2022/01/10

21. Heavenly Warfare

A great red dragon appeared in Revelation 12. A dragon is a creature of legend, so the description of its appearance and attack is fictional. The expression: "And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth" (Revelation 12:4), shows that heretics and persecutors were the imminent reality in the memory of the Apostles and that their fear was growing. And the solemn image of themselves collaborating with the Holy Spirit that appeared in the form of a woman in their minds¹ indicates that they had also taken the gravity of their duty. "[S]he brought forth a male child," which means that the Body and Blood of Christ were born of the Holy Spirit and his "helpers," the Apostles. The child was the "one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne" (12:5). Meanwhile, the Apostles had a place prepared by God in the "wilderness."² In this timely moment, war arose in heaven, "Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven" (12:7-8). The "heaven" refers to the Apostles' brains. The "wilderness" is the unconscious realm of their brains. It was also the place where Jesus was tempted by Satan after fasting for 40 days. The description in the Gospel of Jesus being with the wild beasts in the "wilderness"³ suggests the "wilderness" is an unconscious realm inherent in both man and beast. Satan appeared even in the unconscious realm of Jesus, who was both divine and human, and he tempted him. But Jesus, with the word of God, bruised his head and dismissed him.⁴ And the angels ministered to him. Likewise, in the unconscious realm of the Apostles, the memory of Jesus who had lived with them, the worldview of Jesus Christ, was alive, where Michael and his angels were guarding. They threw the great dragon down to the earth, the conscious realm, along with his angels, from the unconscious realm of the Apostles, where the worldview of Jesus Christ was alive.

Reference 1. Revelation 12:1, 2. Revelation 12:5-6, 3. Mark 1:13, 4. Matthew 4:1-11

Maria K. M.