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The Wrath of God
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Revelation 12
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1260 days

Background
Chapter 12 tells the story of the continuing persecution and escape of those who are loved by God.

- The Child is persecuted and is killed and is rescued by God.
- The Church is persecuted and killed before God opens a safe place in the United States.
- The Remnant is persecuted and is rescued by Christ.

- | Christ | Medieval Church | Remnant
--- | --- | --- | ---
Persecuted by | Dragon (Satan) | Little Horn | Beast (Babylon the Great)
Time | 1260 Days | 1260 Years | Unknown (1260 days?)
Judgment | Satan falls | Little Horn falls | Plagues (Babylon falls)
Rescued by | Heaven | United States | Heaven

Symbols
Revelation 12 introduces Jesus as the judge and the one who shields His people from wrath. Here we see the wrath of Satan as he responds to the judgment and the loss of the empire he stole from Adam. He is exiled from heaven. He persecutes the people of God. He inflicts his pain of losing on those who are loved by God. The symbols used come directly from the blessings and curses in Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26 which involve the struggle of empires in the war of the beasts. The wicked try to impose the terms of the curse on the righteous and God protects them with His blessings. But in this clash of Titans Satan will ultimately meet the wrath of God.

- The Stars. Then you shall be left few in number, whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, because you did not obey the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 28: 62)
  » Twelve Stars. The righteous twelve tribes will be as numerous as the stars.
  » Fallen Stars Swept Away. The wicked will have their stars swept away.
- Pregnant Woman and Newborn Son. The Lord will make you abound in prosperity in the offspring of your body ... (Deuteronomy 28: )
- Cannibalism. Then you shall eat the offspring of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you. (Deuteronomy 28: 53)
  » A Devourer. Satan tried to devour the fruit of the womb of the people made of clay.
  Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruit of the ground ... (Malachi 3: 11)
- Seven Heads. God defeated Satan and exiled him from heaven to earth, splitting him seven ways on earth. Now he is terrorizing the earth through seven nations.
  The LORD shall cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you will go out one way against them, but you will flee seven ways before them, and you will be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. (Deuteronomy 28: 25)
- War and Exile. You, however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste. (Leviticus 26: 33)
- Eagle's Wings. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions. (Deuteronomy 32: 11)

The Dragon With The Seven Heads
The Pure Woman (The Damsel In Distress).
"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: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and look a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a male child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up to God, and to his throne. And this woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days." (Revelation 12: 1-6)
As we noticed in our previous lessons, the woman in Revelation 12 is a symbol for God's true church. The woman is dressed in all the heavenly symbols of light.
This woman is the church called by God from the days of Abraham. It was the twelve sons of Israel who were pregnant with the Messiah and gave birth to Him. Then this church was given to the Gentiles under the leadership of the twelve apostles.

- Sun. Clothed in the sun, representing the righteousness of Christ and the guidance of God.

  Triumvirates and Emperors | Date
  --- | ---
  Julius, Crassus, Pompey | 60-53 BC
  Octavius, Lepidus, Mark Anthony | 43 BC
  Augustus (Octavius) | 27BC-14
  Tiberius | 14-37
  Gaius (Caligula) | 37-41
  Claudius | 41-54
  Nero | 54-68
  Galba | 68-69
  Otho | 69
  Vitellius | 69
  Vespasian | 69-79
  Titus | 79-81
  Domitian | 81-96
  Nerva | 96-98
  Trajan | 98-117
  Hadrian | 117-138
  Marcus Aurelius | 161-180
  Severus | 193-211
  Maximus Thrax | 235-238
  Trajanus Decius | 249-251
  Valerian | 253-260
  Aurelian | 270-275
  Diocletian | 284-305
  Constantine the Great | 306-337
  Ten official persecutions

- Moon. It reflects the light of the sun during the darkness. This is church that spreads the word of God which is to be "a lamp to our feet and a light to our path". In the absence of Christ, only the written words of the Bible are the reliable guide to the will of God and only His people are His witnesses in the dark world.
  » Ephesus. In this particular case, the moon is the church of Ephesus, during which these events began.
- Twelve Stars. Founded upon the truth of the twelve original apostles and the twelve sons of Israel as symbolized by the twelve stars, it is a church that is true to Jesus Christ, her lover.

The Red Dragon (The Monster).

