Friday, October 30, 2020

The Book of Revelation

See the video: The Book of Revelation Timeline (how the world ends).

The interpretation of the Book of Revelation follows these rules:

  • The Plain Sense Rule:
    When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, use it.
  • The Law of Double Reference:
    The tendency of Scripture to sometimes refer to two events or persons
    at the same time – one relevant to the general time of prophesy
    and the other concerning a distant, far-off future. See it explained in Visions and Dreams by Prophet Daniel. 
  • The Law of Recurrence:
    It describes the recording of events in Scripture followed by a second recording of one of those events with more detailed information. An example is the creation week in the Book of Genesis, followed by a
    detail description of the creation of man and woman.
  • The Law of Context:
    Reading the verses before and after a verse being interpreted and also parallel verses in the Bible that talk about similar things.

The book is a revelation from Jesus Christ, given by God the Father through
an angel to John the Apostle, to show the things that must quickly take place 
(Rev 1:1, 22:8b–9, 16). John wrote the letter on the island called Patmos 
(Rev 1:9), see time 28:42–29:52 in January Bible Q&A with Pastor Paul. 
He addresses it to the seven churches that existed in Turkey of today 
(Rev 1:4, 10–11), see The Seven Churches in the Book of Revelation.

Outline to the Book of Revelation (Rev 1:19):
There are several reasons for the Tribulation period:
  • It's for the purpose of expressing God's wrath against the wicked and the people who haven't repented and turned to God.
  • To awaken sinners and unbelievers and bring them to a place where they open their hearts to the Lord. The Tribulation period is  a time of
    gathering, to be compared with The Book of Judges.
  • To wake up the people of Israel, for God still has a plan for Israel, see
    The Depth of the Riches in The Book of Romans. There will be a time of awakening during this time, see the The 144,000 in the Book of Revelation.
  • To complete the kingdom of God in it's finale phase. 
    Jesus loves us and has freed us from our sins through his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God the Father (Rev 1:5b–6).
  • To let us understand that Jesus is God 
     (Rev 1:8, 17b–18, 22:12–13, 16). 
    John speaks of Jesus as the firstborn of the dead
    (Rev 1:5a, Acts 26:23, Col 1:18, 1 Cor 15:20–23).
    This means that Jesus is the first to rise from the dead with a resurrection body (Rev 1:18), see The Resurrection of Jesus. See this explained in 
    The Order between Jesus and the Father in the Trinity.

Two witnesses will prophesy and preach the gospel with great power during the first half of the Tribulation period (Rev 11:3), see The Two Witnesses. 

There is a scroll in Heaven with seven seals that only Jesus is worthy to open
(Rev 5:1–8), see The Horses in the Book of Revelation. Antichrist emerges as a conqueror when the first seal is broken, see Who is the End Time Antichrist? 
His headquarters will be Babylon, see What is Babylon in the Book of Revelation?

Jews who have become born again Christians will share the gospel of Jesus Christ, see The 144,000 in the Book of Revelation. They will do it together with the Gentiles who are born again believers.

Antichrist rules with great power during the Great Tribulation (the second half of the Tribulation period), see Who is the End Time Antichrist? It's a time of great wrath poured out on the Earth against those who have rejected Jesus Christ. 
Israel and God's people are persecuted during the Great Tribulation, see 
Explanation of Satan's Attack on the Woman in the Book of Revelation.  

The breaking of the seventh seal is described in 
When the seventh seal is broken, and the seventh angel blows the seventh trumpet (the last trumpet call at the Great Tribulation before Jesus returns 
(1 Cor 15:51–53)), then I believe that The Rapture occurs.

Satan counterfeits what God does. Antichrist's right hand, that's the False Prophet,
forces everyone to be marked on the right hand or forehead so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, which is Antichrist's name or the number of his name which is 666. (Rev 13:16–18). Whoever worships Antichrist and his image and receives the mark on his forehead or on his hand will be lost forever (Rev 14:9–12), see time 8:42–11:50 in Bible Q&A With Pastor Paul │ September 2023.

Jesus will return at the end of the Great Tribulation (Mat 24:30, 
Rev 1:7–8, 19:11–21, Dan 7:13–14), see Prophecies of Jesus' Second Coming. 

