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Have you ever had a sign from God? Joseph certainly did. God gave him a dream. In that dream, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed to him. His brothers hated him for the dream, but his father kept the matter in mind. Though Joseph had no idea how the dream would unfold, and how much suffering it would also include, it was a sign that was fulfilled when Israel came to Joseph to save them from famine.
In Revelation 12 a great 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 that stood in front of the woman so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, who "will rule the nations with an iron scepter."
When John is writing about the first sign he describes it with the word Mega – mega semeion. This is the greatest, the most important, the most crucial sign that was given to humanity. It refers to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. He is the One Who rules the world.
"After a conflict with the Prince of this world, who came and tried Him, but found nothing in Him, the Son of the woman was taken up to heaven and sat on the right hand of God. Words can hardly be plainer than these." (Henry Alford)
Father, I come before You today. Holy Spirit, cleanse me and fill me. Lead me as I read the Word. Jesus, speak to me, touch my heart, open my eyes, reveal Yourself, renew my mind, strengthen my faith. Amen.
read revelation 12
read revelation 12
The woman and the dragon
1 A great 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.
2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.
3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.
4 Its 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 it might devour her child the moment he was born.
5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who ‘will rule all the nations with an iron sceptre.’ And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.
6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.
9 The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient snake called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
10 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 Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over 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.
12 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.’
13 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.
14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the snake’s reach.
15 Then from his mouth the snake spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.
16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring – those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
Take a moment to ponder on what you've read and respond to God in prayer.
INTERCESSION
"In those days when the number of disciples was increasing…" (Acts 6:1)
"So, the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith." (Acts 6:7)
"The church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers." (Acts 9:31)
PRAYER
Pray for spiritual multiplication in churches.
Pray for disciples who make disciples who make disciples.
Pray for at least 3, 4, 5, and even more generations.
Pray for multiplying leaders.
Pray for multiplying churches.
Pray for the unstoppable movements of God.
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