Cosmic Christmas

Behold, a great red dragon… stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it… (Revelation 12:3-4). 

Traditional Scripture readings for Christmas rarely include the twelfth chapter of Revelation. The passage makes no reference to a manger, the magi, shepherds, or a star. A closer reading of the text, however, indicates that this passage is describing Jesus’ birth from a cosmic perspective. You might say it tells the story of Christmas from God’s point of view. The events occur not in Bethlehem, but in heaven. And the story seems to be set outside of our normal conceptions of time. The three major characters are very different from the ones we read about in Matthew and Luke, and yet they are unmistakably familiar.   

• A godly woman giving birth in very unusual circumstances.

• A baby boy who is destined to rule the nations.

• A wicked adversary whose single obsession is to kill that baby.

Read the story for yourself and tell me if you agree that this passage should be included in our traditional Christmas readings.

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. 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. 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. 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, 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.

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 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. 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. 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. 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. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness…Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus… (Revelation 12:1-17).

If this doesn’t put you in the Christmas spirit, it’s because you don’t yet fully understand what this season is all about! This cosmic description of Jesus’ birth adds several critically important characteristics to the story that we might miss if we limit our reading to only what the Gospel accounts tell us. 

First, Revelation 12 reminds us that Christmas has cosmic implications. The birth of Jesus not only affects this world and the course of human history, it impacts the entire universe and all the principalities and powers that are part of it. Christmas reminds us that the world we can touch and see is not the totality of existence. There is another dimension to reality, a kingdom where God dwells. And that realm actually determines what happens in this one. 

Second, Christmas reveals that though the dragon and his minions are intimidating, we need not be overly concerned about them. Satan may have seven heads and ten horns, but he’s only bluffing. He’s a big loser – and he knows it! He tried to kill the child, and failed (vv. 1-6). He tried to usurp the throne of God, and failed (vv. 7-12). And he tried to kill the woman and her offspring (the church), and failed (vv. 13-17). He’s angry because he knows that his days are numbered.

Third, this version of the story reminds us that the world is a battleground and spiritual warfare is real. To properly celebrate Christmas, we must understand that everyone who trusts in the Christ child is being called into battle. Revelation 12:11 describes how we can be victorious overcomers. “They have conquered him [the dragon] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death”.   

• Trust in the blood of the Lamb to forgive our sins and make us right with God. Victory in this battle comes not through our efforts, but through his!

• Go public with the word of our testimony. Satan is defeated when we confess with our mouths that “Jesus is Lord”.  

• Be ready to die for our faith. Jesus came to give his life for others and we are called to imitate his example.

Although we don’t usually associate Martin Luther’s great hymn A Mighty Fortress with Christmas, the words capture the truth of Revelation 12 in a powerful way:

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;

The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;

His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,

One little word shall fell him.

So, my friend, when I close this blog by wishing you a Merry Christmas, I pray the words will have a richer meaning than they did before. 

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