Stephen
Terry, Director
Satan,
a Defeated Enemy
Commentary
for the February 23, 2019 Sabbath School Lesson
“ A great 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 its heads.” Revelation 12:1-3, NIV
If we see the entire Bible as a diorama of the moral history
of the Earth, then much as we would with a modern novel, we would expect to
find the thesis in the opening pages of the work and the denouement, with
recurring characters and events drawn from those opening pages, brought
together once again in the final pages. Because the Bible is a construct based
on human councils determining what is and what is not acceptable for inclusion
in the canon, some may have trouble accepting the possibility of a coherent
thematic approach to understanding what we currently claim to be the Bible. The
texts it contains were written over many centuries and portions were known by
several other names before it was all brought together in one volume. Perhaps the
oldest authoritative collection was the Pentateuch, or the first five books,
attributed to Moses. But even those had some unknown author or authors who
wrote portions of the text for Moses could hardly have written about his own
death. Some feel that the idea of different authors explains some of the differences
that existed between the creation accounts of Genesis, chapters one and two,
for instance. But one of the most interesting aspects of the Bible is that
since the sections in it were written over such a vast period of time, it is
fairly easy to trace, by contrast, the evolution of theological understanding
over that time. We will touch upon some of that. What is even more remarkable
is that some of the highly evolved concepts of Revelation may actually echo
what were original understandings from Genesis that may have been lost over
time and gradually recovered as understanding at some level began to return.
An interesting example of that understanding and its
progressive development can be found in a comparison of a reference by Paul
with one by John. Paul, in looking at the incarnation, crucifixion and
resurrection of Jesus, makes a direct comparison with the original Adam of
Genesis, chapter 2 and the second Adam, whom he offers as occurring in Christ
in his Epistle to the Romans, chapter 5,[i] and also in his First Epistle
to the Corinthians.[ii]
Of course, Paul, writing within a short space of years after Christ’s ascension,
did not foresee a vast space of millennia culminating in an involved
apocalyptic chain of events. Lacking that, he may have struggled to find a
denouement in the more recent incarnation and an expected very imminent Parousia.
Finding much to draw upon from that earlier foundation in the Pentateuch and
repeated cryptic passages from later texts that could now be understood in
light of the incarnation, he is not to be blamed for attempting to tie everything
up into a coherent bundle of proof texts to support a narrative based upon the
first Adam, second Adam paradigm, especially since it is a paradigm that works
well within the limits of the construct. However, as is often the case, it often
becomes apparent over time that a construct is incomplete. Some may feel that
this is in some way denigrating Paul and all he represents to Christianity. Far
from it. It is patently obvious that something was lacking in this construct,
else why would Revelation be needed? Either Paul’s theology was complete and
perfect, negating the need for further revelations, or it was not and more was
needed to continue to move understanding forward.
By the time John was exiled on Patmos, it had become apparent that Jesus was
not going to rapidly return, and much as the Millerites of 1844 experienced,
others began mocking the Christians over the delay in Jesus’ return, with some
Christians, unable to endure the ridicule, struggling to maintain their faith.
We see evidence of this in Peter’s efforts to offer an apologetic for the
delay.[iii] But when we come to John’s
Revelation, we seem to be discovering that the issue goes beyond Peter’s
concise, simple explanation to encompass so much more. Like a child filling its
pockets with berries from a wild berry bush and scurrying home with the prize
fruit, so much more was left on the bush and on the ground than even all the
pockets could contain. John, picking up some of those errant berries, reveals further
depths and details drawn from the Genesis account and later texts that help to move
God’s people to a more advanced, if nuanced, theological foundation capable of
sustaining them through challenges as yet undreamed of. In order to appreciate
those differences, we may be required to set aside some of our preconceptions.
For instance, it has been taught so long that it has developed the force of
incontrovertible dogma that the woman of Revelation 12:1 is the institutional Christian
church, and by virtue of the closing passage of the chapter regarding the
remnant of that church having the testimony of Jesus and keeping the
commandments of God, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is interpreted to be the
peculiar heir of the supreme mantel of Christendom. Naturally, this
automatically puts the denomination into opposition with others who dissent on
that issue, and perhaps most in opposition to an earlier denomination, the
Roman Catholic Church, which also lays claim to that mantel based on their own
proof text regarding Peter being granted the keys to the kingdom.[iv] This paradox reminds me
of Jesus’ meeting with the woman at the well, when she pointed out that the
Jews said that only their form of worship was correct. Jesus agreed that
salvation comes from the Jews, but then went on to say that all of that does
not reflect what is coming and that each will, through the Spirit, worship God
directly.[v] In other words, while an institutional
church may claim to be a guardian of the oracles of God, the kingdom of God is
of an entirely different, more direct relationship than that understanding
would have us believe. It is not a matter of forcing others into compliance
with the current theological perspective of the church. The religious institution
of Jesus’ day even went so far as to attempt to force him into compliance as
well, with tragic results.
Perhaps then, the woman of Revelation 12:1 does not
represent the institutional church or a peculiar denomination at all then. If
we look back again to Genesis, chapter 2, we find a woman there as well. We
know her as Eve, but “Eve,” just like “Adam,” is not a proper name. Rather it
is an appellation representing in the case of Adam, mankind, and in the case of
Eve, the mother of all mankind. Whether we take her existence as literal or
metaphorical, she, like Pandora, through her actions, unleashed evil upon the
world. As a result, men, who feel they would not have been the instigators of
such a calamity had they not been seduced by an “Eve,” have done all they could
to subjugate women and abuse them ever since. Nonetheless, in spite of that
blame game, we are told that Eve brought forth the godly line through Seth and
in spite of the baleful influences let loose by her earlier choice, some of her
descendants sought the Lord and kept hope and faith alive while the rest of the
world became like a charnel house of those who were little more than walking
dead, feeding on one another for personal gain. Through the ages horrible
atrocities have been perpetrated both on an individual level as well as institutional
holocausts and genocides. But through it all, God has had a faithful line, not
based on blood or denominational affiliation but upon personal spiritual renaissance.
Dispersed throughout the world, and apparently alone, they may seem weak and
easily overcome, but it is this very situation that has allowed the descendants
of this godly line to survive, for their dispersal makes it all the more
difficult to ferret out and eliminate these offspring of the woman. While the
historicists would have us believe that this woman represents an apocalyptic, institutional
church, some of the symbolism reveals they may be off track in their
assumptions.
The woman of Revelation, chapter 12, is identified as
having the sun, the moon and twelve stars. This is not the first time such an
image occurs in the books of the Bible. Just as it occurs in this final book, it
also occurred in the first. When young Joseph was first developing his
relationship with God, a relationship unique in his day, he had a vision of the
sun, moon and the stars bowing down to him. His family ridiculed him for this,
and even persecuted him to the extent of selling him into slavery in Egypt.
Through his experiences there, God revealed that he does not call families or
nations into fellowship with him. He calls individuals with willing hearts like
Joseph’s and through a relationship with individuals like Joseph, God speaks
grace, compassion and salvation into the world. As a result, families, cities
and even entire nations may experience salvation in the midst of challenge.
This is how God has always operated. It is how he continues to speak into this
world. It is up to each of us whether or not we wish to be spiritual
descendants of the woman’s godly line or turn aside from that blessing. As the
Bible reveals in its first chapter and its last and repeatedly in between, that
choice can make all the difference.
