“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of 12 stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and 10 horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. His tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth, he might devour her child. But she gave birth to a Son — a male who is going to shepherd all nations with an iron scepter — and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, to be fed there for 1,260 days. Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was thrown out — the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah have now come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out: the one who accuses them before our God day and night.” (Revelation 12:1-10 HCSB)
Note: I have excluded verses 11-17 from the citation above for brevity’s sake. I would encourage you to go read the entire passage here.
Life is a series of seemingly endless struggles, victories, and setbacks. We take two steps forward and then stumble back one. John and his “dear children” in these churches are very familiar with that process and daily struggle. I know I am. I suspect you are, too.
Here we are getting ready to step into another Oklahoma summer with sweltering heat and overwhelming humidity, and we’re going to talk about, of all things, the Christmas story. But this one is probably unlike any Christmas story you’ve ever heard or told your children or grandchildren. Not snowflakes, Christmas trees, decorations, and wrapped gifts, but the Christmas Story, nonetheless. This Christmas story does center on the birth of the Christ child, but it also deals with an enormous red dragon. It’s not out of place; it’s just a different point of view. We tend to see the Christmas story from Matthew and Luke’s perspective in Nazareth and Bethlehem. But this side of the story is less about announcements, angels singing, and shepherds watching in stunned awe and more about the epic spiritual conflict that raged just outside of human view.
As you know, Revelation is full of images and symbols, and while many of them are quite vivid and meaningful, others are more foreboding, challenging, and even difficult to understand. In today’s passage, we encounter some of those symbols that may initially seem difficult to understand but make sense once you listen to them and consider the background. Stories are our way of relating to our present and our past and even preparing for our future. When my grandchildren visit, I enjoy telling them tales of when I was their age. In my mind, those things don’t seem all that long ago, but in their minds, it is ancient history. Scripture is no different. It is filled with stories that are being told in a way that brings the past, present, and future together into a single grand story of struggle, tragedy, and triumph.
Some scholars see the first eleven chapters of Revelation as comprising one book while the last half, from chapter twelve on, as comprising a second, different book. Personally, I think those who do so are simply shortsighted and missing the point. (Perhaps this quote is appropriate here: “much learning doth make thee mad.” Acts 26:24) Remember, the chapter and verse designations are not native to the text but are added for our convenience and quick reference. What we see unfolding in the verses and chapters that follow appear to flow naturally out of the text and context of the seventh trumpet. Consider the reminder from last week’s passage: “The second woe has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming quickly!” (Revelation 11:14 HCSB)
Last week we considered how the wrath of God and His judgment on sin are the direct result of His resolute love for His people. What we’re seeing this week is how that love, quite literally, comes to life and impacts our lives. This chapter opens with “a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth.” Let me state up front and very clearly, this is NOT a reference to the Virgin Mary. These are symbols and scriptural references that bring the story together and give it context. While many take this reference and quickly jump to the conclusion that it must be Mary, the mother of Jesus, I believe they are clearly wrong. The symbolism comes from the story of Joseph. No, not that Joseph – the husband of Mary, and surrogate father of Jesus. Go further back…
In Genesis 37, Joseph tells his brothers of the dream that he had. In that dream, he sees himself as a sheaf of grain that had been harvested, bound, and was lying in a field. Suddenly, his sheaf stood up, and the other sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to it. His brothers scoffed, “Are you really going to reign over us?” Then Joseph had another dream, “This time, the sun, moon, and 11 stars were bowing down to me.” He told his father and brothers about the dream, and even his father Jacob questioned, “Are your mother, brothers, and I going to come and bow down to the ground before you?”
The context of the story that’s feeding John’s vision in this passage is much, much deeper than just the Gospel account of Mary and Joseph’s trip to Bethlehem and the subsequent birth of Jesus. That deeper context is the ancient covenant and the fulfillment of the promises of God. Listen to the last verse of last week’s focal passage: “God’s sanctuary in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His sanctuary. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings of thunder, an earthquake, and severe hail.” (Revelation 11:19 HCSB) THAT is the context for the things John is seeing in our focal passage. Doesn’t that make this retelling of the Messiah’s birth story take on a very different and a much broader background? We’re not just talking about the events in Bethlehem; we’re talking about events that go all the way back to the beginning – Genesis 1 and even into eternity past.
With that in mind, it makes the things that come next take on a much broader scope. “Then another sign appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and 10 horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. His tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth he might devour her child.” (Revelation 12:3-4 HCSB) Why is this story, and its ancient context, so critical to John’s revelatory vision? Because the battle that believers face each day and the victory we’re promised in walking with Jesus and in being obedient to Him and His commands is SO much bigger than we often realize. John’s vision lets us see that, gives us appropriate context, and then grants us strength and challenges us to vigilance and steadfastness in this epic fight.
