Summary:

1. The devil has a few names: dragon, serpent, Satan. This reflects the different methods he employs to deceive us. Be discerning; do not let your guard down.
2. To not be swept away by the flood of the world, ask God to open the understanding of our hearts, that we may be able to comprehend the Scriptures.
3. How can we triumph over the devil? (1) By the blood of the Lamb - he can’t accuse us of sins anymore! (2) By bearing testimony - being the one to bear testimony is very different, it gives you conviction and strength in the faith. (3) By not loving our lives to the death - better to suffer for a moment now than suffer for eternity later.

The test of the wilderness

Rev 12:14-16
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. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

In the previous sermon, how the woman fled to the wilderness from the serpent was covered. Fleeing to the wilderness doesn’t mean exemption from the devil’s persecution. She fled to the wilderness but the serpent/devil spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after her.

The world is in the clutches of the evil one. Where on earth can we escape from him?

When we flee into the wilderness, we accept the test that comes from God. In the wilderness, God will nourish and protect us for 1260 days (v6). Protection doesn’t mean being free from persecution, rather we won’t be harmed by the devil. Just like God didn’t allow the devil to kill Job but allowed the devil to persecute him. When God allowed the devil to test Job, it was God’s way of testing him in the wilderness. In the test of the wilderness, Job emerged victorious but his wife failed. Not only do we flee into the wilderness, resolve to triumph and be a victor over the devil. We need to recognise the wiles of the devil.

Rev 12:7-9
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

We don’t really know why war broke out between the devil and his angels, and Michael and his angels, but we can see the outcome. The dragon/devil didn’t prevail. There’s no longer a place for them. Some people say the power of the devil and God are of equal standing. But in this war, he couldn’t even prevail against the archangel Michael! Don’t be deceived by anyone that the devil is as powerful as God and fear him. We must believe and trust in the Lord that we will be able to prevail over the devil no matter what he does.

The devil has different names which shows the different methods he uses to persecute us

1. A great, fiery red dragon having 7 heads and 10 horns, and 7 diadems on his heads (v3)
This is different from the dragon Chinese imagine so let’s not get mixed up. This reflects arrogance and pride. He thinks he is complete in his power and glory. Great fiery red dragon means he’s very fierce.

2. Serpent of old (v9)
The very one that tempted Eve to sin against God. This means he’s cunning and deceives.

3. Satan (v9)
The meaning of Satan is ‘the accuser’. v10 says he accuses our brethren day and night before God. He also uses people belonging to him to be our accusers. Satan is the adversary. Not only is Satan adversarial towards God, he’s also adversarial towards God’s children.

He uses all powers and systems in the world to go against us. In Acts of the Apostles, the devil applies all kinds of methods to attack the people of God. Sometimes he appears as the dragon, sometimes the serpent, sometimes the accuser Satan. He either uses cruel methods or deceptive ways. He either accuses us or has animosity against us. Apostle Paul tells us it’s not that we aren’t aware of the wiles of the devil. Whatever means he employs, victors in the church will rely on the Lord to overcome him. The main work of the devil is to deceive the entire world. How could the devil deceive so many people? It’s because he can change his appearance anytime he wants to deceive people.

v4 And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
He stood BEFORE the woman wanting to eat the child up as soon as he was born.

v15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
Now he’s BEHIND the woman spewing water.

If he’s always appearing before you as a dragon, we would have our guard up. But if he changes into a serpent who creeps up from behind, we may let our guard down. Satan can appear as an angel of light. His servants may also appear to be servants of righteousness. But we must be discerning; don’t be deceived so easily. The devil also appears as a great harlot to deceive.

Rev 17:1
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters

Who is the great harlot?

Rev 17:18
And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.

Rev 17:5
And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

‘Babylon the great’ refers to this sinful world. This great harlot sits on many waters. What does it mean to sit on many waters? Rev 17:15 explains the waters are peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues. The great harlot is not represented by any nation or religion. Although many reference texts and scholars who interpret according to history think it refers to a certain nation or religion. But in actuality, the great harlot sits on many peoples, nations, religions. She’s not representative of any one, she represents the entire world. Every tongue would be under her sway. Why does the Bible use waters to represent the many peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues? To show they were in the waters of the great harlot and couldn’t save themselves.

How to not be swept away by the flood of this world

Rev 12:15
So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.

Waters spewed out. This refers to all kinds of sorceries, all kinds of harlotries.

Water will first be mere saliva and then grows into a great flood. At first, it’s just a small trend with a few followers. But then it becomes a mainstream. For example LGBT. At first it was just minuscule where people were in the closet and didn’t dare to come out. But now it’s open. Gay marriage is now legal in some countries. Some Christian churches recognise this law and even conduct weddings for them. They have been swept away by the water from the serpents mouth. They’re under the torrent of the great harlot.

Rev 17:2
with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

Whether you’re a king or a commoner, all are drunk with fornication and can’t be awakened. Even those called Christians are also under the spell of her drunkenness.

Why was this woman who represents the church not able to be swept away by the waters spewed from the serpent’s mouth?

Rev 12:16
But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

The earth helped the woman by opening up its mouth. This is not the physical earth. It represents the grounds of our hearts. We ask God to open our hearts up, then we won’t be swept away by the torrents that come out of the mouth of the devil.

Luke 24:45
And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

The disciples read the Scriptures and had heard Jesus explain the Scriptures for 3 years. But some of the truth of the scriptures, especially about the Messiah needing to die and resurrect, seemed hard for them to understand. Even after Jesus died resurrected and manifested Himself to them multiple times, some disciples still couldn’t believe it.

