Overcoming the Adversary

Revelation 12:7-12; 15:2-4

GOLDEN TEXT: “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death.”—Revelation 12:11

THE language of Revelation 12 is quite peculiar, and by some is thought to represent a picture of the establishment of the true kingdom. It has been considered one of the most difficult chapters of this book. We are presenting here the understanding of Brother Russell regarding the characters symbolized in the vision.

The picture here apparently begins prior to Papacy’s development. “The woman clothed with the sun,” represents the Gospel church covered with the precious promises of God, and the glorious light of truth. “The moon under her feet,” is a reflection of the sun of righteousness, so the “law” was a shadow or reflection of the Gospel light. It was light, but not real—only reflected light. The diadem of twelve stars represents the twelve apostles.

The red dragon represents the Pagan Roman empire, and the seven heads represent Rome’s successive and distinct forms of governments; the ten horns, the divisions of power—probably an average or approximate number. We understand this great red dragon to be the same as the fourth beast described by the Prophet Daniel in chapter seven.

If we locate it aright, the woman is seen in the early part of the fourth century. The continued persecution prior to that time caused some to relax their vigilance for the truth, and a spirit or desire to please and get into favor with the persecuting “dragon” came over some of the bright ones in the church. So we read, “the tail of the dragon drew a third of the stars and cast them to the earth”—they became his followers or servants, which of course tended to degrade them. The long desired favor of Rome came at last by the conversion of Constantine, A.D. 313. There, we believe, the labor pangs of tribulation ceased and Papacy was born; there the blending of church and state commenced.

It was not yet the “Man of Sin,” in the same sense that a child is not a man; but it was the beginning of what resulted in Papacy, the Man of Sin—the “man child” was born. This “male child,” at first a weak one, was gradually “caught up unto God and to His throne,” or exalted to the position and titles, homage and praise of the true “seed,” so that “he as God sat in the temple [church] of God, showing himself that he is God.” (II Thess. 2:3,4) And within three hundred years he did “rule the nations with a rod of iron.”

“And there was war in heaven” (verse 7), seems to refer to the conflict between these two elements—the church and civil power—when this son of the church attempted to take the ruling position. This conflict continued for several hundred years until the latter part of the eighth century, and was followed by the thousand-year counterfeit reign of Papacy, which dominated the civil powers of Europe until the end of the eighteenth century.

The casting of the dragon or civil power out of heaven into the earth seems to signify its subjection to the papal system, the “Man of Sin.” The loud voice in verse ten is Papacy’s voice and the following three verses represent its extravagant and blasphemous appraisal of its exaltation to the nominal “heavens” and control of the religious realm, and subordination of the civil power to its control.

It is represented as saying, “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore, rejoice, ye [Papal] heavens, and ye that dwell in them.” In this account of the triumph of Papacy over the civil power, which was followed by its reign for a thousand years as a counterfeit of Christ’s Kingdom, it is interesting to note the similarity of the language used in describing the binding of Satan and the establishment of the Kingdom of Christ and His church.

Note the description of the introduction of the true Kingdom in chapter 20, verses 1 to 6, and that Papacy’s account of its triumph relates the matter in almost the same language and connected with similar events, including the overcoming of its members, their sufferings and exaltation, and the false claim that thus the Kingdom of God and the power of Christ had come.

The second section of our lesson we understand refers to the Lord’s people in the Harvest period of the Gospel age, and in symbolic language describes the blessedness we have experienced through an understanding of present truth, the great plan of God, and the time for the establishment of His Kingdom near at hand. This we understand is referred to as “the song of Moses and the Lamb.” It assures us that all mankind is to know and worship the true God, when His judgments, now beginning upon the false systems of religion, shall have been extended to affect all mankind—“For when Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”—Isaiah 26:9

QUESTIONS:

Who is represented by the woman in the first verve of the lesson?

What is represented by the great red dragon?

What is meant by the woman fleeing to the wilderness?

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