Truth Matters 11 15 2021: Revelation Chapter 12

This is Truth Matters Daily Devotion with Dr. Cheryl Davis. Truth Matters is a ministry of the Truth Project whose mission is to empower men and women in the Christian faith to teach biblical truth in the culture and the marketplace of ideas, using the Bible as a sacred trust of truth in sharing the message of Jesus. Learn more about the ministry of the Truth Project at www.projecttruthmatters.com. Today we get into the book of Revelation Chapter 12.

Here's your host. Hello, I'm Dr. Cheryl Davis and thank you for listening to Truth Matters as we continue to go through the book of Revelation. Last week we covered the seventh trumpet at the sounding of the seventh trumpet.

This opened up the seven bowl judgments. This is the final seven judgments before the transition of power from Satan to Christ. Heaven is worshipping God for all that has happened and will happen and we see the Ark of the Covenant in heaven. Let's get into Chapter 12 as we read verses 1 through 9. This sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then, being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven, behold, a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth, and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth to devour the earth. She bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, and her child was called up to God and his throne.

Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. And war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon as his angels' fault, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, and the serpent of old, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him.

So we get into symbolism, and as I said, you know, some of these chapters are some of the most difficult chapters to interpret as we are talking about symbols and really what do they mean. I would say this is a great wonder, you know, this woman is a great wonder. Now a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with a moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.

Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. So, you know, I'm sure you're probably asking, who is this woman? As I was asking the first time I really read Revelation in Depth is, who is this woman? There's a lot of debate about her identity actually, and I'm so glad you asked that question, we're going to get into who she is. If you read the media or you scan the internet, Christian Science Religion founder Mary Baker Glover Patterson Eddy says that it is her. The Catholic Church teaches that the woman represents the Virgin Mary who is in heaven in bodily form following her assumption. An assumption is when you're taken into heaven when the course of her life was finished.

There are quite a few issues with this. We know that it's not the Christian Science Religion founder, so I'm not necessarily going to defend that, but there are quite a few issues with this being Mary though. Mary had already birthed Jesus before she was ascended into heaven. Some Protestants teach that this woman is the modern day church, but the church did not birth Christ.

The church is his bride. The correct identity of this woman, and really when you read verses one and two, if you use context clues as far as the history of the Israel nation, the correct identity of this woman is Israel. You've been listening to Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis. Truth Matters is a ministry of The Truth Project, a North Carolina-based ministry dedicated to teaching biblical truth and sound theology to those inside and outside of the church. If you'd like to listen to these messages on demand, go to projecttruthmatters.com and click on the podcast link. Dr. Davis is also available to speak to your ministry group or church function. She can be reached by email at CherylDavis at ProjectTruthMatters.com. Or if you'd like to send a letter, the address is Project Truth Matters, Post Office Box 159, St. Paul's, North Carolina 28384. You can hear Truth Matters weekdays on this radio station at 8.20 a.m. and 5.20 p.m. with a full-length teaching program on Saturday afternoon at 12.30. Until next time, let's all work together to teach a biblical truth to assist, equip, edify, and encourage one another and bring the gospel to the world, because truth matters. .