Persecution and Protection

Revelation 12:13-17 

13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Satan the dragon, the serpent in Eden who deceived us, he was cast out of heaven with his angels and attacked the people of God through whom the Christ was brought into the world.  God’s people were protected and kept from the serpent for a certain amount of time as the evil one tried to kill God’s Chosen ones, but God’s sovereign protection of course prevented that.  Therefore the devil was even more enraged, and ever since has continued to actively harass and persecute His people who are chosen in Christ and follow Him.  We have the testimony of Jesus Christ as our deliverer from the sin which the serpent talked us into and from the lake of judgement’s fire prepared for the serpent and other rebellious fallen angels.  This testimony is the gospel, the good news of deliverance which frees us by grace from the bad news of certain judgement.  Our testimony is not our changed lives or happiness, but the work of Jesus Christ’s justifying righteousness through the cross and resurrection.  We bear witness to Him and must be aware that we are being pursued by those who can never partake, let alone gaze into, this wondrous work of the Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:12, 5:8)!