MUHAMMED (S) IN REVELATION 12 (2017)

Notes: Revelation was written by John of Patmos many years after Jesus' reported crucifixion.

The book states that the events in this book were visions given to the author and not actual events. The weight of interpretation rests upon the reader.

DavidC wrote: Notes: Revelation was written by John of Patmos many years after Jesus' reported crucifixion.

Allah (S) said in the Qur�an:

And they said (in boast), �we killed Christ the son of Mary, the apostle of Allah�:- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but it was made to appear to them so, and those who differ therein are full of doubt with no (certain) knowledge, but they follow only conjecture, for of a surety they killed him not. (Q.4:157)

 So He Allah (S) instructed the Prophet (S) to say:

�Say: �Produce your proof if ye speak the truth��. (Q.2:111)

I will examine the proof.  In the N.T. in John 16:16 (KJV) Jesus (s) told his disciples:

 

�A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.� John 16:16 (KJV)

In the �New International Version� they remove part of the verse �because I go to the Father�

"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me." John16 

 You see that! They remove this last part of the verse �because I go to the Father.� WHY? They knew the implication that is why they removed it! �going to the father� Christians understand it to mean �the death and resurrection�.

Let us read it in context, Jesus (S) said:

��A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.� John 16 (KJV)  
 

Then some of the disciples were enquiring what he meant:

17Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, �Because I go to the Father?�
 18They said therefore, �What is this that he saith� A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.

Now, Jesus (S) explained: 

19Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, �A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?�

 In V.20to 32, Christians understood it to mean �the death and resurrection�. So, when he said: �Because I go to the Father� that is referring to his death. It read as follows:

20Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

 21A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

22And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.  

28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

32Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

 33These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Which �hour� he is talking? The �hour� of �going to the Father�

  In that chapter, Christians understand �Because I go to the Father� to mean �the death and resurrection�. We Muslims understand it to mean the sign that was promised to the Jews when he said:

�For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the wale�s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth�. Matt.12:40

Did Jonas die in the wale belly? No! He [Jesus (S)] went to Geth-sem-a-ne and pray asking God Almighty to change the situation.

And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face. And prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou will. Matt.26:35-39

Notice, he fell on his face and PRAYING to his God asking him to change the situation? Yes! And what happen next? His God send an angel to help him.

And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. (Luke 22:43)

Another point he said: �My soul� and not �flesh�, not his human side �flesh� but his spiritual side �soul.� His soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death, he fears death. Which God will fear death? According to the writings of the bible, The Father God was in him and with him in the same John 16: verse 32 and also john14:10.

Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am �not alone,� because the Father is �with me�. (John 16: 32)

Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. (John 14:10) 

If the Father is �with him and in him�, what is the purpose of �sending an angel?� Do angels strengthen God? Or why the angel has to strengthen Jesus (S) when all power was given unto him?

"...All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." (Matthew 28:18)

The angel was assuring him what is going to happen. Did God Almighty answer his prayers? Let us examine what Jesus (S) has to say because all the disciples fled from the scene.

And they all forsook him and fled. (Mark 14:50)

Even the supposed Jesus they did not kill as you read on:

Jesus said unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and said unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus said unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and my God, and your God. ( John 20:16-17 KJV)

 Remember he told the disciples:

�A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.� (John 16:16)

 And Christians understand it to mean that, he will die and resurrect; But the suppose Jesus is telling Mary he did not go to the father (died) as yet but go and tell them he did, �I ascend � all ready died.  But the Devil is quick to draw the vial over your eyes in changing �I ascend� to �I will go�, I am returning. See other translations and compare it with the KJV

Allah (S) said:

For of a surety they killed him not. (Q. 4:157)

Now, please don�t tell me that he was going up in the sky because he was speaking to Mary on the earth and he said, �Say unto them, I ascend unto my Father.� He was just there in front of her.  