- Third of The Stars. Satan convinced one third of the angels to rebel.
- Devour the Child. The Roman government tried to kill Christ soon after his birth. Herod tried to kill Him and the family had to escape to Egypt. They finally succeeded when they crucified Him.
- Persecute. Rome persecuted the Christians in ten official campaigns.
- Seven Crowned Heads. The Bible says that Satan would attack the people of God through human organizations with a specific structure. Seven heads and ten horns. If we used the prophecies of Daniel as a guide we realize that a head and a horn is synonymous with a power. Particularly a military power that uses force to subdue other people. The use of a crown is not only a symbol of a monarchy but it points to a king or kingdom with real authority.
  The problem with history is the random nature of events and their dynamic characteristics. Empires rise and fall and change their nature and structure. So the problem with a prophecy that covers thousands of years is how to minimize confusion and still leave a clear description of a symbol. One way to do this is to describe the structure of the kingdom at the exact moment in time when a prophecy is fulfilled. But to keep this symbol valid for centuries, God has to make sure that He reproduces the structure at a next major fulfillment without interfering with human free choice.
  What we have discovered is that there is a global fulfillment. During the lifetime of the prophecy, the powers that make up this symbol will emerge. And, we can generally find a copy of that structure at the beginning and the end of the prophecy. This we call a local fulfillment. It helps the church in all generations to have confidence in prophecy.
  The seven heads and ten horns have such a pattern.
  - Local Fulfillment. Rome is the dragon as the prophecies of Daniel show. There are several possibilities, but the most likely local fulfillment comes from the prophecies of Daniel 7 and the number of heads of those beasts.
    » Seven Foreign Powers. Babylon, Medo-Persia, the leopard of Greece had four heads and the dragon was the seventh.
    Satan worked through Rome to persecute the Messiah and the church (Israel). So the sign that God used to indicate that the time had come in their generation were found in the structure of Rome.
    » Seven Emperors. In looking at the Roman empire at the birth of Christ, we notice that there were exactly seven emperors since the republic started ruling the world. Julius, Crassus, Pompey, Octavius (Augustus), Lepidus and Mark Anthony. Note that Augustus or Octavius is counted twice. He was part of the second Triumvirate and the first monarch.
    » Seven Provinces. If we look at the structure of the empire, we see that at that time, only Italy and six provinces kept military legions (armed soldiers). They were the points of power. See a map.
  - Global Fulfillment. Satan worked through a succession of seven empires to persecute the people of God. And Revelation 17: 12 indicates that after the seventh head appears, ten kings or powers will join in the final persecution. Just as Augustus was counted twice, the papacy is counted twice. It is both the fifth and a part of the seventh head.

  Seven Heads | Ten Horns
  --- | ---
  Babylon | Medo-Persia | Greece | Pagan Rome | Papal Rome | Communism | Babylon the Great | Europe

- Ten Horns. At the termination, Rome broke up among ten tribes. The local fulfillment in the beginning might refer to the fact that there were ten leaders up until the first official persecution under Nero. Nero burned Rome and blamed it on the Christians so that he could consolidate hatred for the sect. The first official persecution of the Woman occurred at this time.

Rebellion in Heaven | Rome | Babylon the Great
--- | --- | ---
Seven Heads and Ten Horns | Seven Heads | Ten Horns | Seven Heads | Ten Horns
Satan and his angels | Seven military regions | Emperors? | Seven series of world empires | Europe

Legions | Provinces | Region | Date
--- | --- | --- | ---
| ? | Italia | Italy | -
- | 0 | Sicily | Sicily | 241 BC
- | 0 | Sardinia and Corsica | Sardinia, Corsica | 227 BC
| 1 | Tarraconensis (Hispania) | Spain | 197 BC
- | 0 | Achaea | Greece | 146 BC
| 1 | Africa (Carthage) | Libya, Tunisia | 146 BC
- | 0 | Asia (Pergamum), Mysia | South Turkey | 133 BC
- | 0 | Bithynia and Pontus | North Turkey | 74 BC
| 4 | Syria | Syria | 64 BC
- | 0 | Judea (Palaestina) | Israel | 63 BC
- | 0 | Numidia | Algeria | 60 BC
- | 0 | Gallia Narbonesis | France | 49 BC
| 2 | Aegyptus | Egypt | 30 BC
| 2 | Moesia | Romania | 28 BC
| 3 | Pannonia | Hungary | 12 BC
Jesus Christ | 4BC-31
- | 2 | Dalmatia | Croatia, Bosnia | 10 AD
- | 2 | Britannia | England | 28 AD
- | 4 | Germany | Germany | 70 AD
- | 0 | Hibernia | Ireland | 70 AD
- | 0 | Dacia | Romania | 106 AD
- | 0 | Armenia | Armenia | 114 AD
More research needs to be done to see if this list is correct. Other provinces were created before Christ, but as far as I can tell, no army was assigned to them. Aquitania, Belgica, Lugdunensis, Cyprus, Cyrenaica and Creta, Epirus, Macedonia, Noricum, and Raetia. Other provinces were annexed or subdivided after Christ. Cappadocia, Arabia Petraea, Assyria, Thracia, Lycia and Pamphylia, Mauretania Caesariensis and Tingitana, and Mesopotamia.

» The Seven and Ten Organization. God is very meticulous with His symbols. When we are in Heaven, we will probably learn that Satan and his rebellious angels arranged themselves in this same seven and ten organization that is controlled by him. This seven and ten structure appears at every great persecution.
As a local fulfillment we may also see a global structure emerge with seven leaders in the United Nations and ten powerful European nations.

