Book of Revelation - What's up?

by Pastor Peter Lim

Sometimes war is inevitable. There is an intensse spiritual battle going on and we're in the part of the cosmic war.

Big idea:
Jesus shows us the supernatural conflict behind the events of human history


Seven signs from Christ birth to His return which is second coming

Rev 12:1-6
A great 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. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 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. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”[a] And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 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.


Christ defeated satan through the cross

So the scene open with conflict between woman and dragon. Biblical scene is garden of eden, serpent caused eve to fall into sin. Such conflict brings back first divine rebellion led by fallen being. This divine rebellion started a war between good and evil through to birth of Christ and continue to this last days

We see three signs:
#1 The Woman - The people of God
#2 The male child - Jesus Christ
#3 The dragon - satan/devil


Fallen divine being going all out to attack the people of God especially attacking the promised Messiah Jesus Christ because satan knew the descendant of eve would bruise his head and exact a crushing defeat on him. When Christ was born, satan sought to destroy Him.

verse 5: a child was caught up to God

Christ overpowered satan and his works together with Stars of heaven which are the fallen divine beings. This did not happen at some pre-historic time like before the fall of man, this vision describe the time where the enemy was persecuting the people of God. That was the time satan lost his place in the heavenly realm.

Woman was kept safe by God for 1260 days which symbolises the church age. Between first and second coming of Jesus Christ. Is similar to the 42 month period we read in Daniel and Rev says time, time and half a time. Not a literal 1260 days but symbolic to first and second coming of Jesus Christ. We are also being protected during this period of time. Church is unstoppable.

next scene is the heavenly battle which is

#4 The heavenly battle

Revelation 12:7-12
Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 10 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 Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over 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. 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”


John sees a large scale war taking place. On one side, he sees Michael and the angels. On the other side he sees the dragon and his angels.

What is the significance of that?

According to verse 10, from heavenly position from persecuting the people of God, satan the accuser have been thrown down from the heavenly realm to earthly realm so that he can no longer accuse the saints before God. From earthly perspective it seems as though that evil is rampant, evil unstoppable, wicked prosper and righteous suffer and devil seems to reign, look from heavenly perspective, evil rages not because it is powerful but it is desperate. Satan is not invinsible like wounded animal, his time is short.


Revelation 12:11
They triumphed over 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.


They refers to people of God under satan attack and we have conquered because of Jesus blood and word of our testimony, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The suffering of the saints is actually a sign of their victory. A declaration of allegiance to Jesus alone and will not compromise even they had to die. Revelation 12:17
Then the dragon was enraged at the woman 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.


Satan cannot destroy the child of God so he turn to persecute the woman which is the people of God carries on until today. When christian suffers for Jesus and even die as martyrs because of their faithfulness to God, does that mean victory to devil everytime a martyr dies? No! Throughout revelation, true conquering and victory are accomplish when we stay faithful to God even through circumstances.

Revelation 13:1-3
The dragon[a] stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast.


Christ defeat satan through the church

#5 The beast of the sea
(evil worldly kingdoms that persecute God's people)


Imagery of sea monster in Old Testament to represent evil worldly kingdom who persecute people of God. Also known as anti christ. Aka ancient Rome in John's days

Daniel 7
4 beast here.

In revelation All beast combine to one

This beast seems to have wounds that heal and people believe it and follow it.

This beast oppress saints, blesphemous against God....

Revelation 13:10b
“If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed[a] with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.”[b]


This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people. beast is powerful but only to what God allows.

There is a call for endurance and faith of saints. This is a way to defeat the first beast


Second beast :

Revelation 13:11-13,
Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people.


Revelation 13:16-18
It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[a] That number is 666.


#6 Beast of the earth
(false religions and economic systems that mislead nations to idolatry)


This beast is equally powerful, signs and miracles like Elijah, represent false prophets persuading people to worship first beast to idoltry which is the anti christ. By economic pressure. If you didn't have mark, you cannot buy and sell.


What is this mark?
This was not the first time that a mark or seal was mentioned.

Revelation 7 and Revelation 9, the servants of God were sealed on their forehead to save them from the coming judgement of God.

Almost contrasted against that, undying allergiance and devotion to God. The mark of beast is not a tattoo or outward labelling.... the mark of beast is found on those who identify themselves with the essence of his name, the essence of anti-christ. They wilfully align themselves with satan and against Jesus.


What is 666?

Reinterpret the number as a number of imperfection which falls short of perfection which is seven. Represents Failure upon failure upon failure, the demonic trinity of imperfection.


#7 Seven angels with seven plagues

Revelation 15

What does this means for all of us in light of all the supernatural conflict happenings?

Application #1 : Take the mark of the lamb by fully committed to Christ, full commitment and full devotion
Application #2 : Triumph in spiritual warfare through our testimony.

It may be scary and will cause us something but urgency is calling for our family, relatives and loved ones. Even if is inconvenient and distrupt our lives Choose to be fully committed follower of Jesus

Our lives on earth matters how we live. How we live it out
Discern the ways of the earth that are at work and choose to live the opposite in christlike ways.