DRAGON AND BEAST (12-16)

WAR IN HEAVEN

The Woman, Son, and the Dragon – (Revelation 12:1-6 – War breaks out in “heaven.” After the Dragon fails to destroy the “son,” he persecutes the followers of the Lamb, the “seed of the woman”)

War in Heaven – (Defeated by the messianic “son,” the Dragon was expelled from heaven, while victory was declared for the saints – Revelation 12:7-12)

Victory over the Dragon – The Triumph of the Saints – (Revelation 12:11 – The saints overcome the Dragon and his forces through the death of the Lamb and their faithful witness, “even unto death”)

The Seed of the Woman – (Revelation 12:17 – The vision of the “Dragon” persecuting the “seed of the Woman” represents Satan’s present “war” against the saints of God)

WAR ON THE EARTH

The Beast from the Sea – (Revelation 13:1-5 – The Dragon begins his war on the “seed of the Woman” by summoning his “seed,” the Beast from the sea)

Persecuting Beast – (The Beast wages war against the saints, the church)

Beast from the Earth – (The Beast from the earth mimics the Lamb and is the mouthpiece of the first beast)

The Mark of the Beast – 666 – (Revelation 13:16-18 – Humanity is divided into two groups – men who have the mark of the Beast, and those who bear the name of the Lamb’s Father)

Embracing the Mark – (When we imbibe the values of the existing world order, we begin to take the “mark of the Beast”)

The Priestly Company on Mount Zion – (Revelation 14:1-5 – The priestly company of 144,000 unblemished “males” constitutes a “first fruits” of the coming harvest)

The Everlasting Gospel – The Coming Harvests – (Revelation 14:6-7 – Having contrasted the followers of the Lamb with those of the Beast, we must choose between the two, each with a different everlasting consequence )

The Fall of Babylon Announced – (Revelation 14:8-11 – Two more angels appear and announce the judicial sentence of God on “Babylon” and the “inhabitants of the earth”)

The Final “Grain” Harvest – (Two different “harvests” are to occur at the end of the age – The reaping of the “grain,” and the ingathering of the “fruit of the vine” – Revelation 14:12-16)

The Final Ingathering of “Grapes” – (The final ingathering of the “fruit of the vine” portrays the outpouring of the “wrath of God” on all men who take the “mark of the Beast” – Revelation 14:17-20)

THE SEVEN BOWLS OF WRATH

Son of the Lamb –(Having overcome the Beast, the saints sing the song of the Lamb – Revelation 15:1-4)

Tent of Witness – (The seven “last plagues” echo the destruction of Egypt in the Red Sea)

First Four Bowls – (The first four Bowls destroy the economic infrastructure of the Beast)

Fifth Bowl of Wrath – ( The fifth “bowl” targets the political realm of the Empire)

Sixth Bowl – Armageddon – (The sixth “bowl” begins the final battle between the “Lamb” and the “Dragon”)

Seventh Bowl – (The seventh “bowl of wrath” produces the final overthrow of Babylon, the Great City)

RELATED TOPICS

Why do the Nations Rage? – (Psalm 2:1-9 – The New Testament applies the plot against the Messiah from the second Psalm to the conspiracy of the leaders of the Jewish nation to slay Jesus)

The Abyss – (The Abyss is the source of satanic attacks against the people of God, yet it is under the authority of the Lamb)