Message Title: War In Heaven
Message Truth: The purpose of Christmas is King Jesus restoring His Kingdom rule and plan on earth as He intended it to be.
Message Text: Revelation 12:1-5
I.Look back into Christmas: God’s plan
Revelation 12:1-2 unfold the drama of Christmas: the story of a virgin, a child to be born, and the pain of labor. In two simple sentences the writer of Revelation, John on the Greek isle of Patmos, revealed the history of Christmas. A virgin, Mary, gives birth to a child. The child comes into the world through the pain of labor. The child arrives in simplicity, a stable stall in Bethlehem in quietness beneath a star. Revelation 12:1-2 mentions twelve stars, no doubt a reference to the twelve tribes of Israel and an implied inference to God’s plan of salvation through Abraham (Genesis 12:1) fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. History unveils the drama of Jesus’ birth into the world. Christmas arrives in simplicity, glory and splendor, God’s child with small fingers and hands, yet God’s hands holding the world in his hands.
Think for a minute of what Christmas means: the newness, the freshness, the happiest of holidays because we celebrate the birth of Christ. The holidays are happy when we look back at Christmas and rediscover the freshness and newness of Christ’s love, mission, and plan for our lives. But did Jesus come without tension, at a time with no anxiety or problems in the world?
II.Look back into reality: Our struggle
Revelation 12:3-5 mentions the birth of Christ in its tension. The image provided is that of a fiery red dragon, fierce and opposed to the birth of the Christ child. Without explaining in detail, the red dragon symbolizes the opposition to Christ. In a sense, it refers to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. More specifically, it serves as an inference that Satan is alive and well on planet earth!
The early Church experienced the reality of Christ’s coming daily – a war against culture, and an internal war against sin in the human heart. The drama of Revelation, its powerful image of the red dragon, indicates what Peter warned of in I Peter 5:8, “The devil is on the prowl as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” Our struggle is against sin, the flesh, and the devil. That is exactly why Christ came: to restore the broken, to comfort the battered, to lift up the fallen, to remove anger and replace it with joy, to turn the unhappy holidays into the happy Holy days of Christmas! Christ has come to bring peace, hope, and love.
How, then, should we live today?
III. Look up to the Lord: God’s power
Revelation 12:6 says, “And her child was caught up to God and His throne.” The writer of Hebrews 12:3 says that we are to look to Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith. Jesus is with God and His throne, and that is where we are to look. We look to Christ this Christmas. In the tension – worldwide, local, and personal – look to Christ. In the unhappy holidays, look to Christ and ask him to make them holy.
Revelation ends as it begins – revealing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Revelation instructs us to keep our eyes on Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, the One who will soon come. Revelation pulls back the curtain and unveils the drama: Christ has come to secure our future with salvation, strength for today, and hope for tomorrow. The power of Christmas is in Christ.
English theologian Richard Baxter wrote, “The devil is always the governor where God’s government is rejected”
What’s the Purpose of 1000 year reign
- Land Covenant – Palestinian Promise – Israel gets all the land God promised
- Davidic Promise – A ruler will eternally rule from his family – lineage
- New Covenant – Israel with have a New Heart – be a faithful people
What’s it like?
Millennium – parallel to Eden but not yet Heaven
Christ will rule without Satan Influence and world system –
It will look like as if Christ were a dictator and ruled on earth. (rule with rod of iron)
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
and a little child will lead them all.
7 The cow will graze near the bear.
The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.
8 The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
9 Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for as the waters fill the sea,
so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.
10 In that day the heir to David’s throne[b]
will be a banner of salvation to all the world.
The nations will rally to him,
and the land where he lives will be a glorious place Isaiah 11:6-10
- Now, we can have a close to that as possible by letting the King rule in every area of our lives now. Heavenly as possible.
- The Kingdom of Gid exist wherever his will is being done.
- Abraham was challenged to give up the most precious thing to Him – it was only then did he see the provision of the Ram.
- When we surrender and trust God with the most precious things to us, then we will see the Kingdom blessing on earth now.
The Garden of Eden and the Millennium exhibit parallels. Both prove that an improved, yes even a perfect, environment is not the answer to the problems of humankind. Similarly, in both places we see rejection of a perfect environment because of sin.
