The Overcomers--Revelation 12:3-4

Day 14

Reading along with Matt Chandler’s The Overcomers:  God’s Vision For You to Thrive in an Age of Anxiety and Outrage. I find myself realizing that I have what it takes, (I think) to be an Overcomer in this world,  but then, at the same time, realizing that maybe “overcoming” is just too much.

Might be easier to just let things go along.  Do the day without worrying about God’s grace and how Jesus Christ shed HIs blood for my eternal salvation.

Just sort of sail along, oblivious to everything but my needs.

But then–I remember I’ve done that too.  I wasn’t desperately unhappy then, paying lip service to Jesus, until…I was.

Then I really was desperate.

And to overcome, is to learn, and to learn is to realize that I am and you are in spiritual danger from an enemy who wants to destroy us.

How else to be anything but a leaf blowing around in the wind but to realize that while we are alive we are under attack?

Chandler describes what is attacking us in referencing Revelation 12:3-4:

Revelation 12:3-4 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven crowns. 4 And his tail *swept away a third of the stars of heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her Child.

Apocalyptic language really is a test for me sometimes.

I want to internalize all of the mind-bending, maybe drug-induced (The Psychedelic Gospels:  The Secret History of Hallucinogens in Christianity), Scripture and spin it out into something useful.

And that’s not easy for me at times.

Chuck Swindoll describes the dragon in Insights on Revelation:

“The dragon is clearly identified as the devil and Satan (in verse 9).  The symbol of the seven heads and ten horns corresponds with the same number of heads and horns in Daniel’s beast like representations of the nations that opposed Israel in the OT (Daniel 7:1-8)  Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome.  Satan has always used ungodly nations in his attempts to destroy God’s people, and a host of wicked angels have assisted him in his diabolical plans.”

Okay.  That’s better.

The description of Satan as a dragon is sandwiched between the introduction of the woman in verses 1-2 who is presumably Mary (or could be Israel or could be a representation of the church) and the child that the woman births who is obviously Jesus.

The dragon wants to devour Jesus.

John Paulien writes in The 1260 Days in the Book of Revelation:

“Scholars widely recognize that the dragon’s attack on the male child in Revelation 12:5 represents Herod’s attempt to destroy the Christ child.”

Charles Spurgeon writes in Spurgeon's Verse Expositions of the Bible:

“The main attack of the dragon was against the child: the main attack of the power of evil is against Christ and everything Christly. If he could destroy the gospel, he would not care about the church one whit: the woman might go if the man-child could be destroyed.”

Is this kind of talk relevant today?

I think so.

This happened the other day at a campaign rally and the language could symbolize what Christians fear it means–how the current government and society looks at their faith–or it might just be a poor response to what is perceived as heckling at a political rally.

I think Christians feel the pressure and the stalking presence of the Dragon of verses 3-4–every single day.

Chandler writes:

“He [the Dragon] hates you, but he can’t do much about it once you know his plan of attack.  He wants to accuse you, deceive you, and cause you to fear death.  If he can do that, he can take you completely out of the game.  He can keep you asleep.”

The feeling I get sometimes of not wanting to expend the spiritual energy of “overcoming” the Dragon is EXACTLY what the Dragon wants.

He wants me placated, maybe feeling helpless, like the whole world is arrayed against me–so why fight the whole world?

Because–I like being a threat rather than the threatened.  And when I seek God and worship Christ I am a threat to Satan and his demons.

That’s a worthy fight.  

Lord, we acknowledge the reality of spiritual warfare and the threats that surround us.  We pray for Your protection over us and for wisdom and discernment to recognize the schemes of the enemy.

Lord, guard our hearts and minds with Your truth, and give us the continued strength to resist the evil one.

Amen.