 Paul testified that Jesus (S) did not die:

Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him (God Almighty) that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared. (Hebrews 5:7)

 To what extend he prayed? He said:

��My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death... And he went a little farther, and fell on his face. And prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou will.� (Matt. 26:28-29)

  Also in Luke 22:44

�And being in agony, he prayed more earnestly; and his sweet was, as it were, great drop of blood falling to the ground.� Luke 22:44

And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. (Luke 22:43)

The angel assured him that God Almighty has answered his prayers:

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16)

You see that! Paul knew, that why he confessed:

�Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him (God Almighty) that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared. (Hebrews 5:7)

He knew the truth, he confesses that he lied!

He said: �If the truth of God is more abundant in my lies why should I call a sinner?�

In other words, if he tells some lies to bring people to God he should no call a sinner.

 

  Is God a curse? It mentioned in Galatians 3:13 and Deut. 21: 22-23:

¹³ Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (Galatians 3: 13)

²² And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:

²³ His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. (Deut. 21: 22-23)

 

Even some of the Jews knew that he didn�t died, but what they did not know is that, he was the suppose Jesus the gardener. Read for yourself:

62�Now the next day� the chief priest and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 63Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.

64Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: So the LAST ERROR SHALL BE WORSE THAN THE FIRST (Matt.27:62-64�

  They are talking about FIRST ERROR and LAST ERROR. What is the first error? They knew that they didn�t kill the suppose Jesus.

  Jesus, interestingly, told the Pharisees too:

�go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice� [Matthew 9:13].

 We all agree that Jesus Christ (S) was a righteous and a pious man and the O.T. says that the wicked will take his place: �In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared" [Psalm 9:16],

 

"The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, And the treacherous is in the place of the upright� [Proverbs 21:18],

 

and "The righteous is delivered from trouble, But the wicked takes his place" [Proverbs 11:8].

Who say that? The God of theof the Jews!

  Last point, what is a resurrected body? Let Jesus tells us:

��For they are equal unto the angels,� Luke 20:27-27

 Meaning, that they will be angelised, they will be spiritualized, they will be Spirit! As to regards the suppose Jesus:

�Behold my hand and feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see: for a SPIRIT has no flesh and bone, as you see me have. (Luke 24:39-40)

If Christ be not risen from the dead, then our preaching is vain, and your faith is also vain. (I Corinthians 15:14)

  Is the crucifixion true or doubtful? The Qur�an says, �It is doubt full with no certain knowledge� Why Mary didn�t recognize him, neither the disciples? Even when Judas and his band of men didn�t recognize him when they went to capture him, why? Because it was not him (it was doubt full)! I would not put my soul in something that is �doubt full!�

 And they said (in boast), �we killed Christ the son of Mary, the apostle of Allah�:- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but it was made to appear to them so, and those who differ therein are full of doubt with no (certain) knowledge, but they follow only conjecture, for of a surety they killed him not. (Q. 4:157)

  Br. zainool

Mohamad in Revelation 12 ? Nope !
The book of Revelation is a vision from Jesus Christ, given to Him by God the Father, which reveals what is going to happen before His return to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. This fascinating book is primarily written in a chronological style with occasional breaks for overviews of specific subjects. Revelation 12 is one of these overviews, providing a history stretching from the time before humans existed until the time just before Christ�s return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Revelation 12 begins with the statement: �Now a great sign appeared in heaven� (verse 1). The word �sign� comes from the Greek word semeion, meaning �a sign, mark, token � an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature� (Thayer�s Greek Definitions). The first great sign is a vision of a woman who gave birth to a child (verse 1).

Then in verse 3 we read, �And another sign [semeion] appeared in heaven.� We thus understand that these three symbols�a woman, a child and a dragon�represent things beyond the ordinary events of nature. As we are going to see, these three figures symbolize three major spiritual forces that have been at work for several thousand years.

In order to understand this chapter, we now need to understand the symbols. What do the woman, the child and the dragon represent?