The Child

- Caught up to God and His Throne. This refers to the resurrection. Satan thought that he had won when he killed Christ, but God rescued Him in the resurrection and gave Him a seat of honor at His throne.
- Rule with a Rod of Iron. Revelation 19: 15 says that at the Second Coming Christ will rule with a rod of Iron. He will break down the rebellious nations and He will judge them.

The Woman

- Gave Birth to a Male Son. This is Jesus Christ, the Messiah. It was not only Mary that gave birth to Him. In a cosmic sense, Israel gave birth to the Messiah.
- Escaped into the Wilderness. Mary went back to Egypt through the wilderness. In effect she reversed the exodus journey. This is what happened to the church. Because of the persecutions, she had to go underground and suffer many hardships for the sake of Christ. So we find that God is using a similar strategy. He helps us to escape the Satanic fury by bringing us into the wilderness.
  In Revelation 17, we find that the church is still in the wilderness when God issues a call to come out. Satan pursued the church there and caused us to rebel against God again.
- Nourished by God. Many other prophecies mention this time period from the point of view of the suffering. But this view emphasizes God's care just as He fed Israel with manna in the desert.
- 1260 Days. This persecution lasted for 1260 years.

The Persecution Of The Child
The dragon, which is a symbol for Satan, is also a symbol for the Roman Empire that stood ready to devour the male child, Jesus Christ, as he was born in Bethlehem. The Bible says the male child was caught up to heaven to God's throne where the dragon could not harm him. This is without a doubt a reference to the ascension of Christ and his enthronement at the time of Pentecost. This same cycle of persecution, death and escape is repeated for all three groups. In the end, the entire church escapes through the resurrection. So the United States represents a place where the dying church was resurrected.

4 BC | Male Child | 31 AD | Woman | 1798 AD | Other Children
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Christ | Crucifixion | Resurrection | Church | Martyred | United States | Remnant | Death | Second Coming

The Great War.
And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. 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.
"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused them before our God day and night." (Revelation 12: 7-10)
Here we encounter an amazing text. The Bible describes a war that broke out in heaven many ages ago. In this war heaven lost one third of its angels. In verse 9, we learn that Satan and his rebellious angels were expelled from Heaven. In verse 10, we learn that, since the cross, Satan no longer has access to heavenly beings. There are several wars or battles within the great war in which Satan progressively loses access to some part of creation.

War in Heaven | War in Heaven | Bridegroom's War | Armageddon
--- | --- | --- | ---
| Creation to Christ |  | Crucifixion to Second Coming |  | Millennium |  | After Judgment
Heaven | Sea | Earth | Heaven | Sea | Earth | Heaven | Sea | Earth | Heaven | Sea | Earth
Total Access | No Access to Heaven | Access to Earth Only | No Access
Satan's progressive loss of access after each battle

- The Rebellion Of Satan (No Access To Heaven). There are two ways of viewing when the war started and when Satan fell.
  - The Fall of Adam. From a cosmic view, Satan fell when he started his rebellion. He fell to earth when he convinced Adam to sin. There must have been some conflict in Heaven before the creation, because Satan came to the new creation to spread his rebellion. He succeeded. His success allowed him to represent earth instead of Adam. But as our representative, Satan accuses us instead of defending us. We find this concept in the story of Job. Satan dismissed Job's love for God and implied that Job would not be loyal to God if he felt abandoned.
    Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. ... Does Job fear God for nothing? ... But put out Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face. (Job 1: 6, 9,11)
  - The Crucifixion. From a legal view, Satan fell to earth when he no longer had the right to represent us in Heaven. Christ won back the access that Adam lost. He now represents us by defending us. At least by this time, Jesus said that Satan was physically thrown out of Heaven permanently. Before this he had lost credibility but he still represented the earth temporarily. Verse 10 shows clearly that heaven was tired of Satan's constant accusations. The complaint window was closed. He was a failure as a high priest. He was our accuser not our representative.
    Since the cross they called us their brothers and exercised their right to throw Satan out.
    The Devourer is Rebuked. for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused them before our God day and night. (Revelation 12: 10)
    With this action God rebuked the one who cannibalized us with angry words.
    Satan Falls (A Star Is Extinguished). Satan formally lost access.
    And the seventy returned with joy saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your Name". And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from Heaven like lightning." (Luke 10: 17-18)
    In making this statement Jesus could have been prophesying about the past when Satan was first exiled to earth or the results of His crucifixion in the future when He lost all access to represent earth in heaven. The victory of His church in His name causes the expulsion of Satan from Heaven because the church has chosen to have Jesus as their representative.
    This prophecy in Chapter 12 seems to support the fact that Satan lost full access because of the victory of Christ at the crucifixion (Revelation 12: 13). So he turned his anger on the church.
    However, the great war that John describes could be a reference to the ongoing war that started before our creation or it could be the decisive battle, during this war, that occurred at the crucifixion.
- The Second Coming (No Access To The Sea). Before this Satan is the dragon living in the sea who stands on the shore threatening the earth. Revelation 19 describes Christ as being dressed for war. He comes to the earth with an army to rescue the church. After the Second Coming, Satan lost access to the sea and was confined to the earth for the millennium. The earth becomes a prison. The sea, is symbolic of the wicked. Satan loses access to this group because all the wicked are dead and Satan has no sympathetic ear in which he can spread his rebellion.
- The Last Judgment (No Access To The Earth). After the judgment at the end of the millennium, Satan loses access to the earth when he finally dies and becomes dust that we will trample on and dung that we will continually pass out. Like roughage, his molecules are rejected and are only useful for cleaning out the colon. For eternity he is the brush that cleans the toilet and he is the dung in the toilet. What a disgrace!