Jesus will then reign for a thousand years over the millennial kingdom
(Rev 20:1–10), and then judge at the Great White Throne (Rev 20:11–14),
see The Millennial Kingdom and the Great White Throne Judgement.

Jesus will be subordinated to God the Father forever (1 Cor 15:24–28),
see The Order between Jesus and the Father in the Trinity. 

After the millennial kingdom, the Earth and the heaven will pass away, and there will be a new heaven and a new Earth, where the born again Christians will live forever 
(Rev 21:1–4). The new Jerusalem will come down from Heaven, and God himself will live on this new Earth. See A New Heaven and a New Earth.

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The Millennial Kingdom and the Great White Throne Judgement

Content:

  • The Millennial Kingdom
  • The Great White Throne Judgement

The Millennial Kingdom

After Jesus has returned and defeated Antichrist and his armies, the millennial
kingdom begins (Dan 2:41–45, Zechariah 14:9, Rev 11:15). It will last for 1000 years with Jesus Jesus ruling the Earth (Rev 20:6). Jerusalem will be the capital of the world (Isaiah 60:14). King David will then rule over Israel, also from Jerusalem (Ezekiel 34:23–24, 37:24–25, Jer 30:9, Hos 3:5), see the end of The Valley of Dry Bones. One reason to this event may be to show what life can be like when it's governed in righteousness. The Christian believers with their resurrected immortal bodies will judge the world during this time (Rev 2:26, 3:21, 20:4, 6, 1 Cor 6:1–3).

The people of the first resurrection who will be part of the millennial kingdom include those who participated in The Rapture, but also those who afterwards died for Christ (Rev 20:5b–6a). These people have been given immortal resurrected bodies. They will no longer have their sinful nature, see time 26:16–28:05 in September 2024 Bible Q&A.

The unbelievers who have died before Jesus returned, or died during the battle when Jesus returned, will be in Hell (Rev 19:21, 20:5a). Antichrist and the false prophet have been cast alive into the Lake of Fire (Rev 19:20). See Hell and Lake of Fire in What Does the Bible Say about Hell?

Satan is locked in the Abyss, preventing him from deceiving anyone during these 1000 years (Rev 20:1–3), see Abyss in What Does the Bible Say about Hell?

There will also be mortal people at the beginning of the millennial kingdom.
They are part of the people who lived and survived when Jesus returned, see
The Sheep and the Goats. These people will have children and die during this time. They will be able to learn what life on Earth is like with Jesus in charge, but they will still have their sinful nature (Zechariah 14:16–17), see time 29:11–31:57 in
Bible Q&A with Pastor Paul │February 2024.

The immortal people have received their resurrected bodies, see The Rapture, and will have the old sinful nature no more. These resurrected bodies will then look like they are described in The Resurrection of Jesus. These immortals will execute
judgements, see time 15:54–18:06 in Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul │ January 2024.

For information about who will populate the Earth during the millennial kingdom,
see also time 18:43–19:27 in Bible Q&A with Pastor Paul │ November 2023.

Life on Earth during the millennial kingdom is described in chapter 
The Millennial Kingdom in The Prophecies of Isaiah. Nature will then function as it was intended when it was created and as it was before the Fall when everything was very good, see The Biblical Creation in The Biblical Creation and the Fall of Man.

When the 1000 years are over, Satan will be released and come out to deceive
many of the mortals to gather them to battle (Rev 20:7–8). The reason Satan is released is that following Jesus most be a free choice. It will be a test to see who wants to follow Jesus. The desire to sin and rebel against God will cause some mortals to follow Satan (Rom 7:21–25a, Jer 17:9, Psalm 51:5 (7 in some translations)). They will attack Israel, but fire will come down from heaven and consume them (Rev 20:9). Satan will then be cast into the Lake of Fire to be punished forever (Rev 20:10). Watch also time 22:28–29:09 in
Isaiah 65-66 – Our Ultimate Destiny: Worship or the Worm?

The purposes of the millennial kingdom are as follows:

  1. To fulfill God's promises to the Jewish nation. Israel will then
    have the borders that God promised Abraham, see The Life of Abraham. 
  2. Another promise is that Jesus as Messiah would rule on Earth.
    God is faithful in fulfilling his promises.
  3. To show that mankind will rebel against God even if they live in a perfect kingdom, to test man in such an environment. It removes all excuses we have. See this explained further at 32:14–39:07 in Revelation 19-20.
See the song Jesus is Worthy at 39:50–44:38 in 2 Timothy 3 (Part 1) :1-9.

