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| A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES |
| Christmas from Heaven's perspective. |
| The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. 12:4 |
| Christmas day. We celebrate it with a sudden splurge of money and gifts and an attempt to rediscover the joy of the first Christmas. Manger displays in town squares recreate the scene in Bethlehem on that day long ago. As many interpret it, chapter 12 describes Christmas day also, but its point of view differs radically from that of the Gospels. Revelation does not tell of shepherds, a crazed king bent on infanticide, and a stable; rather, it pictures a murderous dragon leading a ferocious struggle in heaven. His attack when Christ was born launches a series of bloody rebellions against the forces of good. Two Hisories at Once The view of Christ's birth in Revelation 12 gives a glimpse into the pattern of the entire book. John is fusing things seen with things normally not seen. In daily life, two parallel histories occur simultaneously: one on earth and one in heaven. Revelation, however, views them together. It parts the curtain, allowing a quick look behind the scenes at the cosmic impact of what happens on earth. Every inch of this planet is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan. We normally experience only the visible, everyday effects of this struggle. We feel it, for example, when we make a choice between what we know is wrong and what is right. But, as we are living out our lives on earth, the supernatural universe is simultaneously at war. Revelation draws the contrast sharply: good vs. evil, the Lamb vs. the dragon, Jerusalem vs. Babylon, he bride vs. the prostitute. Is God in Control of History? Sometimes the "battle in the heavens" can break out into |