For our scripture reading this morning, turn with me to Revelation chapter 12. Revelation chapter 12. As with the entire book of Revelation, I believe this chapter too, we see from a heavenly perspective the battle of the ages. And we see in the first six verses of this chapter, Satan's attempt to keep Christ from coming. In the second section, verses 7 through 12, we see his attempt to destroy the church. And in the last section, we see his attempt to destroy individual believers, each time failing. This morning, we want to consider the first six verses together. And the Lord willing, the next two Sunday mornings, we will consider the other two sections of Revelation chapter 12. We want to read together the entire chapter this morning. But again, our focus being the first six verses. Hear now the Word of God. A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven, an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his head. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to His throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down, the ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers who accuses them before our God day and night has been hurled down. they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death therefore rejoice you heavens and you who dwell in them but woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has gone down to you he is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short when the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring, those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, as I'm sure you well know by now, during this time of year, many of our radio stations are flooded with a multitude of songs for the Christmas season. And I've been hearing them day after day and I'm sure that many of you have as well. And we know, of course, that many of them talk about Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. Others are sentimental and talk about family togetherness during this time of year. Yet others have a religious content of some sort. And then there are those that even try to mix the sacred and the secular. And maybe you've heard it, but there's a song that's been on the radio sung by the late Elvis Presley, a rendition of Santa Claus is Coming Tonight. And in it he sings that Santa knows we're all God's children. And as well he sings that we are to pray to the Lord above, thanking Him that Santa Claus is coming tonight. And then there is another familiar Christmas song called Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. It has a wonderful warm melody that I really enjoy. And as with many Christmas season songs, we can enjoy its beautiful tune. and i do remember when we were still living in michigan hearing that song on a christian radio station actually two versions of it one was the christianized version one was not the christianized version but as i listened to it especially the the non-christianized version it dawned on me what in the world is this song doing on a christian radio station it's not christian it's not even religious for that matter and as i listened closely to the words there were phrases like through the years we all will be together if the fates allow. The Christianized version is if the saints allow. And another phrase, your troubles will be miles away. Again, we may certainly enjoy these songs, I believe, for their musical melodies, but let's be careful, beloved, to remember that many of these so-called Christmas songs paint a false picture of what is truly to be celebrated here. It's wonderful, I think, that Christmastime has become family time where people travel for miles to be with each other. We look forward to that as well. My wife's family coming here for Christmas Day to celebrate with us. But as we do so, as we gather together with our loved ones and dear ones, may it be to remember and celebrate why the believers' true troubles are now miles away. As David says, as far as the east is from the west, In Psalm 103. Now I know of course that none of this is new to you, but we must consider this. The world promotes our celebration of the Savior's birth as nothing more than a time of family gatherings, parties, getting along peacefully, giving and getting the appropriate gift. And even if Christ's birth is considered, it is nothing more than a cute little nativity scene which to the world represents a horizontal, a man-to-man peace and innocence. Because after all, that's what the birth of a newborn baby is all about, right? And therefore, Christ's birth is a warm, fuzzy picture complete with smiling faces even on some of the animals and no worries and no cares for this baby. Now boys and girls, Satan wants you and me to think of Christmas as Santa Claus and Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman, presents, decorations, happy feelings, cozy thoughts, maybe even a cup of hot chocolate. He doesn't want us to even think about the baby born and laid in a manger. But if we do, he wants us to have the wrong picture of it. He wants us to think of it as the world outside of the church thinks of it. Satan doesn't want us to connect the true picture, The biblical picture with Christmas, for example, that Revelation 12, 1-6 gives us. As the song says, He wants us to think that our troubles are miles away and not all around us. But that's why Jesus came to earth to live among men. Because our troubles are very near to us, even inside of us. The Savior was born because saving was needed. mankind, including God's people, were in trouble. Yes, you see, what we call Christmas is about family, isn't it? God's family and their salvation. In Revelation 12, verses 1-6, God reveals the true picture of the Savior's birth. And in this text, the Apostle John sees from a heavenly, spiritual perspective what took place on earth so many years ago. This is the spiritual reality which surrounded Christ's