The World War, Part 3

The Bible tells us that what's going to happen in the future during the tribulational period is going to be a time so great, so terrible. That the world has yet to see anything like it. Why is that? Two reasons. Number one is because of Satan's fury as he pours out his anger and wrath upon the people of God.

cou with God's judgment upon the ungodly people of the world, mixing those two things together, you will have seven years of complete utter chaos upon the earth. The Bible says in Jeremiah 30, verse number 7, it's called the time of Jacob's trouble.

Israel has yet to see her greatest persecution. While we were in Israel this past spring, we went to the Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashim, there in Israel, in Jerusalem. And they have gathered together in that Holocaust Museum all the memorabilia that they can to help you understand what took place under the regime of Hitler. And as you go through that museum, they want you to see as much as you possibly can graphically. And to get a feel for what took place for this purpose, so that it will never happen again.

I have news for you. It will happen again, and it will happen worse than it happened under the regime of Hitler. Why is that? The reason being is because the architect of anti-Semitism is Satan himself. He has always set out to destroy the Jewish people. We have looked at that in weeks past. He does not want the Jewish people to be redeemed. He does not want God to come back and set up his throne. So that the Jewish nation will have the land promised to them. So they won't inherit that land. And so he has set out to destroy the plan, purpose, and promise of God.

And has done all he can to do so. We have looked at that in the past. And so, when you come to the tribulational period, the future Holocaust will be unparalleled. Because of Satan's fury. That's the time of Jacob's trouble. All that will take place during that seven-year period. In fact, if you've got a moment, just turn back with me to Daniel 12. In Daniel 12, Daniel speaks of this time. He says in verse number 1, now at that time, what time is that? That's the time of the tribulation. Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise.

And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred. Since there was a nation until that time. So Daniel understands that what's going to happen this time of distress is going to be unparalleled. Same thing that Christ said in Matthew 24, it's going to be a time unlike the world has ever seen. And then he says, every who was found written in the book. Will be rescued. Those who are written in the book of life will be rescued. Others Who die, verse 2, many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

Then, down in verse number 7, and I heard the man dressed in linen who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by him who lives forever, that it would be for a time, times, and a half a time. And as soon as they finished shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. The holy people, of course, is the nation of Israel, and there will be a shattering of the holy people. There will be a great Distress upon the holy people.

Many of them die. In fact, Zechariah 14 tells us about the purging process where God will purge out two-thirds of the nation of Israel and will preserve one-third, that remnant.

Is the Israel that will be saved at the end of the tribulation. Revelation twelve. Is a story of how he tries to stop the plan of God. He does not and will not succeed. We've looked at point number one the crucial characters that was the woman Israel the male child Christ and the dragon Satan we looked at them a number of weeks ago Number two, we looked at the celestial combat.

That's in verses 7 to 12. That was the great battle in heaven where Michael and his angels fight against Satan and his angels, and Satan is finally cast.

Geographically out of heaven. That happens during the tribulation. And now we come to verse number 13 of Revelation chapter 12. We've entitled this the cont conflict. And we want to cover three things with you this evening. Number one, Satan's ferocious attack.

Number two, Satan's futile attempt. And number three, Satan's final attack. Assault, and then we will conclude with some comments. Let's look at Revelation 12, verse number 13.

It says that when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. The two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman in order that she might fly into the wilderness to her place where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time. From the presence of the serpent. That, of course, is 42 months, 1 days, 3. years. And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth. And the woman Excuse me, out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood.

And the earth helped the woman. And the earth opened its mouth, and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring. Who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus? The continuing conflict, a passage filled. With wonderful imagery. And we'll explain that to you as we go through these verses this evening. So let's look at point number one, Satan's ferocious att.

It says in verse number thirteen. And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth. Now, when was he thrown down? That's back up in verse number 7. And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war. And they were not strong enough. And there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down. The serpent of old. Who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down.

With him. Now, the question comes: when does that happen? I don't know when it happens. I belie it happens. At the beginning of the tribulation, we talked last time about what initiates that battle, and I do believe it is the rapture of the church, the catching away of the church. I did not share this with you last time, but someone in our church who was attuned to what we were speaking of reminded me of 1 Thessalonians 4. The word cut up means to seize by for. There is a force that happens. So, even in the term, the rapture of the church, the catching away of the bride, inherent in that Term is the seizing by force.

Evidently, there's a force that takes place when the church is taken out of the earth. And of course, that force would be Satan fighting against the voice of the archangel, the trump of God, and the saints come into heaven. Why? Because Revelation 12:10 tells us that he stands before the throne of God day and night, accusing the brethren. Well, he's no longer going to be able to do that. Why? God wants him out of heaven so that we, the brethren, can come to heaven no longer. Being accused, but stand before the throne of God, receive our rewards, give glory to His name, and praise Him forever and ever.

