The War For Israel
Matthew Maher
Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. — Revelation 12:13
• The first time Jesus came, it was through Israel. The second time Jesus will come, it is to Israel.
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. — Revelation 12:14
• God's providence goes before every circumstance.
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. — Revelation 12:15-16
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. — Revelation 12:17
• From Genesis to Revelation: When Satan can't destroy the covenant root, he attacks the covenant fruit.
Additional Scriptures Referenced: Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:10-12; Daniel 11:41; Isaiah 16:1; Isaiah 16:4; Isaiah 63:1; Micah 2:12; Revelation 13:5; Daniel 7:25; Daniel 12:7; Isaiah 8:7-8; Jeremiah 46:7-8; Exodus 15:12; Numbers 16:32
Discussion Questions
1. Revelation 12:6 says Israel flees to "a place prepared by God," while verse 14 describes God providing the means of escape and nourishment. What does this teach us about God's providence and preparation before His people ever encounter a trial?
2. Where in your life are you struggling to trust God because you cannot yet see His provision or preparation? How does the truth that "God's providence goes before every circumstance" change the way you approach that situation?
3. Revelation describes the same final 3½-year period as 1,260 days, 42 months, and "a time and times and half a time." Why is this repeated time period significant to understanding the final half of Daniel's seventieth week?
4. In verses 15–16, the Dragon attempts to overwhelm the woman, but "the earth helped the woman." What biblical patterns of deliverance does this language bring to mind? What does it reveal about God's ability to use creation to accomplish His purposes?
5. Revelation 12:17 identifies believers by two characteristics: obedience and witness — they "keep the commandments of God" and "have the testimony of Jesus Christ." What would obedience and witness look like for a Christian living faithfully today?
6. Throughout Revelation 12, the Dragon repeatedly fails: he cannot devour the Child, prevail in heaven, destroy the woman, or overcome God's purposes. How should knowing the enemy is active but ultimately defeated change the way Christians respond to spiritual opposition?
7. "Whatever is chosen by heaven will be hated by hell, but it will be held by the hand of the Almighty." How does Revelation 12 demonstrate both sides of that statement?