Day 310: Revelation 11-13

I have to say that a lot of Revelation, particularly these three chapters, contains stuff which is so fantastical (Is that a word?) that it's hard to really know what is being said. There's talk of beasts and dragons...and a particular dragon who stood in front of a woman about to give birth so that he could devour her child...fantastical stuff. I'm trying to read through this without getting bogged down with every single image. I'm trying to stay at about 30,000 feet and see the big picture.

Here's one glimpse at the big picture:

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
   “The kingdom of the world has become
   the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
   and he will reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)

It's reassuring to know that this world will one day be ruled forever and ever by King Jesus.

We also get a bit of an idea about Satan. Who is he and where did he come from?

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. (Revelation 12:7-9)

Admittedly that doesn't tell us much but it's something.

But I think my favorite passage in today's reading is this:

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
   “Now have come the salvation and the power
   and the kingdom of our God,
   and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
   who accuses them before our God day and night,
   has been hurled down.
They triumphed over 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. Therefore rejoice, you heavens
   and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
   because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
   because he knows that his time is short.” (Revelation 12:10-12)

We can triumph over Satan "by the blood of the Lamb"! And even though, for now, Satan is alive and doing everything he can to bring us down we can be assured that the reason he's so filled with fury is that he knows his time is short.