The Watchman’s Call

Guest (Male): Standing at the intersection of the word and the world, there is a clear sound for uncertain times. Welcome to The Watchman’s Call. Join us as we stand on the ramparts of Scripture to examine the intersection of biblical prophecy and modern culture. The headlines are changing, but the blueprint has already been written. Listen as Pastor Andy Woods uncovers the prophetic significance of the world we live in. The Watchman’s Call starts now.

Dr. Andy Woods: And we're continuing our study that we started last time entitled "The Mystery of Antisemitism." You might recall that last time we identified antisemitism as an irrational and trans-generational hatred for the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I gave you a lot of examples in our world and in recent history of antisemitism, and what we're dealing with here in this series is where does antisemitism come from?

And perhaps the clearest chapter in the Bible that deals with this topic is Revelation chapter 12, so we are giving ourselves to a study of this particular chapter. We had a chance to read Revelation chapter 12, verses one through five, last time, and we noted that, yes, most of the things in the book of Revelation are to be understood literally. However, there are times in the book of Revelation where the writer, in this case John, will provide some kind of textual clue telling us that a symbol is in play.

And when a symbol is in play, there are simple rules that we can follow to discover the referent behind those symbols. So, the two rules are, when running into a symbol, search the immediate context because 26 times in the book of Revelation the symbol will interpret itself. And if that doesn't work, search the Old Testament since the book of Revelation has 404 verses in it, 278 of those verses are allusions or references back to the Old Testament.

And so, we've run into the Son, S-O-N. We found out a little bit about him in verse five. We ran into the dragon, verse three. And then we ran into the woman, verse one. Now, these are all obviously symbols of something. And as we analyze those symbols and apply those very simple rules that I gave you a little bit earlier, I think we'll start to gain some insight into exactly where antisemitism comes from.

So, let's apply our rules, shall we, and see if we can decipher these symbols. Who is the Son, S-O-N, the Messiah? Well, there really isn't anything in the context that tells us who the Son is, but as I made reference a little earlier, we believe that the Son is none other than the Messiah, Jesus Christ himself.

How do we know that? We know that because when you look at verse five, it talks here about how she gave birth to a son, a male child who was to rule all of the nations with a rod of iron. Now, if you know the Old Testament and you know Psalm chapter 2, verse 9, you know that that is a reference to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. That passage says, or that verse says, "You shall break them with a rod of iron and you shall shatter them like earthen ware."

And then you keep reading and it says that her child, that's the Son, was caught up to God and his throne. That's an obvious reference to the ascension of Christ that we find described in Acts chapter 1, verse 9. It says after he had said these things, he was lifted up while they were looking on and a cloud received him out of their sight. So, we're quite confident that the Son, S-O-N, verse five, is none other than Jesus Christ.

Well, if the Son is Jesus Christ, then who is the dragon? I think the dragon is easiest to identify because all you have to do is go down to verse nine. Revelation chapter 12, same chapter, verse nine says the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who was called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him.

And if that weren't clear enough, we have another reference identifying the dragon over in Revelation 20 and verse 2. It says he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. So, quite clearly, the dragon is a reference to Satan himself. Well, if the Son is Jesus and the dragon is Satan, then who is this woman there described in verse one clothed with the sun and the moon and 12 stars under her feet?

There's nowhere in the book of Revelation identifying that symbolism for us, so it must be something that is found in the pages of the Old Testament. There are a lot of people that will tell you that this woman is the church. Now, there's a big problem there. First of all, you don't find the word "church" in this chapter. In fact, you don’t even find the word "church" in the book of Revelation from Revelation chapter 4 until chapter 22 when John kind of signs off and says preach these things in the churches, Revelation 22, verse 16.

If there's any veiled references to the church in that futuristic section of the book of Revelation, the church is in heaven, not on the earth. And besides that, as we have studied these verses, Revelation chapter 12, verses one through five, what we have learned is the woman is giving birth to the Messiah. Now, the church never gave birth to the Messiah. Rather, it's the other way around. It's the Messiah or Jesus who gave birth to the church.

You might remember what Jesus said in Matthew 16 and verse 18. He said I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. So, very clearly, Christ there was speaking of something that he would give birth to. So, Jesus gave birth to the church and here the woman is giving birth to Jesus.

The church is the bride of Christ, destined to become the wife of the Lamb. She is not the mother of Christ. And so, people that try to identify this woman clothed with the sun and the moon and the 12 stars as the church, there's really no grounds for that. So, if this woman is not the church, then who is this woman? Well, let's apply one of our rules. Let's go back into the Old Testament.

Notice if you would, all the way back in the book of Genesis, chapter 37, verses nine and ten. You might recall that Joseph had a dream at the age of 17. It was a dream about his life, and that dream would not find its fulfillment or realization until a few years later at the age of 30 in Joseph’s life. But this was his dream and this is what made his brothers so jealous of him when he was a 17-year-old.

