My last two articles have been about the Revelation 12 vision that John saw and about a possible coming revival that it foretells. But, there is a truth we need to see about revival – it doesn’t have to happen in peaceful times! Notice in the Revelation 12 vision the Red Dragon is right there ready to devour the child when it is born.

“And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.” – Rev. 12:3, 4

We know that the woman (Virgo) represents Israel and the child represents Jesus but, just as prophesies can have several parallel meanings, so can signs. Why is John given this sign after Jesus has been born and caught up to heaven? I believe it is because this sign also represents an event that will also happen toward the end of the age. If that is true then the woman could represent the Church and the child could represent revival. But, notice, that it will come amidst conflict that the Red Dragon will be causing. Which is the purpose of this article.

Some 2000 years ago when the Church was born, it was also in the midst of conflict, conflict from both political and religious forces. The Red Dragon (Satan) had infiltrated the Roman government and the religious system then as well but, Jesus showed us how to confront both of them. As Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness after receiving the Holy Spirit, He said –

“Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” – Matt.4:10

He then went forth preaching the Gospel, saying –

“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matt. 4:17

The way to confront the devil is to be completely sold out to the Lord, and to serve only Him! When Jesus ended His earthly ministry, He commissioned His Disciples –

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” – Matt. 28:18-20

Just what did Jesus teach His Disciples that they were to pass on to us? The Apostle Paul tells us in his epistle to the Ephesians –

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” – Eph. 6:11-13

To do the work of the Kingdom, we must recognize the work of the Red Dragon. We must see the influence of the devil behind the forces that are against us. When Mark records the Great Commission, he adds a few things –

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” – Mark 16:15-18

Notice Mark lists casting out demons. He then refers to using the gifts of the Holy Spirit. When he speaks of taking up serpents, he is not talking about tempting God but about the attacks of Satan as when a viper bit Paul on the hand as he was gathering wood and he just shook it off into the fire and was not hurt. As we go in the Lord’s service, the devil’s followers will not be able to poison us and we will heal the sick as a testimony to Jesus. Let’s review the steps given in the Bible for our work.

First, Jesus was called by God and every one must first be called by the Holy Spirit to repentance and then receive Jesus as their Savior. Second, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and everyone who repents and receives Jesus must be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as Jesus said. Third, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus and everyone who receives Jesus is also meant to be baptized with the Holy Spirit as well.

“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. . . . But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:4-8

Fourth, everyone who goes forth as a ‘witness’ to Jesus must be prepared to confront the devil, just as Jesus did. When Jesus sent out the 70 disciples to preach the Gospel “And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’,  and when they returned they were full of joy –

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” – Luke 10:17

He gave them authority –

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” – Luke 10:19

He told them to preach the good news that the kingdom of God had come and heal any sick that they encountered but, they had to take authority over the demons as well! We must remember that in this great revival coming, we must also face the demons that have blinded the people and put them in bondage.

A few headlines from Epoch Times gives us a glimpse of the influence of the Red Dragon we are facing: Biden Halts Oil and Gas Leases in New Mexico, Ideological Alignment Pushing America Toward Totalitarianism Experts Warn, Biden Backs Transgender Agenda in Sports and Bathrooms. His first days saw over 80 new Executive Orders signed reversing President Trumps actions on the Border Wall, Illegal immigrants, abortion, and religious freedoms. These actions are all being done under the influence of the spirit of Antichrist – the spirit of the Red Dragon. And behind him also is the financial spirit of the Red Dragon, which is China!

This is the atmosphere in which the Revival will begin and we, the believers, need to be armed with the Holy Spirit to confront  the ‘spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places’ as Jesus did in the wilderness. We need to learn once again who we are in Jesus and what authority we have been armed with. Will we be shut up in our homes and muzzled with masks? Or will we boldly step out to witness our faith in Jesus and praise the God of the Universe? Will we allow Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Amazon to silence us? Or will we take our business elsewhere? Rome couldn’t stop the Gospel from going forth, Communism can’t stop it, and neither will the progressive (Communist) forces in the United States stop it.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.