The Wrath Of Satan
And they overcame him because of the blood of the lamb and because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love their life even when faced with death. For this reason rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time. (Revelation 12: 11-12)
In verse 12, the Bible reveals that Satan became more angry with God's people since the cross, because he knows that he is a defeated enemy. Now that he can no longer harass heaven, he focuses his attention on corrupting the earth and the sea. He tries to kill those who belong to Christ.
At the end, God will respond to this unjustified wrath with His own justified wrath.
Short Time. This suggests that after Christ, Satan's time was short. At a minimum it must mean that over fifty percent of the time spent in rebellion had gone. Jesus was born about four thousand years after the creation. The evidence suggests that Satan will be put in prison around the year six thousand and killed in the year seven thousand. So Jesus did come after the center point in human history.
The seventh head, the final empire through whom Satan rules will also have a short time (Revelation 17: 10).

The Persecution Of The Woman (Church)
And when the dragon saw that he was cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child." But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could 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. (Revelation 12: 13-14)
In this verse the Bible reveals where Satan directed his anger immediately following the cross. He focused his anger at the church.

- Satan Evicted! He formally lost access to heaven as our representative.
- The Pagan Roman Persecution. During the first 300 years of the Christian era, the Christian Church remained relatively pure. During this time there were intense periods of persecution like that under Nero, Domitian, and Diocletian. Thousands died for their faith, and eleven of the twelve original apostles died a martyr's death. Many Christians were gouged to death, torched in the Coliseum at Rome, thrown to the lions, or beheaded. Instead of destroying Christianity, persecution fanned the fires of the faith. And the blood of the martyrs became the seed of the church.
- The 1260 Year Papal Persecution. Unable to destroy Christ, the dragon tried to destroy his church, but failed. In verse 6, the Bible says the woman fled into the wilderness. It also says that God would feed her there for 1260 days.
  Verses 6 and 14 refer to a time period when the church would be nourished in the wilderness. If we had any doubt that Time, Times and Half a Time is equal to 1260 years, this settles it.
  In prophecy a day is equal to a year. We learned in other lessons that the 1260 years of papal supremacy began in the year 538 AD when the Roman church became a church and state entity and ended in 1798 when Berthier took the Pope captive. Simply stated, John tells us that the true church would not be the popular church during the Dark Ages. Rather, it would be the church that went underground or into the wilderness. During this time, there were always people who remained faithful to the gospel and were obedient to his word.
  The United States Of America Helps The Persecuted.
  What it could not accomplish by persuasion, it accomplished by the sword. In verses 15 and 16, we discover what Satan tried to do in order to destroy the church during the 1260 years.
  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. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. (Revelation 12: 15-16)

  The 1260 years ended in 1798. Around this time the nations in the New World were gaining their independence. The United States became free in 1776 but it welcomed pilgrims since 1607. The Bible teaches that this would be the haven for the church as it fled from Rome in a relatively unpopulated area. That place is America. The whole new world was colonized by people seeking freedom of worship. South America was claimed by the church as its conquistadors forced the natives to accept the new religion. It is estimated that fifteen million died over forty years. And 49.5 million died during the whole colonial period. But in North America the pilgrims were free to pursue a Protestant Faith.

  - Water. Revelation 17: 15 tells us that water represents many peoples and nations. The Bible says that a flood came out of the mouth of the Dragon to sweep the church away. The flood represents armies used by the state and the church to exterminate the religion. This flood came out of the restless sea of people that existed in the Old World of Europe.
  - Earth. The opposite of water is earth. If water represents many peoples, then the earth represents a place with very few people. The earth also represents the altar of sacrifice. The place would be in the sanctuary of God but it would become a place where His people will be sacrificed.
    The Bible says that the earth swallowed up the flood of water. A new place that was different would open up. It would not be full of the wicked masses. That is the New Word and the American Continent and its islands.
  So Satan tried to destroy the church by a flood of persecuting peoples that would sweep it away, but the Bible says the church found refuge in an uninhabited wilderness. History is clear. The wilderness which came to the aid of the woman was America. It was America that swallowed up the flood of peoples immigrating from the Old World.
  Shortly before the end of the 1260 years, Protestants fled Europe to come to the wilderness of America to worship God in freedom. They believed they could worship God in America without being killed or put in prison.
- The Persecution Of The Remnant.
  And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
  And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. (Revelation 12: 17 to Revelation 13: 1)
  Satan was persistent. He killed the Child but the Child escaped death. He persecuted the woman but 1260 years later God found a hiding place for her. Now Satan persecuted the other children to whom she gave birth. Satan pursued the church to the New World.
  The Bible says the dragon in time followed the woman to America. In Revelation 13 the Bible focuses on the end time issue of the mark of the beast and the death penalty for refusing false worship. Revelation 13 focuses on the persecution of the remnant. The Bible teaches that the remnant would be the special object of Satan's anger and wrath right before the end.

