Week 7: Revelation 12 & 13 Flashcards
Jon Pauline (ch 12)
- Cycles of 7
- Each introduced by a sanctuary image
- The ark of the covenant → opened at the end of chapter 11
- Now we’re looking at the judgment scene
- Judgment = vindication. Can be a very good thing.
White stone
- A symbol of being acquitted
- Day of atonement = relationships made whole at the end of the celebration then the feast of tabernacles
- When we follow the high priest we follow by faith.
The woman and the dragon (rev 12:1-6) – Identifiers for the woman
- Clothed with the sun. Bright. Sun represents glory of God
Moon under her feet. Reflected glory. - Eve. Serpent and a woman. Is it mary..is it eve? Its both but in a limited way.
- More likely = a promise to the women of Israel, that they will birth the Messiah.
Identifiers for the dragon
- Lion, leopard, bear, nondescript beast
- Beasts of the nations through the years
- Satan himself driving the persecutions throughout time
- Christ escaped the temptations of Satan
Time prophesy: 1,260 days (see vs. 14, and 11:2, 3, 13:5)
- Woman fled into the wilderness where she would escape to for 1,260 days
- The woman = represents the people of God
- Persecution breaks out in Jerusalem then it spreads to Rome. - Then Rome becomes the church and persecutes the people of God.
- Tied to the little horn in Daniel ch 7. Church state power of Rome.
War in heaven – Timing (ch 12)
- What we see here is a specific war/battle apart of a greater battle with God and Satan
- Satan was cast out…Job on Earth = caught up in a battle between Satan and God. Satan was wandering upon the Earth, - God says “have you seen my servant Job”
narrative of ch. 12. Dragon and baby and woman
- Messiah comes = now the prince of this world is cast out.
- Messiah conquered Satan.
- The fall = Satan usurped power over the Earth
- This battle = for the allegiance of God’s people
Dragon identified
- The ancient serpent, the devil
- Cast down, and angels cast down
Woe to the earth (12:12, part of 7th trumpet)
- Contains a promise to the overcomers
- Those who overcome: they do it by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony
Ark of the covenant scene
- Day of atonement scene. Now we’re inside the holy place?
- Judgment is going to happen and its going to begin with the house of God
- …cause there are people who claim to be christians who are really not
- Christian church itself claimed to be the body of christ but were opposite
Persecution of the woman (Rev 12:13 - 17) (post child)
- Dragon goes after her with a river, but is preserved by the earth
- She is in wilderness, she has offspring, people go after her
- We see this theme again, but its a different looking woman (ch. 17)
Woman preserved by “the earth”
Saved from the dragon
Dragon goes off to fight the woman’s children
Goes after them → idk man this is basically what he said
Commandments of God
- The woman’s offspring:
1. They keep the commandments
2. They have the testimony of Jesus christ
Testimony of Jesus (in Revelation)
- Goes all the way back to chapter 1
- A loaded phrase
- They have the ability to understand prophecy, part of the characteristic of God’s people
The Dragons Allies
- A beast that comes out of the sea
- On his heads a blasphemous name
- A beast comes out of the land
Identifying marks (ch 13)
- Dragon gives him his throne →
- 4th beast might have been a dragon
Links to Daniel 7 (and thus, daniel 2) (ch 13)
- Lion and wings of an eagle, bear, leopard, iron teeth beast → all come out of the sea
- An amalgamation of all these pagan nations mentioned in daniel
Parody of Jesus (the beast in ch 13)
- This beast is a parody of Jesus christ
- Time of power = 1260 days (3 ½ years) → same as Jesus time of power/ministry
- Prophetic time. Day for a year. 1260 yrs of little horn rule. Church state power of Rome.
Parody of Jesus (the beast in ch 13) (CONT)
- Fatal wound that gets healed = Jesus died then came back to life
- Power from somewhere else = Jesus got his power from the father
- Beast is spitting image of his father the dragon (heads + horns) = Jesus is the image of his father
- Blasphemy on him (I am God and you are not) = Jesus was accused of blasphemy (story of paralyzed man being lowered into house + Jesus healing him)
Preterist: ch 13
- Rome.
- Caesar himself. Satan is working through Rome to persecute the christian people.
Historicist: ch 13
- Reformers.
