THE WOMAN AND THE DRAGON

PROCLAMATION

“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.  She was pregnant and … was about to give birth.  Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads … The dragon stood in front of the woman … so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.”  Revelation 12:1-5 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of prophecy which were revealed to, and written by, the Apostle John, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In this eleventh chapter of Revelation, while he was still in the spirit (Revelation 4:2), John was shown a vision. (Revelation 5:1, 6:1-17, 7:1, 8:1-2, 9:1, and 10:1)  Shortly after the seventh trumpet was sounded, there appeared two signs in heaven: one was a pregnant woman, who was about to give birth, dressed in the sun, and the other was a large red dragon with seven heads. (Revelation 12:1-3)  As the woman gave birth, her child was snatched up unto God before the dragon could get it.  The woman is symbolic for Israel and the child is symbolic for Christ.  The dragon is symbolic for Satan.  A war broke out in heaven and the dragon and his angels were defeated, kicked out of heaven, and hurled to the earth. (Revelation 12:7-9)  Enraged, the dragon pursued the woman and waged war against the rest of her offspring. (Revelation 12:13-17)

 

APPLICATION

The way I see this, the devil is mad because he was not able to stop Christianity at the very beginning and he is attacking everything that has grown out of it.  He is attacking the woman, Israel, and all of her other offspring, all Christians.  That is why we need God’s protection.  Satan is roaming about the earth seeking whom he may devour. (Job 1:7 and 1 Peter 5:8)  We need to put on the whole armor of God in order to withstand his attacks. (Ephesians 6:10-18)  He will not attack Christ; he has already lost that fight.

PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD TO STAND AGAINST EVIL

PROCLAMATION

“Finally, be strong in The Lord and in His mighty power.  Put on the whole armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."  Ephesians 6:10-13 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Ephesus.  Paul begins this final chapter by offering advice to children, telling them to obey and honor their parents. (Ephesians 6:1-3)  The parents were also admonished not to provoke their children, but to educate and train them in the ways of The Lord. (Ephesians 6:4 and Proverbs 22:6)  Paul also offered advice for the behavior of workers and bosses. (Ephesians 6:5-9)  Finally, as he ended this letter, he offered this advice to the believers, telling them to be strong in The Lord.  Paul told them to protect themselves by putting on the armor of God.  He followed this with specific instructions regarding how to do that and included a rationale for why it should be done. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

 

APPLICATION

As believers today we should also prepare for battle against evil.  The devil and his army are well-positioned for their attack.  However, as the Old Testament believers were told, the battle is not ours to fight, but it is The Lord God’s. (1 Samuel 17:47 and 2 Chronicles 20:15)  We will be attacked, and we will need special weapons and protective “war clothes” in order to survive the battle, to stand our ground, and keep the faith. (Ephesians 6:11-13)  We will need the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace about our feet, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith in one hand, the sword of The Spirit (The Word of God) in the other hand, and prayer in our mouth. (Ephesians 6:14-18)  We cannot overcome the devil on our own with our limited abilities and power.  As a Christian we will need the help of The Lord God in order to withstand and survive the devil’s attacks.  We have already been granted the victory through Jesus, The Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)  Stand firm with the help from God.

THE DAY OF SALVATION IS NEARER THAN WE THINK

PROCLAMATION

“… The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.  The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.  So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”  Romans 13:11-12 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the Apostle Paul under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to the believers in Rome.  Paul began this chapter by telling them to obey those who had governing authority over them because God has established them. (Romans 13:1-2)  That is also why he tells them that they should pay taxes and pay their debts. (Romans 13:6-8)  Then he encourages them to fulfill the law of love. (Romans 13:8-11)  Here, he says that the day of salvation is near.  It is time for them to put off their evil ways, put on the armor of God, and to clothe themselves in Jesus, The Christ. (Romans 13:12-14)

 

APPLICATION

As the old saying goes, “Wake up, it’s later than you think.”  The end of our time on this earth is almost here.  We all need to humble ourselves, and turn from our sinful ways and pray, and seek His face (2 Chronicles 7:14) while we can for once the day of salvation comes, and the grave has called, it will be too late. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)  We need to seek Him while He can still be found (Matthew 7:7) because there will come a time when it will be too late to seek Him. (Proverbs 1:28)  We need to put on the whole armor of God now. (Ephesians 6:11-18)  Don’t put off for tomorrow that which should be done today, for tomorrow is not promised to us.

