The Battle For Christmas

Revelation 12:1-6

December 21, 2008

· In Mine Hill, N.J., Canfield Avenue School officials altered the words to the popular hymn "Silent Night" for their holiday concert, changing them from "Silent night, holy night" to "Silent night, winter night" (www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3643)

· In Monona, Wis., the manager of a retirement community that received some government grant money ordered the removal or covering of any religious Christmas decorations, such as those that depicted a nativity scene, angels, or the words "Merry Christmas" (www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3643)

· A special task force in a Colorado city has recommended banning red and green lights at the Christmas holiday because they fall among the items that are too religious for the city to sponsor. (www.wmamc.com/attackonchristmas/inthenews.html)

· In Memphis, Tenn., library officials told a woman that she could place a nativity scene on the community shelves, as long as it did not include the "inappropriate" figures of the baby Jesus, Joseph, Mary, and the wise men (www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3643)

Information like that is nothing new to any of you.

We are aware of the relentless attacks on Christmas.

Some we expect, some are so ridiculous we just have to laugh about them.

I understand why some aspects of Christianity are hated.

(opposition to immorality, global evangelism, or even Easter)

BUT WHY CHRISTMAS?

Travel back with me to the first ever recorded promise

That God made to Satan.

Genesis 3:14-15 “The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

It was obviously someone born of a virgin,

For women don’t have “seed”, and whoever this “seed” would be,

He would cause major problems for Satan.

He would be the One who would crush Satan’s head.

Satan started hating Christmas on that very day.

And he never will stop hating it.

The Battle we fight yearly for Christmas,

Is a battle that is against none other than Satan himself.

Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Satan is the usurper and he is ever at work to try and

Thwart this “seed” from God who will eventually crush his head.

So this morning let’s look at The Battle for Christmas.

And I want to show you, that while we may very well rise up and fight the battle for Christmas, we have absolutely no chance of losing it.

4 things.

#1 A WOMAN IN TURMOIL

Revelation 12:1-2

Because we are entering this book in the middle,

Allow me to take just a moment to let you know what is going on.

The first 11 chapters of this book flow chronologically, and depict what is commonly referred to as “The end times”

Chapter 11 ends with the blowing of the 7th trumpet

And the declaration that the days of the usurper have come to an end.

Revelation 11:15-16 “Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,”

This occurs only a few days or weeks away from the return of Jesus.

At that point, the flow of the book is interrupted,

And we enter this new parenthetical section

Consisting of chapters 12-14.

It covers the exact same time period as has already been covered,

Only it covers it from SATAN’S PERSPECTIVE.

We get to see Satan’s plans…

We get to see Satan’s schemes…

We get to see his way of thinking…

And it serves us well as we look at the battle.

To start John carries us back all the way to the beginning.

It is highly symbolic, but once you understand the symbolism,

It is quite easily to understand and apply.

And the first thing John chooses to show us is A Woman in Turmoil.

“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;”

Many assume that this woman is the Virgin Mary. (NOT)

This woman is actually not a woman at all.

John said she is a “sign”.

She is a symbol, she is a picture.

And she is representative of the nation of Israel.

Perhaps you will remember Joseph’s dream before his brothers.

Genesis 37:9-11 “Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, "Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?" His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.”

Jacob = the sun

Rachel = the moon

12 sons = 12 stars

This woman is Israel.

(2) “and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.”

This woman is “with child”

That means that this woman has a valid expectation

That someday a child will be born to her. She is “expecting”.

Correctly understood then, we know that Israel

Is eagerly looking to the arrival of a very important child.

We are talking about the “seed”, the Messiah.

Israel had many promises in her past

That someday the “seed” would come.

Perhaps the most famous:

Isaiah 9:1-7 “But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

And now we see her present state.

“and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.”

The tense here is actually in THE HISTORICAL PRESENT

Which better reads, “and she is crying out, being in labor…”

It was not a one time cry, but a continual cry for relief.

She is in turmoil and is desperately begging for the deliverer to arrive.

And we understand her turmoil.

