Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

Revelation 12 is an account of a great victory.  Satan and his angels are permanently cast out of heaven to the regions of the earth (vv. 7-9).  To understand this, one has to remember that first century Jews and Christians saw the heavens as the place from which the earth was ruled.  When Satan is kicked out of the heavens, it demonstrates that his doom is sure.  While this defeat of Satan is first credited to Michael and his angels (vv.7-9), credit is also given to the saints who gave their lives for the faith.  Verses 10-11 say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.  For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.  They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."  The they of verse 11 are clearly the martyrs.  John says it was their willingness to die for the cause of Christ that allowed Satan to be overcome.

So for the saints of heaven, for those who were martyred for Jesus, the events of Revelation 12 are good news.  Satan gets his comeuppance.  Justice is served.  But for the saints of earth, the events of Revelation 12 are not so great.  When Satan is first hurled out of heaven, he seeks to take his revenge on Israel (verse 13.  I believe the woman in this chapter symbolizes Israel.).  God, however, protects Israel (at least the remnant of 144,000 identified in Revelation 7, verses 14-16).  Frustrated by his failed attempts to harm Israel, Satan then turns on the Church.  Verse 17 says: "Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus."  The rest of the woman's offspring is the Church, those who obey God's commands and hold to the testimony of Jesus.  So God's great victory in heaven leads to temporary  but horrific suffering for the Church on earth.

I am sure that the temptation of Christians at that time will be to ask: "Where is God?  Has He failed?"  As Christians suffer worldwide persecution and martyrdom, they may be tempted to think that God is not as powerful as He claims.  But the reality is the opposite.  Their temporary persecution comes not because God is powerless but because He is powerful.  His defeat of Satan leads to a temporary time of suffering that will end with Satan's permanent defeat.  In times of suffering, we should not get discouraged.  We should not give up. Instead, we should take comfort in the lesson of Revelation 12.  We should take comfort that our suffering often foreshadows God's greatest victories.