Revelation | Reading Plan + Study Questionsنموونە

REVELATION 12

THE ENEMY DEFEATED BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB

John is shown a series of signs and visions, starting with the image of a pregnant woman. She appears in heaven, clothed with the sun and moon and wearing a crown of stars. She is crying out in pain from the agony of giving birth.

Another being appears, a red dragon with ten horns and seven heads, each adorned with a crown. The giant creature stands before the pregnant woman, waiting to devour her newborn. Instead, God protects both the child and the mother.

Suddenly, a war breaks out. Michael, the leader of the angels, fights against the dragon. Once the dragon is defeated, there is no longer a place for him in heaven, and he is cast down into the earth. The creature is identified as the devil, or Satan, the deceiver of the world.

The heavens rejoice, knowing that Jesus has the ultimate victory! The dragon is ultimately conquered by the blood of the Lamb. The angels warn the earth that the devil will attack with great wrath, because he knows that his time is short.

When the dragon arrives on earth, he seeks the woman who had recently given birth. The woman is given wings like an eagle, enabling her to fly away from the creature. When the enemy attempts to sweep the woman away with a great flood, the earth protects her from the water. The dragon is furious and continues to wage war against her offspring, targeting those who follow God.

This battle is representative of the prophecy of Jesus described in Genesis 3:15. In this verse, God curses the serpent, saying, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall crush your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” The woman in this chapter symbolizes Jesus’ followers. God knows that the enemy and the sin in the world will bruise the heels of believers, but Jesus will ultimately defeat sin and death!

STUDY QUESTIONS

Read Revelation 12 and summarize it in your own words. Who do the woman, child, and dragon represent?

What does Revelation 12 teach us about spiritual warfare? How might verses like Revelation 12:10–11 give us hope in the midst of trials?