In spite of the fearful events described in these chapters, there are great reasons to hope and rejoice. John the Revelator assured his readers that although Satan makes war with the Saints of God, they can be victorious. As we are faithful in these ways, we will also receive protection from the plagues to be poured out upon the earth. We also learn in these chapters that God restored the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth in order to help His children withstand and overcome these tribulations in the last days.
Many of the events described in Revelation 6—11 seem to be chronological in order. This can lead the reader to expect this pattern to continue. However, Gerald N. For example:. In the midst of a vivid description of the great battle of Armageddon, there is another pause. Since the Apostle was translated and was to live through all the events he saw, the Lord seems to pause to show him what part he will have in all of it. This is the longest and perhaps the most difficult interlude to understand.
When John hears that the kingdoms of the world are to become the kingdoms of Christ see , it is as though the Lord stops to teach more about these two different classes of kingdoms. In Revelation —2, 5, 7 , John saw in vision a woman who gave birth to a child. Elder Bruce R. They are under, beneath and lower than the true Church. The highest eternal reward they can offer is the terrestrial kingdom, whose glory is like the moon.
These verses in Revelation 12 are a parenthetical reference to the War in Heaven. The same kind that prevails on earth; the only kind Satan and spirit beings can wage—a war of words, a tumult of opinions, a conflict of ideologies; a war between truth and error, between light and darkness. President Boyd K.
Packer — of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles elaborated on how we can find protection during this spiritual war:. Elder Dieter F. Even at the foundation of the world, it was a certainty that Jesus Christ would perform the Atonement; thus, the effects of the Atonement began in the premortal world.
In mortality we continue to overcome Satan in the same manner—by the atoning blood of Jesus Christ and by the word of our testimonies. Elder Richard G. Scott — of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles described the power of testimony:.
Security is of Christ - for His is the eternal life that no enemy can destroy. The spiritual strongholds of the enemy are powerless against the weapons of our warfare, which rest on Christ and Christ alone. Thank You, Father, for the wonderful salvation, strength, and security I have received from the Lord Jesus Christ, and for the victory He won for me through His blood. Thank You that we are overcomers because of faith.
Thank You that the penalty and power of sin, Satan, death, and hell, has been overcome through faith in the cleansing blood of the Lamb, Who died and rose again so that we might never die, but be raised into life immortal. May I live every day of my life in faith through Christ. Toggle navigation. Revelation NASB. Follow us. Some say Michael must be Jesus, because he has his angels. Some say Michael must be Jesus, because his name means One like God. But if this were a title of Jesus, it could argue against His deity, not for it — because it would say that Jesus is like God, but not God.
Some say Michael must be Jesus, because he is called the archangel Jude 9 , which means leader or prince among the angels, and they say that only Jesus is the leader of the angels. But we know from Daniel , and that Michael is one angelic prince among others. Also, Paul refers to an archangel in 1 Thessalonians in a way that presupposes other archangels. Some say that Michael must be Jesus, because Paul says that at the rapture, the Lord will call His people with the voice of an archangel 1 Thessalonians But Jesus can use an angel to call out for His people without being that angel, just as much as God can use a trumpet to sound out a call without being the trumpet.
Such identification here would confuse hopelessly the actors in this heavenly scene. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought : This is a dramatic scene of battle between good angels and bad angels.
Who fights in this battle? This is truly a battle between equals. The dragon represents Satan Revelation , and Satan is not the counterpart of God — God has no counterpart.
If anyone, Satan is the counterpart of Michael, who seems to be the chief angel opposite this chief of fallen angels. Why is the battle fought? In a previous scene of conflict between Michael and Satan Jude 9 , Satan wanted to prevent the resurrection and glorification of Moses, because he knew God had plans for the resurrected and glorified Moses Luke When is this battle fought?
This battle occurs at the mid-point of the seven-year period, as described by Daniel. At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered. Daniel How is this battle fought? We know this is a real fight; but is it a material or a spiritual battle? Our battle with Satan and his demons is spiritual , fought on the battleground of truth and deception, of fear and faith Ephesians In regard to material attacks against the believer, Satan and his demons were disarmed at the cross Colossians Among angels, it is possible that there is a material battle to be fought in a way we can only imagine.
In his classic work Paradise Lost , the great poet Milton imagined this battle:. It troubles some to think that Satan has access to heaven, because of the mistaken teaching that God can allow nothing unholy in His presence. 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. So the great dragon was cast out : This single verse uses many different titles for our spiritual enemy, including Dragon , serpent of old , the Devil , Satan , and he who deceives the whole world.
These titles describe Satan as vicious, an accuser, an adversary, and a deceiver. He was cast to the earth : The Bible describes four different falls of Satan.
Revelation describes the second of these four falls. His angels were cast out with him : This indicates that demonic spirits are indeed fallen angels, those who joined with Satan in His rebellion against God. These angels are also the same as the third of the stars of heaven described in Revelation Since Satan only drew a third of the stars of heaven , it means that two-thirds of the angels remained faithful to God. 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.
I heard a loud voice saying : Whoever is behind this loud voice , it is some representative of redeemed humanity — not an angel or God — because the voice speaks of the accuser of our brethren. Today, we have and need an intercessor and advocate Hebrews , and 1 John Those accusations mean nothing against us because Jesus has already paid the penalty our sins deserved. Although, it is important to say that we should not regard the blood of Jesus in a superstitious manner.
In this we must be like them. We must not blend any thing else with this. The church and all her friends might well be called to praise God for deliverance from pagan persecution, though other troubles awaited her. The wilderness is a desolate place, and full of serpents and scorpions, uncomfortable and destitute of provisions; yet a place of safety, as well as where one might be alone.
But being thus retired could not protect the woman. The flood of water is explained by many to mean the invasions of barbarians, by which the western empire was overwhelmed; for the heathen encouraged their attacks, in the hope of destroying Christianity.
But ungodly men, for their worldly interests, protected the church amidst these tumults, and the overthrow of the empire did not help the cause of idolatry. Or, this may be meant of a flood of error, by which the church of God was in danger of being overwhelmed and carried away. The devil, defeated in his designs upon the church, turns his rage against persons and places.
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