God, wants to ascend into heaven. He wants to exalt his throne above God's throne. He wants to sit upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north. He wants to give the law, not be governed by the law. "I will sit above the heights of the clouds; I'll be like the Most High." But what does it say in verse 15? He wants to be like the Most High in power, in wisdom, but not in character, not with a loving character. What does it say? "Yet," verse 15, "you shall be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit. They that see you will look upon you saying, 'Is this the man that made the Earth tremble and shake kingdoms?'" In other words, he, Lucifer, would be destroyed. Jesus would win; Satan would lose. In every one of these episodes, we see essentially the same thing: Satan is going to lose; Jesus is going to win. Now, in Revelation chapter 12, millenniums pass. We come down after the centuries to episode two. Revelation chapter 12, Satan tries to kill Jesus. Look at Revelation 12, verse 4: "The dragon stood before the woman who is ready to give birth." Who is the woman in the Bible? The church. So this is the birth of the New Testament church. How was this New Testament church born? When Jesus was born, the New Testament church is born. Satan is standing before the church. He's standing before the woman that's ready to devour her child, Jesus, as soon as he's born. Who was the child that was born that Satan is getting ready to devour? Jesus. In the Bible, the dragon always represents Satan. In Revelation 12, the dragon works through pagan Rome to destroy Jesus. Remember, it was a Roman governor that passed a decree that all the world should be taxed. That led Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. It was a Roman governor that tried Jesus. A Roman prelate that condemned him. Roman nails were driven through his hands. A Roman official tried to kill baby Jesus when Herod passed the decree that all babies be killed that were born of Jewish mothers that were under two years old. A Roman governor condemned Jesus. A Roman executioner crucified Jesus. A Roman emblem sealed Jesus' tomb. And a Roman guard watched over his tomb. So Satan, working through pagan Rome, attempted to destroy Jesus. But the Bible says in Revelation 12, verse 5, that she bore a man child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. He has authority. Jesus came forth. Her child was eventually caught up to God and his throne. You know the story well. God made provision for the holy family to leave Bethlehem so they would not be killed by the Roman decree of Herod. They went to Egypt where they were protected. Throughout Jesus' life, Satan tried to destroy him. In the temptations, he took him up to the mountain and cast him down to destroy him there. He wanted to do that. On the cross, Satan tried to destroy Jesus. Jesus went into the tomb. But the Bible says in Revelation 12, verse 5, her child was caught up to God and his throne. All of Satan's attempts to destroy Jesus were not able to work. In episode one in heaven, he tries to take over, take control, reign on the throne, rule, but Satan is cast out of heaven. God wins; Satan loses. In episode two, Satan tries to destroy Jesus. Again, God wins; Satan loses. Christ triumphs. In his life, he triumphs over Satan. In his death, he triumphs over Satan. In his resurrection, he's triumphing over Satan. But then, there is a long period of Dark Ages. Satan could not destroy Jesus, so he tries to destroy the followers of Jesus. Satan turns his wrath on the woman, the Christian church. All but one of the disciples died a martyr's death. Constantine signs the decree into law on the worship of the day of the sun. Church and state are united. During the Dark Ages, God's people are persecuted by the church-state union. One history book says great numbers were driven from their habitations with their wives and children. They were stripped naked; many of them inhumanely massacred. This is what history says in describing what was going on in the middle or Dark Ages. What's God going to do? Church and state unite. Satan's persecuting God's people. The Bible says the woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God that they should feed her there 1,260 days. Remember in Revelation 11, the two witnesses, God's word, they prophesied in sackcloth for 1,260 years. Now, when you see the time, times, and half a time, the 42 months, the 1,260 years, it's all the same time period. You know that's the Dark Ages. Daniel says that this church-state union would reign for time, times, and half a time, or 1,260 years. Revelation 11 says the two witnesses, the Old and New Testaments, would witness in sackcloth for 42 months, time, times, and half a time, or 1,260 years. In other words, there's a church-state union in the Dark Ages that rules for 1,260 years. God's people are in the wilderness, many of them for that 1,260 years. There may be something here that's a little interesting that you've missed in the text. It says the woman fled into the wilderness in this time of persecution where she has a place prepared by God. Who prepared the place of hiding in the wilderness