The Remnant
The Bible teaches that there has always been a remnant of commandment keeping people who loved God. The Bible also teaches that this remnant has been a visible body that can be seen. The remnant usually came out of a larger body after a great persecution and God reestablishes His covenant with them. God used them to rebuild His church and to spread knowledge of Him throughout the world.
Obedient. Abraham is called the "father of the faithful" in the Bible. He called him out of Ur in the land of Babylon When the majority of the world had turned their back on God, God still had a movement in a faithful remnant. God blesses Abraham for a very important reason. He was obedient.
Because Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws. (Genesis 26: 5)
God's remnant, beginning in the days of Abraham, was a faithful body of believers that kept the commandments of God.
Small Group. The remnant have always been a minority.
For you are an holy people to the Lord your God: the Lord your God has chosen you to be a special people to himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all people. (Deuteronomy 7: 6)

The Remnant In Bible History
The concept of a remnant or a group that remains after a great persecution is a theme in bible history. This remnant rebuilds the foundations of the church of God in obedience to the covenant. The remnant have always been called out of idolatry in Babylon or out of slavery to sin. They are called from rebellion to obedience. Babel. Noah was called by God out of the old world. Only eight humans were faithful. It was their descendants that built Babylon as a place from which they would defy the judgments of God. Ur (Babylon). Abraham was called by God out of Ur, which is in Babylon. His descendants would be the people of God. Egypt. This was the land of slavery to sin. After the exodus, only three of the original group saw the Promised Land, two went in. Babylon. After this captivity, only a few wanted to leave Babylon. But Ezra and Nehemiah rebuilt the city and the knowledge of God. Rome. Babylon was a code name for Rome. The disciples recognized the similarities. After the crucifixion eleven apostles and a small group rebuilt the Christian church with the Gentiles and Jewish believers. Babylon the Great. After the papal persecution, the final remnant will call the church out of Babylon the Great. They will see both the Gentile and the Israel arm of the church unite into one global Israel.

The Remnant In The Last Days
The Characteristics Of The Remnant
And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12: 17)

1. Commandments. They keep the commandments of God according to verse 17.
   Since there are Ten Commandments, God's people must keep all Ten Commandments, including the Seventh day Sabbath which is Saturday. Therefore the remnant must be a Sabbath keeping Christian group.
2. Prophecy. They have the testimony of Jesus Christ according to Verse 17. John defines the "testimony of Jesus" as the "Spirit of Prophecy."
   And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to to me, See you do it not: I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. (Revelation 19: 10)
   The Bible says that the gift of prophecy would be manifest among God's people right before the end. And Daniel 12 promises that God would give wisdom and knowledge to the church at the end so that they could understand the sealed prophecies.
   And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Also upon the servants and the handmaids in those days I will pour out my spirit. (Joel 2: 28)
   ... these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. ... but those who have insight will understand. (Daniel 12: 9-10)
   Because they are called by God, He must communicate His plans to them.
   Surely the Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. (Amos 3: 7)
   The Bible is very clear that the remnant would be a prophetic movement. The manifestation of the prophetic gift would be seen among the remnant church just before Jesus returns. And through this gift, it would bear witness to Jesus. This group will understand the prophecies that were sealed until the time of the end.
3. Jesus Christ. They are a Gospel centered remnant. Revelation 14: 12 adds more.
   Here is the patience of the saints: Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
   The Bible says the remnant keep God's commandments. But it also says it has the "faith of Jesus." So the Bible teaches that the Remnant will lift up the Savior. It will be a movement that points to the cross of Christ as the only cure for sin.
4. Small Group. They are a religious minority in Christianity
   In verse 17 the Bible says that they are the "remnant." A remnant is not a majority. It is a minority. It literally means "the remaining ones." Let there be no confusion here. The Bible clearly teaches that main line Christianity, with its popular, compromising theology, is not the remnant church. Christianity today is divided into two classes. The first class is the majority. They keep some of God's Commandments, and some of Man's. The second class is the minority. They follow all Ten of God's Commandments, including the seventh day Bible Sabbath, out of Love. Jesus said.
   If you love me, keep my commandments. (John 14: 15)
   and Jesus answered and said to him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him. (John 14: 23)
5. After 1798. They arise after the 1260 years of papal persecution.
   In Revelation 12: 6,14 the Bible teaches that the church would go underground for 1260 years. After the persecutions of the Middle Ages, the remnant is pictured coming into existence shortly before the mark of the beast becomes an issue in America. The book of Daniel was unsealed in 1798. Revelation 10 taught, after the disappointment of 1844, God's people would emerge as a world wide movement.
6. The New World. They find their beginnings in the New World of America. The Bible says the dragon stood on the sand of the sea. So after 1798 he followed the church to America. The Remnant of Revelation 12: 17 is pictured arising in the New World before the Lamb beast, which represents the United States, joins forces with the Roman Church to bring the Mark of the Beast issue to focus.
7. Three Angel's Warnings. They teach the three angel's messages of Revelation 14: 6-12. These messages are the last warning to our world.
   1. Judgment Has Begun. Revelation 14: 6-7. The first angel proclaims the hour of God's judgment is come. Here the Bible teaches that the Remnant would proclaim the message of the judgment after the year 1844. The first angel's message also calls the last generation to return to the worship of the Creator. And the seventh day Sabbath is the sign of such worship.
      And it shall be for a sign to you upon your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the Lord's law may be in your mouth: for with a strong hand has the Lord brought you out of Egypt. (Exodus 13: 9)
      Speak you also to the children of Israel, saying, truly my Sabbaths you shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am the Lord that does sanctify you. You shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy to you ... (Exodus 31: 13 ,14)
   2. Come out of Babylon. Revelation 14: 8. The second angel announces the fall of Babylon, the end time religious system which disobeys God. Like all the remnant messages before, these also call the people out of Babylon!
   3. Mark of the Beast. Revelation 14: 9-10. The Remnant would warn the world of giving in to forced Sunday worship and receiving the Mark of the Beast. It would also point people to the seal and sign of God, which is the seventh day Sabbath. This would make people commandment keepers.
8. Global. They are a world wide movement. In Revelation 14: 6 the Bible says the remnant message must go with a "loud voice" to "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people."

