Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
A great sign appeared in Heaven. Part 3. Rev 12.
Tuesday, July 2, 2002
The moon is a reference to the wives of Jacob and his mistresses who reflect him as the moon reflects the sun.
The twelve stars refer to the twelve patriarchs or the twelve tribes of Israel.
1) The sign of circumcision, a sign that Abraham would perpetuate the Jewish race, GEN 17:11, “And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.”
2) The sign of the virgin birth to point to the hypostatic union and the unique relationship that the Lord Jesus Christ would have with God the Father, ISA 7:14, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”
3) The sign of Israel becoming a nation manifested by the miracles of the ten plagues, EXO 10:2.
REV 12:1 - the twelve stars refer to the twelve tribes of Israel who came from Jacob.
Jacob is 77 years old and not married and still taking orders from mommy.
MAL 3:6 “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob [you liars and deceivers], are not consumed.”
HEB 11:20 By means of doctrine resident in the soul Isaac blessed Jacob.
Esau obeys his father, goes out hunting, and brings back a delicious meal like Isaac loves.
Jacob never leaves the house, wilfully lies and deceives his father, substitutes a goat for the venison, lies to his father and even uses the Lords name to do so, and yet Jacob receives the blessing.
ROM 9:13 “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
Through doctrine resident in the soul, Isaac recognized that giving the blessing to Jacob was the will of God.
It takes a great person to learn from being deceived that something was the will of God and not to get bitter about it.
When you can learn from being deceived by someone without getting bitter or angry toward them, thats an indication that you have grown up spiritually.
ROM 9:16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills [Isaac] or the man who runs [Esau], but on God who has mercy.
HEB 11:20 By means of doctrine resident in the soul Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.
1. In Isaacs acceptance of the disappointment of Jacob getting the blessing over his favorite son Esau, Isaac shows us the way we ought to bear the consequences of making wrong decisions.
2. Many times the Lord will allow people who are close to us to hurt us even if it is unintentional on their part, but to guide us into the correct path.
PRO 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
PSA 23:3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His names sake.
GEN 50:20 “And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”
3. The Lord can turn the curse of deception and the wrath of man into praise toward Himself. PSA 76:10 For the wrath of man shall praise Thee;
2CO 13:8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth.
ISA 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.
EXO 1:12 “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out.”
4. Esau only saw the deceiver Jacob and vowed to be revenged; Isaac saw God in the matter and trembled because he almost made the wrong decision.
5. We can bear the pain inflicted upon us by others when we see that they are merely the instruments of a divine blessing or divine chastisement.
6. To this day the method of Rebekah and Jacob is largely adopted by religious people who believe that the end justifies the means.
ROM 3:8 “Let us do evil that good may come”
7. The destiny of all the attempts to try to play God or manage Gods affairs by deception or misrepresentation is brought out by the scheme of Rebekah and Jacob.
8. God had promised that the birthright would be Jacobs and God would have given it to him at the proper time, but their timing did not line up with Gods timing.
9. The sin of Rebekah and Jacob was the sin of blaming God for forgetting His promise or accusing Him of being unable to perform it.
10. While each member of Isaacs family tried their own plans, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Esau, the result was that Gods purpose was still accomplished.
Robert R. McLaughlin All Rights Reserved 2002