Summary:
God gives us two wings of a great eagle to escape far and swiftly from the devil’s persecutions. How can we receive this?

1. Through prayer: We often don’t want to pray because we think we are weak. It’s precisely when we’re weak that we need prayer! It’s when we don’t want to pray that we need to pray! Otherwise we would enter into temptation.
2. Though the word of God: Sometimes even though we read the Bible and listen to sermons, it doesn’t help. Why? Because we just take it as a task to tick off. As we read the Bible, do we get closer to God and trust Him day by day?

Who is the male child, what is the rod of iron, and what does it mean to be caught up to the Lord?

Rev 12:5
She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.

In part 1 of this series, the woman with child was said to be the church of the Lord. When giving birth to spiritual children, the church will cry out in pain. But Jesus comforts us that after a child is born, we would rejoice. The woman bore a male child who would rule the nations with a rod of iron. This male child doesn’t refer to Jesus Christ because he didn’t go through death before being caught up to God and His throne. But Jesus had to go through sufferings, death and resurrection before ascending to heaven. The male child doesn’t necessarily point to one person but an entire group of victorious Christians in the church.

Rev 2:26-27
And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’— as I also have received from My Father

“to him I will give power over the nations”
This power isn’t the power of politics to rule over the world. It’s the authority of the gospel that lifts us out of the oppression of the nations. For example, the Roman Empire used its political power to oppress the Jerusalem church. But the truth of the gospel wasn’t enchained; it was victorious over the oppression of the Romans. The gospel flourished and was even preached to Rome! He’ll also dash the nations into pieces like the potter’s vessel using a rod of iron.

The rod of iron refers to the word of the Lord. In Acts, victorious Christians dashed others into pieces like the potter’s vessel. The church today must hold on to the word of the Lord and use it to overcome all barriers.

The child who was born was caught up to God and His throne. This being caught up doesn’t refer to our future resurrection when we’re caught up to the Lord. Rather, it refers to our baptismal resurrection when we’re raised to be with Christ.

Eph 2:4-6
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

We were raised with Christ. When we were dead in trespasses, He made us alive in Christ. Before believing in Christ, our bodies may be alive but our souls were dead in sin. Life seems to be full of happy merrymaking and enjoyment, but actually we’re all waiting for the death of our bodies. Only after baptism did we resurrect with Jesus. We’re no longer dead in sin; our sins have been forgiven. We won’t enter into judgement or hell, but into the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the abundant mercy God shows us.

We are also seated with Christ in the heavenly places. After baptism, we become children of God able to sit beside Jesus in the heavenly places. This means our status has been elevated to be beside God. Our seats have already been prepared in heaven. We are already citizens in heaven. We are awaiting to receive our inheritance. The Holy Spirit has been given as a guarantee of our heavenly inheritance. When we speak in tongues or hear others speak in tongues, and compare this phenomenon to the words of Jesus Christ, we realise our faith is true.

Let us be diligent in matters of faith. We must look at our transient lives from the perspective of eternity in heaven. Then we will not grieve about the things of the world and hold on to them.

Since we have our glorious thrones in the heavens, would we not look lightly upon the things of the world?

What overcomes the world? Is it not our faith? (1 John 5:4) What do we believe? We become children of God in baptism. We have our seats in heaven. The Holy Spirit has been given as evidence and truth. All this has been given to us, should we not lead our lives with reverence and fear?

Since we can be seated with Christ, we need not fear. If we’re seated with the speaker, we might be anxious because he is an old man who is at risk of collapsing from a heart attack. If we’re seated with the world, we would be anxious. Doesn’t the COVID-19 situation make you fearful? What we should fear is that we aren’t able to be seated with Christ in the heavenly places? They only think about this world. They pursue the comforts of this world and not the heavenly life that’s eternal. But the end of this world is destruction. Do we want to be destroyed with the world or sit with Christ in the heavenly places?

Rev 12:6
Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

The woman fled into the wilderness because the dragon wanted to devour her child (v4). The wilderness is not a place the devil can’t find us. It’s a place prepared by God where He would nourish us. The devil uses all kinds of ways to harm us, but God doesn’t allow the devil to harm us to the point of death. God has prepared a place for us in the wilderness to be nourished 1260 days.

Rev 11:1-2
Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.

The Gentiles shall tread the holy city underfoot for 42 months. 42 months is exactly 1260 days. These are the days the holy city would be persecuted. But within the holy city, God nourishes us with His word. But at the same time, God has a measuring rod to see if we measure up to His expectations. What are His expectations? Not just keeping His word and keeping our holiness, God wants us to overcome the temptations of the devil. From the 7 churches, we see that although believers were in the hands of God, they were also disturbed by the devil. While God nourishes us, God also allows trials to befall us so we can overcome them and measure up to His standards. The holy city is where God nourishes us but it’s also a wilderness God has prepared to train and toughen us up.

The wilderness is where God nourishes and trains you

Deut 8:2-3, 15-16
And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end—

The Israelites didn’t know why God led them through the long and difficult journey in the wilderness. Moses said it was because God wanted to test them. It helped them to learn how to trust God. Only by keeping close to God and following His footsteps could they inherit the promised land. This was really a wilderness without resources. There’s no food or water. In the wilderness, we can depend on no one but God to feed us with food and water to survive. In the wilderness we don’t depend on the food on hand because that would be gone soon. Even if we leave Egypt with our supplies, that would be depleted soon. We finish the food we have. But if we trust the God who supplies our needs, then there’s no need to worry about that. The wilderness training was to give them the realisation that men doesn’t live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. God will lead us through the wilderness until we reach the beautiful land of Canaan. The wilderness was really great and terrible. There were many things that endangered their lives. We have to depend on the protection of God to pass through it in peace. Today passes by peacefully. How about tomorrow? Will tomorrow be as safe and sound as today? We wish for this. But unexpected things happen. There will be unexpected things, but we want God with us. Then we won’t fear the unknown because God will help us go through it. Depending on God becomes a daily affair.

