Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
This final verse of the chapter clearly states that the dragon is unable to devour the woman. In the SPIRIT, John first sees the serpent attempting to use its subtlety and now sees the dragon who is unable to devour the woman. The dragon is enraged and now will look elsewhere to see who he may devour. Peter spoke of this in the following passage:
1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
It is the dragon’s nature to devour so he will now attempt to go find someone to satisfy his lust. The Sons of FATHER are out of reach, they have ascended to Heaven. The woman is also out of reach for she is now under the protection of FATHER while she is in the midst of the wilderness. This leaves the rest of her offspring, which is now the focus of the dragon.
Our Heavenly Father is represented as a potter and we represent HIS vessels that HE formed. With this in mind let us focus on Paul’s second letter to Timothy, chapter 2:
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.
21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Gold represents Divine nature and silver represents redemption. These two vessels denote honor but those of wood and clay represent dishonor and are now being sanctified for use. This last group is now the focus of the dragon. This group of Christians are but babes in Christ for they have the testimony of Jesus Christ in their mouths. They keep the commandments and they are good people however their spiritual walk has not progressed to the same level as the Sons or the woman. This group might be represented by the first Feast- Passover. They have been redeemed but yet they have not progressed through Pentecost on to Tabernacles. They have been fed the milk of the Word and are not yet ready for the “meat”. We must not be critical of other groups that are at different levels of understanding for in the end, we are all restored and reconciled IN HIM. None of us expect someone in kindergarten to pass an exam prepared for a senior in high school. Neither should we expect everyone to embrace our level of revelation and relationship with FATHER. The will soon enough. The mature ones will serve the immature until they ascend higher. This is the pattern our elder brother Jesus Christ has established on our behalf and I am totally grateful for this.
There is no question that this third group loves THE LORD and profess Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior. They simply have not received the deeper revelations necessary to be commissioned in the Sons or Bride callings. That does not make them any less important to FATHER but it simply means that their callings are for a different time and purpose. That’s okay, FATHER knows what HE is doing!
This third group is living in the ‘earth’ realm and they are subject to attack. The devil walks the earth seeking to devour and those who love the LORD and yet are focused on the wiles of the devil having not yet matured in their understanding. They are still dealing with the flesh even though they assign most of their problems to an external source, the devil. In listening to them you would think the devil is omnipresent but it isn’t so. Just as with the woman, this third group will be subject to the war with the dragon for a short time. Yes, when you are in the midst of a battle it seems like an eternity but be assured that this war will come to an end. Paul urges this group to stand:
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
We must embrace the understanding of each group knowing that in the Spirit, there is no sequential time. We must admit that some areas of our lives might place us in more than one of the groups described. We are totally mature in some areas and not so much in others. FATHER knows this and HE has specifically developed a personalized path to maturity for each of us. If HE has given us the revelation of Sonship, we must purse the fullness of that revelation. Other have been given the revelation of being HIS Bride and they too must pursue that end. HE is the One Who determines who receives what revelation and mystery. We must not feel guilty or undeserving of being selected for our individual callings. It was decided before we were formed in the womb. We must not let past failures dictate our current progression to full maturity. Instead, we must let the past go and focus on the present. Our trust in FATHER and HIS Love for us is our assurance that we will fulfill our calling no matter what group we have been placed in. Let us Love our brothers and sisters by simply serving them in whatever capacity and office we are placed, whether it be the first, second, or third group.
Why does the dragon devour? It is his nature. Why is the serpent sly and cunning and spewing forth a flood of lies? That too is his nature. If anything is for sure, the dragon and serpent characteristics are consistent. Each of the three groups have been confronted by the various methods and attacks by the adversary. None are exempt from these trials. This third group has been preceded by two other groups who have risen above the wiles of the devil and this is due to Our Lord Jesus Christ establishing the path by being the first to forge this path and we all are truly grateful for HIS Love and provision.