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Revelation 12 Part 2 |
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 And
the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war with the woman,
and the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have
the testimony of Jesus. Rev. 12:17 |
| The seed of the woman is a symbol of the children and grandchildren of God's people who keep the commandments. You can be one of these children by keeping the commandments and having the testimony of Jesus. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Rev. 19:10) |
 When
you sew cloth or put carpet in your home, the pieces left over of the roll
are called the remnant. |
 When I was making a blue canopy and matching curtains
and blanket for my new baby boy, I looked for special baby blue colors.
Medical tests showed us before he was born that a boy was coming. I
measured the canopy over the crib and bed to make sure I bought enough
cloth. Just in case I did not figure enough for gathering, I bought extra.
Gathering means to bunch it together like a ruffle. It was so much fun
making the crib ready for my baby. I had waited 13 years for my first baby
and now my second boy was on his way. I was upset when I ran out of
material. I had not bought enough. I hurried back to the store, hoping no
one else had bought the remnant left on the bolt of cloth. It is so hard
to match the cloth from different bolts even if it is the same pattern. |
 I took along a little piece of the cloth I had at home
to make sure I had the right color. Many bolts of cloth were so very close
to what I had but not exactly the same. Everything had to match. This was
a big event. I knew baby could not tell if his crib had two different
colors yet it was important to my eyes. Finally I found some. It was off
the same bolt. It was the very remnant. It was the last piece. I held my
cloth right up to it and it matched. I was so happy. Everything was
finished and finally ready for baby. |
 The
Bible is like this bolt of cloth. The 10 commandments were given in the
Bible. Remember the 2 witnesses of Revelation 11? Both the Old and the New
Testament of the Bible tell us God's commandments. Some have made up their
own commandments. They cut out the second one and changed the fourth. They
made up their own cloth that does not match the original cloth. |
 The woman clothed with the light of the Bible truth, has
on God's cloth. She wears the truth which is the light of the world. This
woman is a symbol of God's people. They were God's cloth. They keep the
UNCHANGED commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus. Their
cloth matches exactly. Jesus says, "If you love Me, keep my
commandments.:" John 14:15.
What is the testimony of Jesus? In Revelation 19:10 it says that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. In Joel 2:28, God promises to send messages even through children. Now many are claiming to be prophets. We must take what they say and match it up with God's cloth. If the color is not right and the pattern is changed, it is because they made it up themselves or Satan whispered it to them. If they don't speak according to God's law it is because there is no light in them. |
 A
prophet speaks for God. In the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned,
they became afraid of God. They ran to hide.
After that time, God chose people who were not afraid of Him, to give messages to. The Bible is written by people that He spoke through. They wrote as He inspired them. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for dictrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect..." 2 Timothy 3:16 Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them. |
 The
testimony of Jesus makes the dragon angry enough for war. (Rev. 12:17) But
Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid. John 14:28
Since there will be prophets in the last days, Satan will make a counterfeit. That means he will make one that looks like a prophet but his messages come from Satan or he makes them up. It will be confusing unless you test everything by the Bible. You must study the Bible to know what you believe. |
| Do
you know how to tell the difference between a false prophet and God's
prophet?
One way to tell is if prophets are boasting about themselves and what they have done. These are not like Jesus, they are false. If they try to change God's laws. These are against God. Another way to tell is if the prophecy comes to pass. That is what upset Jonah because when the people repented, God changed His plans and did not wipe out Nineveh. Jonah was afraid all would consider him a false prophet. So there are conditions to God's prophecies yet He makes them come to pass in His way and His time. |
 In
lesson 29 of the Basic Bible lessons for children, there is the story of
an amazing young lady that Jesus asked to be a prophet for Him. She always
encouraged people to study the Bible. She never boasted about herself. She
always pointed away from herself to God as our example. Never did she ask
for special honor or reverence. If you read her books you can see that she
was inspired. She was one who had the testimony of Jesus. She had the
spirit of prophecy. She received over 2,000 messages. She wrote in
magazines, and books. She had messages on healthful living that were not
understood 100 years ago. Now science has studies to prove they are right.
It amazes scientists today. She always spoke of the importance of keeping
the 10 commandments exactly as God wrote them.
2 Chronicles 20:20 Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. |
| Quiz
1. What does remnant mean? 2. Who are the remnant? 3. How can you tell if you are the remnant? 4. How can you tell the difference between a false and a true prophet? 5. Can you choose whatever you want to believe from the writings of Bible writers or other prophets of God? 6. Recite the text 2 Chronicles 20:20. 7. Using our texts just studied in Revelation, state what makes the Dragon angry. 8. Who is the woman in this lesson that is clothed with the sun, has moon at her feet and stars about her head? 9. What do the stars represent?
11. What were serpent crosiers used for in Egypt? 12. See if you can remember from the last lesson these answers. What did the winged serpent say in the garden of Eden to Eve about life even if you disobey God? Is that a lie? 13. What did Satan say through the serpent that would happen to the mind of Eve if she disobeyed? 14. Are these the same lies still being vomited out of the mouth of the serpent today? |
When
Jesus came from heaven and lived among men, He was the very best
prophet. He showed us just what God is like. No one has ever
expressed God's thoughts like Jesus HIMSELF. He gives talents to different
people. Some He made apostles, some prophets, others evangelists,
ministers, and teachers. (Amos 3:7 is a promise that He will not do
anything without telling His prophets. He keeps His promises. So you can
expect modern day prophets but watch out for the FAKE ones. If they speak
not according to the law and God's two witnesses and the testimony it is
because there is no light in them.