Pastor Chuck Smith Excerpts from The Book of Revelation The Blasphemy That Triggers God's Wrath

Note: this is an excerpt from Revelation 12 in the full lesson Pastor Chuck Smith explains the various characters in this chapter. He identifies the first as a celestial woman, a depiction of the Israel nation, especially as the birthplace of Jesus Christ. Pastor Chuck reflects upon the promise of a Messiah, prophesied to Abraham and David as Jesus. He then describes the second character as a great red dragon, an embodiment of Satan, not as an opposite but as an adversary of God and his followers. Furthermore, Pastor Chuck unfolds Satan's narcissist tale from a revered cherubim to a fallen angel due to his inflated pride and rebellion against God's will. Pastor Chuck emphasizes how Satan incessantly aimed at disrupting Jesus' path leading to the crucifixion, even drawing numerous references from past incidents of mass murders of innocent Jews. Next transitioning towards the future, Pastor Chuck discusses a predicted celestial warfare led by Michael against Satan, resulting in the latter's expulsion from heaven, happening during the tribulations. He accentuates the differing roles of Satan as the accuser and Jesus as our advocate, assisting us in overcoming the accusations due to Jesus' victory on the cross. The narration moves further into the future, describing the anticipated persecution of Israel, with many finding refuge in the wilderness under God's protection for a time span of three and a half years, while the remaining are rendered easy targets of Satan's tyranny. In conclusion, Pastor Chuck spotlights the triumph of believers throughJesus Christ, urging them to embrace hardships for Jesus’ sake by the power of the Holy Spirit.

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God bless you Chuck Smith rest in peace Amen.