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| Share the following mini-lecture about this passage: • The woman mentioned in a glorious array is the core of the faithful church. Her pains of pregnancy are the cries to bring in the kingdom of God and provision from the evil one’s torment. • The red dragon appears on the scene to disrupt her birth and it symbolizes Satan. This birth is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The importance in Jesus’ “birth” lies in the work of the cross and ultimately spells defeat over Satan. • Jesus’ death also leads us to his example as the faithful martyr. It was when he looked completely helpless on the cross that he actually won out over evil. • This also brings back his rule over all the earth with “an iron scepter.” This rule or new kingdom is not set up in force but in a non-violent way of absolute authority (Yeatts 222). • The description of the dragon (Satan) with its 7 heads, 10 horns and 7 crowns represents his power and authority (Grimsrud 90). • The sweeping of its tails implies the war that waged in Heaven when Satan and his angels were kicked out. He then inhabited the earth but knew he was ultimately defeated by Christ’s death. He was known as “the accuser” but was no longer able to do that before God because his place was outside heaven. • This also reveals to us that God would never hear of the accusations against his people because of the forgiveness that was offered to them by the shedding of Christ’s blood. • Satan’s power over humans had also diminished when he was cast out of heaven because humanity was now given the authority under Christ to prevail over him (Grimsrud 91). • Satan then works fervently to battle those who are faithful to God because he knows that his days to wreak havoc are limited. I Peter 5:8b gives us another image of Satan’s dangerous hunt for believers by saying, “Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour” (NRSV). Continued... |
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