The woman

The woman�described as being �clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars� (verse 1)�represents Old Testament Israel. In the Old Testament, God referred to His people as a woman whom He had dressed in honor and splendor (Ezekiel 16). The garland with 12 stars may be symbolic of the 12 tribes of Israel (Genesis 37:9-10).

Throughout Revelation 12 we note that the �woman� is repeatedly protected by God (verses 6, 14-16), especially as the time approaches for the �kingdom of our God� to be established on earth (verse 10).

In the New Testament, God�s Church is symbolized as a woman; and its members are likened to virgins (Matthew 25:1-13; Revelation 14:4; Revelation 19:7). The New Testament Church is called �the Israel of God� (Galatians 6:16) and likened to �Jerusalem above,� which is called �the mother of us all� (Galatians 4:26, also see Hebrews 12:22-23). Members of the Church are described as �a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His [God�s] own special people� (1 Peter 2:9).

When Christ returns to earth, He is going to marry the Church, which is called �His wife� in Revelation 19:7. Based on these passages, it is clear that the woman in Revelation 12 represents God�s people. Incidentally, it is also interesting to note that the imagery of a dishonorable woman�one called �the great harlot��is used in Revelation 17:1 to depict a false church that deceives many.

The Child

The woman (God�s chosen nation of Israel) is described as giving birth to a �male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron� (Revelation 12:5). Indeed, Christ was born into this nation. The verse continues, �And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.� The language here makes it clear that Jesus is the �Child.�

Jesus is the One who is prophesied to �strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron� (Revelation 19:15). He is also the One who, after His resurrection, was taken up in a cloud to heaven (Acts 1:9-11).

The dragon

The third symbol of Revelation 12��a great, fiery red dragon� (verse 3)�is described as having drawn �a third of the stars of heaven� and standing �before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born� (verse 4). A few verses later, this dragon is clearly identified as Satan: �So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world� (verse 9).

As for the dragon drawing �a third of the stars of heaven,� this reference apparently represents Satan leading a third of the angels in a rebellion against God. Other passages show stars represent angels (Revelation 1:20).

The Bible also explains that Satan had been involved in a rebellion against God in which he attempted to exalt his �throne above the stars of God� and �be like the Most High� (Isaiah 14:13-14). Satan then began his work as �that serpent of old [the one who tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden], called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world� (Revelation 12:9, emphasis added throughout). For a more extensive explanation of Satan�s rebellion, see �God vs. Satan.�

Just as God has ministers of righteousness, Satan has his �ministers��spirit beings who appear to be righteous yet who influence humans to sin (2 Corinthians 11:15). Jude further describes these fallen angels or demons as �angels who did not keep their proper domain� and who are now �reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day� (Jude 1:6).

Revelation 12:3-17 is a concise history of Satan�s efforts to thwart God�s plan to bring many humans to glory as part of His eternal family. Satan�s actions included convincing a third of the angels to follow him in his attempt to make himself like God, attempting to have Christ killed as a child (Matthew 2:13-18), working to deceive the entire world and persecuting God�s people. Let�s now consider in greater detail Satan�s attempts to derail God�s plan.

The dragon vs. the Child

In Revelation 12:4 we read that �the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.� This appears to be a historical reference to King Herod�s effort to destroy Jesus as a young child by ordering the deaths of all male children from two years old and under who lived in and around Bethlehem (Matthew 2:13-18). But an angel had warned Joseph to flee to Egypt with his wife and Jesus to keep the Child from being destroyed (verse 13).

Even though Satan�s attempt to destroy Jesus when He was a child failed, the devil did not give up. Prior to the beginning of Jesus� ministry, �Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil� (Matthew 4:1). During this temptation, Satan tried to get Jesus to violate God�s law and worship him instead of God. The devil offered Jesus �all the kingdoms of the world and their glory� (verse 8) if Jesus would worship him. But Jesus did not do so.