The writer of Hebrews had this to say:

Hebrews 2:5-8 “For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. But one has testified somewhere, saying, "WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM? "YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS; YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR, AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET." For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.”

When God created this world, He did not give angels rule over it,

He gave rule over the world to man. Man was given dominion.

“He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.”

Man was supposed to be in control, but it is obvious that he is not.

In fact, in the garden, our control was usurped by an angel,

And he now is the god of this world.

And so Israel is crying out, she is in turmoil, she is in despair.

Things are not the way they are supposed to be.

Adrian Rogers once said:

“The world is in such a mess today because things are out of place. The King (Jesus) belongs on His throne. The bride (the church) belongs with the groom. The criminal (Satan) belongs in prison. One of these days, when the King is on the throne, the bride is with her groom, and the criminal is in prison, we will understand the way things are meant to be.” (Adrian Rogers, Unveiling the End Times in Our Time [Nashville, TN.: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2004] pg. 7)

That is precisely why this woman is crying out.

And her cry is heard many times in Scripture.

Psalms 89:46 “How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire?”

Psalms 80:4-6 “O LORD God of hosts, How long will You be angry with the prayer of Your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears, And You have made them to drink tears in large measure. You make us an object of contention to our neighbors, And our enemies laugh among themselves.”

Psalms 90:13-17 “Do return, O LORD; how long will it be? And be sorry for Your servants. O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness,That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us, And the years we have seen evil. Let Your work appear to Your servants And Your majesty to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands.”

Psalms 94:1-7 “O LORD, God of vengeance, God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O Judge of the earth, Render recompense to the proud. How long shall the wicked, O LORD, How long shall the wicked exult? They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly; All who do wickedness vaunt themselves. They crush Your people, O LORD, And afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger And murder the orphans. They have said, "The LORD does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed."

The cry for Israel was continual for God to send the one they expected.

They were waiting for “the seed”.

First we see, A Woman in Turmoil

#2 A DRAGON ON A TIRADE

Revelation 12:3-4

Now, it was not a literal woman, this is not a literal dragon.

Rather he is painted as a red dragon to reveal his cruelty and brutality.

This dragon is none other than the serpent in the garden,

He is Satan himself, who is of course a fallen angel of God.

And we are given some descriptors about him.

“having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.”

If you read further into the book of the Revelation we learn:

Revelation 17:9-13 "Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. "The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. "These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.”

These horns are symbolic of the kingdoms Satan has controlled. Five are over, one is presently in charge, and one is coming.

The seven kingdoms referred to are the seven kingdoms

That have specifically targeted the destruction of Israel.

EGYPT under the reign of Satan’s puppet – Pharaoh

Exodus 1:22 “Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, " Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive."

ASSYRIA under the reign of Satan’s puppet – Shalmaneser

2 Kings 17:5-6 “Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.”

BABYLON under the reign of Satan’s puppet – Nebuchadnezzar

2 Kings 25:8-11 “Now on the seventh day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He burned the house of the LORD, the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire. So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. Then the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the rest of the people, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away into exile.”

MEDO-PERSIA under the influence of Satan’s puppet – Haman

Esther 3:8-9 “Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not observe the king's laws, so it is not in the king's interest to let them remain. "If it is pleasing to the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry on the king's business, to put into the king's treasuries."

GREECE under the control of Satan’s puppet – Antiochus Epiphenes

Daniel 8:9-12 “Out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down. It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper.”

All five of those did their best to completely annihilate the Jews.

But they were not merely human empires.

They were empires controlled by Satan himself

And his demonic army.

(4) “and his tail swept away a third of the starts of heaven and threw them to the earth.”

The Bible teaches that Satan was an anointed cherub

Who was cast out of heaven.

Isaiah 14:12-15 "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.”

And when Satan fell, he took a third of the angels with him,

With them, he has manipulated 5 kingdoms to try and annihilate the Jews.

THE MAIN GOAL WAS TO ANNIHILATE THE JEWS

SO THAT THE “SEED” WOULD NEVER BE BORN.

