A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.

Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. 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.

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. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

– Revelation 12:1-6

The traditional season of Advent means arrival or coming. Culminating as it does in the Christmas celebration, we can often forget that this is a time to look forward as well as back. Christ has come, yes – but He is coming again.

The book of Revelation is perfect for that kind of reflection. Its telescoping visions defy alignment with a past, present, or future time. Sometimes, they encompass all three at once! And though its imagery and allusions can seem daunting, the core message boils down to this simple truth: God has been working and there is still more to come – but take heart, Jesus has already won the victory.

In this passage, we see how that victory has unfolded over all history. God’s faithful covenant community is represented by a woman crowned in glory. She is the Israel of Joseph’s dream (Gen 37) whom God chose as the root from which the Messiah would spring to crush the serpent’s head. At His appointed time, He chose Mary to bear that very Messiah-child, Jesus. Now, the covenant community includes all Jesus-followers, both Jew and Gentile. He has gathered them together as His bride.

The woman faces a great and terrible dragon, the embodiment of all evil forces in the world: the earthly kingdoms that have envied and opposed God’s chosen people since their calling, and the devil whose power stands behind them. All the while, that dragon has waited, trying to avert God’s salvation for the world and his own final destruction. He deceived God’s first image bearers into forsaking their purpose. He opposed and tempted God’s chosen nation towards sin. He sought to kill off the Messiah at every opportunity, seemingly succeeding when Jesus hung from a cross.

Yet always God made a way. He shepherded humanity through its first dark days. He called and nurtured Israel, preserving them even when they fell into sin. David’s line did produce the Messiah, and in a time of oppression and violence, God protected Mary and her child. Then when it seemed the forces of evil had finally won at the cross, He raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Him to rule over all creation. At the end of days, that evil which has already been defeated will be snuffed out once and for all.

Now and in the future, we have an assurance that God will make a way for His people. Like the woman, we may dwell in the wilderness for now. But, though there is temptation, suffering, and persecution there, it is also where God has caused His presence to dwell among us. He offers protection and nourishment for His people in a sin-soaked and hostile world, to see us through to the moment He finally puts everything right.

Today, as we pray, I wonder what difference that assurance makes to you as you live and journey in this world?

Lord Jesus, You have won the victory and nothing can stand against You. Thank You for fulfilling Your promises to Your people, and for welcoming me into Your kingdom of power and life. Protect and guide me as I live out Your victory in this world. Help me to not be overcome by the worries of the wilderness, but to carry the light of Your good news to all those who have yet to receive it.
Amen.

The hope that was born on Christmas night millennia ago still burns bright. Jesus is not dead, but is alive. His church may feel battered and bruised in the days to come, but they will not be thrown down. Let us work and worship in that wonderful, certain knowledge as we wait for our victorious king to come again.