A Revelation Invitation

And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea. (Revelation 12:13-17 ESV)

When a lioness stalks her prey, she seeks out the most vulnerable from the herd—the weak and elderly, the sick and injured, the young. While there is protection with the herd, a zebra or wildebeest for example, who wanders from the others is in grave danger. Once the lioness separates her prey from the herd, there is little that the victim can do. This is a picture of how the dragon pursues the offspring of the woman in Revelation 12.

This scene depicts the third of Satan’s three defeats. Having lost in his attempt to destroy the male child (Jesus) and having lost his battle against Michael in heaven, he turns his hostility toward the woman who birthed the male child. The woman represents God’s people, specifically the church at this point in the narrative. The dragon is bent on her destruction. Having no strength to defend herself, the woman is in mortal danger. But God intervenes sending her (the church) into the wilderness of the world where she will endure persecution and hardship for awhile (a time, and times, and half a time) and where he also protects and sustains her. As Jesus promised,“the gates of hell shall not prevail against [the church]” (Matthew 16:18b).Historically, the Roman Empire, Satan’s proxy in this war, made every effort to destroy the church unleashing a torrent of persecution which nearly swept away the church. For a time the church went underground secretly meeting in places like the catacombs under the city. The persecution was intense and unrelenting but to no avail. Through it all the church grew in faith and in number. God came through for his people then and continues to do so today.

Even though the dragon’s defeat is great news, John introduces a new danger. This last defeat infuriated the dragon turning the devil’s attention to the woman’s offspring. John says that the dragon went off to make war with her offspring, “those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” That’s us! We must keep alert! Who is vulnerable to these attacks? Like a wildebeest separated from the heard, those who isolate spurning church fellowship will quickly become victims of the dragon. Because the devil is unrelenting, we must remain vigilant and united or we too will become another fatality in the war against the woman’s offspring.

God in heaven, rescuer of your people, protect me in this war. You have provided a haven of protection for your people. As long as I remain tied in with your church, you will preserve me until I emerge victorious in the end. All praise to you for your promises, your strength and your protection. Amen.