While God had people in every denomination, there is only one group of people on earth today that meets or even professes to meet every one of these identifying marks of the prophetically identified remnant. That church is the Seventh day Adventist Church. This group has been called to be the prophets of Israel to rebuild the knowledge of God and to call the remaining church out of Babylon.

The Dragon, The Woman And The Seed
This is an example of a wheel within a wheel prophecy. At important phases within the fulfillment a persecuting dragon attacks a woman with an important seed. However, each phase produced a milestone in the fulfillment of the prophecy.

- Eve (Dragon Attacks). The war in heaven had begun before she was created to defeat Satan through her Seed. The dragon attacked her making it necessary to implement the Plan to bring the Seed that would crush Satan.
- Physical Israel (The Woman). The Promised Seed was born to this nation. God gave them an owner's manual on how to recognize and care for the Seed. Since the Seed would come through Israel Satan attacked with a series of nations. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. Pagan Rome made war with Israel and destroyed their temple (70 AD), exiled them from Jerusalem (136 AD) and scattered them.
- Mary (Promised Seed). After 4000 years the Promised Seed came through her. He was attacked by the agents of the dragon since birth and was resurrected to heaven after His murder.
- Spiritual Israel (The Remaining Seed). Papal Rome continued the war with both branches of Israel. In the end Babylon the Great will attack all Israel. The dragon enters the sea just as Pharoah entered the sea to pursue Israel. Then the church will be born again as a young child who will be persecuted before they are caught up to heaven in the resurrection and rapture at the Second Coming.
- Restoring The Land, People And Sanctuary. God places His name on three objects, the land, the people and His sanctuary. Prophetic time restores all three.

| The Seven-Headed Dragon | Eighth Head ... in The Sea
--- | --- | ---
The Fall Of The Dragon | The Mother Of The Seed | The Birth Of The Seed | The Rescue Of The Children
Dragon | Woman | Seed | Dragon | Woman | Seed | Dragon | Woman | Seed | Dragon | Woman | Seed
Serpent | Eve | Promised | Nations | Israel | Judah | Rome | Mary | Jesus | Satan | Church | Remnant
Land Ruled | People Ruled | Sanctuary Ruled | Sanctuary Vindicated

Repetition and Enlargement
Sanctuary Movement.

Pregnant Woman | Signs in Heaven | Dragon | War Against The Remnant
--- | --- | --- | ---
Ark of the Covenant | The Goat Attacks | The Little Horn Attacks | Holy Objects Arrive |
Moses Aaron | Judah |  | Gershon | Merari | Reuben |  | Kohath | Joseph | Dan | Asher | Naphtali
Led by Christ (Priest and King) | Sanctuary Destroyed | Affliction | Wilderness Sanctuary | Dragon's Flood | Earth Opens | Image Lives
Child Killed and Escapes

The law about the disassembly and movement of the sanctuary and tribes gives us more insight into the sequence of events in Revelation 12 and 13. In it we can also see how Satan is responding to the movement of the righteous.