In Luke 24:13, two disciples on the road to Emmaus couldn’t recognise Jesus. Jesus asked why they had a sad countenance. They related what had happened in Jerusalem that Jesus had died. Jesus’ tomb was empty but they still didn’t understand. Jesus said to them in v25-26, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”

It wasn’t just these 2 disciples, even the apostles hand picked by the Lord Jesus doubted.

Luke 24:44-45
Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

Jesus opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures. Apart from diligently reading the Bible, we still need to ask the Lord to open the understanding of our hearts, so we can really comprehend. Not just part believe and part doubt; part understand and part don’t understand. If not, it’s easy for us to be swept away by the torrents of the devil. If we’re clear about what the Scriptures say, we can stand firm and discern the deceptive plots of the devil. But if it’s still very fuzzy in our heads, if we don’t understand Scriptures, it will be easy for us to be deceived. We’ll be swept away by the waters spewed from the serpent’s mouth.

Rev 17:3
So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Not only does the woman sit on many waters, she also sits on a scarlet beast. This shows us where her powers come from. 7 heads and 10 horns full of blasphemy. This shows the woman has the backing of the devil and his angels. Jesus tells us backing up the kings of the earth is the devil.

Rev 17:4
The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.

Isn’t this the very description of this world? On the outside it seems very beautiful and noble, but inside is full of abominations and filthiness. What kind of sin is most prevalent in this world? Not murder, but fornication. In the past, fornication was an adult thing. But now it involves teenagers too. The numbers are increasing and it’s crept into the truth. Those excommunicated due to deviation of the truth are few, but those due to fornication are many.

Rev 17:6
I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

With the power of the devil, this woman persecutes the children of God. This power is religious and political. This is represented by the 2 beasts in chapter 13 - from the sea and from the land. When we read the descriptions of the two beasts, we realise their political and religious power. If you belong to the world, it’ll love you. But because you’re not of the world, because you’ve been chosen out of the world, the world hates you. The devil uses politics and religion to bring you to harm. We need to strengthen ourselves in the Lord to triumph over the devil’s attacks. But to triumph over the devil, there are 3 factors we must have.

3 factors to triumph over the devil

Rev 12:10-12
Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

The brethren overcame the devil by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, by not loving their lives to the death. When we read Revelation, it’s important for us to know the work of the devil and his ploys. We need to see how the ancient saints overcame his ploys.

1. By the blood of the Lamb
When Jesus completed the work of salvation on the cross, the devil fell from the heavens.

Rev 12:10
Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

How is it the accuser able to be cast down? Because salvation, the strength and authority of Christ, had come. The blood of Christ forgives our sins. The devil is not able to accuse us in heaven. Who can accuse the elect of God? God has justified them. Who can condemn? Because Christ has resurrected, and is now at the right hand of God interceding. Jesus didn’t just die on the cross and resurrect to wash our sins away, He’s ascended to heaven at the right hand of God to intercede for us. So even though we still have weaknesses and sin, as long as we confess our sins and repent, God will still forgive us of our sins through the heavenly intercession of Jesus Christ. It’s only through His blood that we can overcome the devil and his accusations. We must treasure the blood of Jesus Christ. But in actuality, many Christians despise or even trample on the blood of Jesus Christ. They treat it as a common thing. How do we know? We can observe it during Holy Communion. Just like what happened in the Corinthian church. Some didn’t even believe it was the blood of Jesus; just common bread and grape juice; that at most, it’s just symbolic. They didn’t understand the solemnity of the blood and flesh of Jesus Christ in the elements of the Holy Communion. Will we make the same mistake and not treasure the precious blood? Only the precious blood can wash our sins away. We must esteem and treasure it.

2. By the word of their testimony Hearing the testimony of the word of others and bearing testimony yourself are different. When you yourself bear testimony, you affirm once again the word you believe. Today many Christians fall by the devil because they don’t bear testimony. They fear bearing the word. The more we don’t bear the word, the more we don’t have strength to overcome. But the more we bear, the greater strength we will have. We must bear witness. Jesus has said we are His witnesses. We thank the Lord for saving us. But we often forget one reason Jesus saves us is to make us His witnesses. Once we have the opportunity, bear the word of God to our loved ones. Then we will receive affirmation and reinforcement in our faith.

3. By not loving their lives to the death
Many Christians could not overcome the devil because they were fearful of death or pain. If we’re not afraid of suffering or death on account of the Lord, would we be afraid of the persecution of the devil? We should be willing to suffer or even die for Jesus because He first suffered and died for us. The Lord reminds us not to fear the one that can harm the body but the one that can destroy both body and soul (Matt 10:28). Place the word of the Lord deep in our hearts. Often recount it and bear testimony of it. We’d be strengthened by the word of God to overcome.

Time is short, even the devil knows

Rev 12:12
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.

The devil knows he has a short time. Through the mouth of men who were possessed, demons cried out to Jesus, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us BEFORE the time?” (Matt 8:29) The devil knows that he will be cast into hell for eternal torment one day. He knows he has little time left, so he’s come down to earth with great wrath because he wants to pull us down to hell. Do we know it’s but a short time before the Lord’s judgement comes? Shouldn’t we quickly make ready ourselves? There is little time left to evangelise and save souls. Shouldn’t we seize hold of the short time to save our loved ones?

We believe the coming of the Lord is nearing. As we observe the signs of His coming occurring, we should all the more prepare ourselves. Let’s pray for our loved ones so spirit of the Lord moves us. To give us strength and courage to bear His word so their souls can be saved because time is indeed short.