AN UNPREACHED SERMON (193)
Photo by Debbie Hudson on Unsplash.
The Sunday I was in Naples I had a choice of two churches within easy walking distance of the hotel. One I gave a wide berth to; it was a Church of Rome where I knew they would be celebrating “the assumption of Mary” into heaven, it being the 18th August. This is the false, unbiblical doctrine promulgated as official dogma by the pope only in 1948, that Mary was sinless and was bodily assumed into heaven without dying. The other place was an Assemblies of God Pentecostal church where the whole service was in Italian, although I did recognise the first hymn and happily sung my way through it in English. Rather strange for a Pentecostal church, but I was the only one singing in tongues!!!!
The preacher was passionate and clearly knew his stuff. The only words I could pick out were Jesus (Gesu), God (Deo), amen and hallelujah. But I learned a lot from just watching him in action about what every preacher should be.
Biblically based
Well prepared
Knew his material
Interacted with his hearers
Treated his task with seriousness
Stopping off at a cafe for a coffee on the way back to the hotel, I started thinking about the passage I knew would have been read in the Roman church that morning and on which they base their incorrect dogma (Revelation 12:1-18). The vision appears right at the heart of the book. It is a picture of the Church with several marked characteristics passing through a time of intense conflict. It is the story of the Church in every age through history. The chapter portrays the conflict of God’s people and their ultimate triumph in the face of great evil.
THE IMAGERY.
Four main characters are mentioned.
1 The woman (vv1, 13) wearing the crown of 12 stars and having the moon under here feet clearly identifies her as Israel, not Mary. Says Prof Tom Torrance, formerly of New College, “She comes standing upon the OT revelation of reflected light and clothed with the NT revelation which is as the sun shining in strength”. For the early Christians there was an important continuity between the two. “The faithful remnant of old Israel was the nucleus of the new” (F F Bruce). This idea of Israel as a woman in labour is a prominent Bible theme (Isa 66:7; 26:17,18; Micah 4:10; 5:3). Proper biblical interpretation forbids us to see her as the virgin Mary.
2 The dragon (v3) represents Satan, the enemy who seeks to thwart God’s purposes at every turn. He always acts in direct opposition to God’s plans. Note the various names given to him (vv3,9). These titles express his identity and his activity. Satan has great wisdom (7 heads) but unlike God not omnipotent, and great power (10 horns), but unlike God Satan is not omniscient; neither is Satan omnipresent, like God.
3 The child (v5) the woman bears is the Messiah, the Christ which is clear by the messianic language borrowed from Psalm 2. But despite the persistent attacks of the enemy, the Child is secure in God’s overall purposes. Even though the phrase “caught up to God and to His throne” appears to ignore Christ’s earthly life, we must remember this is a vision. It is not a presentation of the entire ministry of the Messiah.
4 Michael (v7) is one of the angelic hierarchy. He seems to be the commander-in-chief of the heavenly armies (Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9). The fact that there is war in heaven (v7), indicates that behind this world’s historical events there are intense, spiritual conflicts (Ephesians 6:12) going on.
THE INTERPRETATION.
1 Understand it historically. The woman “fled into the desert (v6), and many see this as a reference to the siege of Jerusalem in AD70 when many of God’s people fled to the desert city of Pella. They link it with Mark 13:14-19.
2 Understand it prophetically. The whole chapter reeks of anti-semitism. God selected Israel to be the race through which He would allow His Son to be born. Satan has a special hatred for the woman, Israel. And there is certainly ample evidence for this across human history in the way the Jewish people have been hounded in an attempt to exterminate them. To the Nazi holocaust and the Stalinist pogroms we can also add what is happening right now in the Middle East conflict.
3 Understand it theologically. This is the widest view to take, for two major Christian doctrines come to the fore in John’s vision. They represent the two extremes of Christ’s experience: the incarnation (Philippians 2:5-11) and the ascension (Ephesians 4:9, 10). The vision shows that anyone who hates and persecutes a Jew or a Christian is actually doing so at the instigation of a mighty spirt-being who hates all Jews and Christians.
THE IMPORTANCE.
Far from teaching that this chapter has anything to do with Mary being born sinless and attaining heaven by way of assumption, it highlights two vital truths.
1 The reality of spiritual warfare. There is a war on and there is nothing imaginary about the battle. Ever since the Fall there has been a conflict between Christ and Satan (Gen 3:15) and is clearly seen in Jesus’ life.
Herod’s initial attempt (Matthew 2:13)
The temptations in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11)
The Gethsemane struggle (Luke 22:39-46)
The final attempt at the Cross (Mark 15:32)
Satan was unsuccessful in diverting Jesus from His great redemptive task, so he turned his attention to Christ’s followers. Unable to seduce Christ, he is all out to capture Christians. Leon Morris wrote, “The troubles of the righteous arise not because Satan is too strong, but because he is beaten. He is doing all the harm he can while he can. But he will not be able to do this much longer”. But we must never allow the certainty of victory to divert us from the intensity of the ongoing struggle.
2 The possibility of spiritual victory. Jesus did not have to wait till after the ascension before He had victory over Satan. And neither do we have to wait till we are in the glorified state to see Satan bruised and trampled beneath our feet (Romans 16:20), although it is clear from vv13, 17 that Satan is just as surely after us now as he was of Jesus then. The way to victory is sketched out in v11.
The death of Christ. “They overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb”. Calvary releases the power of the cleansing conquering Blood of Jesus. “Hold on to the truth of the cross in the very teeth of death, even if these teeth be dragon’s teeth” says Tom Torrance.
The declaration of truth. “The word of their testimony” refers to one particular truth, namely that Satan is a defeated foe.
The denial of self. “They loved not their lives unto death”. This is the real key to victory and chimes with Christ’s own teaching (John12:25; Luke 14:26). The spiritual writer Jessie Penn Lewis explains this so well: “We need to take the position of death. Satan cannot harm me if I am already dead. It is often the undue love of self which gives Satan the advantage”.
“Jesus is stronger than Satan and sin,
Satan to Jesus must bow;
Therefore, I triumph without and within,
For Jesus saves me now”
(anonymous)
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