Transcript Diapositiva 1

Lesson 4 for the 24th of January, 2009
This week, we’re going to study Revelation 12 vision,
and the relation between it and the remnant church.
So we have to interpret and to clarify the symbols of
this vision (the woman, the dragon, the male child, etc.)
This chapter has three welldifferentiated parts:
First part: In verses 1-6 we find
the vision of a woman who gives
birth to the male child and is
attacked by the dragon.
Second part: In verses 7-14 we
find the same events, but
focusing the subject on the
action of the dragon. This part
ends in the same prophetic time
as the first part.
Appendix: Verses 15-17 go
beyond the two parts; they
describe the action of the dragon
after the 1,260 days or a time,
and times, and half a time. The
remnant shows up.
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman
clothed with the sun, with the moon under her
feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.
Then being with child, she cried out in labour and in
pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in
heaven: behold, a great fiery red dragon having
seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on
his heads; His tail drew the third of the stars of
heaven, and threw them to the earth. And the
dragon stood before the woman who was ready to
give birth, to devour her child as soon as it was
born. She bore a male child, who was to rule all
nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught
up to God, and His throne. Then the woman fled
into the wilderness, where she has a place
prepared by God, that they should feed her there
one thousand two hundred and sixty days
(vs. 1-6)
So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like
a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to
be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped
the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and
swallowed up the flood which the dragon had
spewed out of his mouth. 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 (vs. 15-17)
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his
angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his
angels fought; but they did not prevail, nor was a
place found for them in heaven any longer. So the
great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old,
called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole
world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were
cast out with him. Then I heard a loud voice saying in
heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the
kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have
come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused
them before our God day and night, has been cast
down. And they overcame him by the blood of the
Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did
not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O
heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the
inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has
come down to you, having great wrath, because he
knows that he has a short time. Now when the dragon
saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he
persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male
child. But the woman was given two wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her
place, where she is nourished for a time and times
and half a time (vs. 7-14)
She is GOD’S CHURCH, made up by
true believers through history
(Isaiah, 54: 5-6; 2 Corinthians, 11: 2)
She’s clothed with the sun, which is
Christ (Malachi, 4: 2; Revelation, 1: 16)
She wears a crown of victory
(Revelation, 2: 10)
She wears twelve stars, which
represent God’s people in the Old
Pact (12 tribes) and in the New Pact
(12 apostles)
In verse 1, she represents God’s people, who waited
eagerly the coming of the Messiah, with their feet
consolidated on Sanctuary’s sacrifice system, which was
copy and shadow of Christ’s work, as the moon reflects
sun’s light (Hebrews, 8: 5)
In verses 6 and 14, she represents the pursued church.
He’s clearly Jesus, the
promised Messiah, who
ascended to heaven
(verse 5) and who was
glorified (verse 10)
As it is explained here, he’s
Satan (vs. 9) who drew the third
part of the angels after his
rebellion (vs. 4), who was cast
out of heaven (vs. 8) and who
was exiled in earth after
Christ’s glorification (vs. 10-13)
The water represents “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues” (Revelation, 17: 15)
and the flood represents an invasion (Daniel, 9: 26)
Satan “inundated” the true church with non-converted people, corrupting it and
causing a persecution against those who embraced the truth.
True believers had to hide in the wilderness (places with few people), as
Waldenses and other groups of believers did.
1
There’s a war in heaven and Satan and his angels
are thrown out.
“His tail drew a third of the stars
of heaven and threw them to the
earth” (vs. 4)
“And war broke out in heaven: Michael
and his angels fought with the dragon;
and the dragon and his angels fought; but
they did not prevail, nor was a place found
for them in heaven any longer” (vs. 7-8)
2
Jesus is born in the heart of the church and is taken by God
to heaven, where He’s glorified. In that moment, Satan is
permanently exiled to the Earth, and he has no more access
to heaven (Job, 1: 6)
“And the dragon stood
before the woman who was
ready to give birth, to devour
her Child as soon as it was
born. She bore a male Child
who was to rule all nations
with a rod of iron. And her
Child was caught up to God
and His throne” (vs. 4-5)
“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent
of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives
the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and
his angels were cast out with him. Then I heard a
loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the
power of His Christ have come, for the accuser
of our brethren, who accused them before our
God day and night, has been cast down …
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell
in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and
the sea! For the devil has come down to you,
having great wrath, because he knows that he
has a short time” (vs. 9-10, 12)
3
Satan tries to destroy God’s church in a period of
1,260 years. The wilderness helps the woman.
