How would you summarise the Christmas story in 10 words or less? What should go in to make it a Christmas story? This study completes the Advent series by taking a look at a passage in Revelation. Chances are, this is a part of the Bible that we may not have read and are unfamiliar with. This is the Christmas mother we have not really heard of! But as we work through this passage in Revelation, it is important not to play the Revelation game with this text to chase the minor point and miss the major ones. Remember that God's Word is clear with what it wants to say, and is unclear with things that are not important or essential for us to know.
(A) Is this even about Christmas? The sign of the mother and child (Rev 12:1-2)
John, the writer of the book of Revelation, refers to what he sees in Rev 12:1 as "a great sign". Signs are not the focus per se, but serve to point to the actual object with meaning. This gives us a clue about how to read Revelation -- not to obsess about the signs, but to focus on what the sign is pointing to. After all, Revelation belongs to a genre known as the apocalyptic literature (like the book of Daniel) and the key to reading these passages is to remember the larger picture and to read it in light of the whole Bible.
The focus of this first sign is a woman and we are told 5 things about her (Rev 12:1-2).
She is "clothed with the sun" (Rev 12:1a).
She stands on the moon (Rev 12:1b).
She wears a crown of 12 stars (Rev 12:1c).
She was pregnant (Rev 12:2a).
She is about to give birth (Rev 12:2b).
If we read on, we learn something about her child. In Rev 12:5, we are told that she gave birth to a male child who rules the nations and rules with power and authority ("rod of iron"). This child is Jesus. Who then, is the mother of this son? It could be Mary the birth mother of Jesus but other possibilites from the context could also be Israel or the church. It is certainly not Mary, because we already know that this woman flees into the wilderness for 3.5 years (Rev 12:6). Whatever we make of this, we know from the sign that this is not a young mother, but refers to a group of people figured as a woman. In Eze 15:3-10 and Gen 37:9-10, we see how Israel was previously figured as a woman and this imagery is repeated throughout the Bible.
This first sign is therefore a Christmas story! Israel is now symbolized by a pregnant woman, drawing from the promise first given in Gen 3:15 with the promised Messiah. This woman's birth pains is essentially the entire Old Testament story, from Genesis to Malachi. Have you ever thought of the Old Testament as just that -- a story of waiting for the Messiah to be born? It is critical for us to know this and think of it this way. From story after story in the Old Testament, we are meant to wait expectantly for the Promised One and ask "Is He here yet?". Rom 8:19-22 reminds us that this is the weight of sin that even the world and creation feels. The story of Christmas is so joyful because it marks the end of years of waiting and longing for the Savior. This is what the first sign of the mother and child in Rev 12 points us to.
(B) Why is this important for my life? The enemy of the mother and child (Rev 12:3-9)
There is a second sign in Rev 12:3-6, and this time it is a "great red dragon" with "seven heads, ten horns, seven diadems", full of power and authority. We know from subsequent verses in this chapter (c.f. Rev 12:9) that this is Satan. This dragon's tail "swept down a third of the stars", describing how Satan's fall led to angels falling and being removed from heaven. This dragon also "stood before the woman ... so that when she bore her child he might devour it". It is a grotesque image and we can see how intent this dragon is on destroying the child, striking the woman at her most vulnerable, and determined to seize the baby immediately upon his arrival in this world. In the Christmas story, Jesus brought hope, joy, peace and love, but also brought genocide (Matt 2:16-18). This is the part of the Christmas story that we don't like to read. Rev shows us the other side of the story -- there is an enemy of the child, waiting to do damage.
The woman gives birth to a male child and this child "was caught up to God and to his throne" (Rev 12:5b). The woman "fled into the wilderness" where she is kept safe (like in Matt 2) and this wilderness experience is also part of God's preparation process.
The scene changes in Rev 12:7-9, and we are told about events in heaven. The chronology of these events in relation to verses 3-6 (whether before or after) is a conviction that each person should come to, but regardless, what we can see clearly from this text is that Satan is real. The Bible tells us that we have a real spiritual enemy who was also present at the birth of Christ to do great damage. There is a spiritual war, but this enemy lost and was cast out of heaven into earth. Just like how Matt 2 is real, this passage reminds us that we have a real, spiritual enemy if we follow Jesus. This enemy has power and authority, but lost the spiritual war. He also accuses our brothers day and night (Rev 12:10). He is one who accuses Christians before God, constantly pointing out all our thoughts, sin, greed, ambition, failures, rebellion, lies before God. He surfaces our sin before God and points out how unworthy Christians are, the people that God dies for. He tells these things to you and me too, and we do what Adam and Eve did in Gen 3, and all mankind has done since then -- run away and hide from God.