The wilderness is also a lonely place of solitude. Jacob was truly forlorn in the wilderness, he had no one to rely on. But God appeared to him in a dream and said He would be with him wherever he went. He received comfort and strength. In our wilderness journey, it’s unavoidable that we feel lonesome. But isn’t our Heavenly Father someone we can depend on and accompanies us all the way?

In the holy city we worship God. We receive manna, water and gracious protection that we live day by day by. But at the same time God tests us. He wants us to overcome the temptations of the devil and measure up to His expectations. He wants us to be able to overcome our environment. Today, many people have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, or have savings that are quickly depleting. We worry. We don’t see things turning for the better. This causes worry. Shouldn’t we all the more put our trust in God to supply all our needs?

Perhaps we aren’t suffering physically, but threatened emotionally and mentally. Perhaps there’s loneliness deep in our hearts. Whatever form the wilderness takes, let us not fear.

Deut 32:10-11
He found him in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings

Don’t just look at the howling wilderness as a wasteland. If God puts us in the environment of the wilderness, let’s not just think of it as a wasteland full of howling beasts. Be aware of God encircling and protecting us as the apple of His eye. In the wilderness let’s not be filled with fear and anxiety, but filled with trust in the Lord. Don’t look upon the wilderness as a wasteland where we can’t be nourished. Instead, look at it as the very place God has prepared to nourish and train us. Without such training, we will never meet the expectation of God; we would not be able to overcome the temptations of the devil. To be a victor in the church, we have to receive such training from God to be triumphantly. Training in the wilderness is torturous but we will be built up spiritually.

Eaglets like to keep within their comfort zone in the nests, so the mother eagle has to stir up the nest. Because the eaglets have been staying comfortably in their nest, even though they have wings, they’re weak and not trained to use them yet. So while struggling to take flight, they may fall. But before they fall, the mother eagle will spread her wings and take them up. She won’t let them be hurt. After this repeated training, the eaglets grow to be fierce eagles. They would be able to take flight and escape the snares of the hunters. We are eaglets who have wings that are not able to take flight yet, so we often fail and are not victorious. But Christ wants to help us become victors. Not only does He want us to be saved, He wants us to be victorious! Many people lose their crowns and are not victorious in the end.

To all the 7 churches, the Lord made the same request. While faced with all kinds of difficulties and challenges, God required all of them to be victors.

The holy city is a place of nourishment but also a wilderness of training.

Rev 12:13-14
Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.

The devil persecuted the woman. How did she avoid his persecution? She was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness. To escape the persecution of the devil, we can’t walk, we need to fly. How swift can our two feet be? There’s no way but to depend on the two wings of a great eagle given by God to escape far and swiftly. God didn’t give us wings of little birds that can’t fly far and fast. He gave us wings of a great eagle which gave greater power.

How will we be able to receive the 2 great eagle wings?

1. Through prayer
Mark 14:33-34, Luke 22:42-44
And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”

saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

When Jesus was about to carry His cross and drink the bitter cup, His soul was exceedingly sorrowful even unto death. He needed the Heavenly Father to strengthen Him, so He went into the garden of Gethsemane to pray. In His prayer, an angel from heaven appeared to strengthen Him. Even the Lord needed prayer for strength. What more us? We often think because we are weak, we don’t know how to pray and don’t want to pray. It’s precisely when we’re weak that we need prayer. It’s when we don’t want to pray that we need to pray. Otherwise we would enter into temptation. We have to ask the Lord to help us; to strengthen us in our weaknesses so we will want to pray to receive more strength; to not lead us into temptation but overcome the temptation of the devil.

2. Through the word of God
The word of God is our strength. It’ll enlivened our souls. It’ll comfort our souls. The word of God is a lamp to our feet so we won’t fall into snares. The word of God is a light to our path so we can see the light of hope in darkness. If we don’t read the Bible and listen to sermons, how then can we tap on God’s strength through the word to overcome the temptation of the devil?

We see how the Lord overcame the temptation of the devil in the wilderness. Whatever the temptation was, Jesus used the word of God to overcome. Without having the word of God, how can we overcome temptations that are deep in our hearts? We have to read the Bible. But sometimes even though we read the Bible and listen to sermons, it doesn’t help. Why? Because we just gloss over reading the Bible, we don’t read it with our hearts. The disciples’ hearts were open to the words of God. It moved them and became a strength. That helped them to understand the word of God and trust in it. If we just take reading the Bible as a task to tick off, we won’t really benefit from it. As we read the Bible, do we indeed get closer to God? We read everyday. But do we find ourselves closer to God, trusting Him day by day? We pray everyday. But we’re always waiting for the ‘amen’, wondering why the speaker hasn’t rung the bell yet. Each person prays, but different people have different feelings towards the prayer.

We want the two wings of the great eagle. One is prayer, one is the word of God. Strength comes from prayer and reading the word. We can’t do so with our own effort only. We need the Holy Spirit’s help so that our Bible Reading and prayer are sources of strength; so we become closer and closer to the Lord daily. Then we will have the strength to forge forward without fear and anxiety.

But let’s remember this. We cannot fly with just one wing. We need to both read the Bible and pray. We can’t just read the Bible and not pray. We can’t just pray and not read the Bible. A Christian life is one of prayer and reading the word. These are the two wings of the great eagle that can help us flee from the temptations of the devil.

May God grant us mercy and help.