Seriously! We’re being equipped and called to slay dragons. OK, let’s be honest. Neither you nor I are capable of doing this on our own. More on that in just a bit, but we are a part of a cosmic battle against a huge, ferocious, fiery red dragon. So who is this woman if she’s not Mary, the mother of Jesus? Well, I hope you paid attention to the passage about Joseph that I cited above. The implications of that passage are that the woman identified is the true Israel, or the covenant people of God. No, not everyone from Abraham’s bloodline. Just those who are true Israelites by faith, like their father. This is the fulfillment of those ancient promises – like this one: “Then the Lord God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal. You will move on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life. I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15 HCSB) John clearly sees God fulfilling this ancient promise of the one who would crush the serpent’s head and have his heel bruised in the process.
OK, so not Mary but the true covenant people of God. Collectively, they are the woman who gives birth “to a Son – a male who is going to shepherd all nations with an iron scepter.” This is consistent with the promises throughout the prophets. But notice, the dragon is poised and ready to strike as the child is born. But the dragon’s plan to devour (destroy) the child is thwarted because the “child was caught up to God and to His throne.” Then the woman flees into the wilderness, to a place prepared for her by God, where she is fed for 1,260 days (42 months, or 3 1/2 years). Yes, we’ve seen that number before. It is half of seven and, thus, an indefinite period of time. The actual length of time is not really the main point, otherwise it would not be symbolic. The point is that God’s plan for a Messiah that comes through the lineage of His covenant people is fulfilled. The dragon was unable to thwart God’s purpose, the child is divinely protected and the woman, who escapes into the wilderness, is divinely cared for.
Next, war breaks out in heaven between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels. It is futile for us to speculate on when this event took place. We’re simply not given that detail and that’s really not the point. So what is the point? The dragon COULD NOT prevail, so he and his angels were thrown out. Don’t miss how important that statement is. I even highlighted it, so pay attention. It’s not just that the dragon didn’t prevail, but that he COULDN’T prevail.
In many eastern religions and especially in Chinese culture, the idea of balance is critical. It is idealized in Yin and Yang, and Feng Shui. This is the idea that light and dark, good and evil are complementary, interconnected, and interdependent forces. One can’t exist without the other, and they are equal, yet opposing forces that keep all of life in balance. But that is not what scripture teaches. The dragon COULD NOT prevail! He is not an equal and opposing force against good (God) in this universe. That’s one of the pervasive lies he loves to tell. But just who or what is this dragon in our story? John actually tells us…
“So the great dragon was thrown out — the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.” (Revelation 12:9 HCSB)
The great dragon of Revelation is that ancient serpent, yes – the one from the Eden story, who is called the Devil and Satan. He’s the one who deceives the whole world and who was thrown out of heaven, and his angels with him. Jesus actually tells us that he is a liar and that lying is his natural or native language. Jesus also said that he is a murderer and has been from the very beginning (see John 8:44-45). I believe Jesus is also referencing the dragon (or devil) when he says, “A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” (John 10:10 HCSB) Back in our focal passage, the dragon is cast out of heaven and thrown to earth, and his angels along with him.
But wait, that means we must deal with him…
Ah, but John is not finished. Our story is not yet done. Listen: “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah have now come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out: the one who accuses them before our God day and night. They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives in the face of death.” (Revelation 12:10-11 HCSB) There it is, Dragon Slayers! They conquered him (the dragon) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, because they loved the Lamb more than their own lives in the face of death.
That doesn’t mean the battle is over, it only means that the outcome of the war is secured. In the remaining verses of Revelation 12, we hear how the dragon has come with great fury, because he knows he has a short time. So, he pursues and persecutes the woman (God’s people) and tries to destroy her with a river he spews forth from his mouth, but the earth helps her by swallowing up the river that he spewed out. That just made the dragon angry, and he leaves the woman who is under God’s care and heads off to wage war against her children – “those who keep God’s commands and have the testimony about Jesus.”
Those final words might give you pause and concern. That great dragon has come to wage war against us – those who keep His commands and have the testimony about Jesus. But don’t panic. Go back and read those words of promise in John’s vision: “The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah have now come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out… They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives in the face of death.” The way we win this war against the dragon is by standing in the strength of Christ, faithfully proclaiming the testimony of our salvation by His grace through faith, and by loving Him more than our own lives in the face of death.
That, my friends, makes us Dragon Slayers! So, put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against his tactics and his attacks. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces that will attack in ways you least expect. So, put on truth like a belt around your waist, wear the righteousness of Christ like armor on your chest, get ready to walk in and proclaim the gospel of peace. In every situation, take up faith like a shield because with it you’re able to fend off his attacks. Finally, take the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit – which is God’s word – and pray, pray at all times (see Eph 6).
Onwards, my friends. We may be facing a fierce dragon, but our God empowers us to be dragon slayers!
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