The Great White Throne Judgement

After the millennial kingdom, there will be a judgement at the Great White Throne (Rev 20:11–13, 2 Cor 5:10–11a, 1 Pet 3:15). It's Jesus who passes the judgement
(John 5:22–29), see the following times in these videos: 

Jesus is therefore on this throne, see God's Throne in Heaven. The born again believers who participated in The Rapture and those who received Jesus as their Lord and Savior afterward won't be judged at the Great White Throne because their sins have already been judged. Jesus took their sins on the cross. 

All dead people who didn't know Jesus, who are in Hell without bodies, will be judged. All those who haven't surrendered their lives to Jesus then stand before the judgement at the Great White Throne, see The Trinity. The people who reject God, reject Jesus, are at this throne for judgement and condemnation. They are judged according to what they have done (Rev 20:13). They are thrown into the Lake of Fire
(Rev 20:14, 21:8, 22:15). All whose names aren't written in the Book of Life are thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:15), see the importance of Sanctification. 
See also The Parables of the Talents and the Ten Minas. 

Jesus loves all people and doesn't want anyone to go to Hell or to the Lake of Fire (John 3:16, 2 Pet 3:9b), see Salvation. But he is also a holy and just God, see
God's Attributes, and therefore sin must be punished. He can't go against his nature, see time 28:13–35:43 in 2 Thessalonians 1 • The Righteous Judgment of God. 

God is a gentleman and respects our choices, even if we reject him. People who reject Jesus or ignore him will be lost forever. People often refuse to repent because they don't see themselves as sinners (Rom 3:23, 1 John 1:8–10). God therefore gives them what they have chosen, it's a life without God, without Jesus, an eternal life without all attributes that are found in God, see God's Attributes. 

Jesus said that all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to him 
(Mat 28:18, John 16:15a). Then comes the end when he hands the kingdom over to God the Father. There will be no more death (1 Cor 15:26, Isaiah 25:8a), see time 4:02–12:07 in John 12 (Part 3) 27-43 • "I will draw all People to Myself".

Then he will submit himself to God the Father who has put all things under him.
(1 Cor 15:24–28), see The Order between Jesus and the Father in the Trinity.

See also The Book of Revelation.

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Tuesday, October 27, 2020

The Seventh Seal and the Seven Trumpets in the Book of Revelation

God's wrath is described in God's Attributes and seen in Balaam and Balak.

The first six seals are described in The Horses in the Book of Revelation.

When the seventh seal is broken, seven angels who stand before God receive seven trumpets (Rev 8:1–2, 6). The judgments that follow are partial.
It's not about total destruction. They are going to be carried out with a desire of producing repentance, which is the main purpose of these judgments. 
This purpose can be compared to The Book of Judges.

My opinion is that it won't  be possible for the people on Earth to hear the trumpets.

These seven angels blow their seven trumpets one at a time:

  1. Dry land is affected (Rev 8:7):
    Hail and fire, mixed with blood, are cast upon the Earth. A third of the earth,
    a third of the trees, and all the green grass are burned up.
  2. Sea water is affected (Rev 8:8–9):
    A great mountain burning with fire is thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea becomes blood. A     third of the living creatures in the sea dies, and a third of the ships are destroyed.
  3. Fresh water is affected (Rev 8:10–11):
    A great star falls from heaven on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the water becomes wormwood, and many people die from the water, because it has become bitter.
  4. The light on Earth is affected (Rev 8:12, Mat 24:29):
    A third of the sun is struck, a third of the moon and a third of the stars,
    so that a third of their light is darkened, and a third of the day is kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

    The last three trumpets are greater in severity than any that have come before (Rev 8:13). They seem to have a spiritual element:

