11 And 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. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world-he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.ħ Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. Let’s look at this passage, think about the cast of characters, and then ponder three important lessons for today.Īnd a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. This is the full-orbed Christmas story that we need reminding of all year round. And it reminds us that Christ’s Advent to earth was nothing less than a strategic, decisive military move in the raging cosmic battle between darkness and light. ![]() It keeps our vision of the incarnation from getting dislodged from the broader drama of redemption. It is this account that guards Matthew’s and Luke’s from the dangers of sentimentality. But the version of the Christmas story that most haven’t heard, the one that even many Christians don’t seem to understand is the one found in Revelation 12. ![]() Many people heard the wonderful story of Christ’s incarnation, and some understood it for the very first time. The last remaining decorations have been packed away for next year. Another Christmas season has come and gone.
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