Genesis 37, verse nine, it says, "Now he had still another dream and related it to his brothers and said, 'Lo, I have had still another dream.'" Interrupting myself for just a moment here, tell me if you don't recognize this imagery. Continuing with Genesis 37, verse nine, it says, "And behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars were bowing down to me." That's imagery that comes right out of Revelation chapter 12, verse one.

You might recall that verse said a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon and under her feet and on her head a crown of 12 stars. The identical imagery used there, Revelation 12, verse one, is found all the way back in the book of Genesis. And when we keep reading, all of that imagery is interpreted for us.

He, that’s Joseph, 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," that’s the sun, in this case S-U-N, "and your mother," that’s the moon, "and your brothers," that’s the 11 stars, Joseph being the 12th star because he’s narrating the dream, "your brothers, 12 stars, come down to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?"

In other words, this is something that God would do in Joseph’s life where he finally by the age of 30 would be elevated to second in command all over the known political power of the day, Egypt. And his brothers would actually come to Egypt where Joseph was to receive grain in the midst of famine because a great famine was to break out throughout the land of Canaan. And this is what made Joseph’s brothers so jealous of him where they left him for dead, threw him into a pit, sold him as a slave into Egypt, as you remember the Joseph story.

And that’s why his father is rebuking him. "Shall I and your mother and your brothers bow down to you to the ground?" And in the process of the rebuke, his father interprets the imagery. So, the sun, S-U-N, is Jacob. The moon is Jacob’s wife, Leah. And you might remember from the Jacob story that Jacob had two wives, Rachel and Leah. Rachel by this time has died. She died in Genesis 35, you might recall, giving birth to one of those sons named Benjamin.

So, the sun and moon imagery is a reference to the patriarch and the matriarch of the nation of Israel. And the 11 stars, Joseph's brothers, would refer to a group of people that we call Jacob’s dozen, Jacob’s sons. Jacob had 12 sons. Here 11 are described, Joseph being the 12th, and through those sons came the tribes of Israel, the 12 tribes, and ultimately the nation of Israel itself.

So, the sun, S-U-N, is Jacob. The moon is Leah. The 11 stars are Joseph's brothers. The 12th star is Joseph himself. So, the 12 stars represent the nation of Israel. Let me give that to you one more time. The sun is Jacob, the moon is Leah, the 11 stars are Joseph's brothers, the 12th star is Joseph himself. So, the 12 stars are Israel’s 12 tribes.

So, when you see the identical imagery in Revelation chapter 12, verse one, we don’t have to guess as to who this woman is. This woman is none other than the nation of Israel. So, you’ll notice that through this process we can interpret all of this seemingly complex imagery in the book of Revelation. The Son, S-O-N, is none other than the Messiah, Jesus Christ himself. The dragon is none other than the devil himself, and the woman is none other than the nation of Israel.

And I think this is important to understand because a lot of people look at the book of Revelation as if it's so complicated that no one can understand what it means. I made reference in our last show together to the great church reformer Martin Luther. He had a lot of wonderful things that he did, but he had a dark side. He had an antisemitic side, as I tried to reveal and explain last time. And another outworking of him that isn’t positive is he had no room for the book of Revelation. He didn't even believe that the book of Revelation was an inspired book.

Let me give to you a direct quote from him in the 1545 Martin Luther printed the book of Revelation with Hebrews, James, and Jude as an appendix to the New Testament work. He says, quote, "I miss more than one thing in this book concerning Revelation, and this makes me hold it to be neither apostolic nor prophetic. I think of it almost as I do as the fourth book of Esdras and can no in any way detect the Holy Spirit produced it."

"It's just the same as if we did not have it, and there are many far better books for us to keep. Finally, let everyone think of it, the book of Revelation, as his own spirit gives him to. My spirit cannot see fit itself into this book. There is one sufficient reason for me not to think very highly of it: Christ is not taught or known in it. But to teach Christ is the same thing which an apostle is bound above all else to do, as he says in Acts, 'You shall be my witnesses.' Therefore, I stick to the books that give me Christ clearly and purely." Close quote.

Martin Luther just didn't think Jesus was revealed in the book of Revelation, and he had really no place for the book of Revelation. I would have to differ with him greatly there. I think Jesus is disclosed in the book of Revelation perhaps more than any other place in all of the Bible. It's just a disclosure of Jesus in his holy glorified state when he comes back. It's not so much a disclosure of Jesus in his incarnation when he was here the first time, but it's Jesus coming back as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

And ever since Luther made that kind of a statement, there's this mentality amongst many of our Protestant reformers that the book of Revelation is too controversial to teach, no one can understand it, it's heavily symbolic. No doubt it is heavily symbolic, but the exercise that I've just led us through demonstrates that all of the symbols in the book of Revelation can be very easily understood.

