Revelation Series; wk. 11 - Revelation 12 The Battle Behind the Battle 11.16.25

Title: The Battle Behind the Battle
Key Verses: Revelation 12
Link to full Sermon: (click here)

Revelation 12: The Battle Behind the Battle

There are moments in life when you feel something pressing on your soul that you cannot fully explain. It is not physical. It is not tied to circumstances. It is a heaviness or uneasiness that seems to come from nowhere. Scripture tells us why moments like this happen. There is a battle behind the battle, an unseen war that Revelation twelve pulls into view.

This past week our team returned from Peru. God moved there in incredible ways as we shared the gospel in remote villages. At the same time many of us were physically stretched and spiritually pressed. In one moment while preaching I suddenly could not read the words on the page. My vision blurred completely. Yet God brought the scriptures to mind and people responded to the gospel. A few minutes later I found out why I was feeling so strange. A parasitic infection had hit my body. The moment I understood what was happening, everything made sense.

Life often works that way. You feel the resistance before you ever understand the reason. Revelation twelve tells us that behind every earthly pressure there is a deeper spiritual reality at work. A real enemy. A real war. And a real Savior who has already won.

A Sign in Heaven and a Reminder of Salvation

Revelation twelve opens with a radiant woman clothed with the sun. She represents the people of God through whom the Messiah came. She is crowned in glory yet in the pains of labor. It is a picture of creation longing for redemption.

Then comes the dragon, the enemy of God, waiting to devour the child. The male child born to rule the nations is Jesus. In one sweeping verse we see the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. The dragon cannot touch the plan of God.

The woman then flees into the wilderness where God cares for her. This is a picture of the church today. We are protected even in seasons that feel dry or difficult. The wilderness does not mean abandonment. It means God is sustaining us in places where we feel weak.

The War in Heaven and the Victory of Christ

Next the vision shifts upward. A war breaks out in heaven. Michael and the angels of God defeat the dragon and cast him down. This is not a future event. It is the result of Christ triumph on the cross.

Once Jesus rose from the grave the enemy lost the power to accuse the children of God. He can speak lies but he cannot speak truth. The victory cry of heaven declares that salvation and authority now belong to Jesus alone.

Verse eleven gives the strategy for our victory. Believers overcome the enemy by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. Not by personal strength. Not by religious performance. By Jesus and by the story of what Jesus has done.

The enemy accuses day and night. Jesus redeems day and night. One voice seeks to shame you. One voice seeks to free you. If your life is filled with constant accusation, you are listening to the wrong voice.

The Dragon Rages but God Protects

When the dragon realizes he has lost his place in heaven he turns his fury toward the people of God. That is what spiritual warfare feels like. You think the struggle is ending and then something hits you again.

But the woman is given wings like an eagle. She is lifted above the reach of the enemy. God always gives what his people need to endure.

Even when the enemy pours out floods of lies and pressure, the earth helps the woman. God restrains evil. If God removed his hand entirely the world would collapse under its own brokenness. The fact that we experience moments of grace and protection is proof that God is working even when we cannot see it.

The Victory of the Lamb

Revelation twelve is not a chapter of fear. It is a chapter of confidence. It places four truths in front of us.

First, the gospel is the center of history.

The world is not driven by chaos. It is driven by the redemptive plan of God. Jesus stands at the center of everything.

Second, the church lives in tension.

We live between a victory already won and a final victory still to come. This is why life holds both joy and hardship. This is why faith requires endurance. Light shines brightest in darkness.

Third, our victory is in Christ, not in ourselves.

We do not overcome the enemy by talent or discipline. We do not overcome by willpower. We overcome by the blood of Jesus and the testimony of what he h
as done.

Fourth, suffering is not wasted when we suffer with hope.

The early church understood this. They did not cling to comfort. They clung to confidence in Christ. They knew that death itself had already been conquered.

The Call for Today

Revelation twelve invites the church to remain surrendered to Jesus. To stand firm in truth. To cling to worship as a weapon. To speak our testimony boldly. To refuse the voice of accusation. And to keep walking even when the wilderness feels long.

Your life is part of a story much bigger than you see. Someone may be waiting years to respond to the gospel because of your obedience. Someone may come to know Jesus because you refused to walk away during a season of tension.

God is working far beyond your sight.

The dragon will be defeated. The church will be victorious. The lamb has already won.

So remain faithful. Stay surrendered. Walk in victory today.

Because victory is in Jesus alone.