So. Sometime at the beginning of the tribulation, the rapture of the church, Satan is thrown out of heaven for good. He's thrown down to the earth. And of course. It will take him a while to organize his plans and to get the Antich demon-possessed and to get the false prophet demon-possessed to get them together to do what they're going to do. And next week, we're going to talk about. The Antichrist. We're going to talk about how he rises to power, where he comes from, how it all begins to happen.

And that's, of course, Revelation chapter 13. But I want you to notice with me Satan's persecution and then God's protection.

Under his ferocious attack. It says, and when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman. Now, the woman is, of course, Israel. We talked about that a few weeks ago. The woman who gave birth to the male child. The male child, of course, is Jesus Christ him. When Satan is thrown down to the earth, his plan is to persecute Israel. His plan is to do away with Israel. That plan includes the Antichrist, his ability to deceive the world. His ability to lure the nation of Israel back to Jerusalem.

And we'll talk about this more in weeks ahead. But the word to persecute means to pursue. Means to hunt or to chase. It implies hostile force. In fact, if you go over to Revelation 13, verse number 7 as a preview to next week, it says And it was given to him that is the Antichrist to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. He's a very powerful person, this Antichrist. He is demon-possessed. He has the power to wage war against the saints and to overcome them and to kill them.

So at the beginning of the tribulation period, the Antichrist somehow begins to form, but he is demon-possessed. But Satan is already doing his work because in Revelation 6: to 11, as we have already seen. There are already martyred souls before the throne of God. And that's the fifth seal, and that's sometime around the midpoint of the tribulation. So Satan has already done his work. He's already begun to persecute the people of God. But specifically, he goes after the woman if he can stop God's plan, if he can kill the nation of Israel.

There's no need for the king to return because there will be no people to rule, for there would be no promise for God to fulfill. Satan believes he can do that. But I want you to notice God's protection.

We've seen Satan's persecution, his ferocious attack. Notice God's Protection. Back to Revelation chapter 12. It says, and two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman. In order that she might fly into the wilderness to her place where she was nourished for a time and times and a half a time from the presence. Of the serpent. This is incredible imagery. God is telling us something that's so beautiful. Bet if you miss this, man, you've missed the important part of tonight's message. This imagery is taken from Exodus 19, verse number 4.

Let me read it to you. God's talking to Moses, and he says in verse number four, You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to my. God says, You saw what he did to the Egyptians.

You saw how they were all drowned in the imagery he used is, I bore you on wings like an eagle, and I brought you to my soul. This is imagery that he's speaking of. Same thing over in Deuteronomy 32, verses 10 to 12. It says this. Verse number 9: For the Lord's portion is his people. Jacob is the allotment of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land and in the howling waste of a wilderness. He encircled him. He cared for him. He guarded him as the pupil of his eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest that hovers over its young, he spread his wings and caught them and carried them on his pinions.

It's the image we have of how God is going to protect his people. Eagles' wings are a metaphor of God's deliverance of his people. God says, I'm going to pick you up and I'm going to fly you to safety.

Wings speak of Strength, they speak of speed, they speak of security, but mostly they speak of a flight to safety. Let's move to point B and we move from Satan's ferocious attack to Satan's futile attempt. Satan's futile attempt, the two things I want you to see: his effort to exterminate and God's power to preserve. It says in verse number 15, And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. His effort is to exterminate the people of God.

He has tried personally. Now he's going to try strategically. Person, he tried, and God personally protected his people. Now he tries strategically. Through military efforts to exterminate them, and Christ will supernaturally protect them and preserve them once again. Satan is thwarted. He can't get to them, so he's going to use long-range tact. Now the imagery here is quite fascinating. Of course, the question comes: is this real water? Answer, I don't think so. I believe in pictures. Disaster that comes as a result of a flood.

You can read over in Jeremiah 46, verse number 8, or Jeremiah 47, verse number 2. In chapter 46, it speaks of Egypt rising like the Nile. The Nile would rise. During the season of the rains, it would overflood its banks and begin to destroy that round about it. And I believe that this is the picture of Satan's. Desire to destroy the people of God. In fact, over in Daniel 11:2, Daniel 11:2, it says this about an army that overflows with destruction. Daniel 11, 26 says this, And those who eat his choice food will destroy him, and his army will overflow, but many will fall down sl.

So it's imagery that speaks of dis. If the serpent and the dragon are figurative. So must the mouth be figurative, so probably the river also. Is figurative. The point being here is he wants the woman drowned. He wants the woman consumed. He wants the woman overtaken. He wants the woman destroyed. Over in Psalm 124, it says this: Had it not been the Lord who was on our side, that Israel now says, Had it not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us. Then they would have swallowed us alive.