The Battle for Christmas didn’t start a few years ago.

The Battle for Christmas has been being fought for generations.

Long before Satan ever tried to silence it,

He was working extremely hard to try and prevent it.

However, Satan was not able to accomplish his goal.

Moses delivered Israel from Egypt

Cyrus set God’s people free from exile.

Esther delivered God’s people from Persia

Judas Maccabeus delivered God’s people from Greece

Despite his hatred for Christmas,

Satan was not able to prevent the birth of the “seed”

That moves to the 6th kingdom,

Who did not try to prevent the birth,

But who desperately tried to kill Him once He arrived.

ROME under the Satanic controlled Herod

Matthew 2:16 “Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.”

And of course that was Satan’s scheme.

(4) “And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.”

Satan couldn’t stop the “seed” from coming

So his plan was to kill Him instantly.

But of course that plan failed.

#3 A CHILD IN TRIUMPH

Revelation 12:5

Despite all the attempts of Satan

“And she gave birth to a son, a male child”

After years of suffering under the curse, the “seed” finally arrived.

The destroyer of Satan had come.

It is in fact the miraculous incarnation of God.

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Colossians 2:9 “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,”

And then John shows us in one short statement

Why Satan (and the world) oppose Him so much.

“who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron;”

Satan doesn’t hate Him simply for being a Savior.

Satan hates Him for taking back what is rightfully His.

THE WORLD DOESN’T HATE THE BABY IN THE MANGER.

THE WORLD HATES THE KING ON THE THRONE.

THIS CHILD CAME TO RULE THE WORLD.

Many times at Christmas we focus solely on the Savior aspect.

And we are correct to focus on that.

He did not just come to be Savior, HE CAME TO BE LORD.

Listen to the Old Testament prophecies about Him.

Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

Micah 5:2-5 "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity." Therefore He will give them up until the time When she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren Will return to the sons of Israel. And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth. This One will be our peace. When the Assyrian invades our land, When he tramples on our citadels, Then we will raise against him Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men.”

No wonder Satan and the world today wants Him dead.

And yet even after successfully killing the “seed”, we read.

Acts 2:22-24 "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know — this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. "But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”

Satan succeeded in killing Him, he just couldn’t keep Him dead.

The “seed” arose from the dead.

And the verse 5 says:

“and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.”

After God delivered Him, God accepted Him.

Not just to His presence, but also to “His throne.”

It was determined that this seed would crush Satan and rule the world, and that is precisely what He will do.

Acts 2:32-36 "This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. "For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET."' "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified."

Psalms 2:1-9 “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!" He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain." "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. 'You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'"

You see the battle is over.

The Battle for Christmas cannot be lost, it has already been won.

THEN WHY DO WE STILL SEEM TO FIGHT?

Because Satan is too dumb to know when he is defeated.

A woman in turmoil, a dragon on a tirade, a child in triumph

#4 A WORLD IN TRIBULATION

Revelation 12:6

Christ ascended, but the woman stayed.

And while gone, the woman is supernaturally cared for by God.

(And it is needed, for tribulation is promised)

Even though Satan has lost, he will not give up the fight.

Revelation 12:12 "For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."

Later he does everything he can to kill the woman anyway,

But God delivers here from destruction.

Revelation 12:13-17 “And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male 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. 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. So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”

Satan doesn’t fight because he has a chance of winning.

Satan fights because he is a sore loser and is angry about defeat.

MY POINT TODAY IS THIS.

THE BATTLE FOR CHRISTMAS IS OVER

The struggles we face today are just against

A pathetic old dragon who is too dumb to know he is defeated.

The “seed” crushed his head, it is over.

Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

Hebrews 9:27-28 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

Sure it is fine to stand up for Christmas,

But don’t assume that we might someday lose the battle.

(The term “Happy Holidays” will not be used in heaven.

THE BATTLE HAS BEEN WON.

Satan couldn’t prevent His birth.

Satan couldn’t destroy His life.

Satan can’t defeat His followers.

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Revelation 1:7-8 “BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."