Chad Bird, a Lutheran Hebrew scholar, wrote about his search for a unique aspect of the Christmas story. He wrote, I am still searching for a Christmas card with a red dragon in the nativity, lurking amidst the cows and lambs, waiting to devour the baby in the manger.
None of the four gospels mention this unwelcome visitor to Bethlehem. However, John in the last book of the Bible, tells us about a major battle that was taking place in the heavens regarding the birth of the Baby in the manger. On to the canvas of Christmas John sketches and paints a huge fiery red serpent with seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns on its heads.
This serpent is the very one that seduced Adam and Eve into sin in the beginning. For thousands of years this serpent had been deceiving the world and trying to destroy the family of God in Messiah Jesus. At one dark moment in history the serpent had the promise of a coming Savior seemingly on the ropes. Back in Noah's day when the world was oozing with demons the Old Testament church was just a handful of people. At that time there were only eight believers who boarded the Ark of Salvation and were saved by water.
This cosmic story of a red dragon swooping down and swarming around the child of Mary we don't talk about--much--if at all. A dragon trying to eat our Lord? Indeed, I know of no Christmas Card with this image and art work. Yet John receives a vision from the risen ascended Lord Jesus and Jesus reveals at His birth a huge heavenly war was taking place. John reveals that the red dragon was standing in front of the woman who was going to give birth. He was crouching poised to eat up the Child when it came forth from His mother (Revelation 12:1-5).
This Child was set to bring forth an eternal Kingdom, of which today we are part, which would rule the nations. He would rule the nations working everything together for the Church.
Well, this is huge. Obviously, there is more going on at Christmas than people would dare to imagine. How do we factor this reality into the equation. Do we start singing Hark the herald angels sing, a dragon waits to eat our king?
December 25 marks D-Day for Jesus. He comes into enemy occupied territory. Hell's foundations are shaking. The serpent is quaking. The red dragon flies into battle, inciting violence and chaos wherever possible, feeding human paranoia--like that of King Herod who tries to murder the Babe of Bethlehem.
Philip Yancey writes, "From God's viewpoint--and Satan's--Christmas signals far more than the birth of a baby; it is an invasion, the decisive advance in the great struggle for the cosmos"
Silent night, violent night, hell and heaven, meet to fight.
Wars have been ignited by greed and money, stupidity and lust for power, oil and snake oil. But this war--the greatest conflict in the universe was waged over us.
The red dragon has a range of names--the father of lies, a murderer, deceiver, serpent, tempter, the god of this world. His most fitting is Satan. It means Accuser. Later in the chapter John reveals that he accuses night and day before God all sinners.
Whereas Jesus brings salvation, Satan brings accusation. He peddles all the time the poison of salvation by works--which is impossible--so that he can accuse one of missing the mark--widely and wildly. His greatest fear is that we will learn of the love, truth, and mercy Jesus brings.
Thus, in the little town of Bethlehem the red dragon descends to devour the Child who came to set us free and to make us friends with God once again. All of mankind is chained to the false front gods of the devil, in bondage, in slavery to sin.
The Christmas story begins with holy Angels surrounding Bethlehem not only to send Shepherds with joy to Bethlehem but likely a shield to protect the Child born of Mary vulnerable to the Red Dragon. Almost immediately the Dragon attempts through King Herod to devour Jesus in Bethlehem. Then he hounds Jesus as Mary and Joseph take him to enemy occupied territory in Egypt. Then, as if Jesus is in a witness protection program He is taken to an obscure city of Nazareth to grow. When Jesus does begin His ministry after His baptism immediately the dragon assaults Him in the wilderness but Jesus overcomes him with the Word of God.
The dragon who fails to devour Jesus in Bethlehem will hound Jesus night and day until at the cross, the devil swallows up Jesus in death. Little does the devil realize Jesus has entrapped the entrapper, and dies for us that we might not ever die--in the deepest sense--for He took the eternal sting out of death...to turn it into a door to heaven.
This secured hope by the Hope of history, Jesus, entails a crushing victory over the devil. At the cross and at the open tomb the verdict is rendered--Jesus has paid for all our sins. He is also now our advocate lawyer. He is defense attorney. He perfectly pleads our case because His blood and death have defanged the dragon.
Merry Christmas dear friends of the Savior. The dragon has been defeated. Death has been swallowed up by Jesus' victory.
The dragon has been defeated, Christ's victory for us completed.
The serpent has been thrown down, repeat the Christmas sound!
Joy to the world! Paid In full! He is Risen! The Accuser is a Loser!