When their anger was kindled against us, then the waters would have engulfed us. The stream would have swept over our soul. Same kind of imagery. Of the enemies of God portrayed as waters that would engulf them and sweep them away. Verse number 5: Then the raging waters would have swept over our soul. Same kind of imagery. Blessed be the Lord, it says in verse number 6, who has not given us to be torn by their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper. The snare is broken, and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and ear. For. Power are associated with this imagery, and Satan has put together some force, some army, some military entourage that will. Come after the people of God. Maybe it's a demon army. We don't know exactly what it is, but he is going to go after them. And the imagery is like the serpent opening its mouth and water. Being gushed out against these people to destroy them, engulf them, swallow them up. And then it says, number two, God's power to preserve.

It says, It says at the end of verse 15, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. Verse number 16, and the earth helped the woman. And the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. What is that? Well, that's the end of the army. That's the end of those who seek to kill the people of God. Remember back in Exodus 15, how Pharaoh's army was destroyed? God made a way for the nation of Israel to go across the sea? And when Pharaoh's army went after them, they of course were engulfed, drowned, and died.

You can read Numbers 26. Verses 28 and following about Korah, Dathan, and Abir who acted wickedly. And Moses came to them, and the earth opened up and swallowed them up and closed up again. That's the imagery. That's what's going to happen. God is supernaturally going to protect his people. Satan's futile attempt is seen. As he gathers together his armies, as he gathers together demons, as he puts them all together to pursue this people, he knows where they're at. He knows where they're gathered.

It's no secret to Satan. Everybody's going to know. He's going to do all he can to kill them. So the imagery tells us that as the mouth is opened and that which is in the mouth comes out, the earth opens up, swallows it, and God's people are protected, preserved. Once again, we've seen Satan's ferocious attack, Satan's futile attempt. Now look at his final ass.

Verse number 17. And the dragon was enrag with the woman. Satan 's furious. He's upset. He can't kill Israel. He can't kill the Jews. He has tried, ever since the beginning of time, he has tried to kill the Jewish people. And he cannot do it. He is se mad. Ever been mad? Ever been seething, man? Ever been enraged? Well, I'm sure you have. To some degree, at some time in your life. Unlike anything Satan feels at this time, he is furious. The dragon was enraged with Israel. So what did he do? He went after her offspring.

It says he went to make war with the rest of her. Offspring. And so Satan is so enraged with the nation of Israel, he has all out war on anybody who does not worship him. Any believer, any Christian, whether Jew. or a Gentile. Satan's final assault. Who? Against the offspring of God. Why? Because he is obsessed with thwarting the plan of God. He will wage war with the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony. Of Jesus. They keep the commandments of God and they hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Whoever this offspring is. These believers, these Christians, they are marked by two characteristics. They keep, guard, protect the commandments of God. E, used 25 times in the New Testament by John. 24 of those times refers to the New Testament commandments of God, the gospel of God, the law of God. Keeping the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus, the testimony that Jesus gave, the words of Christ, the revealed truth of God. I love what J. B. Phillips says. He says, What can Satan do with the likes of these kind of people?

Lock them up in prison? and they convert their jailers. Tort them, and they become partakers of Christ's sufferings and heirs to a great reward. Martyr them, and they go straight to be with Christ. Turn them loose, and they evangelize the world. What can they do? But do what God wants them to do. Satan cannot do anything. Oh, he can kill them, just ushers them into glory. God always wins. Let me close with just some concluding comments.

This is the world war, and we fight against the principalities, the powers of darkness, spiritual forces of wickedness. We fight that even today, don't we? Every battle we face is a spiritual battle. Or we might think it's our wife, or our kids, or our boss at work, or Our neighbor next door, but it's not. Satan is doing all he can to keep us. From having a testimony that honors the Lord God and glorifies His name. So I ask you this question: How are you doing in your battle today? With the enemy, the mark of a true believer is that he will persevere to the end, he will not def the faith.

He will keep the faith. He will live for God. He will keep the testimony of God because he's committed to God no matter how bad it is. And the salvation of souls will be the most during the tribulational period. Why? Because the cost is the great. During the tribulational period, and those people will be able to endure to the end. And some people today can't even endure to next week. Can you imagine that? They can't even get through a work week. They can't even get through their marriage. Yet these people.

With the sky falling, the stars falling, the earth opening up, the persecution of Satan and demons, they end all the way to the end. They are committed to the Word of God, to the testimony of God, forever. Are you? Satan doesn't want you committed. He doesn't want you to keep the testimony of the commandments of God. Don't let Satan win in your life. Stand strong for the gospel. Be committed to the word of truth. Don't let any inroad, any way for Satan to get an inroad in your life. And watch God honor your commitment.

Let's pray together.