 

BE A SOLDIER IN THE ARMY OF THE LORD

PROCLAMATION

“Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.”  1 Chronicles 12:22  (NIV)

EXPLANATION

When David marched on Jerusalem and captured it, (1 Chronicles 11:4-5) he had an army of men with him.  The twelfth chapter of First Chronicle identifies the men who were the leaders of the warriors that joined him and helped him in battle. (1 Chronicles 12:1-40)  There were over 300,000 fighting men in David’s army. (1 Chronicles 12:23-37)  These men all joined David to help him take the kingdom away from Saul and make David the king over all of Israel. (1 Chronicles 12:38)

APPLICATION

Everyone cannot join the army and fight for their country, but every believer has joined the army of God and we are all on the battlefield for our Lord.  Each of us has a job to do which fits our different set of skills.  There is no place in this army for cowards, God did not give us the spirit of fear. (2 Timothy 1:7)  We must be willing to march into hell and fight for a heavenly cause.  We just need to make sure that we put on the whole armor of God and be prepared to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)  We must stand up for that which is right and stand against that which is wrong.  We must do that which is good and right in the eyes of The Lord.  The battle is already won, and we have been given the victory through Jesus, The Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD TO STAND AGAINST EVIL

Proclamation:

“Finally, be strong in The Lord and in His mighty power.  Put on the whole armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Ephesians 6:10-13 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Ephesus.  Paul begins this final chapter by offering advice to children, telling them to obey and honor their parents. (Ephesians 6:1-3)  The parents were also admonished not to provoke their children but to train them in the ways of The Lord. (Ephesians 6:4 and Proverbs 22:6)  Paul also offered them advice for the behavior of workers and bosses. (Ephesians 6:5-9)  Finally, as he ended this letter, he offered this advice to the believers, telling them to be strong in The Lord.  He followed this with specific instructions regarding how to do that and included a rationale for why it should be done. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Application:

As believers today we should also prepare for battle against evil.  The devil and his army are well-positioned for their attack.  However, as the Old Testament believers were told, the battle is not ours to fight, but it is The Lord God’s. (1 Samuel 17:47 and 2 Chronicles 20:15)  We will be attacked and we will need special weapons and protective “war clothes” in order to survive the battle and to stand our ground. (Ephesians 6:11-13)  We will need the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace about our feet, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith in one hand, the sword of The Spirit (The Word of God) in the other hand, and prayer in our mouth. (Ephesians 6:14-18)  We cannot overcome the devil on our own with our limited abilities and power.  As a Christian soldier we need the help of The Lord God in order to withstand the devil’s attacks.  We have already been granted the victory but only through Jesus, The Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)  To God be the glory!!!

BELIEVERS ARE AT WAR WITH THE WORLD

Proclamation:

“For thought we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God …”  2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Corinth.  In this chapter, Paul offers a defense of his ministry and his attack on the false teachers who oppose the gospel of Christ.  Though physically weak in statue, Paul spoke boldly against them through the power of God. (2 Corinthians 10:10)

Application:

Because we are in Christ and He is within us, we are physically in this world but not of this world. (John 8:23)  The life of every believer is battle against Satan, and his principalities and powers, and the men of the world which he uses to corrupt the hearts of believers. (Ephesians 6:12)  The more useful we are to the purpose of God and His kingdom, the more we are attacked.  That is why we need to put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand strong against the devil. (Ephesians 6:11-18)  We must be on guard because the battle is not physical but psychological and spiritual.  The devil is after our mind and our heart, and if he can’t get them, he will attempt to destroy our credibility, influence, and effectiveness.  In truth, the battle against Satan is not ours, but God’s. (2 Chronicles 20:15)  We are just pawns in this game of chess, used for His purpose.  We need to make sure that we are ready for service in His army.  However, in this war we will be victorious. (1 Corinthians 15:57)  To God be the glory!

PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD SO THAT YOU CAN STAND

Proclamation:

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Ephesians 6:11-12 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Apostle Paul under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Paul begins this final chapter of his letter to the believers in Ephesus by addressing the children.  They are told to obey and honor their parents. (Ephesians 6:1-3)  Then he tells the parents not to provoke their children but to bring them up in the training and instruction of The Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)  After this Paul provides directions to servants and masters, which applies to workers and supervisors. (Ephesians 6:5-9)  Then he encourages the believers to be strong in The Lord and to put on the whole armor of God so that they may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-17)  He ends this chapter and the letter by encouraging them to pray on all occasions and asking them to pray for him. (Ephesians 6:18-20)

Application:

As believers we need to understand that we are constantly under attack by the forces of evil.  The only way that we can protect ourselves is by putting on the whole armor of God.  That is the only way that we can stand our ground when we are attacked.  We need to make sure that we are completely wrapped up in truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, and The Word of God.  Additionally, we should always pray about everything. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

THE GOOD THAT I WOULD DO I DON'T DO

Proclamation:

“For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do, this I keep doing. … For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.”  Romans 7:19-23 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the believers in Rome.  Paul stated that he was at war with himself, a constant inner struggle between his sinful nature and his knowledge of The Word of God.  (Romans 7:15 and 19)  He stated that he delighted in God’s law but still found himself at times doing the things which were wrong that he hated.  He knew that he was a wretched man and that only Jesus, The Christ, could deliver him. (Romans 7:24-25)