  5. The demonic horde in the Abyss are released (Rev 9:1–11):
    A fallen angel (maybe Satan) is given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.
    It's a place where daemons (fallen angels) can be sent and locked up
    (Luke 8:28–31, Jude 1:6). See Abyss and Tartarus in What Does the Bible Say about Hell? This demonic horde in the Abyss is then released, resulting in great misery on Earth (Rev 9:1–6). The people who have God's seal on their foreheads (those who believe in Christ) are protected from this (Rev 9:4). 
    Satan is locked in the Abyss during the millennial kingdom (Rev 20:1–3).
  6. Four bound fallen angels are released (Rev 9:13–21):
    The four fallen angels at the great river Euphrates are set free. They have been kept ready for this purpose, along with a great demonic horde, to kill a third of mankind (Rev 9:13–16). The rest of mankind who aren't killed by these plagues don't repent, nor gave up worshiping demons and idols, nor do they repent of their murders, sorceries, sexual immorality, or their thefts.
    (Rev 9:20–21, Isaiah 30:15).
  7. The seven wrath bowls are emptied one at a time (Rev 16:1–21):
    During the days of the seventh trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God is fulfilled (Rev 10:7). Then I think we have
    The Rapture. Afterwards, the seven bowls of wrath are emptied one at a time, see the following:
The seven bowls of wrath show the consequences for those who have rejected the sacrifice that Jesus gave and are still alive, see Salvation:

The temple in Heaven is opened, it's the tabernacle of the covenant law. Out of the temple comes the seven angels with the seven plagues. They are dressed in clean, shiny linen and wear golden sashes around their chests. Then one of the four living creatures gives to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. And the temple is filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one can enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels are completed (Rev 15:5–8). This last statement is an image that there is nothing that can prevent this from happening.

Jesus visited that tabernacle with his blood (Heb 9:11–12) after
The Resurrection of Jesus, see The Atonement. Therefore, the born again believers in Christ are saved from this wrath of God by being part of The Rapture.

The seven bowls of wrath that are emptied one at a time are as follows:
  1. Harmful and painful sores will come upon the people who wear the mark of the beast and worship its image (Rev 16:2).
  2. The sea becomes like the blood of a corpse and every living thing dies that is in the sea (Rev 16:3).
  3. The water in the rivers and the springs of water become blood (Rev 16:4–7).
  4. The sun scorches people with fire. They are scorched by the fierce heat, and they curse the name of God who has power over these plagues. They don't repent and give him glory. (Rev 16:8–9).
  5. Antichrist's throne and his kingdom are overthrown in darkness. People curse the God of Heaven for their pain and sores. They don't repent of their deeds.
    (Rev 16:10–11).
  6. The waters of the great river Euphrates dry up to prepare the way for the kings from the east. Three unclean spirits come out of the mouths of Satan, Antichrist, and the False Prophet. They are demonic spirits, who do signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them at the place called in Hebrew Armageddon for battle against Israel. (Rev 16:12–16).
    Megiddo (see Josiah of Judah) is believed to be this area, where the final battle will take place at the end of the Great Tribulation. 
  7. A great earthquake occurs on Earth, greater than ever before. Jerusalem is divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fall. God's wrath is coming upon the great Babylon, see What is Babylon in the Book of Revelation? Every island flies away, and no mountains are found. Large hailstones, about one hundred pounds (30 kg) each, fall from the sky on people, who curse God for the plague of hail, because the plague is so severe. (Rev 16:17–21).
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Monday, October 26, 2020

What is Babylon in the Book of Revelation?

  • 0:06–1:19: Who the beast symbolizes.
  • 1:20–3:22: What the seven heads symbolize.
  • 3:23–5:51: Characteristics of the seven kingdoms.
  • 5:52–7:17: When did these seven kingdoms exist.
  • 7:18–10:36: The 6th kingdom.
  • 10:37–14:55: The 3th, 4th, 5th, and 6th kingdom.
  • 14:56–15:48: 1st and 2nd kingdom.
  • 15:49–16:58: How these six kingdoms match the traits of the beast.
  • 16:59–19:00: Summary of the first six kingdoms.
  • 19:01–23:21: Background to the 7th and 8th kingdom.
  • 23:22–28:32: The 7th kingdom.
  • 28:33–34:43: The 8th kingdom.
Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Pet 5:13a: "She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings". In this verse, Peter greets the Christian churches in Asia Minor, the western parts of present-day Turkey (1 Pet 1:1), on behalf of
"She who is in Babylon". Most scholars agree that this "she" is most likely a local church, probably the Christian church in Rome. The reason is that it's unlikely that there was any church in the historic city of Babylon at that time. And it's very likely that Peter wrote 1 Pet from Rome. Peter's Jewish readers would also recognize "Babylon" as the traditional metaphor for those opposed to God's people. Rome was at that time the geographic and political source of that opposition. Peter may have protected the Christians in Rome by using Babylon as a code word for Rome.

