Pastor Tim Patoka
God’s Zoo: Dragon
August 29, 2021
Victorious Over the Deadly Dragon Revelation 12:1-18 When we hear the word “dragon,” we typically think of something from the realm of fiction, like a medieval tale where knights slay dragons to save princess or of books that made it to the silver screen like J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit or HBO’s Game of Thrones. But dragons aren’t just a work of fiction! Before Sir Richard Owen coined the word “dinosaur” in 1841, the word “dragon” was a catchall for any large reptile. Think of the Komodo dragon, a scaled-down version and subset of the large reptiles that once walked this world alongside humans. Whether it be from someone’s imagination or the fossil record, we would be very hesitant to face a dragon because of how deadly they are. And as we consider our verses this morning from Revelation chapter 12, we see that God is quite right to use a dragon to depict the Devil. As a dragon poses deadly danger to human beings, so the Devil poses great danger to us. Yet through faith in Jesus’ victory over Satan, we too can be victorious over Satan, the deadly dragon. Identifying Who’s Who and What’s What It can be difficult to understand the book of Revelation, this inspired account of 7 visions that the Apostle John saw. Which each vision is different, the entire book of Revelation can be summarized like this – God has won, Satan has lost, and we, God’s children through faith, share in that victory now and forever. But because this is a vision, there is also a lot of symbolism. But that doesn’t mean Revelation’s message is symbolic. Rather, this book is describing real, historical truth in a way that excites the imagination and soothes the troubled heart if we understand it correctly. And our verses this morning are no exception. There are two primary characters – the woman and the dragon. This woman is the Church, that is, the body of believers. While we see Mary in particular focus when it comes to giving birth to the male child that Jesus is, this woman remains the Church at large because of what later happens to her. Our verses also clearly tell us who the dragon is. He is “the ancient serpent, the one called the Devil and Satan, the one who leads the whole inhabited earth astray.” (Revelations 12:9 EHV) We hear a reference to the Garden of Eden and his more familiar names like the Devil and Satan. It is this fallen angel, who led a rebellion against God shortly after the creation of the world, that is the 7-crowned headed, 10-horned, red dragon in question. 1
Pastor Tim Patoka
God’s Zoo: Dragon
August 29, 2021
Our verses also talk about some historical events. How the Devil was determined to destroy our Savior Jesus Christ, that is, the male child, while still on Earth only to fail. How the dragon waged war against Michael and the other angels, lost, and got banished from heaven. Consigned down here, Satan then went after the woman, that is, the body of believers, to wipe her out. But again he failed because God and the earth intervened. With no one left to destroy, Satan has since redirected his efforts to the only target left standing – the children of the woman. The Dragon Poses Deadly Danger We often think that Revelation is just about the Last Day. Rather, Revelation’s vision-like events also describe what is currently happening. And that’s where we’ll focus our attention now. Our verses define who the woman’s children are that Satan has now targeted as “those who keep the commandments of God and who hold on to the testimony about Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17 EHV) What do we more commonly call people such as these? Christians! People like you and me! And it is against us that the dragon is taking out all his anger and frustration with God. And the Devil doesn’t have forever to do so. Rather, he only has 1,260 days, or to say in simpler English after researching it, the New Testament era that spans from Christ’s ascension into heaven to his 2nd coming in power and glory on the Last Day. Even though it’s been nearly 2,000 years since Christ returned to his home above, we are still in Revelation’s 1,260 days. As Satan considers how to take us down, he knows that he can’t force God to follow his evil will. So he gets smart and resorts to accusations in hopes of tricking or manipulating God for his evil purposes. Now, that may not sound all that deadly, but what would you do if someone was constantly accusing one of your friends or family members of sinful things? Would your ears remain deaf and mind impartial to this mudslinging day and night? Or would you listen to such accusations and consider investigating one of them, thinking that at least one has to be right? So Satan tries to get God to do. It is certain that some of Satan’s accusations against us are no more than a dressed up lie. (After all, lying is his natural language.) But because we are sinners and Satan sees and hears a lot of things, some of those accusations are going to be true. Perhaps it’s from contradicting or making light of a biblical truth. The Bible clearly says that the Devil is real and dangerous! Yet you know as well as I do how 2
