Fantastical

War broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God, day and night. They conquered him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death. Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them." (Revelation 12:7-12)

“War broke out in heaven.” Quite fantastical! Then again, this is from Revelation that is replete with metaphors, symbolism, and fantastical stories.  Unfortunately, too many people give it more credence than it is due. The Book of Revelation is not about what is to come; that is, about events that are still in the future.  Too many preachers use Revelation to frighten listeners and to warn that the second coming of Jesus is nearing with all the horror that will entail for non-believers.  Revelation is dangerous when misunderstood and/or misused.

Is revelation about a future beast who in a final battle at Armageddon will be vanquished by Jesus at the head of an army of heaven?  That’s what is often preached and believed. No, Revelation is about what already has occurred and is anticipated in the present. Revelation was written in the 90s.  Many expected the end of the world would be around 1000. 

The author of Revelation identified the dragon, the ancient serpent, Babylon the Great, the great whore, the beast whose number was 666, as Rome – not just the city but the Roman Empire.  Because of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70, Jews and Christians thought of Rome as Babylon because the Babylonian Empire was the previous destroyer of the holy city and its temple.

The author’s message of the imminent destruction of Rome and the second coming of Jesus encouraged his followers to hold fast. Another message was that accommodation of imperial ways was wrong.

The powers who ruled and oppressed that world and rejected the vision of a new world, the kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus and his followers, would soon be no more.  The author of Revelation, of course, was wrong. Nevertheless, Revelation described in symbolic ways the conflict between the lordship of Christ and the lordship of Caesar.

Of importance and tragically, Revelation has been understood as justification for vengeful and violent actions against “enemies.” If God can be violent, then so can we. Revelation should be handled with care.

We and our better angels must always battle against the Dragon and resist the temptation to do evil.  The war that breaks out in all of us – to choose either good or evil – must result in the former defeating the latter with the Devil that tries to deceive us, being thrown down.

Deacon David Pierce