Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (4)
Message Eight
The Man-child, the War in Heaven, and the Overcoming Saints
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
Scripture reading:
Rev. 12:11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death.
I. “She brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne”—Rev. 12:5: (Monday)
A. Brought forth here signifies resurrection, as in Acts 13:33-34; the man-child is composed of the overcoming saints who have died and been resurrected—Acts 13:33-34; Rev. 12:11.
B. The rapture of the man-child differs from that of the majority of the believers, which is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:17; here, the man-child is raptured to the throne of God, and before the one thousand two hundred and sixty days, which is the time of the great tribulation of three and a half years, beginning from the sixth seal, before the fifth trumpet—1 Thes. 4:17; 1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thes. 4:16; Rev. 11:15; 9:1.
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II. “There was war in heaven”; immediately after the man-child is raptured to heaven, Michael and his angels begin to war against Satan—12:7a: (Tuesday, Wednesday)
A. This indicates that the man-child, the stronger part of God’s people, is always engaged in fighting God’s enemy, Satan; heaven is waiting for them to arrive that a war may be waged to cast Satan out of heaven—vv. 7-9.
B. Satan, the enemy of God, was judged by the Lord Jesus on the cross; after that, the overcoming believers are needed for the carrying out of that judgment, for the executing of that sentence; the war waged by the overcoming believers against Satan is actually the executing of the Lord’s judgment upon him—John 12:31; 16:11; Rev. 12:7-9.
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III. “They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death”—vv. 10-11: (Thursday)
A. They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb; we must always apply the blood, telling the devil that although we are not perfect, we are under the precious blood—1 John 1:7, 9; Matt. 26:28; cf. Heb. 10:29; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Acts 20:28.
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B. They overcame him because of the word of their testimony; the overcomers must frequently proclaim the victory of Christ, testifying that the devil has been judged by the Lord—1 John 3:8; Heb. 2:14; cf. 2 Chron. 20:20-22. (Friday)
C. We must proclaim to Satan and his demons that Jesus is Lord, that the Lord is victorious, and that Satan has been crushed under His feet—Phil. 2:9-11; 1 Cor. 12:3b; Gen. 3:15; John 14:30b; Rom. 16:20.
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D. They loved not their soul-life even unto death; due to Adam’s fall, Satan joined himself to man’s soul-life—man’s self; to overcome him we must not love our soul-life; rather, we must hate it and deny it—Matt. 16:23-24; Luke 14:26; 9:23. (Saturday)
E. We must be self-sacrificing persons, a drink offering, allowing Christ as the heavenly wine to fill us and cause us to become wine to God; the drink offering typifies not only Christ Himself, but also Christ who saturates us with Himself as the heavenly wine until He and we become one to be poured out for God’s enjoyment and satisfaction and for God’s building—Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6; Judg. 9:13; Exo. 29:40-41; Matt. 9:17.
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
And she brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne—Rev. 12:5.
And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ, for the accuser of our brothers has been cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death—vv. 10-11.
Word of Appetizer
What is the man-child? Why does the war begin immediately after the man-child is caught up to the throne? Why does the man-child not actually fight, but Michael and his angels fight with Satan?
The man-child is composed of the overcoming saints who have died and have been resurrected. This is proved by the words “they loved not their soul-life even unto death” in Revelation 12:11. The man-child in Revelation 12 symbolizes the stronger part of God’s people.
The man-child is the executor. An executor does not need to lift a hand but only needs to give an order. When we, the executors, give the order, the angels who serve us will fight for us. The overcoming believers’ fighting against Satan is actually the execution of the Lord’s judgment upon Satan.
Spiritual Burden
Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ, for the accuser of our brothers has been cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him [the Devil] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
She brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
There was war in heaven.
Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ, for the accuser of our brothers has been cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him [the Devil] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death.
The Experience of Life
Satan may accuse us, but we can reply that the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, cleanses us from all sin; if any apparent condemnation does not cease after we have confessed our sins and applied the blood, it must not be the enlightening of God but the accusation of Satan.
Because of Adam’s fall, Satan has been joined to man’s soul-life, that is, man’s self; to overcome Satan, we should not love our soul-life but should hate and deny it; we should have the attitude of never living by our self; we should not regard our own ability and should not trust in ourselves at all.
Practice and Application
We must constantly apply the Lord’s blood, telling the Devil that although we are not perfect, we are under the precious blood.
The overcomers must frequently declare the victory of Christ, testifying that the Devil has been judged by the Lord; we must declare to Satan and his demons that Jesus is Lord, that the Lord is victorious, and that Satan has been trampled under His feet.
We must be those who have consecrated ourselves, a drink offering, allowing Christ as the heavenly wine to fill us and make us a wine offering to God.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 The Man-child Signifies the Stronger Part of God’s People (Rev. 12:5)
(Please illustrate that among God’s people, not everyone is strong.)
T2 The Man-child Is Composed of the Overcoming Saints Who Have Died and Resurrected (Rev. 12:5, 11)
(Please illustrate the difference between the rapture of the majority of believers and the rapture of the man-child.)
Day 2
T1 The Man-child Is Always Engaged in Warfare with God’s Enemy, Satan (Rev. 12:7-9)
(Please illustrate the most effective way the Lord has shown us to defeat the enemy.)
T2 God Is Waiting for a Group of Overcomers, the Man-child, to Go to the Heavens to Execute His Judgment on the Enemy (Rev. 12:7-9)
(Please illustrate that the rapture is not for our happiness but for God’s purpose.)
Day 3
T1 When the Man-child Was Caught Up to Heaven, There Was War in Heaven (Rev. 12:7-9)
(Why did the man-child not actually fight, but Michael and his angels fought with Satan?)
T2 God’s Enemy, Satan, Has Already Been Judged by the Lord Jesus on the Cross (John 12:31; 16:11)
(Please illustrate that when the overcoming believers fight against Satan, they are actually executing the Lord’s judgment on Satan.)
Day 4
T1 Seeing and Experiencing the Power and Authority of the Blood of the Lamb (Rev. 12:11; 1 John 1:7)
(Please illustrate that we must apply this blood often, telling the Devil that although we are not perfect, we are under the perfect blood.)
T2 We Confess That We Are Sinful, but We Do Not Accept Satan’s Accusation (Rev. 12:11)
(Please illustrate that we not only reject groundless accusations but also do not accept accusations that have grounds.)
Day 5
T1 The Brothers Overcame Him because of the Word of Their Testimony (Rev. 12:11)
(Please illustrate that whenever we feel the accusation of the Devil, we should open our mouths to testify of how the Lord has dealt with him.)
T2 What Satan Fears Is Not Preaching, Not Theology, but the Word of Testimony (Rev. 12:11; 1 John 3:8)
(Please list five spiritual facts that Satan fears.)
Day 6
T1 To Overcome Satan, We Must Not Love Our Soul-life (Rev. 12:11; Matt. 16:24)
(Please illustrate that if we do not love our soul-life, do not love our self, we will not become earth, and this will cause Satan to be killed.)
T2 What God Needs Are Those Who Have Passed through the Cross and Have Been Dealt with by the Cross (Matt. 16:24)
(Please illustrate that the cross is to remove everything that is not of God, and the cross is to leave only what comes from God.)
