Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - When You're Tempted to Compromise | New Testament | Revelation 12

Episode Date: November 7, 2023

Where in your life are you at risk of giving in to sin? Where in your life are you tempted to take the easy way out? That's not the life God calls you to live. In today's episode, Tanya explores Revelation 12 and God's desire to use his people. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Prepare your heart to celebrate Jesus. Sign up to have the 'I Am Your God' Advent Devotional delivered directly to your inbox starting Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. Join the TMBT community in reading the entire New Testament in one year. Get your FREE reading plan here. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Revelation 12

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. And the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmeth. Where are you tempted to compromise? Is it at school or with your friends or at work or when you're alone? And let's say you work for a software company that has developed technology that will have a huge positive impact on society. But there are also risks. And in the wrong hands, you know that.

the technology you are developing could have devastating effects. Do you keep your head down and cast your checks? Or do you ask the questions and draw uncomfortable attention to the risks and unwanted attention to yourself? You live in the tension of trying to figure out what's most important. Is it your job or your integrity? Is it your co-workers' jobs or the people that could be harmed. Is it your company or the good of society? How does the theme of Revelation that God's kingdom will come to earth as it is in heaven speak into our temptations to compromise? See, Revelation is a letter written to people that were living in the political, religious, and societal tensions between Rome and Jerusalem in their day. Revelation was an unveiling of what it looks like

when God's kingdom victory crashes into daily reality. It was full of images that propelled them into endurance and not compromise. And it also speaks to us today. It gives us the ability to see the battle going on between good and evil so we can endure. It uncovers the truth about compromise and the promises that God's people will be okay, that he will be with them through suffering and hardship, and through that victory is one. The heart of Revelation is, this is your reality.

The urging of Revelation is, look to your first love, Jesus. Today we're in Revelation 12, and I think you are really going to enjoy looking at these images together. So let's dig in. It starts, then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman with the moon beneath her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head. She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth. Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns with seven crowns on his heads.

Okay, this sounds a lot like we're in Genesis, doesn't it? There's a pregnant woman, birth pains, an evil servant, and a promised child. I'm going to read just a little bit more from Revelation 12. It goes on, his tail, the dragon, swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth, and he stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born. She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod, and her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and his throne.

It sounds ironic, doesn't it? There's a pregnant woman in the wilderness with a dragon, and the dragon isn't able to defeat her. So let's look at these images and what they mean. The woman with the 12 stars. Well, she represents Israel and the 12 tribes. The stars that are thrown down by the dragon's tail are those killed by pagan powers. The child with the scepter?

You probably got that one already. This is Jesus. In Psalm 2, this is the way Jesus rule is described. The protection of the woman from the dragon. Well, this is God's protection over Israel, not just historic Israel, but also the true Israel, the church. There are hints in this image that faithfulness to God will lead to hardship, but God will protect what matters most.

Now, we can't stop there. We have to see how this scene plays out, so just a little bit more. Revelation 12, then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. And the dragon lost the battle. And he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon, the ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world, was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens. It has come at last. Salvation and power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ.

What's the one true lie? The enemy tells us that we are sinners. This is a final defeat of that message. No longer do God's people have any accusations over them. It says, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth, the one who accuses them before our God day and night, and they have defeated him by the blood of the lamb and by their testimony, and they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Now, for all of the people who hear this letter,

What happens in heaven must happen on earth. How does Revelation say it will happen? By God's power? Yes. By God's authority? Yes. But also, by the people of God laying down their lives in faithful surrender to Jesus. We find stories of sacrificial love deeply moving, don't we?

We hear about people who forgot retirement to move to the mission field and we think, good for them. We watch our classmates live out an uncompromising dedication to not get drunk or gossip and we admire them for their courage. But do we feel any call to suffer? Do we have anything we should lay down so we can faithfully follow Jesus? Or said another way, does following Jesus daily affect our decisions, our time, and our comfort. We are tempted to think that God wants to bring his kingdom to heaven, that he wants to change the world without our sacrifice. But the Bible seriously challenges that assumption. The way of the Lamb is depicted as nothing other than self-sacrifice. I invite you to allow room for God to show you where you're tempted to compromise.

When you turn off this podcast, just allow a few moments of silent reflection and talking to God about what he wants to reveal to you. And ask him to comfort your heart with the truths of Revelation 12, that he will protect what matters most. And then get up and keep moving on with your day. But remember, this doesn't have to be one and done. You can come back to God throughout your day and ask him again or think about his protection again. let His truth be so close to you that you think about it more and more as you make your decisions. Our Father, who art in heaven, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.