Lesson 8, February 16-22
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Revelation 12; Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 14:12-15; Daniel 7:23-25; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12; Revelation 13:13-14; Revelation 19:20.
Memory Text: “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” (Revelation 12:11, NKJV).
Revelation 12-14 prepares us for the last-day events section of the book (Revelation 15:1-22:21). While the first half of the book (Revelation 1:1-11:19) describes the spiritual struggles of the church in a hostile world throughout the Christian Era, the remainder focuses on key events leading up to the Second Coming and God’s kingdom.
The purpose of chapter 12 is to give us the big picture behind the final crisis of world history. It shows us the development throughout history of the great controversy between Christ and Satan.
In the book of Revelation, Satan is the archenemy of God and His people. His existence is real, and he stands behind all evil and rebellion in the universe. He knows that his last chance to succeed against God before the Second Coming is to win the battle of Armageddon. So, he focuses all his efforts on preparing for that event.
Revelation 12 is intended to provide God’s people with an assurance that Satan will not succeed. It is also a warning that Satan is determined and will wage all-out war against God’s last-day remnant church and that their only hope and power to overcome is found in Christ.
