Revelation

A little reminder of where we are in the saga of Revelation: in John's vision, he has seen that the seven seals on the scroll have been broken by the Lamb of God in heaven, to disclose God's future plan for the cosmos and particularly for the inhabited world. Then he sees and hears seven trumpets announcing God's plagues upon a rebellious world. Today's verses come between the sixth and seventh trumpet. The scene has moved from heaven to earth and John is invited to take part in two dramas: with the angel and the scroll, and the two witnesses.

These verses present a kaleidoscope of Biblical images portraying a period of intense struggle for the church, which is God's temple (1 Corinthians 3:16, Ephesians 2:19-22). In his vision, Jesus told John to measure the temple, and those who worshipped there, thereby declaring God's ownership of it.

John was shown a terrible scene. The two witnesses appointed by God to proclaim the truth of Jesus and the gospel, who had been protected during the time of their ministry (Revelation 11:3-6), then came under a dreadful attack. Their attacker is the 'beast' from the Abyss. Who or what is this evil creature?

The death of Jesus Christ was treated as a great victory by His enemies: but His resurrection changed everything. The preceding verses to today's passage (Revelation 11:7-10) describe how Antichrist authorities will persecute God's people and gloat over the elimination of those who proclaim Jesus to be Lord of all. But after those gruesome scenes there is a remarkable change. The unburied bodies of martyred believers left on public display will be given new life, terrifying the onlookers.

As each of seven trumpets are sounded by the seven angels in heaven, God's chosen action takes place on earth. Six trumpets have already been sounded in John's vision (Revelation 8:6-9:19), each one heralding a 'natural disaster', a plague inflicted on a rebellious world.

Following the sounding of the seventh trumpet, John is shown a series of signs which reveal different parts of the conflict between Satan and God's people. In these signs, two women are identified: the people of God (Revelation 12:1-5) and worldly authorities opposed to Jesus (Revelation 17:1-6).

These verses come immediately after an evil scene in John's vision where an enormous red dragon is seen hovering over a woman in labour, desiring to eat the child immediately after birth (Revelation 12:1-4). The dragon is the devil (Revelation 12:9); the woman is Israel from whom the child is descended (Isaiah 9:6).

The preceding verses showed a drama which reached back to the incarnation and ascension of Jesus Christ, explaining Satan's failed attempts to destroy Him and setting the stage for his final conflict with Jesus (Revelation 12:1-5). As John watches the vision, and writes it down as encouragement to churches under pressure, the scene once again moves back to heaven. These verses reach back further, to describe the expulsion of Satan from the company of angels in heaven.

These verses cut into the latest drama in John's vision. Satan has been thrown out of heaven, without any legitimate authority (Revelation 12:7-9). At seeing that, John hears a loud chorus of rejoicing.

The dragon is Satan, who is also described as a snake. In John's vision he sees Satan thrown out of heaven and stripped of all legitimate spiritual authority because he is eager to be the heir to God's kingdom (Revelation 12:7-12). But that place had already been assigned to Jesus Christ who he hates intensely. Satan behaves as though he is the Prince of this world, in fierce competition to Jesus.