- The Pregnant Woman from Judah. The child from the tribe of Judah is on the move. He comes to earth as the seed of the woman, Israel.
- Sign in the Heavens (Gershon Moves). The signs in the heavens appears when the ceiling is moved.
- Gad (Raider). The war in heaven is as a result of the victory obtained in Gethsemane. The One who was raided by the murderous mob fights back against the heavenly forces and defeats them with the blood He shed in Gethsemsne. Satan was thrown out of heaven after Gethsemane.
- In the Wilderness (Joseph). The beloved church is tabernacled with God in the wilderness as the dragon waits to attack again.
- Dragon and Two Beasts (Dan). The moment the traitor Antichrist appears, the dragon completes the partnership. We can see the two on the cross beside him as the two beasts of Revelation 13.
- Earth Opens Its Mouth (Asher). The earth opened up its mouth and swallowed the flood. This is good news. However, the symbolism also shows that this is a death phase but Asher will be fed with rich bread.
- Breath To The Image (Naphtali). The beast has power to resurrect the image and he makes war. The great war of Armageddon begins here. The separation marks the sheep (image of God) and goat (image of the beast).

Time Prophecies.

1260 Years Of Persecution
Time | Text | Persecution and Protection | The Tyrant Works
--- | --- | --- | ---
Evil Rules | 42 months | Month | Revelation 13: 5-7 | Beast with blasphemous words given authority | Blasphemes God, kills
42 months | Revelation 11: 2 | The wicked trample the Holy city | Tramples the church
5 months | Revelation 9: 5,10 | Smoke from the pit torments | Satanic lies rule
Good Afflicted | Time, times and half a time | Year | Revelation 12: 14-15 | Church in the wilderness protected | Sends a flood after the church
Time, times and half a time | Daniel 12: 7 | How long until the power of the holy people are shattered? | Shatters the holy people
Time, times and the dividing of time | Daniel 7: 25 | Saints given to a persecuting king who speaks against God | Changes times and laws. Speaks against God. Wears out the saints
Many days | Daniel 11: 33 | Saints martyred by sword, flame and captivity | The church falls by the sword, flame, captivity and plunder
Good are Faithful And Helped | 1260 days | Day | Revelation 11: 3 | Two witnesses prophecy as they are in mourning | Church prophesies under a difficult situation
1260 days | Revelation 12: 6, 13 | Woman nourished in the wilderness | Dragon persecuted the church
1290, 1335 days | Daniel 12: 11-12 | Final abomination of desolation | Waiting for vindication
Covenant Judgment | 3.5 time units | Year | Deuteronomy 5: 9 | Judgment falls between the third and fourth generation
3 to 4 Years | Leviticus 19: 23-25 | Fruit forbidden for three years, offered to God in the fourth
70 weeks of weeks | Week | Daniel 9: 24 | Time given for the holy city and the holy people to finish transgression
7000 weeks of years | Revelation 21 | After 7000 years the Holy City comes down with the holy nation who will inherit the new earth
Day of Judgment | Hour | Revelation 16; 9:15; Revelation 14:7 | The time of judgment arrives. It is short or real time (1 hour to 15 days)

The time prophecies are based on the Hebrew calendar. It had 30 days in each month. That is 360 days in twelve months. Therefore, 3½ years is equal to 42 months and also 1260 days. Why does the bible use three different methods to describe the same time period?
Each method of description is related to the object given the specific type of time.

- Day (Righteous). This prophecy is based on the year for a day principle. A day of prophetic time is a year of real time. All the prophecies that use this description of time are about the fate of the righteous during this evil time.
  Bear Iniquity. for I have assigned you a number of days corresponding to the years of their iniquity, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall carry the iniquity of the house of Israel ... lie down on your right side, and you shall carry the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed you each day for a year. (Ezekiel 4: 5-6)
  Bear Iniquity. After the number of the days in which you searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall you bear your iniquities, even forty years. (Numbers 14: 34)
- Time (Righteous). The "time" is equivalent to one year. "times" is two years. Longer periods are given with their actual count. When Nebuchadnezzar was punished, it was for a period of "seven times" this was later explained as "seven years".
  and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven times will pass over you ... (Daniel 4: 32)
  All the prophecies that use this description of time are about the times of affliction of the righteous.
- Months (Wicked). Forty two is a number that is always associated with the wicked. In the two places where the time is described as 42, it is about the time of supremacy of the evil one and specifically about their actions.
- Hour (God). God acts and executes judgment. Revelation 18: 10, 17, 19 Revelation 17:12 Revelation 14:7 Revelation 11:13 Revelation 9:15 Revelation 8:1 Revelation 3: 3,10

Days and Years. Then God said, "let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years". (Genesis 1: 14)
According to this covenant, the day and the year must be reliable and they are created by the actions of the sun, a symbol of God. However the month was not reliable because it is based on the actions of the moon, a symbol of the church.
The week was created by the actions of God as a covenant with all creation. WIthin this period the cycle of creation is completed.

The Time Laws.
These time prophecies are based in the law. As a righteous judge and ruler, God cannot allow sin to reign indefinitely and He cannot allow the righteous to suffer indefinitely. So the covenant had time built into the promises.