birth. And as we consider this Word of God, God reveals the true picture of the Savior's birth. Notice, first of all, the battle lines are drawn. Secondly, the offensive and defensive positions secured. And then finally, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Now, beloved, this text makes it clear, I believe, that there is a paradox, a contradiction. Boys and girls, something doesn't fit between what the world sees and what the world celebrates and what was real, what was reality. You see, the humble birth of a child, and in this case, the Christ child, just doesn't fit. It is the farthest thought from a battle situation. But Jesus came in the midst of, and He came for the reason of this battle. And the text describes the battle lines drawn. Notice one of the battle lines. Verse 1, A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. Now we know, of course, that the book of Revelation is rich in symbolic language. This woman we read here is clothed with the splendor of those great sources of light which God created to rule the day and the night. God granted His glory and light to this woman. The sun is her radiant garment. The moon serves as her footstools. Her head is graced with a crown of twelve stars. And we are to understand that this woman is beautiful and majestic, filled with splendor and majesty. This is a picture of the glory of God. But who is she? Who does she represent? Well, since this is heaven's picture of the birth of the Savior, is she Mary? Well, that would make sense, wouldn't it? But this woman, clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head, is not Mary. This woman is a symbolic representation of the church, of which, of course, Mary is a part. Now, some say that as we read this, we should also think back and remember Joseph's dream about the sun. and the moon and the eleven stars which represent Jacob, Rachel, and Joseph's brothers. In other words, the church bowing down to him. And I think that has merit. We must understand here that in heaven's point of view, in heaven's point of view, the church is beautiful and glorious. She is adorned with the heavenly bodies. The sun and the moon and the stars add to her beauty and this picture is a picture of the important place that she holds in the heart of God. But this woman is only one line of the battle. John goes on to describe the other battle line beginning at verse 3. Then another sign appeared in heaven. An enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his head. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them down to the earth. Now what a contrast. From the beauty and glory of the sign of this woman to the ugliness of the sign of this monster. And that's indeed what John sees. He sees a monster which is this dragon. It is a monster the color of blood, war, and destruction. It is an enormous monster with seven heads and ten horns which are symbols of destructive craftiness and power. This dragon is a great and powerful bloodthirsty monster which points to some tremendous and evil power. Now who is this dragon? We read it in verse 9. That great dragon was hurled down that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan who leads the whole world astray. You see, this dragon is not new on the scene of world history. Of course, we read of him here in the last book of the Bible, but he also made his appearance already in the Garden of Eden, way in the beginning of Scripture. This dragon is Satan, whom God created as a mighty angel, a glorious, powerful creature of God. He was good, but Satan rebelled against God and he became something that God did not create. Evil. A monster. The devil. He became the ancient serpent. Satan became a devil and deformed himself in his attempt to exalt himself against God. He became a hideous monster. Boys and girls and young people, that's what sin does. It creates hideous monsters. And when John sees him, he says, Behold a great red dragon. You see, this dragon has power, to be sure. He is a red, bloodthirsty monster looking for the kill. He is ready to devour. The seven crowns on his seven heads are a symbol of authority to influence others. However, now we need to understand that these are not crowns of victory that He wears on His heads, but crowns of deceit that He wears. He wants you and me to have a false picture about Him as well. He wants us to believe that He has complete authority, but He doesn't. Satan is nothing but a powerful, bloodthirsty murderer from the beginning who is an imposter and intruder into God's kingdom. He is the deceiver who tries to make it look like he is the king of the world. And indeed, again, he has much power, but really his power is limited by the omnipotence of God Almighty, El Shaddai. Yet we must know that he has power. We are not to test him. We are not to try to go up against him in our own strength. The text says again at the beginning of verse 4, his tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. When Satan rebelled against God, he dragged a host of his fellow angels with himself who stand also in this battle line. And beloved, the same greatness with which Satan was created to glorify God, he now uses against God as a real monster. But these are the battle lines. This woman, the church, against the dragon and his hosts. And we must understand that it is a privilege to belong to the church of Christ. It is a privilege and not a right to stand in the line, the bad line of the church. There's not one who deserves it. And since it is a privilege, we are called to do what God says and not what we want to do. Not to listen to the devil. He's deceitful to do what God says. And that means that we are to worship God as He commands and as Word, not according to human reason or invention. We are to live in conformity to the standards God has set in His law, not according to what necessarily feels right to me. And very important, we are called to take sin seriously. We must know that Satan is powerful and destructive, but so is sin. And we must know that too. Sin is a destructive, hideous monster that is bloodthirsty for our souls. Sin is the handmaid of the dragon, and together they are the great enemy of God. But notice also in this true biblical picture that the offensive and defensive positions are secured. Well, who is on the offensive ready to attack? Notice the second half of verse 4. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. The great red dragon is in the offensive position. And that means that the woman was in the defensive position, as verse 2 points out. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Even with all of her splendor and majesty, the church is also described as somewhat defenseless. This woman is pregnant and about to give birth. And I think that's plain to see. Her condition prevents her then from running away from the predator. She is not able to fight off her attacker. She cannot even hide. She cannot even keep silent. She was pregnant and cried out in pain. You see, this is a picture of how the church often looks on earth. Weak and defenseless. In the eyes of the world, this bride of Christ, as Scripture identifies, the church looks insignificant and we know is often the object of scorn and ridicule. And this is what Satan wants the church to look like. He wants the church to look like a wasted effort in the eyes of the world. And he loves it when those outside the church can see the strife, the arguing, the miscommunication within the church. He doesn't want anyone to know that she is the precious and the beloved possession of God. Yet even though she looks weak and defenseless often in the eyes of the world, it is still true she has the sun as her garment, which again shows that she is glorious and exalted. The moon rests under her feet, which demonstrates the fact that she exercises dominion. Her crown of twelve stars reveals as well that she is victorious. And we must understand that this woman which tries to defend herself against the offensive attack of the dragon is a picture of the Old Testament church. The Old Testament church longed for and waited to see the fulfillment of God's promise of the coming Messiah. It was her task to bring forth the Messiah and she waited with longing expectation for her male child who would deliver her. And in this text, that longing and the waiting is described in the language of childbirth. Now we know, of course, But the church is one church throughout the ages. But the hope for the New Testament church is born out of the old. And both the new and the old share the same hope. That hope rests in Christ alone. Beloved, once again, as the second half of verse 4 says, the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. You see, this is a battle. leading to destruction. And how different that is from what Satan wants us to see, especially this time of year as we said a moment ago. How unlike the peaceful nativity scenes we see around town. And even what a contrast to the births of our own children. Boys and girls, when Jesus Christ was born, it was not a Merry Christmas. It was not a merry event. There were no parties going on. There were no family gatherings with lots of food and gifts exchanged. Yes, the angels were celebrating on the hillside with a few shepherds, praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest. Why? Because the victor was born. But that meant that the battle that had been raging with unsuccessful attacks by Satan was getting close to its foretold climax. the Lord revealed to John that this was the battle for Christ's birth. But you see, Satan has always been on the offensive, hasn't he? He has always been attacking the church. He was there in the garden. He heard the Word of God and I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. And although he didn't believe it, Satan knew what this child was going to do to him and therefore he began his attack immediately. He has tried to devour the child time and time again to stop the generations, to kill off the lineage which would produce the birth of this child. The bad lines were drawn and the positions secured beginning with Adam and Eve's children. Cain kills Abel. What a victory for Satan, right? Nope. God sees to it that Seth is born. The world becomes so wicked that God determines to destroy it and everything in it with a flood. Yet, He spares believing Noah and his family. Later, the promise of Messiah is to come from Abraham and Sarah. But there's a dragon standing in front of the woman in order to destroy the child. How? Well, humanly speaking, this is impossible because of the ages of Abraham and Sarah. But through Isaac, God continues the line. But again, the dragon takes up his position over against the woman as Esau is going to kill Jacob, but God won't allow it. The son of the woman is saved and the lion continues. And then there's Egypt. Surely the lion is going to die out there in Egypt. But God made Egypt the incubator for the child, causing the church to grow. And of course, there are many, many events that we can recall in Israel's history that show the dragon taking his position ready to devour the child. The apostate days of the judges. Wicked Queen Athaliah. Haman's plot to kill the Jews in the days of Queen Esther. And even Herod, who told the wise men to come back and report to him the child's location. He cruelly commanded all the baby boys in Bethlehem to be murdered. Yet, each time, Satan lost as God delivered the woman and her child. God has always been the strength of the woman's bad line. Beloved, Satan knows his time is running out, but he doesn't know that for him it's a hopeless cause. Yet he continues to attack. Because of Christ's victory, Satan can no longer accuse believers before God, and instead he works hard to lash out and weaken the church to try to convince you and me that we have no place in God's house. Yet, he will never conquer the woman and the child because Satan himself has conquered. As God reveals the true picture of the Savior's birth, we also see finally the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Verses 5 and 6. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to His throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. You see, it was about this child who was born that the angels sang glory to God in the highest. The angels joyfully proclaimed this child to the shepherds because just like the demons, they knew that this was no ordinary child. This baby was none other than the wonderful Counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. You see, that's a fact that I believe is lost in those cute, innocent-looking nativity scenes. It seems to me, instead of bowing down before the Christ child, many people would rather hold and cuddle what they believe to be an innocent, helpless baby. Yet this baby is not to be pampered by you and me, but worshipped because He is Jesus Christ, the one and only who would save His people from their sins. He is to rule all the nations with an iron scepter. That means no one could undo Him. No one could defeat Him. He reigns sovereign over all. He is in the woman's battle line. Without Him, she is incomplete. But with Him, she is victorious. And then in one small phrase, John describes the final defeat of the dragon. And her child was snatched up to God and to His throne. Congregation, that is a symbolical way of saying, I believe, that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried, and ascended into hell. On the third day, He rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father. From there, He shall come to judge the living and the dead. And her child was snatched up to God and to His throne. Not one bit of Christ's work is missing from that sentence. It's a sentence of victory. Of course, it isn't all spelled out in detail like it is in the creed, but that's not the point. The point is, Satan lost. He failed again. And this time, it's forever. He truly suffered the agony of defeat. That sentence tells us that the line was fulfilled. The Messiah has come. The dragon failed again and it points to his final defeat. Yes, of course, verse 6 says, the woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. And that might seem to contradict all of this final defeat talk. We know, as the Bible says, that the dragon is still prowling, seeking his prey. And as the rest of chapter 12 points out, He is now seeking to destroy the woman, the church of Jesus Christ. But again, in symbolic language, verse 6 also tells us that God will preserve the church from destruction. 1,260 days is a symbol for the last days that we as a church are living in, but it also points to a limited and controlled period of time. Jesus Christ is victorious, not the dragon. And that means that those who are in him are also victorious, but those who are not in him will suffer the agony of defeat. In Revelation 19, John says that this baby is named the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And he is also described in that chapter in all of his splendor when it says in verses 14 and 15, the armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. Beloved, this is the child whom the dragon sought to devour. The one with the sword out of his mouth. This is the child who was laid in a manger because there was no room for him in the inn. And this is the child whom we are called to celebrate, not with meaningless parties and presents, but with meaningful adoration and worship. When the angel said to the shepherds, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people, he gave the shepherds the greatest reason there could ever be to celebrate in worship. The true picture of Christ's birth is a picture of victory. Jesus Christ came to live among men because our troubles were ever so near. He came to do battle with Satan and win so that His people might live one day with Him eternally. The true picture of the baby Jesus in the manger is a picture of victory, peace on earth by way of the sword called the cross. And those who by the grace of God see that picture will reign with Christ forever and ever, but those who don't, along with that ancient serpent, that bloodthirsty dragon, shall be forever cast into the eternal lake of fire because that baby has not only won the battle for His birth, but He has won the war over sin, death, and hell. Jesus came because saving was needed. And He reigns today and forevermore because saving was completed. And is that the picture you see when you consider the birth of our Savior? You see, what comfort for us who believe by the grace of God. Our trouble of sin has been removed miles away. And through eternity, we will all be together with our God and His Christ. Amen. Shall we pray? Our gracious God and Heavenly Father, once again you have spoken to us through your holy word. We thank you again for your message of salvation through Jesus Christ. A message which Satan cannot snuff out. A message which he cannot silence because he could not keep the Christ from coming and accomplishing his work on Calvary's tree. Father, we thank you that you have spoken to us through your word, that you have applied your word to our hearts in a saving way. We pray that you would give to us if it is your will throughout this holiday season especially, an opportunity maybe like no other opportunity we've ever had to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ and the true meaning of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Father, strengthen us in the most holy faith. Increase our assurance and the salvation which Jesus Christ has accomplished and which has been freely given to us. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray these things. Amen.