By Chris and Lizzie Brown, serving in Bologna, Italy
4 …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. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who ‘will rule all the nations with an iron sceptre.’ And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. Revelation 12:4b-5
It’s easy to forget the enormous red dragon in the Christmas story. The thought of this grotesque beast, with his seven heads and ten horns, eagerly salivating as he waits to pounce on the newborn Christ child is not very festive. But if our Christmas story is to be that of the whole Bible, then here he is. He lurks in the shadows elsewhere in the Bible, cajoling Eve to eat the fruit, tempting Judas to betray Jesus. And he still prowls around today, provoking wars, deceiving humans, persecuting believers.
The dragon is Satan, the old serpent, who has led the whole world astray. And he wears seven crowns on his heads, for his power, though not ultimate, is real.
And yet we rejoice that Christ is born! Jesus came to invade the dragon’s territory and the dragon knew it. He stalked his prey in vain as the protective arms of the Lord himself embraced his beloved Son. Of course, the time would come for Jesus to willingly fall into the dragon’s claws. But that would be the day of God’s victory and not defeat – the day when the newborn king would establish his resurrection rule of all those he came to free from the dragon’s snare.
From all nations, our brothers and sisters will triumph by the blood of the Lamb. They will overcome by the word of their testimony. They will not shrink even from death, for the accuser has been hurled down and he knows his time his short. So let us rejoice that Christ is born and that the devil stands defeated. Let us pray and work that the kingdom may come in every corner of the earth.