- Representation of the papal power of the dark ages.
Futurist: ch 13
- Unmasking of the antichrist.
- Will arise in the 7 last years of tribulation. In the middle of that 7 last years.
- → they think any major world power that has globalism associated with it, or anything with secularism could be the antichrist.
Idealist: ch 13
- There have been antichrists all throughout time.
- Some support from the little letter as 1st John (author is John).
- Antichrist = means “in place of”. They want to take Christ’s place, and be a false christ.
- It does seem to fit parts of all cultures and several bad “antichrist” rulers
Interlude (13:9-10)
- If anyone has ears to hear let him hear
- The time will come when the dragon will die by the sword
Rome and the Pope (ch 13)
- Its not the beast out of the sea thats the worrisome one
- Its the next one out of the land
Land-Beast (13:11-18)
- Sea = medo persia
- Church lost its power in late 1700s
- Then it had a resurgence
Identifying marks (ch 13) (america)
- Comes out of the land = somewhere new thats not the middle east/Europe
- Two horns like a lamb, speaks like a dragon
- Two horns = what do they represent
- All the authority of the 1st beast
Links to Daniel 3 (ch 13)
- Makes an image of that first beast that everyone has to worship
- Dan 3 → 6 and 60 cubits. → now we’re at 666
- What nation/power came out in 1700s → United States
Will rule like Rome did
America as the second beast (ch 13)
- “We don’t want any more popes and kings”
- “We want a voice in who rules us”
- Two horns like a lamb = civil liberty and religious freedom (God doesn’t force worship)
- Freedom leaves a vacuum. Somebody is going to take power and do something with it.
- Brant sees a future where the conservative south can win in a civil war → going back to “God and country”
- Religion-political powers involved
Parody of the Holy Spirit → ch 13 + antichrist + america stuff
- Calls fire down from heaven
- Now it is the false beast who calls fire down from heaven
- 2 places in OT where this happens: Story of Elijah the prophet →
- Called to go to King Ahab. His wife Jezebel lead Israel and them to praise other God.
- Elijah says “its not gonna rain for a long time until you stop worshiping Bail”
- Two altars made. One for bale, one for God.
Elijah’s fire story cont
- The God Bale = his jizz is the rain lmao. So they thought if they excited him, by having sex, then the rain would come and the plants would grow.
- Have sex with temple prostitute for epic church moment (Bale)
- Late in the afternoon Elijah taunts them “I wonder of Bale is sleeping” lol
- Elijah calls everyone together. Makes trench w/ water around altar, sacrifice and wood is waterlogged.
- Fire comes down from heaven and everything is burnt to a crisp → God is God
- Now it is the false beast who calls fire down from heaven
Acts of the apostle (parody of the holy spirit)
- What happens 50 days after Jesus dies
- They’re all together, praying about what to do next
- On the day of Pentecost, the holy spirit fell on them like fire on their heads (evidence of the power of God)
Mark of the Beast - 666
- Contrast with the seal of God → only on the forehead
- Mark of the beast → arm or the forehead
- Mark of the beast must have his own commandments. But the issue is not the exact day that you worship.
Mark of the Beast - 666 (cont)
- End of Ch. 12 → Beast goes after those with commandments + testimony of Jesus
- Says its a number of a man = man created on 6th day
- Nebuchandnezzar made a man-made image, and so is this
- Seal of God can only happen when you’re fully convicted (forehead only = heart)
- but the beast says “you must worship the dragon” = more superficial (forehead or arm)
Book of Genesis
- Brant argues that eve was legitimately deceived
- Also argues that Adam knew better but ate fruit anyway
- Two different kinds of the seals (666)
Preterist: ch 13
1st century → if you gave offerings outwardly to pagan Gods then this could be a sign of the beast. Everyone would know who worships who.
Historicist: ch 13
- Beast out of the land is America, and at some point it will act like Rome in the dark ages
- SDA people took this belief up early in America’s history
- Enforces an issue of worship at some point
Futurist: ch 13
- A literal mark or tattoo that people will receive on their arm or forehead
- Some have said it will be the chip that can be implanted in your hand
Idealist: ch 13
- There have been movements throughout history that have forced people to think a certain way
- Argue that it may get worse