These verses are about what is the controversy between Christ and Satan based on a chain of verses that are referenced in a specific order to help give clarity and context.* It has very minimal commentary so that you can do your own self-reflection and discovery of the verses. Many times the Bible explains itself if you just know where to look.
With each group of verses, there are probing questions to help you consider what is being said. Each verse in the study is linked to an online Bible, should you want to check the context of the verses around it. Also, allowing verification of what scripture says, as well as purity of a study based only on the Bible.
1. How is the church symbolized?
Revelation 12:1 (KJV) — “”
Jeremiah 6:2 (KJV) — “”
2. What promise was to be fulfilled?
Genesis 3:15 (KJV) — “”
Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) — “”
Revelation 12:2,5 (KJV) — “”
3. Who is represented by the dragon?
Revelation 12:3,9 (KJV) — “”
4. When did the warfare between Christ and Satan begin?
Revelation 12:7-8 (KJV) — “”
5. How was the conflict transferred to the earth?
Revelation 12:9 (KJV) — “”
Luke 10:18 (KJV) — “”
Revelation 12:12 (KJV) — “”
6. What has been the record of Satan’s dealings with humanity?
John 8:44 (KJV) — “”
John 10:10 (KJV) — “”
1 Peter 5:8-9 (KJV) — “”
Revelation 12:10,13-16 (KJV) — “”
7. Through what nation did Satan try to destroy Christ and the early church?
Pagan Rome
Luke 2:1-11 (KJV) — “”
Matthew 2:16 (KJV) — “”
8. Through what power did he work after the fall of pagan Rome?
Papal Rome
Revelation 12:1-7 (KJV) — “”
“We have now passed briefly over the history of the church for the first eighteen centuries of the Christian dispensation. The first few centuries of this time Satan used pagan Rome as his instrument to persecute the .early church. But when the power of Rome was broken, and she was divided up into ten kingdoms during the fifth century after Christ, it became necessary for Satan, in order to continue his warfare against the church, to raise up another organization which could have jurisdiction over all these nations, and through her influence make the wrath of Satan to be felt by the church in any and all parts of the world. This was accomplished in the organization of the Papacy; for sitting in the seat of pagan Rome, she was able so to direct the affairs of Satan that all Europe, for more than 1,000 years, became a regular charnel house. The blood of the martyrs of Jesus flowed freely on every hand. Every device of cruelty and torture which wicked men and demons could invent, was brought to bear against them, but the prophet says, ‘They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.’ Verse 11.”
— “Bible Footlights,” p. 203.
9. What experience came to this power?
Revelation 13:3,10 (KJV) — “”
“This wound was inflicted upon the papal head of this beast when the French, in 1798, entered Rome, and took the Pope prisoner, and for a time, it seemed, abolished the Papacy. But in 1800 another Pope was placed upon the papal throne, and the deadly wound began to be healed. Temporal dominion was taken away from the Papacy in 1870, but nevertheless its power and influence among the nations have been increasing since then. ‘In that year,’ says Mr. Guinness in his work, ‘Romanism and the Reformation,’ page 156, ‘the Papacy assumed the highest exaltation to which it could aspire, that of infallibility.’ To such a position of influence over the nations is the Papacy finally to attain that just before her complete overthrow and destruction she will say, ‘I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.’ Rev. 18:7. (See Isa. 47:7-15; Rev. 17:18.)”
— “Bible Readings for the Home Circle,” p. 270.
10. That the identity of this power might be known, what clue does God give?
Revelation 13:18 (KJV) — “”
“The number of the beast, says the 0 prophecy, ‘is the number of a man;’ . . . and if it is to be derived from a name or title, the natural conclusion would be that it must be the name or title of some particular man. . . . The most plausible name we have ever seen suggested as containing the number of the beast, is the title which the Pope applies to himself, and allows others to apply to him. That title is this: Vicarius Filii Dei, ‘Vicegerent of the Son of God.’ Taking the letters out of this title which the Latins used as numerals, and giving them their numerical value, we have just 666.”
— “Daniel and 666 the Revelation,” pp. 700, 701, edition, 1897.
11. What did the prophet see growing into power about the time the first beast received its deadly wound?
Revelation 13:11 (KJV) — “”
12. What nation was coming up in 1798?
The United States of America.
13. What would develop in America?
A religio-political power.
Revelation 13:12-17 (KJV) — “”
14. What would this movement accomplish?
Make an image to the Papacy.
Revelation 13:14-15 (KJV) — “”
15. What was the beast government?
A union of church and state enforcing religious teachings by civil law.
“The beast ‘which had the wound by a sword, and did live,’ is the Papacy. That was a church dominating the civil power. In other words, it was a union of church and state, and enforced its religious dogmas by the civil power, under pain of confiscation of goods, imprisonment, and death. An image to this beast would be another ecclesiastical organization clothed with civil power — another union of church and state — to enforce religious dogmas by law.”
— “Bible Readings for the Home Circle.” D. 273.
16. What fate is to overtake all who worship the beast or his image?
Revelation 14:9-11 (KJV) — “”
This study guide was based on Reading No. 19, pages 118-119 from Brief Bible Readings for Busy People, prepared by the Home Missionary Department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Review and Herald Publishing. Published originally in 1930.
View the original study guide, which this guide is based on, as a scanned PDF. Full credit to them.
*A Bible chain reference is a system of cross-referencing between different passages or verses of the Bible to connect and relate different concepts, themes, or topics mentioned in different parts of the Bible. It helps readers gain a deeper understanding of the overall message and meaning of the text. To use it, readers start with a particular topic or theme and then look up the corresponding list of verses, paying attention to the connections and relationships between them. Studying them in a particular order, helps one understand the topic from beginning to end. Just like peeling the layers off of an onion. It’s a useful tool for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of the Bible and its teachings.
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