Sermon Tone Analysis

Wheel of Time

Sixth grade I overheard a friend describing a book to another friend.

Some of you think that’s the nerdiest thing ever.

Some of you think that sounds awesome.

What is it that’s so fascinating about that?

So entertaining?

Maybe it isn’t reading or TV for you… but most of us have some form of escapism.

Whatever that is for you.

And this is an ongoing challenge for me, so I ask myself: why is it that I want to disappear into these other worlds?

Two main reasons drive me.

At times because that world is more exciting.

High drama and battles and progress and excitement.

… or, on the flip side, when my life is TOO exciting, too difficult too scary, escaping to a world where you know the hero’s going to win.

Intro to Revelation

Christmas is coming, so we turn, of course, to the book of Revelation.

Here is a passage to thrill my fellow nerds.

Revelation is a book of apocalyptic literature.

This is it’s own genre of literature.

It is not just prophesy of the future.

Apocalyptic literature uses Powerful imagery, sometimes representative, always conveying powerful emotion, always pointing at deeper truth.

John, in the book of Revelation, he gets these visions, windows, covering past, present and future, always pointing at deeper truth… and writing to encourage churches he loves who are in the midst of decades of mounting persecution.

Now, people go rounds on exactly what Revelation means… and you might have your favorite interpretation.

Like the prophesies we saw last week in Isaiah, those had a “near” interpretation and a “far” interpretation… apocalyptic literature can be multi-referent.

But if you’re in the Bible and your answer to “what does it mean?” is Jesus?

I think you’re on a good track.

So, I’m going to make the claim, and a lot of scholars agree, I’m going to read to you the Christmas story.

Cosmic Christmas.

Powerful imagery that points at the deeper spiritual realities going on.

Revelation 12:1–6 (ESV)

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

Who is this woman?

It’s Mary, as we will see in a minute… but John uses imagery familiar to his readers, imagery familiar from the Old Testament.

Probably reminiscent of Joseph’s dream with the sun and moon and the stars bowing… so this woman is not just Mary but Israel, spiritual Israel including the Church.

She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.

WHHAAAAATTTT?????!!! Dragons in the Bible.

Yes, please!

Awesome.

But it’s the bad guy, remember that.

Like the woman, not a new symbol.

A symbol again and again of the adversary of Satan.

Heads are associated elsewhere, and later in Revelation, with authority, with kings and kingdoms, horns with power.

His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth.

And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.

So wait.

This is the Christmas story???

There’s a dragon sweeping stars out of heaven?

A third?

That sounds like Lucifer leading a third of the angels in rebellion against the throne of God, doesn’t it?

And Satan is trying to eat baby Jesus?

That’s a different picture of Christmas morning than “silent night.”

And it’s AWESOME!!!

She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,

Sound like Jesus?

Christmas morning…

This is Revelation.

Apocalypse.

apokalypsis (where we get “apocalypse” means this: revealed).

Revelation.

And this is God himself revealed to us.

except there’s a DRAGON there waiting to devour Jesus.

The child was caught up to God and to his throne, the death and resurrection of Jesus and his ascension to sit at the right hand of God the Father.

Now in the imagery there is possibly some time lapse things happening.

Is the “devouring of Jesus” enacted through Herod attempting to murder Jesus to preserve his own political power?

and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

That’s a bit more than three years, roughly the time Jesus and his family fled to Egypt.

But the desert or wilderness is also a symbol of how and where God preserves his people.

Jesus retreats to the wilderness over and over again during his ministry, also about three years.

Satan thrown down

Revelation 12:7–17 (ESV)

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon.

And the dragon and his angels fought back,

Yes, this is epic stuff.

Who wants to watch a fight between Michael and his angels verse a dragon and his angels!

Yes, please.

Make that HBO show!

Not the first time this happened, either, read Jude 9. Michael the archangel and the devil fought over Moses’ body.

This is awesome…

but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Boom! Ripped his wings off, thrown down to the earth, and all the angels.

The events are cinematic, apocalyptic, but I think these are all accomplished events.

In the birth, death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus, the devil and all his angels in rebellion are cast down to earth.

And without argument, all are in agreement, the Dragon loses, Jesus, Michael and the angels are victorious.

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

What is the devil’s power?

The accuser.

How do we fight the accuser?

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

“By the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”

Praise God.

We are in here, friends.

That’s us.

Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them!

But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

Remember the woman is spiritual Israel, all the Church, not “just” Mary.

But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.

But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.