The Lion and the Lamb: A Guide to the Book of Revelationნიმუში

The Dragon and the Beasts

As we look at the next major theme in the Book of Revelation, we’re introduced to the nature of the villain. Chapters 12-14 are full of imagery about a dragon and beasts. Before we dive in, let’s review how to read these chapters faithfully.

Who is the author? John, an apostle of Jesus. (This is the same John who wrote the Gospel of John and was an eyewitness of Jesus’ resurrection.)

Who is the audience? The seven churches in the province of Asia.

What is the purpose? To tell the Christians in these churches what is about to take place so they will be blessed. How? By remaining faithful to Jesus through all their challenges until He eventually returns to make all things new.

These chapters are in the form of apocalyptic prophecy. Apocalyptic writings use symbolism and imagery to communicate ideas in ways that aren’t obvious but invite us to wrestle with what God might be saying to us and how we’re meant to navigate challenges as His people.

With that in mind, let’s dive in.

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Revelation 12:1-2 NIV

The first sign we are introduced to is a woman about to give birth.

Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. Revelation 12:3-4 NIV

The next sign is a dragon who obviously has malicious intent. He wants to destroy the woman’s child as soon as he’s born. Here’s why …

She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.

Revelation 12:5 NIV

The child represented here is Jesus! In describing Him, John calls back to a prophetic word in Psalm 2 about His rule and reign. The dragon did not get his wish of destroying Jesus, however. Instead, “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him”(Revelation 12:9 NIV).

Who is the dragon that wanted to destroy Jesus? The devil leads the whole world astray. But, despite his best attempts, Satan couldn’t stop our King or His mission.

Remember Matthew 4, when Jesus faced off with the devil in the wilderness? Satan’s goal was to take Jesus out before He could bring God’s kingdom to earth before He could rescue God’s people from the dominion of darkness before He could complete His redemptive work on the cross. But Jesus would not be stopped.

So, instead, the dragon has turned his attention to us—the people Jesus came to rescue and redeem.

If that’s true, and an ancient enemy is targeting us, what can we do? John’s writing tells us we can:

1. Recognize there’s a dragon who wants to destroy us. Colossians 2:15 describes how Jesus disarmed the powers and made a public spectacle of them by triumphing over them on the cross. Jesus disarmed the devil by taking away his most powerful weapon—sin. Sin is a disease of selfishness that blinds us to the image of God in ourselves and others. Because we’ve all been infected by sin, our ability to fulfill our purpose as God’s image bearers was severely damaged. But, Jesus did the job we could not. Jesus perfectly fulfilled God’s Law by loving Him with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving His neighbor as Himself. The greatest act of humble obedience and sacrificial love in all of history was Jesus’ death on the cross. The nails that were driven into His hands put the nail in the coffin of the enemy’s best strategy. The devil hates us because our King put him to shame.
   
2. Overcome the dragon. John records this announcement of victory:
   ... “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Revelation 12:10-11 NIV
   
   How do we triumph over the accuser? By sharing in Jesus’ victory—the blood of the Lamb (Jesus’ sacrificial work on the cross) and the word of our testimony (our witness to what Jesus has done and confession of allegiance to Him)!
   
3. Stand firm in the face of suffering. Remember, John was writing to churches and encouraging them to be faithful to Jesus in the midst of great challenges and persecution. It would get worse before it got better for these Christians, and John is reminding them in vivid fashion that the villain in our story—the dragon, the accuser—has been disarmed and defeated by our King! We don’t need to spend our lives fearfully shrinking back, clinging to comfort and safety. We can stand firm and confident that, despite what we face, we will never be separated from our victorious, living King and His unfailing love.

As we close, use this passage from Romans as a guided prayer, thanking God for His unfailing love.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39 NIV