Revelation 12 reads differently now. Last week I asked the Lord to prepare me to
teach on Sunday, and soon He set my eyes on this chapter. The verses describe some signs appearing in
heaven, speaking of a child, a woman wearing a crown, and an enormous red
dragon. My best understanding is that the
woman represents Israel,
the child represents Jesus, and verse 9 tells plainly that the dragon is Satan. It’s a fierce and bloody fight, with Satan
waiting in front of the woman in order to devour her child upon the very moment
of his birth. The task I’d been given
for Sunday was to update on pro-life issues, and as I stared at verse 4
particularly, my heart sank upon realizing a direct parallel with a gruesome current-day
scenario. Today’s abortion centers
employ abortionists who wait in front of women to destroy their children, in
the same way Satan waits in front of the woman in Revelation. It’s as if Satan has been sitting at the end
of generations of examination tables.
And in fact the detailed picture has been in the Bible the whole
time! The good part is that the Lord
ultimately wins, as in Revelation we see God’s angels fighting and casting the
dragon out of heaven. God nourishes Israel,
having carefully prepared a place for her, and in loud voice the power of
Christ prevails. We
have suffered deep wounds in the fight, yet a battleground covered by the blood of the Lamb yields forgiveness and fresh soil to sustain a proliferating hope.
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