Babylon in The Book of Revelation is called "The Whore of Babylon" or
"Babylon the Great". Her full title is "Babylon the Great, Mother of Prostitutes
and of Earth's Abomination" (Rev 17:5). It represents the ultimate evil in this world. Babylon is used as a code word for Rome in 1 Pet 5:13a, but not in this case where it's about rebellion and is mainly described in Rev 17–18. See it explained at:
The seven heads symbolize seven satanic kingdoms (empires) ruled by seven leaders. Five of them have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when comes he must remain but a little while (Rev 17:9–10). The beast (Antichrist) who was and is not, is the 8th leader but belongs to the seven (Rev 17:11a). 
"Mountains" in the Bible often symbolize kingdoms (Rev 17:9, Isaiah 2:2, Dan 2:35, Jer 51:25). These satanic kingdoms and leaders have the following characteristics:
  • Persecute Israel (Rev 12:13).
  • Persecute the Jews and born again Christian believers (Rev 12:17).
  • Blaspheme God (Rev 13:1b, 17:3).
The first five kingdoms existed before John's time.
The 6th kingdom existed in John's time.
The 7th and 8th kingdoms exist after John's time.

The 6th kingdom that existed in John's time was the Roman empire.
Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Dan 2:1, 31–33, 36–40) gives the kingdoms 3 to 6 
(Dan 7:3–7, Rev 13:1a, 2a), see Visions and Dreams by Prophet Daniel. 

The 7th kingdom is Nazi Germany which only existed for a short time (1933–1945) (Rev 17:10b).

One interpretation is that the United States is a revived Roman empire (which was the 6th kingdom), see time 8:35–13:15 in America's One World Empire in End Times Bible Prophecy. The United States is this 8th kingdom and will turn into a nationalist
nation ruled by Antichrist as its president, see time 13:16–30:13 also in 
America's One World Empire in End Times Bible Prophecy, and time 18:21–45:29
in The Deadly Wound That Is Healed (Rev 13:3). See also these videos: 
Testimony that Donald Trump is this end time Antichrist, see these videos:
He rules the entire world during the second half of the 7-year Tribulation period, 
see time 11:02–12:08 in 12 crucial questions and answers in these last days. 

If so, "New Babylon" isn't Rome but a major city in America such as New York, 
see time 2:20–3:21 in 12 crucial questions and answers in these last days.

If Donald Trump is the end time Antichrist, the following scenario is a possibility:
  1. Trump will act like a Roman dictator (Julius Caesar) and will become President of the United States for life with unlimited power. 
  2. The leader of Russia as Gog (see Gog from Magog) with his coalition of countries attack Israel. The attack comes when Israel is at peace with its neighbors (Eze 38:8b, 11, 14). (Maybe some time 2025–26).
  3. Since Gog loses this war, it opens up for Trump as the end time Antichrist.
  4. Trump will strengthen a peace agreement (see Abraham Accords) by
    involving more of the countries around Israel, see from time 16:29 in
    The Man of Peace and Safety. When the new peace agreement is signed between Israel and its neighbours    , the 7-year Tribulation period begins. (Maybe in October–November 2026, see End of Time in 
    When Did Jesus Die and When Was He Born?)
  5. Trump will in the first 3.5 Prophetic Years of the Tribulation period make himself world ruler with the fighting forces he will have at his disposal. He won't hesitate to use these forces including nuclear weapons when necessary.
  6. After the 3.5 Prophetic Years of making himself world ruler, he will sit in the temple and proclaim himself as God (2 Thess 2:4), see Ezekiel's Temple. 
    (Maybe in Passover 2030 (April 17), see End of Time in 
    When Did Jesus Die and When Was He Born?    )
  7. During the last 3.5 Prophetic Years of the Tribulation period
    (the Great Tribulation) he will persecute anyone he perceives
    to be disloyal to him (not having the mark).
    It includes Christians and Jews on a large scale.     He will act as Nero did. 
    He will then have the False Prophet at his disposal.
  8. At some time during the Great Tribulation, The Rapture occurs.
  9. At the end of the Great tribulation he will attack Israel and Jerusalem,
    and then Jesus returns.     (Maybe in September–October 2033,
    see     End of Time in When Did Jesus Die and When Was He Born?)
For detailed information on Antichrist, see Who is the End Time Antichrist? 
See also The Roman Catholic Church and the Word of Faith Movement in the U.S.