Rev 12:12 also tells us our enemy is wrathful. He hates God's work and those that try to do God's work. This enemy delights to taint everything God wants to make pure. If we are honest with ourselves, what we are talking about here is real and something we all struggle with. Verse 15 brings in the serpent imagery, and this serpent aims to destroy the woman. The dragon is furious (Rev 12:17) and we end off the passage with an image of this dragon intent on and ready to make war. Once again, we are led to read this passage in light of Gen 3:15. The end of the Bible merely extends what was first introduced at the beginning of the book. This is a thread running through the pages of the Bible from start to end, reminding us over and over again of spiritual realities and a spiritual war in this fallen world. This means that our lives are not neutral! We are trapped in a war, and sometimes we don't even know it. We are all being pulled in different directions, and there is no neutral ground. Christians are trying to read and teach God's Word but that will not come easily because the world has another narrative. Do you see this liar and his lies in your life? It often comes in small, subtle ways -- a stray thought that God's Word is not all that good, so why bother working through it since it's so difficult anyway. It could be a nagging feeling that God Himself is a killjoy or doesn't know what's best for you. These are the moments when this battle is being played out and fought in our lives.
(C) How is this important for my life? The war for the mother and child (Rev 12:10-17)
Rev 12:10-12 contains an angelic pronouncement. Good news comes from heaven, and the angel declares that the kingdom "have come" (Rev 12:10). This means that the kingdom is already here! When did the kingdom come? Jesus came proclaiming the arrival of the kingdom (c.f. Mark 1:14-15). The angel also declares that the accuser was "thrown down" (Rev 12:10b), and he is defeated but still at work. But that is not all! The angel also declares the saint's victory, that "they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death" (Rev 12:11).
There is also a final word for the world. The heavens can rejoice (Rev 12:12a) because Satan does not have direct access to God and has been humiliated and shamed. But at the same time, woe is pronounced on the earth and sea for the dwelling of man is will be wrecked because of the accuser. What do these passages show us? Do you know how much trouble we're in? Do you see how we are entangled in a battle greater than us? What are we fighting with? Eph 6:10-20 tells us that God us equipped us to fight this spiritual battle with the full armor of God. This is a real war, so what are you doing about it? Reading the Bible, coming to Bible studies, fellowshipping with other Christians and prayer are not obligations of Christians, but do you see how they are means that God can use to help us in this war?
A series of events are described after the pronouncement. The dragon pursues the woman (Rev 12:13) and water poured forth like a river from his mouth (Rev 12:15), signifying the attack of more lies. The dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war (Rev 12:17). Yet the woman is protected. She is "given the two wings of the great eagle" (Rev 12:14), a picture of refuge under wings and is led into the wilderness, the wilderness where God used to lead his people into to woo and also protected them there. The earth also opened its mouth and swallowed the river, and whatever this means, we see that God does something. He deals with the enemy's lies and knows what to do to cover it up. The woman's offspring are those who "keep the commandments of God and hold on to the testimony of Jesus" (Rev 12:17). These are the faithful who cling on to God's Word! They never let go of what Jesus says about Himself -- Him as Messiah and His claims of Sonship.
What does this passage mean for us? Think about your own life, and the times where you have messed up. Think about the times when you hear the accusing voice of the enemy who is ever so ready to point out our inadequacies and sins. God knows how to deal with that -- He secures us and helps us to move on. This only happens because Christ has come with His Kingdom.
This passage teaches and reminds us once more that we are engaged in a war, but also tells us how we can win this! This war has been laid out since Gen 3:15, but in these verses in Revelation at the end of the Bible we also know that those who conquer are those who know who Jesus is and what He has done. They are cross-centred, and continually remind themselves of the victory that Jesus has already achieved. They are also faithful under persecution despite all the ways that the world tries to tear them away from their Savior. They hold on to their testimony even if it means death. We are caught in a war, but God has also given us weapons and He has secured the victory for us. Do we use the weapons that He has given? Do you see the coming of Jesus as a personal one? At the end of the day, it is a about your Savior coming for you. We are the ones wrapped up in both His good news, and the war that His good news brings. As we wrap up this Advent series, end 2016 and look forward to 2017, let's not forget about this spiritual reality and the good news of Jesus Christ.