Application:

When we become believers and accept Jesus, The Christ, as our personal savior, we do not become perfect sin-free people.  Unfortunately, our old sinful nature is still within us.  We need to understand that on our own we do not have the power to defeat our sinful nature.  We need God’s help in order to resist the temptation to do wrong.  Sin no longer has complete control over our behavior but we need God’s help to fight off the urge so that we do not yield to influence of sinful temptation.  The more committed we are to walking God’s way, the more attacks we can expect to get from the devil.  That is why we need to put on the whole armor of God in order to withstand the attacks of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11-13)  The more wrapped up we are in the whole armor of God, (Ephesians 6:14-18) and in The Word of God, the more likely we are resist the temptation to fall into sinful behavior.  We cannot win this war on our own, we need His help.

DIRECT MY FOOTSTEPS ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD

Proclamation:

“Turn to me and have mercy on me, as You always do to those who love Your name.  Direct my footsteps according to Your word; let no sin rule over me.”  Psalm 119:132-133 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This is the seventeenth part, Pe, of this twenty-two part psalm.  David begins this part by praising The Lord and then he asks The Lord God to have mercy on him, to direct his footsteps and not allow any sinful habit to have rule over him.  He ends this part by asking that The Lord would let His presence shine upon him and states that he is saddened by the disobedience to God’s law.

Application:

We need to pray and ask The Lord God to order our steps. (Psalm 37:23)  We are sinful because of human nature and we need to pray that He will not let any sin control us.  We frequently have sinful thoughts and make sinful choices.  Only with His help can we resist sin and the devil. (James 4:7)  We are at war with sin and the devil and we need to put on the whole armor of God in order to stand up during his attacks. (Ephesians 6:11-13)  It should hurt us to the point of tears when we see The Word of God being disobeyed, especially by a child of God, and we should pray for them.

PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD

Proclamation:

"Finally, be strong in The Lord, and in His mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:10-12 (NIV)

Explanation:

In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus, he told them that The Lord God had already defeated Satan and his control over Christians through the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.  However, Satan was still able to attack and battle them and seduce them with cleaver crafty and cunning methods of deception to lure Christians into sin, immoral practices, and depraved abominations to turn them away from God.  The only way they could defend against this was to put on the whole armor of God.

Application:
We should recognize that we are in a battle every day of our lives. We are not fighting against people but we are battling the forces of evil.  However, we cannot win if we are fighting this battle alone.  To fight this battle against the devil and his evil forces we must be prepared, and have God's help.  To put on the whole armor of God we must gird our waist and loins with truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel, take up the shield of faith, wear the helmet of salvation, use the sword of The Spirit, which is The Word of God, and frequent prayer. (Ephesians 6:14-18)  We need to protect our eyes (sight), our mind (thoughts), our heart (desires), our hands (actions), our feet (walk), and our being (soul) from evil.  The things we watch, think, want, do, and the places we go reflect our lifestyle and are subject to evil influences which are sinful and not consistent with good Christian behavior.  Make no mistake about it, we need God's help to win this battle.  We need to pray daily and pray often.

The War We Fight Within And Without

"For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members."  Romans 7:22-23 (NIV)

Under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit of God, the Apostle Paul wrote these words in a letter to the believers in Rome.  He reminded them that there was a war going on within each one of them, a war between the spirit and the flesh.  The sinful nature of man was fighting against the spiritual nature which dwelt within them.  

Believers continue struggle daily with the sinful desires of the flesh.  Even when we would do that which is good and right, we slip back into our sinful and evil ways.  The Apostle Paul admitted that he had this problem, just as all believers do. (Romans 7:19)  Satan attacks our mind from within and from without.  We think sinful thoughts, and the world provides us with sinful temptations.  That is why we must daily put on the whole armor of God.  We must protect our loins with truth, our heart with righteousness, our feet with the gospel of peace, our body with the shield of faith, our mind with the helmet of salvation, using The Word of God as our sword, and  using prayer to preserve ourselves and others. (Ephesians 6:10-18)  We cannot stand, or win, against Satan without the help of The Lord.

We Need God's Help To Stand

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."  Ephesians 6:13 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul told them that after they had done all that they could do, they were to just stand.  He told them that in order for them to stand firm in the faith against the attacks of the devil, they would need to put on the whole armor of God.

The Bible does not tell us to attack the devil or his demons, we are told to resist him, and not to give in to him when we are tempted.  The only way that we can resist the devil is to submit to The Lord God. (James 4:7)  We need His help stand up to the attacks of the devil.  That is why we are told to put on the whole armor of God. (Ephesians 6:10-18)  We are in a battle against a smart, cunning, and powerful enemy.  We need the all powerful God's help. (Matthew 28:18)