“Then the woman fled
into the wilderness,
where she has a place
prepared by God, that
they should feed her
there one thousand two
hundred and sixty
days” (vs. 6)
“Now when the dragon saw that he had
been cast to the earth, he persecuted the
woman who gave birth to the male child.
But the woman was given two wings of a
great eagle, that she might fly into the
wilderness to her place, where she is
nourished for a time and times and half a
time, from the presence of the serpent”
(vs. 13-14)
This persecution period appears in Daniel and in
Revelation in different terms:
One thousand two hundred and sixty days:
Revelation, 11: 3; Revelation, 12: 6.
A time and times and half a time:
Daniel, 7: 25; Daniel, 12: 7; Revelation, 12: 14.
Forty two months:
Revelation, 11: 2; Revelation, 13: 5.
They are prophetic periods, so we have to use prophetic arithmetic:
One day = 1 year (Numbers, 14: 34; Ezekiel, 4: 6)
One month = 30 days = 30 years
One year = 360 days = 360 years
One thousand two hundred and sixty days  1,260 years
1,260 days = 1,260 years
A time and times and half a time  1,260 years
1 + 2 + ½ = 3 ½ times = 3 ½ years
Time = year, from Aramaic ‘iddan, that in the LXX version is translated as year (Daniel, 4: 16)
Times = 2 years. The Aramaic term for “times” means “two times”.
3 ½ years x 360 days = 1,260 days = 1,260 years
Forty two months  1,260 years
42 months x 30 days = 1,260 days = 1,260 years
3½ years = 42 months = 1.260 days/years
It’s the
domination
period of the
apostate Church,
which persecuted
cruelly to anyone
who objected its
teachings. It used
civil power.
“So the serpent spewed water out of his
mouth like a flood after the woman, that he
might cause her to be carried away by the
flood. But the earth helped the woman, and
the earth opened its mouth and swallowed
up the flood which the dragon had spewed
out of his mouth. 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: 15-17)
The woman (God’s church) is helped by the earth
(not the wilderness), which prevented the flood of
false believers and persecution from destroying her.
This happened in 1620, when “Pilgrim Fathers”
came to America in the Mayflower ship. They could
worship God with freedom of conscience in the new
world.
Therefore, 178 years
before the persecution
end would come, it was
shortened.
“The persecution of the church did not continue throughout the entire period
of the 1260 years. God in mercy to His people cut short the time of their fiery
trial. In foretelling the "great tribulation" to befall the church, the Saviour said:
"Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved:
but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." (S. Matthew 24: 22).
Through the influence of the Reformation the persecution was brought to an
end prior to 1798” E.G.W. (The Great Controversy, chapter 15, page 266)
Satan shows his anger against part of God’s
church: “the rest of her offspring” (vs. 17)
Who are they?
What characteristics do they have?
1. They emerge starting from
1798.
2. In the “earth” that helped
the woman: America.
3. They keep the
commandments of God.
4. They have the testimony of
Jesus Christ, which is “the
spirit of prophecy”
(Revelation, 19: 10)
1
The Adventist Church showed up in history in the first half of the
19th century, few years after 1798.
2
The Adventist Church was born in North America, spreading
throughout the world from there.
3
The Adventist Church teaches to keep all the commandments of
God’s law.
4
The Adventist Church admits the gift of
prophecy in Ellen Gould White. Likewise, it
admits that a great gift of prophecy will show in
the heart of the church as a sign of the End
Time (Joel, 2: 28)
“God's remnant people, standing
before the world as reformers,
are to show that the law of God
is the foundation of all enduring
reform and that the Sabbath of
the fourth commandment is to
stand as a memorial of creation,
a constant reminder of the power
of God. In clear, distinct lines
they are to present the necessity
of obedience to all the precepts
of the Decalogue. Constrained by
the love of Christ, they are to
co-operate with Him in building
up the waste places. They are to
be repairers of the breach,
restorers of paths to dwell in”
E.G.W. (Conflict and Courage, September 20)