The cosmic battle
In Revelation chapter 12, we find three main characters: the woman, the dragon and the child. The woman is a complex image: she stands for Mary, Eve, Israel and the Church of God.
The child is of course Jesus, and the dragon is Satan, the adversary. These images of Satan tell us that he is defeated, but that he still has power to harm. He continues to rage against God, but now he does it by attacking the woman and her offspring- the people of God.
Satan is furious because he knows his time is short. His ability to inflict harm is only for a set amount of time. One day, Jesus will return and Satan’s time will be over.
We probably won’t be put to death for our faith in Jesus. But our brothers and sisters around the world face this kind of pressure every day, and they are exposed to the more violent aspects of the dragon’s fury.
So we pray they would not lose their faith in the testimony of Jesus, and we pray that we at St Luke’s would remain faithful throughout our pilgrimage.
Questions for reflection
- How have you faced opposition to the gospel in your life?
- The woman in Revelation 12 stands for Mary, Eve, Israel, and the church of God. What enemy or opponent do each of these figures face?
- The book of Revelation tells us that one adversary stands behind all opposition to the gospel. How do Christians overcome this enemy? (v11)
- The time between the victory of Jesus and his return is represented by symbolic numbers e.g. 1,260 days (v6) and time, times and half a time (v14). Why is it important to remember that this number is set?
- Sometimes, forces against Christianity can seem more powerful than Christ himself. How is Revelation 12 an encouragement for us to remain faithful to Jesus?