This gives the following list of the seven heads, that is, the seven (eight) kingdoms:
  1. Egypt, see Moses; Part 2: The Time as Slaves.
  2. Assyria, conquered the Kingdom of Israel.
  3. Babylon, conquered Assyria and the Kingdom of Juda.
  4. Medo-Persia, conquered Babylon, see also The Book of Esther.
  5. Greece (Alexander the Great), conquered Medo-Persia,
    see time 1:46–7:06 in Lecture: Intertestamental Period pt. 2.
  6. The Roman empire, destroyed the temple and Jerusalem 70 AD.
  7. Nazi Germany, see The Holocaust.
  8. The United States (a revived Roman empire).
This 8th kingdom (a revived Roman empire with "New Babylon" as its headquarters
for Antichrist) will rule during the 7-year Tribulation period and is the world power
of Antichrist (Rev 17:11a). The ten leaders will rule as kings together with Antichrist over the world for one hour (Rev 17:12). These ten leaders will hand over their power and authority to Antichrist (Rev 17:13), see from time 13:54 in 
Antichrist Trump Lusts After Global Empire. At the end of the Tribulation period, Antichrist with a federation of nations attack Israel, but is defeated when 
Jesus returns (Rev 7:14).

 After the Flood, Babylon and its tower were built to prevent the people from being scattered over the whole Earth (Gen (1 Mos) 11:1–9), even though God's will was for them to multiply and fill the Earth (Gen (1 Mos) 9:1), see The Tower of Babel.
This was the actual city of Babylon. The same sort of behaviour occurs in this
"New Babylon" as well. The people will do the opposite of God's will, and will even persecute Jews and true believers in Christ (Rev 17:6).

"New Babylon" is not Jerusalem, see time 1:05–4:44 in the video:
"Elon Musk, the Rising False Prophet?".

"New Babylon" (perhaps New York) is a place of materialism, sensuality, and opposition to God. It's the commercial capital of the end time. It will be the place from which Antichrist controls the world economy. The fall of the city causes the greatest sorrow to the merchants (Rev 18:15, 19).

Rev 17 also speaks of the prostitute (Rev 17:1b, 3–5). She is a symbol of false religion and the fallen church resulting in sexual immorality, something common
in spiritual unfaithfulness (Hosea 1:2, Jer 3:6, 8). This will be a sign for 
"New Babylon" during the 7-year Tribulation period. The False Prophet will be head
of the fallen church. There will be a huge persecution of born again Christians 
(Rev 17:6), see The Book of Peter. False religion will have dominion over people around the world (Rev 17:15). However, Antichrist will turn against all religion, including false religion (Rev 17:16–17), in the middle of the Tribulation period, 
and demands that all worship him alone (Rev 13:8).

"New Babylon" will be the last place God deals with and destroys, before Jesus' second coming (Rev 18:8, 10, 17–24, 19:2), see The Return of Jesus.

In all this, as Christians who trust in the Lord Jesus, we must not live in fear:
"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."
(2 Tim 1:7). Our calling is to be strong and courageous and stand with our Lord 
Jesus Christ in the strength of the Lord, see Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life.

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Explanation of Satan's Attack on the Woman in the Book of Revelation

Satan's attack on the woman is described in Chapter 12 of The Book of Revelation.

Four key players are mentioned in John's vision:

  1. Michael:
    Michael is an archangel (Jude 1:9), a powerful leader of the army of angels.
    He is a great prince in charge of the the Jews (Dan 10:13, 21b, 12:1a).
    He defeats Satan and his fallen angels in a war in Heaven (Rev 12:7    –9).
  2. The Great Dragon:
    The Great Dragon is a picture of Satan, the deceiver of the whole world
    (Rev 12:3, 9). Satan is the source of evil, see time 19:07–44:57 in
    John 11 (Part 2) 45–57 • Evil and Spiritual Warfare.
  3. The Male Child:
    This person will rule all nations with a rod of iron, and he was taken up to God to his throne (Rev 12:5, 2:27–28, Psalm 2:7–9, Acts 13:33, Heb 1:5), see God's Throne in Heaven. It's Jesus Christ (Messiah).
  4. The Woman:
    She is persecuted by Satan. She is an image and symbol of the nation of Israel
    (Rev 12:1, Gen (1 Mos) 37:9–11). Jesus came from the Jews (Rev 12:2, 5).