When Jesus� ministry was fulfilled and it was time for Him to give His life as payment for humanity�s sins, Satan was there once again. On this occasion, Satan was the one who �put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon�s son, to betray Him� (John 13:2). Although Satan was clearly involved in the crucifixion of Jesus, this was actually part of God�s plan for the redemption of mankind.

As Genesis 3:15 had predicted, there would be ongoing �enmity� between the serpent (Satan) and the woman (God�s people) and the �Seed� (Jesus) who would come from the woman. Furthermore, this passage indicated that Satan would have limited success in being able to �bruise� Christ�s heel by influencing the man who would betray Jesus and that Jesus would �bruise� Satan�s head by resisting his temptations and qualifying to replace him as the ruler of this world.

So why did Satan expend so much effort in his attempts to destroy Jesus? Because if there had not been a perfect Savior to pay the penalty for humanity�s sins, God�s plan would have been thwarted. Without a Savior, humans could not be forgiven of their sins nor could they live forever in God�s eternal family.

The dragon vs. God�s people

In addition to his efforts to destroy Jesus, Satan has a long history of persecuting God�s people, especially members of God�s Church, represented by the woman in the latter portions of Revelation 12. Although there was fierce persecution from the earliest days of the New Testament Church, God allowed the woman to flee �into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days� (verse 6).





This verse indicates that the true Church was protected by God for 1,260 years (see Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6, showing that a day can represent a year). During this time�which may have continued through the Middle Ages�the Church was protected from its enemies, including the Roman Empire and false Christianity.

The next two verses then explain that �war broke out in heaven� between Satan and his angels and Michael and his angels. As a result of this war, John, in vision, saw that a place for Satan and his angels was not �found for them in heaven any longer� and they were �cast to the earth� (Revelation 12:7-9). This battle is different from Satan�s original rebellion, which is described in verse 4 and which occurred long before the birth of Christ.

The setting for this battle, described in verses 7-9, and its significance is then announced by a loud voice in heaven (verses 10-12). This battle is an indicator that �the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have [or will soon] come� (verse 10). Prior to this event, Satan has had access to God�s presence to accuse His people (Job 1:6-7; Job 2:1-2). Now he and his angels no longer have this access and are cast down to the earth.

Realizing the significance of this event, Satan now has �great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time� (Revelation 12:12) before Christ returns to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. He then directs his rage toward God�s people, the ones who are the continuation of the woman who gave birth to the male Child (verse 13).

God, however, will not allow Satan to destroy His people. Jesus had promised that the �gates of Hades [the grave]� would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). To protect His people, the woman is �given two wings of a great eagle,� meaning she is safely taken into �her place,� where she will be protected for �a time, and times and half a time [apparently 3� years], from the presence of the serpent� (Revelation 12:14).

Even though Satan will spew �water out of his mouth like a flood,� to try to get at the woman, he will not be successful (verses 15-16). In this passage, the concept of a �flood� likely represents armies (see Isaiah 59:19; Jeremiah 46:7-8).

Satan then goes to �make war with the rest of her [the woman�s] offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ� (Revelation 12:17). From this passage we note that while some members of God�s true Church will be protected from Satan�s wrath during these end times prior to Christ�s return, others will not. Those not in the place of protection will need to prove their allegiance to God the Father and Christ in the face of Satan�s intense persecution.

The dragon vs. you

Whether you realize it or not, Satan also hates you and will do everything possible to keep you from loving and obeying your Creator. His anger is not just against Jesus and the Church. Why is he angry at you? Apparently, because he realizes that humans were created by God with the potential to be higher than he was (Hebrews 2:6-8).

Because of his sick, twisted and unsound thinking, Satan has taken on the role of being an adversary against those seeking to love and obey their Father in heaven. Writing to the people of God, Peter cautioned, �Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour� (1 Peter 5:8).

In communicating with the brethren in Corinth, Paul described the true gospel as being �veiled� or hidden because of Satan, �the god of this age,� who had blinded the minds of unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). The good news is that this �veil is taken away in Christ� (2 Corinthians 3:14).