3.5 Periods | 3.5 Periods
--- | ---
Period 1 | Period 2 | Period 3 | Righteous (40) | Wicked (42) | Period 4 | Period 5 | Period 6 | Sabbath
Seed | No Results Expected | God Inspects Fruit | We Enjoy The Fruits

All these time periods have the same common elements. The third to fourth year (36-48 months) is the period of inspection or judgment. Historically, this has been 40 periods of time (months) for the righteous and 42 for the wicked, exactly 3.5 years.

- Third Commandment (Idolatry). The wicked are judged in the third and fourth generation.
  Idolatry Has Limits. You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them nor serve them, for I, the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing loving kindness to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Deuteronomy 5: 8-10)
- Harvest Laws. The end of sin and the maturation of the righteous are symbolized as a planting and a great harvest. The righteous are the fruit that God comes to claim, while the wicked are the weeds that God intends to burn at the harvest. Consequently, there is a time set for planting and for harvesting and God promises to give rain and light to make the seed grow.
  Plant Fruit. When you enter the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it shall not be eaten.
  First Fruits. But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord.
  Harvest Belongs To The People. In the fifth year you are to eat of its fruit, that its yield may increase for you, I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19: 23-25)
  When God plants a movment, or a people or any work He does not expect results until the fourth year.
- Sanctuary Laws (Plan Of Salvation). The sanctuary roof has two time periods enshrined in two layers of its structure. One represents physical time periods in the length of solar or lunar days in a month and the other represents the spiritual time periods.
  - Lunar Time (40 Days and 28 Days). The linen layer is 40 cubits by 28 cubits. Linen represents the clothes of the righteous (Exodus 26: 1-3).
  - Solar Time (42 Days and 30 Days). The goat's hair layer is 42 cubits by 30 cubits. Goat represents the sin and guilt offering. Goat hair represents the covering of the deceiver (Exodus 26: 7-9).
  So the law sees time as a covering for the people. When our covering is removed, the covenant ends.
- Universal Sabbath: Judgment And Freedom Laws. The previous laws show the time restrictions on individuals and familes and sometimes nations. These laws are time periods for nations and for the planet. They are based on multiple instances of the 3.5 year period. These laws begin on Yom Kippur and are tied into the judgment.
  Freedom Begins On Yom Kippur (The Day Of Atonement). You are also to count off seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven Sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years.
  Shofar. You shall then sound a ram's horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. (Leviticus 25: 8-9)
  God will increase the harvest in the sixth year so that there will be enough for three years. When there is a jubilee we will have enough for four years. So, even in this law, God provides for us for three to four years.
  - Land Sabbath (7 Years) Leviticus 25: 20-22. The land Sabbath shows that God will give two sets of 3.5 year periods to restore the land. The second set is different in that rest is imposed in the final year. God made a covenant with the land to give it rest. When we violate the covenant with the land, God is required to remove us from the lans so that it can have rest.
    Israel's covenant with God was that the land was theirs as long as there were heavens above the earth.
    Land Covenant With Israel. So that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them as long as the heavens remain above the earth. (Deuteronomy 11: 21)
    So when the land covenant with the earth ends, then we must be removed from the earth, or we must fall asleep in the rest called death. Then the earth can enjoy the 1000 years of weekly and land Sabbaths that it was denied for the past 6000 years.
    God Keeps The Land Covenant. Then the land will enjoy its Sabbaths all the days of the desolation while you are in your enemies' land; Then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it will observe the rest which it did not observe on your Sabbaths, while you were living on it. (Leviticus 26: 34-35)
    The Second Coming is a time when all covenants are finally kept so that this covenant can finally expire.
    Earth's Covering Removed. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord has spoken it. (Isaiah 25: 7-8)
  - Jubilee Sabbath (50 Years) Leviticus 25: 8-12. The Jubilee follows seven sets of land judgments with rest imposed in the last year and the start of the next.

Here we get a background into the reasons for Satan's animosity. This chapter chronicles his efforts to persecute the church of God.
He first tries to persecute Christ for 3.5 real years. After Christ escaped, he persecuted the object of God's affection - the church for 3.5 prophetic years. In this effort he corrupts the church as much as he could. We see the same time period of 1260 years mentioned in many prophecies. It is the longest persecution of the church.
Finally, when God rejects the corrupted church Satan goes after those that remain true to God - the remnant.
The next chapter talks about the last persecution. You will see how he tries to persecute this remnant who are devoted to his enemy - Christ. They stand in opposition to his desperate attempt to consolidate all power in the world and build his satanic empire. The remnant fight back by giving the last message of warning to the believers of God who are still a part of the corrupted empire - get out of Babylon! She has fallen.

Study to show yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2: 15 | Time: 60 minutes Print: 11 pages
Copyright Updated : November 2008, 2011 Credits: Author: Laverna Patterson. Editor: Patterson (January 2008)