Revelation Chapter 12
Verses 10-12 “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice O heavens and you who dwell in them...”
“The proclamation by the loud voice is uttered in the false heaven, the same ecclesiastical heaven in which the dragon and his angels had waged warfare against the pseudo-Michael and his angels—the latter being victorious. The song is one of jubilation and triumph. It is the premature pronouncement of Christ taking unto himself his great power and reigning.
“The result of this rise to power of the Roman Catholic Church was the loud boast in heaven (the religious world) “We are the kingdom of God on earth! We have conquered pagan religion! They who have persecuted us are now beneath our power.”
It is the false Michael’s assertion of the establishment of the promised Kingdom of God accompanied with the casting down of Satan and his dragon power, which formerly persecuted the saints. The victors in this contest boastfully accredit themselves as the worthy successors of the prior faithful who, following in the footsteps of Jesus, were obedient unto death (particularly those of the A.D. 303–313 period), sharing similar martyrdom and overcoming not by arms or temporal means but by the blood of the Lamb.
“Naturally, Papacy attributes the victory to Jesus. Papacy also attributes it to its martyrs whom it venerates. Thus they claim the victory due to the martyrdom of those “accused” (Verse 10) and to their life-stories (“the word of their testimony”), and also to their willingness to love the church over life itself (“loved not their lives unto the death”). Papacy will always be thenceforth willing to ask others to sacrifice for the maintenance of church power.”
The Papacy has often conveniently reckoned notable and perhaps faithful Christians of the past as adherents and exponents of the Catholic faith, sometimes quite unjustifiably so, such as designating Peter as the first pope and chief of the apostles. The same reasoning was used in Jesus’ day by some in Israel. The priesthood was prone to look back to Abraham and the faithful prophets of old as their fathers, yet Jesus charged the religious leadership of his day with responsibility for putting the prophets to death (Matt 23:29–37). They thought that because they were of the seed of Abraham, the promises unconditionally applied to them and to their children as Jews according to the flesh, not realizing that God could raise up unto Himself other sons for children (Luke 3:8; Isa. 65:1). The priesthood which started with Aaron was deemed reputable and respectable (Psa 106:16). This custodianship deteriorated, however, as time went on. Originally pure (“the ancient and honorable, he is the head”—Isa 9:15), the office became degraded with the passage of time (the prophet who spoke lies became the tail).
The false voice and message of Verse 10 through the beginning of Verse 12 are in harmony with the first nine verses of Chapter 12, which present the history of the professed Church (the church nominal) as seen in the eyes of orthodoxy as a wonderful thing, especially the victory of Michael over the awesome dragon power, the latter being cast out of the nominal heaven. Papacy not only attributes the faithfulness of individuals of former times (the true followers of Christs who lived and died prior to rise of Papacy) to its own membership (Verse 11) but boasts as one having put off his armor, reckoning the age of trial and development in the past.
This loud announcement of success applies to Papacy’s acknowledgment of the Emperor Justinian’s declaration (which became effectual A.D. 539) that the Roman prelate henceforth was to be considered the supreme universal bishop of the realm. This honor was granted in addition to a prior recognition, several decades earlier, of the Roman bishop or pope as the undisputed ecclesiastical head of the western branch of the empire. Papacy, however, reached still greater heights and the zenith of its power about A.D. 799 under Charlemagne, and it maintained this power with relevant consistency for a thousand years.
Another clue showing that the voice and message were false—that Papacy was speaking—is the time element. This proclamation is heard following the casting out of the dragon, and at the beginning of the flight of the woman into the wilderness.
How could the Kingdom of God be said to begin while the true Church, pictured by the woman, is still in the flesh (1 Cor 15:50; 4:8; Rom 8:17; 2 Tim 2:12), and remains in that condition for 1,260 days (years) . . . and beyond (Verse 17)?
“The rejoicing continues IF you are part of the apostate church (“ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them”) IF you are not, then WOE unto you!
We will continue with Verse 12 in our next post.
