The Psalmist said: “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalms 119:10-11).  Christians need to be of the same mind as the Psalmist wherein we need to seek God with our whole hearts and place His word within our hearts to avoid sin.  Of course, if we will seek properly the will of God it will be because we want to do so (Psalms 119:40).  The desire the Psalmist had, and we need to have, takes work (Psalms 119:30-32).

If we seek God with our whole hearts we will be blessed (Psalms 119:2).  When we find ourselves in sin we need to return to God in sincerity with our whole hearts to be among His people (Jeremiah 3:10).  When God has our whole heart (Matthew 22:37), that leaves no room for Satan (Ephesians 4:27).  Obedience has to come with understanding and keeping the will of God with our whole heart (Psalms 119:34).

As Christians we need to do all that we can to avoid sin (I Thessalonians 5:22).  We need to be aware that sin will cause us to lose our souls (Romans 6:23; cf. Matthew 25:41).  Jesus warned Peter saying: “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).  When we commit sin we are the children of the devil (John 8:44 and I John 3:8).  Since we do not want that to be the case, we need to take the same precaution the Psalmist did.

To avoid eternal damnation as a child of the devil we have to hide the word of God in our hearts.  We have to receive God’s word, incline our hearts to understanding, our ears to wisdom, and hide His commandments within us (Proverbs 2:1-2).  Ignorance will not abolish our accountability as ignorance in itself is sinful (Acts 17:30).  Knowledge that comes through the word of God will fully equip us to do every good work (II Timothy 3:15-17).  We must therefore seek out the truth, study the truth, and know the truth to be set free from sin (Matthew 7:7, John 5:39, and John 8:32).  Then, we must apply the word of God to every aspect of our lives so that sin will have no place in us!

In the end, we ought to be able to tell God that we delight in keeping His word because we love to do so (Psalms 119:47).  We should be able to end our lives knowing that we have kept the faith (II Timothy 4:6-8).  That old serpent the devil has no chance against a faithful child of God who is appropriately prepared to face Him (Ephesians 6:10-11).  However, Satan finds easy targets in those who think doing a little good is all they are required to do in pleasing God (Deuteronomy 6:24-25 and James 2:10-12).  Obeying God is our only way to Heaven (Matthew 7:21 and I John 2:4-5).  Take the word of God and hide it in your heart to avoid sin.  – B.A.Y.

Introduction Thoughts:

The seventh angel is sounding (11:15).  The third woe is here (11:14).  That woe is listed as (12:12): “…Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you , having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”  This chapter will speak of Satan’s work and the protection God has in place for the faithful.  We have seen the many things the Lord will do to punish the Roman Empire.  Now we will see that the work of the Devil will not be stopped by these things, but may be even fueled to a further degree.  The Roman’s rejected God’s warnings (9:20-21) and desire to slaughter those who represent the Lord (11:8-10).

12:1 “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”

• The sun, moon, and stars represent God’s celestial [heavenly] lights (Jeremiah 31:35; cf. Ecclesiastes 12:12 and Isaiah 13:9-10).
• Obviously the number twelve represents one of two dispensations.  Our context will lead us to conclude this is a symbol representing Israel as the woman.

• Beautifully symbolized, we have Israel seen here in childbirth.  It is through Israel that Christ will be born (Genesis 22:18, Isaiah 49:1-5; 50:1, and Hebrews 7:14).

• Now we see that old serpent the Devil and the symbolization of his power that will be temporary.
• The Devil’s task of Old was to prevent the seed of Abraham bringing forth Christ.  Many times he came close to success (Egypt, the Wilderness, Assyria, Babylon, etc.).  God was ready to put away Judah, but remembered His promise (II Kings 19:31-37).  The Lord allowed His people to be carried into Babylon, but He would there too allow a remnant to come out of Babylon (Micah 410-13).
• The imagery of this dragon shows his color to be red.  A likely image showing the blood of martyrs.

• The tail of the red dragon draws a third of the stars (1:20) with him to the earth.
• The task, destroy the child at birth (Matthew 2:16).

• Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings (I Timothy 6:13-16) whom the Devil did not want to succeed.
• Satan failed because God protected Jesus (Matthew 2:15) and allowed Him to fulfill His work.
• When His work was finished Christ was put to death.  This may have seemed as a point of victory for Satan.  However, the victory was in the Resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:22-27).

• Now the transformation of physical Israel (Zion) to the spiritual kingdom of God which He hath prepared (Hebrews 12:22-23; 28).
• Again, we find the time period of 1260 days (see notes on 11:2).  This shows the church hiding in persecution for a limited period of time (cf. Acts 8:1; 3-4, Acts 11:19, James 1:1-4, and I Peter 1:1-7).
• When the cause of Christ and the church seems destroyed the tables would be turned (11:11).

• Satan has been seeking his opportunity to win the war against God he has been waging since Eden to claim Heaven as his own throne.
• John 12:27-33 helps us to see that this battle is symbolic of the struggle between the Devil and His angels who had already been cast out of Heaven (Luke 10:17-18 and Revelation 9:1-2).  The victory came through Christ fulfilling His mission, which if prevented would have had all men to be lost.
• Verse twelve proves this conclusion.

• Victory has been gained because salvation has been made possible through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:28 and I Corinthians 15:13-22).
• The kingdom came through the death and resurrection of Christ (Matthew 16:18-19).
• The term “accuser” literally means complainant as in a court of law.

• Now a prophesy comes promising victory for those who have been washed, remained faithful, and loved the Lord more than their own lives (Revelation 1:5; 2:10; 3:21).

• Satan is limited in time (1:1), thus he would be very active in working his evil.

• When the devil sees that he has lost the war he then wages desperate battle.

• There will be a time when God will carry away His people into safety to be preserved from this wicked slaughter the devil will bring forth (Daniel 12:7-10).

• The Devil will flood the earth with wickedness hoping to catch the saints in the symbolic waters of sin (Psalms 144:7-8).
• The Devil is ignorant to the fact that Christians are aware, watching, and fleeing his wicked plot (I Peter 5:8 and James 4:7).

• Satan’s plan is foiled again.  The sinful world has taken the flood waters because they love sin so much.  Christians are immune to these polluted waters not wanting to turn from where they have been delivered (I John 2:15-17).
• Sadly, those who loved the flood waters of evil will pay a heavy price (Revelation 14:9-10).

• Israel brought forth Christ and He has brethren (Romans 8:29 and Hebrews 2:10-11).
• Satan is angry with the woman and now seeks to destroy those who are of her seed that are remaining faithful (Galatians 3:29).
• Satan’s previous plans have not worked.  He is outraged and powerful.  However, let us not forget that the battle is the Lord’s (I Samuel 17:47 and Romans 8:31).

1. All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.
2. Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, (Reprint by Hendrickson, 2002, original copyright 1896).