The Book of Revelation Satan and His Allies

 The Book of Revelation 

Satan and His Allies 

Lesson #9 for March 2, 2019 

Scriptures: Revelation 12:14-16; 13; 17:8; Daniel 7:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:2-12; 1 Kings 18:38. 

1. 1. Last week we studied Revelation 12, the center of the chiasm in the book of Revelation. There are three sections in Revelation 12: (1) Revelation 12:1-6 talks about how Christ came to this earth to resolve the problems that had arisen; (2) Revelation 12:7-12 explains how the problem began–not on this earth but in heaven; and (3) Revelation 12:13-18 talks about how the conflict will continue to the end of this earth’s history. 2. 
2. In this week’s lesson, we will see more details about the section in Revelation 12:13-18. The area of emphasis here is from A.D. 538-1798, the 1260 day/42 month/3½ year period of Roman and papal domination of the Western world. During that time, Satan used two allies–which are called beasts and who unite to oppose God’s activities in every way possible–and delay what even Satan himself knows will be the final end and his destruction. 3. 
3. We have now moved into the portion of Revelation dealing with the future. God does not give us detailed accounts of future events. The purpose of these prophecies is for us to understand that God is still in control; He knows what is coming, and we need to trust Him. 4. 
4. Read Revelation 13:1-4,8, which describes a sea beast, and Revelation 17:8. Beasts in the Bible represent governments which emphasize their religion as a dominant characteristic. 5. 
5. In Revelation 12:3-4, the Devil himself is described; but, he tries to hide behind a human organization which in its initial stages was pagan Rome.

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