And the serpent spewed water like a flooding river out of its mouth as it pursued the woman, in order that he might cause her to be swept away by the flood. Rev. 12:15.
I believe that the woman in this text represents the people of God throughout the Christian Age who have endured oppression at the hands of totalitarian governments and hostile majorities. Those persecuted for their faith always face temptation to ask why. The suffering of the moment is usually incomprehensible. It is impossible fully to explain why God allows it.
What Revelations 12 does is pull back the curtain and show us the larger context for Christian suffering. A war rages across the universe, one that began in heaven (Rev. 12:3, 4) and climaxed after the death of Jesus on the cross (verses 7-12). The battles we face from day to day are a miniscule part of that larger conflict. It may not be possible to see how our experiences fit into the totality of God's plan. But Revelation reminds us that when bad things happen to His people it is because of a supernatural fury that must be allowed its moment in the sun, but will one day be destroyed forever (Rev. 20:7-15).
So we need to be patient and trust God no matter what happens. Justice is coming, but it will not take hold before I pass through serious trials. If I demand an explanation for everything that happens to me, I will not only lose faith in God but perhaps even my mind. I need to be content with the fact that in this life we "know in part" (1 Cor. 13:9).
This reminds me of a story about a lost marble. A man condemned to solitary confinement in a pitch-black cell had only one thing to occupy his mind with--a marble, which he threw repeatedly against the walls. He spent his time listening to the marble as it bounced and rolled around the room. Then he would grope in the darkness until he found his precious toy.
One day the prisoner threw his marble upward. It failed to come down. Only silence echoed through the darkness. The "evaporation" of the marble and his inability to explain its disappearance deeply disturbed him. Finally he went insane, pulled out all his hair, and died. When the prison officials came to remove his body, a guard noticed something caught in a huge spiderweb in the upper corner of the room. That's strange, he thought. I wonder how a marble got up there.
Sometimes our experience poses questions the mind is unable to answer. But valid answers always exist. When it comes to the things we suffer, it is wise not to expect all the pieces to fit on the basis of our limited perception. God alone knows the big picture. The cross tells us that we can trust Him.
Lord, I trust the One who died for me. Give me endurance even when I don't understand.
I believe that the woman in this text represents the people of God throughout the Christian Age who have endured oppression at the hands of totalitarian governments and hostile majorities. Those persecuted for their faith always face temptation to ask why. The suffering of the moment is usually incomprehensible. It is impossible fully to explain why God allows it.
What Revelations 12 does is pull back the curtain and show us the larger context for Christian suffering. A war rages across the universe, one that began in heaven (Rev. 12:3, 4) and climaxed after the death of Jesus on the cross (verses 7-12). The battles we face from day to day are a miniscule part of that larger conflict. It may not be possible to see how our experiences fit into the totality of God's plan. But Revelation reminds us that when bad things happen to His people it is because of a supernatural fury that must be allowed its moment in the sun, but will one day be destroyed forever (Rev. 20:7-15).
So we need to be patient and trust God no matter what happens. Justice is coming, but it will not take hold before I pass through serious trials. If I demand an explanation for everything that happens to me, I will not only lose faith in God but perhaps even my mind. I need to be content with the fact that in this life we "know in part" (1 Cor. 13:9).
This reminds me of a story about a lost marble. A man condemned to solitary confinement in a pitch-black cell had only one thing to occupy his mind with--a marble, which he threw repeatedly against the walls. He spent his time listening to the marble as it bounced and rolled around the room. Then he would grope in the darkness until he found his precious toy.
One day the prisoner threw his marble upward. It failed to come down. Only silence echoed through the darkness. The "evaporation" of the marble and his inability to explain its disappearance deeply disturbed him. Finally he went insane, pulled out all his hair, and died. When the prison officials came to remove his body, a guard noticed something caught in a huge spiderweb in the upper corner of the room. That's strange, he thought. I wonder how a marble got up there.
Sometimes our experience poses questions the mind is unable to answer. But valid answers always exist. When it comes to the things we suffer, it is wise not to expect all the pieces to fit on the basis of our limited perception. God alone knows the big picture. The cross tells us that we can trust Him.
Lord, I trust the One who died for me. Give me endurance even when I don't understand.
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