for the woman? God did. Every time in your life that Satan viciously attacks you and tries to destroy you, there's always a special place prepared by God for you. You'll never be in a position in your life where the devil fiercely attacks you where God before the attack has not prepared a place of refuge for you. "God is our refuge and strength," Psalm 46, "a very present help in time of trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the Earth be removed and the mountains carried into the midst of the sea. Though the waters shake with the swelling thereof, we shall not be moved." In episode three, God wins; Satan loses. The church in the wilderness survives. The word of God, although it witnesses in sackcloth, witnesses to God's light and truth. What does it mean that God prepares a place in the wilderness? You read the history of people like the Waldenses that fled to northern Italy and southern France and lived in those mountain valleys. I've visited Torre Pellice, the head of the Waldensian movement and where these faithful Bible believers hand-copied the scriptures and where they gave them to their sons and daughters and they secretly shared them throughout Europe and the light of truth was lit and the Great Reformation began. Salvation by grace and the Bible and the Bible only and the truths of God's word were proclaimed. You see the Reformers were persecuted for their faith during this period of the 1,260 years. But sometime after that, the dawning of the judgment would occur. God would raise up a group of people who would be faithful to him and go out to proclaim his true message. Yes, during the Dark Ages, many of God's people would be in hiding in the wilderness. God would prepare a place for them. But at end time, the light of truth would shine. Episode four, we find it in Revelation chapter 12 and verse 17. Revelation the 12th chapter, the 17th verse. In episode one, the devil tries to triumph in heaven. Jesus wins; Satan loses. The devil's thrown out of heaven. Episode two, the devil tries to destroy Jesus when he's born. But again, Jesus wins; Satan loses. Christ triumphs. In his life, he triumphs over Satan. In his death, he triumphs over Satan. In his resurrection, he's triumphing over Satan. But then, there is a long period of Dark Ages. Satan could not destroy Jesus, so he tries to destroy God's people. You read about the history in those Dark Ages, in those long centuries where the word of God is chained in monasteries, where people are burned at the stake for reading the word of God. But yet, the truth of God's word shines triumphantly. There is a mighty reformation. And at the end of that period of time, once again, we can affirm: Jesus wins; Satan loses. But we come to the last days of Earth's history, Revelation 12, verse 17: "The dragon"—who's the dragon? That's the devil, Satan, right?—"was wroth." What's it mean, "was wroth"? Was angry. "With the woman"—who's the woman? The church—"and went to make war with the remnant of her seed." What's a remnant? If you ladies are sewing and you finish your sewing, you have a piece of cloth left over; it's called the remnant. The remnant would be just like the original piece. And so here it says, the remnant of her seed, that is, those that remain—many modern translations say "the remaining ones." Those who remain faithful to Christ, those that remain loyal to Christ, those that remain true to God's word. The devil is angry. He is angry with God's church. He goes to make war with this body of believers that are loyal, that are faithful, that are true to the word of God. Then he describes them: they keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.
Guest (Female): You've been listening to Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you enjoyed today's message and that it increased your faith in God and his word. If you'd like to learn more, Pastor Mark invites you to visit GlobalBibleSchool.org for an inspiring, interactive Bible study experience. That's GlobalBibleSchool.org. And now, a final thought from Pastor Mark Finley.
Mark Finley: Revelation 22, verse 14: "Blessed are they that do his commandments that they might have right to the tree of life and enter in through the gates to the city." So God will have an end-time people that are loyal. An end-time people who hear the words of Christ in John 14, verse 15: "If you love me, keep my commandments." They are not legalistic. They don't keep the commandments in order to be saved, but as a response to the saving grace of Christ. They are part of God's honor convoy. They are part of God's faithful. Jesus triumphs. He triumphed in heaven. He triumphed on Earth. He triumphed during the Dark Ages. And at the last days, Jesus will have a group of people that are faithful to him that, according to the book of Revelation, in the great controversy between good and evil, they triumph to the glory of his name. Let's pray. Father in heaven, thank you that your word will triumph. Thank you that your truth will triumph. But thankfully, your people will triumph. Although the devil tries to destroy them, your people will triumph at end time. And we praise you for that in Christ's name. Amen.