Revelation 12 – earth history at a glance!
- 17 February 2018
This wondrous sign in heaven John beheld
Whose import we alas are slow to heed;
Unveiling solemn mystery
It tells, in sweep, earth’s history
For us who are true Abrahamic seed.
The woman clothed about with sun and moon
Depicts the ancient Church of Israel;
Her calling in the Maker’s school
Was throughout earth to reign and rule
In spite of how in Eden Adam fell.
The dozen stars this meaning reaffirms –
Twelve were the patriarchs which Jacob bore;
Fulfilling all in God’s desire
The child of promise, her Messiah,
Would by His birth break open heaven’s door.
Her labour pains translate to fiery trials
Which, over many centuries of time,
The Church would suffer, pressed by sin,
Until the Christ of God would win
Rich tokens of a victory sublime.
The great red fiery dragon next we see,
With seven heads, ten horns and bogus crown,
Seeking to thwart God’s holy right
To fill earth’s theatre with light,
Who in his wake a dev’lish host came down.
Determined to frustrate God’s master-plan
This dragon stood outside the woman’s door,
Her precious cargo to consume,
Straight after exiting the womb,
Before the waiting world its glory saw.
But up to heaven’s throne the child was caught
And, seated there, received by God’s decree
The gift of every tribe and tongue –
Earth’s sovereigns subject to the Son –
Ordained, one Church, a holy bride to be.
That persecuted Church, as hunted prey,
Sought sanctuary in the wilderness,
Where, nourished by an unseen hand,
She trusted in what God had planned
And found Him never wanting her to bless.
Through time and times and half a time, great war
Broke out in Zion’s streets – in Narnia!
Alas the multitudes don’t see
Cruel hoards of Satan’s infantry
Contesting truth with lies ad nausea.
The dragon’s overthrow destroyed his pow’r;
No more the citizens of earth remained
Enslaved within a world of lies,
bewitched by idols in their eyes,
For Satan now by Christ has been restrained.
Let NOW salvation from the Lord descend;
The kingdom of our God is here to stay!
The key to earthly victory
Was spilled by Christ on Calvary,
Supplying grace and might in what we say.
The testimony of true pilgrim saints,
Corroborated by their martyrdom,
Assures that vict’ry shall be won
And Satan wholly overcome;
Rejoice therefore in what the Lord has done!
Yet woe betide those citizens of earth
Who fail to tremble meekly and repent;
That dragon, now enraged the most,
Shall, urged by his demonic host,
With fleeting breath his vicious anger vent.
Behold the true Church persecuted gained
Great wings of providence to bear her up,
Away from Satan’s cruel games,
And his accusatory claims,
Where she would have pure light and truth to sup.
Alas, the serpent fills the earth with lies,
Deceiving and bewitching every soul;
But faithful saints the Lord did send
Who showed true soldiers to contend
For holy truth drawn out from sacred scroll.
Mark well the badge of honour such men wear –
The holy Law of God they do esteem!
Its precepts they espouse for all,
Declaring Peter, James and Paul
Taught nothing contrary to Moses’ scheme.
For Jesus too declared as plain as day
That nothing from the Law and Prophets would
Be abrogated by His cross,
That only sin would suffer loss,
Until the fullness of the cosmos be made good.
The Testimony Jesus thus declared
Concerned a ‘Culture Warfare’ far and wide
Subduing principalities
Across all lands, throughout the seas,
Until the nations seek to be His Bride.
Salvation’s strength is manifest today
Within that holy remnant – Zion’s heir –
Who Jesus’ kingdom here do seek
By faith, forgetting they are weak,
And press on knowing soon they will be there!
