(Chap. 12:6-17.)
THE woman whom we have just before noticed as invested with dignity and glory, and giving birth to a man child who was to rule all nations, is now seen fleeing into the wilderness. It is a remnant of the people of Israel under the oppression of Satan and the man of sin in the last half of the week. Their experience is often recorded in the psalms. (See Psalms 79 and 80) Israel was the nation whom the Spirit of Christ called “His own,” and one of its prophets had said,” Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder;” another prophet had declared that “Bethlehem Ephratah” should be the place from which should come forth Him that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been of old, from everlasting (Isaiah 9:66For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6); Micah 5:22But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2)); and other prophets predicted the unparalleled tribulation, that the seed of Jacob will yet have to pass through; the period referred to, I believe, in this and the following chapter. Jeremiah says, “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it; it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” (chapter 30:7.) Daniel also says, “There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time: and at that time thy people (always, in Daniel, referring to Israel) shall be delivered, every one that is found written in the book.” (chapter 12:1.)
Before, however, “the woman” flees into the wilderness, the heavens must be cleared of Satan and his angels. Though in this chapter this is not the order of narration, yet we know that it is by his power that that master-piece of iniquity, “the man of sin,” and his attendant evils, are brought about. Satan is still the deceiver of the world, and also the accuser of the brethren; but he will yet fall, like lightning from heaven, and be cast down to earth. After his horrible purposes have been accomplished, he shall be bound with a chain, and cast into the bottomless pit for a season, and after a thousand years let loose for a time, before his eternal misery in the lake of fire. Satan seems to be aware of his doom; for the devils said to Jesus, “Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?”
The point, however, in Satan’s work referred to here, is his being cast down from the heavens as “the accuser of our brethren.” What are we to understand by this? Is it not true that “the Prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience,” has access into God’s presence to accuse us there? There can be no doubt of this. We see it in Job. “When the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that be hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.” (Job 1:6-126Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. 7And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 9Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. 12And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. (Job 1:6‑12).) We find, also, that when Joshua, the high priest, is seen standing before the angel of the Lord, that Satan is also standing at his right hand. (Zechariah 3:11And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. (Zechariah 3:1).) In Ephesians, also, we see Satan having access to the heavens, and our fight is described as against principalities and powers, against wicked spirits in heavenly places (see margin, 6:12); that is, that as Joshua and the men of Israel fought against those who hindered their full possession and enjoyment of the land that God had given them and brought them into, so our character of conflict is not down here with flesh and blood, but with Satan and his host in the heavenlies, who seek to hinder our enjoyment of that communion with God our Father, in the holiest of all, which we are brought into, through the riches of Divine grace, in Christ, and through His blood. As Satan cannot swallow us up, because our life is hid with Christ in God, he does all that he can to hinder our fellowship with God, and to cast us down from our high calling and standing in Christ― “They only consult to cast him down from his excellency.” If we are abiding in Christ, we are impregnable to the devices of Satan. As to his being the accuser of the brethren, our consolation is, that Christ is in heaven as our Advocate, to meet every accusation; so that we need not fear. By the power of angelic agency, Satan and his hosts must yet be cast down; and let us remember, that angels, principalities, and powers, are made subject unto Christ. We read that “Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels;” but Satan, who is always opposed to the Lord Jesus, will resist, though it will be in vain; ― “the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.” The result will be, that Satan’s power then will be wholly concentrated on earth; and as I presume that this will occur in “the midst of the week” (see Daniel 9:2727And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)), the man of sin will be then developed as fully energized by Satanic power, the whole world will be so enveloped in delusion as to wonder after “the beast;” and “the woman,” representing those of Israel who stand out for the true God, will pass through the severest persecution. Hence we read, “The great red dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world, he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with, him... Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea; for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” These verses, from the seventh to the twelfth inclusive, are clearly parenthetic, and therefore the sixth verse is taken up again in the fourteenth. The parenthesis seems to me purposely introduced, to account for the persecution of the woman, and the full development of the abomination which maketh desolate, the third and most dreadful woe to the inhabiters of the earth. We must not overlook, however, in this parenthesis, a loud voice, (mark, not voices,) which John heard in heaven at this time. It was a voice saying, “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ;” for clearing the heavens of Satan and his angels seems the first act of Christ in power, in relation to the kingdom. We notice that this voice is heard in heaven, and is accompanied with triumph at the casting down of Satan. Who it is that utters this voice we are not told; but the heavenly saints being at this time in heaven, like Abraham in the mount, who beheld the dreadful judgment and smoke of the doomed cities, but was not in them, so the saints in heaven will look down on the dreadful things coming upon the earth, and worship in the knowledge of the glory and power of Christ. By the expression, “Our brethren,” I understand the voice to refer to us who are now exposed to the accusing’s of Satan, but will then be around the throne of God in heaven, when it will be said, “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.” Three things characterized these overcomers of Satan―first, they made the blood of the Lamb their confidence and shelter; secondly, they used the sword of the Spirit, the written word of God—the word of their testimony; thirdly, they esteemed the love of Christ beyond the love of life; they could say, “Thy lovingkindness is better than life”― “They loved not their lives unto the death.” Surely these are the three elements of vital Christianity.
