War with the dragon
Till the Lord comes, let us give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give yourself wholly to them; that your profiting may appear to all (I Timothy 4:13-15).
The mystery of God should be finished, as he has declared to his servants the prophets (Revelation 10:7). In the revelation to John, there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And she being with child cried, travailing in birth.
The woman was pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth; and the dragon stood before the woman, which was to be delivered.
He is to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man-child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there 3260 days (Revelation 12:1-6).
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceived the whole world: he and his angels were cast out into the earth.
And John the beloved heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for 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.
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhibiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knew that he has but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman, which brought forth the man-child (Rev. 12:7-13).
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half the time from the face of the serpent. The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God.
And John stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up. And the beast, which he saw, was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority (Revelation 12:14,17; 13:1-2).
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