God did not give us a book to confuse us. In fact, what is the title of the book of Revelation? You'll find it in Revelation chapter 1, verse 1. This is where the title of the book comes from. It says, "The Revelation," which is a translation of the Greek noun *apokalypsis*, "the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to show his bondservants the things which must soon take place, and he sent and communicated it by his angel to his bondservant John." Close quote.

The very title of the book, Revelation, comes from the Greek noun *apokalypsis*, which means an unveiling, a disclosure. The veil is pulled back, the curtain is pulled back. And this is not just any naked disclosure, this is the disclosure of none other than Jesus Christ. And so, when Martin Luther says he can't find Christ in the book, I would obviously very aggressively disagree with him here. You do find Christ in the book, but it's not Christ as he came the first time. It's Christ as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords coming with judgment upon the earth in his second coming.

And so, God did not give us a book, the book of Revelation, to confuse us. In fact, the late Henry Morris in his wonderful commentary on the book of Revelation entitled *The Revelation Record* says this, quote, "It must be stressed that Revelation means unveiling and not veiling." Close quote.

So, what we have discovered in Revelation chapter 12, which is the most symbolic book, the book of Revelation, and Revelation 12 is the most symbolic chapter in the most symbolic book of the Bible, is heavy symbolism, but all of these symbols can be readily understood if we just follow some simple rules.

We search the immediate context when we run into a symbol to discover the referent behind the symbol, and then we search the Old Testament. And when we follow those rules, we discover that the woman clothed with the sun and the moon and the 12 stars is none other than the nation of Israel. We discover that the dragon is none other than the devil himself, and then the Son, S-O-N, is none other than Jesus Christ.

And what you have there in Revelation chapter 12, verses one through five, is a history lesson given from the angelic realm. It is describing what was happening in the invisible angelic realm when Jesus Christ was born into our world. It's a description of the Christmas story, but it's not any ordinary description of the Christmas story. It's a story about what was happening in the angelic conflict when Christ, the Christ child, was born.

It's interesting that when you study the birth of Jesus in Matthew chapter 2, for example, we all know the story of how Herod developed a plot to eradicate the male innocent infants in Bethlehem. The Magi had come from the east to worship the King of the Jews. Herod, a very insecure man, insecure over his own throne, didn’t want the competition of a king being born.

So, he had his ambassadors go into Bethlehem where he knew Christ would be born from, Micah 5, verse 2, and his religious counselors told him that. And he went into Bethlehem and he said kill all of the male infants, children, in Bethlehem.

And so, Matthew chapter 2 just tells us that Herod was insecure over his own throne and that’s why this massacre in Bethlehem happened. However, John in Revelation chapter 12, verses one through five, tells us what was happening in the spiritual world, the angelic world, when the Christ or Christmas story was happening in our world.

In essence, if you put all of the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together, what we learn is that Satan was using Herod’s insecurity to fulfill his ultimate agenda of trying to stop the birth of Jesus Christ. Now, why in the world would Satan be trying to stop the birth of Jesus Christ? It relates to a prophecy that Satan was given in Eden right after the fall of man, going all the way back to Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15.

Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 is the first Messianic prophecy in the entire Bible. This is what God proclaims the moment our forebears ate from the forbidden tree and fell into sin. God announced a program whereby humanity could be redeemed. And this is what the prophecy says, spoken to the serpent or Satan, quote, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel." Close quote.

In other words, there's coming into the world, serpent or Satan, from the seed of the woman, in this case the woman being Eve, from her physical seed, there's coming into the world a Savior who's going to take your head and crush it, meaning you're going to be defeated.

Now, you have to sort of put yourself in the mind of the devil. He, in his very darkened mind, believes that he can stop God's prophecies from being fulfilled. And so, he has always been alert to this coming Messiah, and he has always worked in history to prevent this Messiah from being born, and that's exactly what he's doing in the Christmas story.

It's just Matthew chapter 2, verses one through five, doesn't give you that angle. You have to sort of supplement Matthew chapter 2, roughly verses one through five and following, with Revelation chapter 12, verses one through five, to get the whole picture. Matthew 2 narrates the Christmas event from the perspective of the physical world, but Revelation chapter 12, verses one through five, give you the exact same story from the perspective of the angelic, fallen, satanic world that we cannot see.

Satan was working in history through the death of the Bethlehem innocents through Herod’s insecurity over his own throne to stop the Messiah from being born. Now, at this point you might be wondering what any of this has to do with antisemitism. I assure you it has everything to do with antisemitism and we're going to pick it up here in verse six next time. We hope you'll join us and God bless.

Guest (Male): You've been listening to The Watchman’s Call, exploring the intersection of prophecy and culture. This program is a ministry of Sugar Land Bible Church, a place where the Bible is taught and the times are discerned. Visit this Sunday in person or connect with them anytime at SLBC.org. That’s SLBC.org. Until next time, may the Lord give you a spirit of discernment in the week ahead.