There is another very important thought added. It is this: “Therefore rejoice ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth.” Here we have two distinct classes, those dwelling in heaven called on to rejoice, and those dwelling on earth under an awful woe. Now, I ask, who are those dwelling in heaven, who are called on to rejoice at the casting down of the accuser of the brethren, but the heavenly saints? Again, besides the inhabiters of the earth generally, “the woman” who flies into the wilderness is especially the object of Satan’s wrath and hatred. Surely it could not be strictly said, that he is in wrath with those who obey him, and are deceived by him at this time; it is, therefore, particularly against “the woman” who brought forth the man child that his wrath is directed. Therefore we find her distinguished in this chapter, as well as the dwellers in heaven and the inhabiters of the earth. The saints in heaven had overcome by the blood of the Lamb; the woman who keeps the commandments of God is persecuted by Satan and his allies on earth. With regard to the woman’s flight, we are told in Matthew 24, that when the man of sin is developed, that is, when the abomination of desolation is set up, which Daniel prophesied of concerning his city and people, “Then,” said our Lord, “let them which be in Judea flee to the mountains; let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house, &c.... But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day.” However much the flight of many at the siege of Jerusalem was like this, the following verse, end also the fifteenth, show that it can only have its full accomplishment in the days of the man of sin, in Israel’s last or seventieth week, spoken of by Daniel. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved.” (Matthew 24:21, 2221For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (Matthew 24:21‑22).) Accordingly, as the result of the dragon’s hatred end persecution, “the woman” of our chapter is seen fleeing into the wilderness, but she is still the object of God’s care; for she is not only helped in her flight with “two wings of a great eagle,” but a place there is prepared of God for her, and she is nourished from the face of the serpent for a thousand two hundred and threescore days, or a time, times, and half a time. (Compare vv. 6 and 14.) Satan, however, still pursues her, and casts water out of his month as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. But as the prophet said, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:1919So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19)), so God, in his providential care over the persecuted remnant, will cause a wonderful deliverance, and shield her from the overflowing scourge of her nighty foe. We are told that “the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, end swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.” (verse 16.)
But though Satan is disappointed and confounded in his pursuit of those who flee into the wilderness, his wrath is not lessened, and it would seem as if giving up those of Judea, who had fled into the wilderness, he found “the remnant of her seed” elsewhere; it may be in the city of Jerusalem. These are characterized by being faithful to Moses’ law, and having the oracles of God―they “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (verse 17). The malice of Satan against the godly is remarkably brought out in this chapter. Now his hatred and power is directed against the Church of God, because it is God’s present witness in the earth, she testifies of God’s perfect love, and the unsearchable riches of Christ, she glories in the Cross, waits for Christ from heaven, and knows the world to be deceitful and doomed. Now the manifold wisdom of God is known by the Church unto the principalities and powers in the heavenlies; but after the Church has been caught up, and God has another witness, then Satan’s wickedness and enmity will be directed against those. But they are objects of God’s care, beloved for the fathers’ sakes, and when they call upon God in the day of trouble, He will deliver them, and they shall glorify Him. They are on Jewish ground, keeping the commandments of God, the ten commandments, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, that is, the Scriptures which testify of Christ, the prophetic word concerning the coming kingdom and glory of Messiah. Hence we are told that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (chapter 19:10), and this prophetic book, the Revelation, is called “the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (chapter 1:2.) Their pleading, however, in the 79th and 80th Psalms, is very remarkable. After praying for “wrath” and “the revenging of blood” upon the heathen, and complaining of God’s beautiful vineyard which He had planted for Himself being cut down, &c., they say, “Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”