“I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Though we journey through our own wilderness, God will bring his people safely home.

In many ways, Polina lives like any other 12-year-old. She attends school, plays with friends, and tackles homework — the familiar rhythm of an 8th grader’s day. Polina, who lives 100 kilometers west of Kyiv, experiences something most children don’t: the sound of air-raid sirens interrupting everyday life.

“Now I’m more calm about this signal because I’ve gotten used to it,” she says, referring to her routine sprints to the shelter, which feel as normal to her as running for a bus.

Her daily life balances on a knife’s edge of uncertainty. Over 400 Ukrainian schools have been destroyed and 3,500 damaged in the past two years. Despite this, Polina strives for a sense of normalcy while remaining alert for further attacks. She does her math homework, but also knows the quickest route to safety. She trades gossip with friends, but keeps one ear tuned for warning sirens. This is childhood in a war zone — both ordinary and extraordinary at once.

You, too, are living in the midst of a spiritual battlefield. Every day, whether you realize it or not, you’re operating in a war zone. The challenges and struggles you face aren’t random—they’re direct consequences of this ongoing conflict. Why is everything so hard sometimes? Why is everything so broken? This chapter tells us.

Don’t be caught off guard when you come under attack; it’s not a matter of if, but when. Understanding this reality should compel you to take decisive action to prepare and protect yourself in this ever-present battle.

Revelation So Far

We have been exploring the book of Revelation since September. Let’s find our place in the book.

Revelation is a letter written to the church that shows us what’s really going on in the world. And what is going on? Here’s all of Revelation so far in one sentence: God is on his throne; he is judging evil; and he calls his people to be faithful.

God is on his throne. We see this in Revelation 1 and 4 and 5. It may not look like it, but behind the chaos and evil, God is reigning in heaven and is in control of all of history. We don’t need to be worried.

• He is judging evil. This is the main part of Revelation: the seven seals and seven trumpets and seven bowls. You have these progressive series of judgments on the earth and its inhabitants, each series increasing in severity and scope. But that’s not all—there’s even more on the way! God will judge every evil, whether committed by individuals or corrupt world systems.
• He calls his people to be faithful. You see this theme in the seven letters to the churches in chapters 2 and 3, and all throughout the book. Revelation encourages believers to stay true to their faith, resist temptations, trust God’s promises, endure challenges, and anticipate eternal rewards.
• God is on his throne; he is judging evil; and he calls his people to be faithful. That’s what we’ve covered so far.

But now we’re in the central part of the book in what may be the most pivotal chapters in the book. We’ve had the seven seals and the seven trumpets. Chapter 11 described the seventh trumpet, marking the start of Jesus’ universal reign and God’s presence among his people. “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). God’s judgments lead to the victory of his people, allowing them to enter the heavenly Promised Land as promised.

That’s the context. And it’s going to be repeated again, in an intensified way, in the seven bowls of Revelation 15-16.

But first, we have the seven histories. From chapters 12, verse 1, through chapter 15, verse 4, we find seven distinct visions. These visions share the same story from different perspectives, spanning from Jesus’ time on Earth to His future return. By understanding these seven parallel accounts, we can better make sense of the world today.

Today, we’re going to cover the first and second of the seven histories, and it’s going to tell us that we’re part of a larger war that Jesus is going to win.

Satan’s Rage

Let’s look at what this first history tells us about what’s going on in the world today. We’re going to learn three things in this passage. First, what’s really happening in the world. Second, why it’s particularly bad now. Third, what we can do about it.

First: what’s really happening now (12:1-6)

Verses 1 to 9 describe the world the way it really is. It shows us that a lot of what’s happening in the world can be explained by a simple fact: Satan is outraged.

Verses 1 and 2 describe a woman:

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. (12:1-2)

What a picture! You might think this woman is Mary, the mother of Jesus – and you’d be partially right. But she actually represents something bigger: all of God’s people.

Let me explain the symbols she wears. She’s dressed in magnificent celestial imagery – the sun, the moon, and twelve stars. These decorations are not random. They connect directly to Jacob’s dreams in Genesis 37. Specifically, the twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel.

Notice the crown on her head? This links to Christ’s promise to give “the crown of life” to those who persevere. Her pregnancy and labor pains hold symbolic meaning. In the Old Testament, prophets like Isaiah and Micah compared God’s people yearning for deliverance to a woman in labor.

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