1. The Missing Piece from the Nativity

4. Revelation 12:1-12 “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.

5. Revelation 12:1-12 “She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

6. Revelation 12:1-12 “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!’”

8. 1. Who is the dragon? 2. What does the dragon tell us about Jesus? 3. What does the dragon tell us about the church? 4. How is the dragon defeated?

9. “…that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.” – Revelation 12:9

10. “…a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” – Revelation 12:1

11. “She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.” – Revelation 12:2

12. “Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you shall go out from the city and dwell in the open country; you shall go to Babylon” – Micah 4:10

13. “She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron.” – Revelation 12:5

14. “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.” – Revelation 19:11-15

17. “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30) “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4). “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19)

19. “…woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” - Revelation 12:12 “…went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” - Revelation 12:17

21. “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:11-12

23. “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come.” – Revelation 12:10

24. “…the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.” – Revelation 12:10

26. “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” – Revelation 12:10-11 – Revelation 12:10-11

28. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness…My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” – 1 John 1:8-9, 2:1-2

30. The father of lies, coming to steal, kill, and destroy all my hopes of being good enough. I hear him saying, “Cursed are the ones who can't abide”… Could the father of lies be telling the truth of God to me tonight? If the penalty of sin is death then death is mine. I hear him saying, “Cursed are the ones who can't abide”… He’s right. Alleluia he's right! The devil’s singing over me an age old song, that I am cursed and gone astray, singing the first verse so conveniently over me. He’s forgotten the refrain… Jesus Saves! - Embracing Accusation