Pastor Tim Patoka
God’s Zoo: Dragon
August 29, 2021
confused Christians often wonder if he is as real or as bad as the Bible says, let alone those outside of the Church who outright deny him. When we consider how our verses define the woman’s children are, we admit that are not the greatest role models of faithful trust in Jesus or exemplary observance of God’s commandments. It’s from these and other areas of our life that we have to agree with that dragon’s accusations – we are guilty of sin and have no rightful place before God. We Share in the Lamb’s Victory As dangerous as the Devil is with his accusations, let us not forgot the big picture. This deadly dragon has been defeated any number of times by God and his angels as well as the woman and her male child. We hear how the woman’s children already in heaven also defeated him, “They conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony.” (Revelation 12:11 EHV) By the blood of the Lamb of God and the testimony of who Jesus is, we children today of this same woman can also be victorious over Satan, the deadly dragon. That victory starts in Jesus’ victory. We heard in our Gospel reading how Jesus faced off against Satan and his temptations in the wilderness and came out victorious. That victory was a taste of the much greater victory to come on Calvary’s cross. For it was there that the Lamb’s blood was shed. As we heard early on in our summer worship series, lambs played a big part in the Old Testament sacrificial system and the significance of Jesus as the Lamb of God. As a lamb’s blood paved the way for morning and evening sacrifices, so the Lamb of God’s blood would pave the way for the greatest sacrifice of all – the sacrifice for my, your, and everyone else’s sins. It was on Calvary’s bloody cross that Satan saw his greatest defeat and the Lamb of God’s victory. And by the time that Jesus ascended into heaven, this deadly dragon knew what the case remains today – Satan has lost, God has won, and that’s a fact. A victorious fact that includes us. When Jesus’ blood was shed, it was shed for the very sins and truthful accusations that the Devil brings to God against us. And when Satan accuses us, God responds by pointing back to his Son who already paid the price and bore the guilt for those very wrongs. The blood of the Lamb has washed us clean so that we are blameless in God’s sight for the sins we’ve committed. And then God goes one step further by saying to Satan and assuring us that he will remember our sins no more, making it just-as-if-I’d (purposeful play on words of the term “justified”) never sinned in the first place. 3
Pastor Tim Patoka
God’s Zoo: Dragon
August 29, 2021
While Jesus’ blood secured the victory over Satan, it is through our faithful testimony in Jesus that has us share in his victory. As the Bible says in much clearer words elsewhere, it is through our faith in Jesus that we receive the forgiveness of our sins, the cleansing of our guilt, protection from the Devil’s evil schemes, and join those who are victorious over this deadly dragon. Closing Encouragements Whether we find dragons in medieval tales of knights rescuing princesses, the large reptiles of old, or Revelation chapter 12, dragons are scary and powerful. It is appropriate to equate the Devil with this 7-headed, 10-horned, red dragon because he poses a very real danger to us. Despite his deadly power, Satan has faced defeat time after time against God, the angels, the woman, and the male child. With the clock ticking and nowhere left to direct his wrath, Satan has now set his sights on us – the children of this woman – and is busy at work against us with his constant accusations. Yet we have Jesus’ victory over the deadly dragon shared with us through our faithful testimony in his blood as the Lamb of God. So when you feel the heat of the Devil’s anger burning against you or your conscience is burdened from his truthful accusations, remember the big picture – God has won, Satan has lost, and that’s a fact. The Devil knows his days are numbered and is determined to take down as many as possible with him before our Savior comes back in power and glory on the Last Day. Yes, we will continue to endure hardship, evil, and persecution from the deadly dragon. There’s no way around that. But remember that these are nothing more than the desperate actions of someone who’s already lost. As you consider the Devil’s deadly danger, keep your share in Jesus’ victory over him strong by strengthening your faithful testimony of who your Savior is and what he’s done for us. For that is the only way we can be safe from the deadly dragon, blameless for the sins we have committed, and remain victorious over Satan, the deadly dragon, now and forever. Amen.
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