Tag Archives: revelation 12

Revelations from REVELATION [chapter 12]

So the great dragon was thrown down to the earth… ~REVELATION 12:9

At the high risk of intense persecutions and disruption of life if they showed allegiance to Christ over Rome, the people John was writing to no doubt had to wonder, “What’s the point? Why not go along to get along? Why not compromise with Babylon to make this life much easier and more comfortable?” In the incredible verses of 7-12 we get the answer.

Because satan has already lost the war.

At the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, war broke out in heaven between the archangel Michael and his angels against the dragon and his angels. Team Michael won, and the devil was thrown out of heaven and cast down to earth. Apparently, before this salvation event, satan had free access to God’s presence in the heavenly realm to accuse the people of God day and nite, an angelic prosecuting attorney if you will. Recall the story of Job and that the Hebrew word satan means accuser.

But after Jesus was snatched away to God and His throne (Rev 12:5), the devil’s range of operation became severely limited. This was very upsetting for him. Since then, satan has doubled his efforts to inflict as much damage as he can on God’s people and throw them off course, knowing that his time is limited and that he can’t take away believers’ eternal destiny with God. (He really thought that whole crucifixion thing would turn out quite differently.) But he does what he can to get as many as he can to choose for themselves to turn away from God, or at least to live a quiet life of drawing no attention to God or the victory of Christ.

Here’s the crux of the passage: the reason evil is at work so relentlessly in the world is not because satan is so powerful, but because he is desperate and losing.

He’s prowling around like a caged lion in his limited domain desperately inflicting damage because he’s wounded and angry, knowing that he lost the war in heaven and doesn’t have forever to do his dirty work.

Not all of the dragon’s damage is obvious tragedy. A significant portion of what the devil does is to breed a sort of cynical complacency. If he can get you to think the fight is not worth it and that the force of evil is just too strong in this life , then he gains a victory (a battle victory, not the war). Better yet, if he can coax you into thinking their’s nothing to fight, then he wins even more ground in this life since non-fighters will be numbed into marching to the beat of Babylon and joining the dragon’s team. Remember our takeaway from last time, that the point of this letter by John was a call to bear witness to the truth, to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

How is your speech or lifestyle giving testimony to the lordship of Christ?

What do your words and life choices say has ultimate place and is in control?

Are you living a nice, quiet life of little to no influence for Christ the Victor?

Or is your life a witness to the redemptive power of God?

The hope is through now knowing that the forces of evil have a definite time limit, are defeatable, and losing, that you are inspired and strengthened to do what John encouraged the seven churches to do in the face of evil–resist. Resist through the blood of the Lamb, the word of your testimony, and loving Christ more than your life (Rev 12:11). For to capitulate is to sign up with the losing side. I love one teacher’s summary of Revelation: “God’s team wins. Choose your team. Don’t be stupid.”


For more reflection on Revelation 12:11 go here.

Which Way Do You Love?

Revelation 12:11

They conquered him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, because they did not love their lives unto death.

“They did not love their lives unto death” means that they did not love their life more than they loved the One who gifted them with that life.

They did not consider being disloyal to Christ in order to save their life as worth it.

I don’t know of anywhere in Scripture where we are commanded to love our life. It might be in there and I’m not aware.

But their are plenty of places where we are commanded to love God. The God who gives us life.

We also know that it is written, “Your love is better than life.

Satan cannot take our souls which have been consecrated to Christ.

Impossible.

But it seems Satan can mess with our life in order to try to render us ineffective for the kingdom of God, and pull us away from intimacy with Christ. It is difficult to focus when our life is not going the way we would like, either physically or emotionally.

And the more we treasure our life, the more easily we will be thrown off course when the inevitable storms of life hit. As we focus on the pains more than on Jesus, Satan wins the battle.

But the more we treasure Christ, even above our life, the more we have built our house upon the rock, and when the floods come, we are still standing because of that firm foundation, as opposed to the sandy one. And every time we choose to suffer rather than be disloyal to Christ, we defeat the enemy.

It can be a difficult day indeed when we have to face the question, “Do you love Christ or your life more?”

In 2018 United States, we are probably not facing martyrdom. We most often are challenged with whether we treasure Christ above our own comfort.

Do you love more the Way that is Christ, or the comfortable way?