Verses 10-12 “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice O heavens and you who dwell in them...”
“The proclamation by the loud voice is uttered in the false heaven, the same ecclesiastical heaven in which the dragon and his angels had waged warfare against the pseudo-Michael and his angels—the latter being victorious. The song is one of jubilation and triumph. It is the premature pronouncement of Christ taking unto himself his great power and reigning.
“The result of this rise to power of the Roman Catholic Church was the loud boast in heaven (the religious world) “We are the kingdom of God on earth! We have conquered pagan religion! They who have persecuted us are now beneath our power.”
It is the false Michael’s assertion of the establishment of the promised Kingdom of God accompanied with the casting down of Satan and his dragon power, which formerly persecuted the saints. The victors in this contest boastfully accredit themselves as the worthy successors of the prior faithful who, following in the footsteps of Jesus, were obedient unto death (particularly those of the A.D. 303–313 period), sharing similar martyrdom and overcoming not by arms or temporal means but by the blood of the Lamb.
“Naturally, Papacy attributes the victory to Jesus. Papacy also attributes it to its martyrs whom it venerates. Thus they claim the victory due to the martyrdom of those “accused” (Verse 10) and to their life-stories (“the word of their testimony”), and also to their willingness to love the church over life itself (“loved not their lives unto the death”). Papacy will always be thenceforth willing to ask others to sacrifice for the maintenance of church power.”
The Papacy has often conveniently reckoned notable and perhaps faithful Christians of the past as adherents and exponents of the Catholic faith, sometimes quite unjustifiably so, such as designating Peter as the first pope and chief of the apostles. The same reasoning was used in Jesus’ day by some in Israel. The priesthood was prone to look back to Abraham and the faithful prophets of old as their fathers, yet Jesus charged the religious leadership of his day with responsibility for putting the prophets to death (Matt 23:29–37). They thought that because they were of the seed of Abraham, the promises unconditionally applied to them and to their children as Jews according to the flesh, not realizing that God could raise up unto Himself other sons for children (Luke 3:8; Isa. 65:1). The priesthood which started with Aaron was deemed reputable and respectable (Psa 106:16). This custodianship deteriorated, however, as time went on. Originally pure (“the ancient and honorable, he is the head”—Isa 9:15), the office became degraded with the passage of time (the prophet who spoke lies became the tail).
The false voice and message of Verse 10 through the beginning of Verse 12 are in harmony with the first nine verses of Chapter 12, which present the history of the professed Church (the church nominal) as seen in the eyes of orthodoxy as a wonderful thing, especially the victory of Michael over the awesome dragon power, the latter being cast out of the nominal heaven. Papacy not only attributes the faithfulness of individuals of former times (the true followers of Christs who lived and died prior to rise of Papacy) to its own membership (Verse 11) but boasts as one having put off his armor, reckoning the age of trial and development in the past.
This loud announcement of success applies to Papacy’s acknowledgment of the Emperor Justinian’s declaration (which became effectual A.D. 539) that the Roman prelate henceforth was to be considered the supreme universal bishop of the realm. This honor was granted in addition to a prior recognition, several decades earlier, of the Roman bishop or pope as the undisputed ecclesiastical head of the western branch of the empire. Papacy, however, reached still greater heights and the zenith of its power about A.D. 799 under Charlemagne, and it maintained this power with relevant consistency for a thousand years.
Another clue showing that the voice and message were false—that Papacy was speaking—is the time element. This proclamation is heard following the casting out of the dragon, and at the beginning of the flight of the woman into the wilderness.
How could the Kingdom of God be said to begin while the true Church, pictured by the woman, is still in the flesh (1 Cor 15:50; 4:8; Rom 8:17; 2 Tim 2:12), and remains in that condition for 1,260 days (years) . . . and beyond (Verse 17)?
“The rejoicing continues IF you are part of the apostate church (“ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them”) IF you are not, then WOE unto you!
We will continue with Verse 12 in our next post.