Explanation:


Satan had seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns
(Rev 12:3). Horns in the Bible always refers to strength, power, and authority. The seven heads are seven empires, see What is Babylon in the Book of Revelation?
The ten horns point to ten leaders who will arise at the beginning of the Great Tribulation (the last 3.5 years of the Tribulation period) (Dan 7:24). Seven in the Bible always refers to perfection and completeness. Satan was perfect in knowledge and wisdom in the way he was created as a cherub, before he fell and became corrupt (Eze 28:12–17, Isaiah 14:12–14). This may have occurred at the beginning of time; at the beginning of creation. He was a murderer from the beginning of mankind, a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). The Greek word for crown is diadema (diadem), which stands for Satan who rules the Earth by right (John 14:30, Luke 4:5–7). Adam and Eve were given dominion in the Garden of Eden (Gen (1 Mos) 1:28). They were given a position of authority to rule the Earth. When they sinned, see The Biblical Creation and the Fall of Man, they surrendered their dominion to Satan, even if it was temporary. Satan's power was broken through the death of Jesus who bore our sin on the cross (John 12:31–33), see The Crucifixion of Jesus, for those who receive him, see Salvation.

When Satan rebelled, he influenced a third of the angels in Heaven to follow him
(Rev 12:4a), see time 38:56–40:16 in September 2024 Bible Q&A. He wanted the throne of God, to be like God. At that time the fallen angels who followed Satan became demonic spirits, see time 8:39–12:25 in Bible Q&A with Pastor Paul │February 2024. Satan can still deceive us, and he accuses us day and night before the Lord (Rev 12:10b, Zechariah 3:1–2, Job 1:6–12, 2:1–7), see The Book of Job. See also Ahab of Israel and Jehoshaphat of Judah in Elijah the Prophet. 
This means that Satan and his fallen angels still have access to 
God's Throne in Heaven, see this explained at the times:

But if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father; that is, 
Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1–2), see it explained in The Book of John.

Satan tried to kill Jesus at birth by using Herod the Great, who sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and throughout the region who were two years old or younger (Rev 12:4b, Mat 2:16–18, Jer 31:15). Jesus, who is God, was protected from the time of his birth and throughout his ministry (John 14:30). One reason was that he didn't have a sinful nature like us. Our sinful nature gives Satan a hold over
our lives. We shouldn't give it to him (Eph 4:27), see Sanctification. We need to put on the full armor of God (Eph 6:11–18), see last part of The Book of Ephesians.

There will be a war in Heaven, where Michael and his angels will fight against Satan and his fallen angels, who will then be defeated and cast down to Earth
without further access to the throne of God. This will occur at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Satan will then understand that his time is short. 
(Rev 12:7–12).

Satan then attacks Israel (Rev 12:13, 15–16) and God's people (Rev 12:17). Satan seeks revenge on God by doing so. The Christians can be seen as an offspring of Israel. We are their descendants in the spiritual sense of the word.
Jesus Christ (Messiah) came from Israel. We are blessed through Abraham,
that is, through Israel (Gen (1 Mos) 22:18). As born again Christians,
see The Book of Peter, we are connected to Israel.

Israel is protected during the Great Tribulation until its end (Rev 12:6, 14).
At the end of the Great Tribulation, Antichrist attacks Israel and then Jesus returns.
See Israel at the end time in The Depth of Riches in The Book of Romans.

There is a time gap between the male child being caught up to God and his throne (which is a picture of Jesus' ascension) (Rev 12:5b), and the statement about Israel (the picture of the woman being protected in the wilderness for 3.5 Prophetic Years
(3.5x360=1260 days) (Rev 12:6, 14)). So far, almost 2000 years have passed between these statements. This type of time gaps are not uncommon in Scripture and are given especially in the prophetic books, see 5) The 69 Weeks in the Book of Daniel and The 70th Week in When Did Jesus Die and When Was He Born?

See also The Book of Revelation.

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