VISIONS WITHIN VISIONS

5-4-25

Visions within Visions

Revelation 12:1–17 (ESV)
¹And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ²She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. ³And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. ⁴His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. ⁵She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, ⁶and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

• The woman
  • Mary,
  • The

Isaiah 66:7–8 (ESV)
⁷“Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. ⁸Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children.

Genesis 37:9–11 (ESV)
⁹Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” ¹⁰But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” ¹¹And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

• One who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron

Psalm 2:7–9 (ESV)
⁷I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. ⁸Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. ⁹You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

Revelation 2:26–27 (ESV)
²⁶The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, ²⁷and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.

• 1260 Days

Revelation 11:3 (ESV)
³And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

1. Points
   1. God has a ,
   2. There is , Jesus, The Christ
   3. The devil is seeking to God’s plans.

⁷Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, ⁸but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. ⁹And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

• The dragon
  • Devil (Diabolos) – (Greek) accuser, slanderer. Matt 4:1
  • Satan – (Hebrew) accuser, adversary (A title/position) Job 1:6
  • Lucifer – (Latin) light-bringer, morning star. Isaiah 14: 12
  • Ancient Serpent – sea monster, leviathan. Gen 1:21, Isaiah 27:1
  • None of these are the name of this being…
• Michael

Daniel 12:1–4 (ESV)
¹“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. ²And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. ³And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. ⁴But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

• Thrown down when?

Luke 10:18–20 (ESV)
¹⁸And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. ²⁰Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Isaiah 14:12–15 (ESV)
¹²“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! ¹³You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; ¹⁴I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ ¹⁵But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.

1. Point
   1. The Devil is not more powerful than God’s angels, let alone

¹⁰And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. ¹¹And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. ¹²Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

1. Points
   1. Victory comes through the
   2. The Devil is a very real and powerful

1 Peter 1:18–21 (ESV)
¹⁸knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. ²⁰He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you ²¹who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

1 Peter 5:8–9 (ESV)
⁸Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

¹³And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. ¹⁵The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. ¹⁶But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.

• Allegory/Imagery
  • Two wings of the great eagle (Supernatural Personal Aid)

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)
³¹but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Exodus 19:4 (ESV)
⁴‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

• • The wilderness (Time of , separation, dependence)

Deuteronomy 2:7 (ESV)
⁷For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” ’

• • Water like a river out of his mouth (Overwhelming )

Psalm 69:13–15 (ESV)
¹³But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. ¹⁴Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. ¹⁵Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.

• • The Earth opened its mouth (Supernatural through Nature)

Exodus 15:9–12 (ESV)
⁹The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’ ¹⁰You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters. ¹¹“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? ¹²You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.

1. Point
   1. Reliance is the key to making it through

¹⁷Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

• Her offspring…
  • Christians (You and I)
  • It is a war

Ephesians 6:10–13 (ESV)
¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

• He stood on the sand of the sea
  • The boundary of chaos and order (Ancient Cosmology, Tohu va Vohu).
  • Juxtaposition to Rev 10, The Angel of the Lord standing on the sea and sand.

1. Point
   1. A spiritual battle requires a response.

Amos 2:13–16 (ESV)
¹³“Behold, I will press you down in your place, as a cart full of sheaves presses down. ¹⁴Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain his strength, nor shall the mighty save his life; ¹⁵he who handles the bow shall not stand, and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself, nor shall he who rides the horse save his life; ¹⁶and he who is stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day,” declares the Lord.

Ephesians 6:14–18 (ESV)
¹⁴Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

• Truth, Righteousness, Readiness, Faith, Salvation,
  Word of God, Prayer, Alertness, Perseverance