Monday was the day when Christ, the Son of God, came to the earth to live the life of a suffering Servant and to make atonement for all our sins. It lasted about thirty-three years, beginning with the birth of Jesus and ending with his Ascension.
But just as the Old Testament emphasizes only the last part of Sunday, so also the New Testament emphasizes only the last part of Monday. More specifically, the Gospels deal almost exclusively with the three-and-a-half year public ministry of Christ, beginning with his baptism and ending with his death and resurrection.
It was on Monday that the battle of all eternity took place. Christ and Satan struggled, not only for the souls of mankind, but also for their own places of authority in the universe. Had Satan been able to seduce Christ into committing a single sin -- even once to place his own will before that of the Father -- then, just like Adam, Christ would have surrendered himself to the power and authority of Satan and placed himself under the same condemnation as all other sinners. Since Christ was God, the consequences of this act would have permeated all of creation leaving Satan, not God, the undisputed Lord of all eternity.
Such a thought is just too horrible to imagine. In fact, the very suggestion that God could have sinned against God seems completely illogical. But remember, when Christ laid aside his heavenly splendor and took on the very form of man (PHI 2:6-8), he also made himself vulnerable to the very same temptations as man (HEB 4:15). Yes, he was God, but he was also totally human. And as such, he no longer had all knowledge (MAR 13:32), all power (JOH 10:27-30), and all authority until again after his resurrection (MAT 28:18).
Now please don't misunderstand what I am saying. Certainly Christ had knowledge (JOH 1:48), power (MAR 4:37-41), and authority (MAR 1:27) beyond that normally associated with human beings. However, every Christian has access to that very same knowledge (ACT 5:3), power (ACT 9:40), and authority (ACT 19:11-15). So Christ did nothing in human form that other human beings cannot do. In fact, Christians have the potential to do even greater works than Christ did (JOH 14:12).
The point I am trying to make is that Jesus had no special advantage over other human beings that made him immune from human frailties. Just like us, he experienced hunger (LUK 4:2), thirst (JOH 19:28), fatigue (LUK 8:23-24), frustration (MAR 9:19), pain (MAT 27:46), and even death (LUK 23:46). And it was while he was in this frail, limited state of human existence that he experienced every conceivable form of temptation known to man, ranging from the subtle suggestions from his friends and family (MAT 16:21-23, JOH 7:3-5) to the excruciating torture from the hands of his enemies (MAT 27:26-31, 39-43) to the private, personal, and direct temptation from Satan himself (MAT 4:1-11, MAR 1:12-13, LUK 4:1-13).
But unlike every other human being, Christ never yielded to any temptation (HEB 4:15). And through his sinless life, sacrificial death, and demonstrative resurrection, he broke the bondage of sin and death and defeated Satan once and for all (HEB 9:11-14). Therefore Christ, not Satan, is the undisputed Lord of all eternity (MAT 28:18).
But of course, you already know all of this if you are familiar with the New Testament, the part of the Bible that explains all of this in full detail.
So what does Revelation tell us about Monday that the rest of the Bible doesn't? Nothing! It only echoes what we already know! But it does so in condensed form and with extensive symbolism:
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IV REV 12: 5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. |
VII REV 20: 1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
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Once again such extensive symbolism is subject to various interpretations and leaves significant room for both controversy and debate. However, the Harmony of Revelation eliminates most of the controversial aspects of these passages because both of them occur at the beginning of their respective accounts. Therefore, any attempt to interpret them as pertaining to any day other than Monday must be rejected outright. In other words, both of these cryptic passages must refer to the same defeat of Satan that occurred through the victorious life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
From these two passages, we see that Revelation considers Monday to be more important from the spiritual aspect than from the earthly point of view. In fact, the whole earthly life of Christ is summed up in one verse (12:5).[1] All the rest of Revelation's description of Monday emphasizes the spiritual battle that took place on that day and the consequences of that battle.
Revelation 12:7-9 appears to be a reference to the same event mentioned in 12:4 (which we have already said occurred before time began). However, verse 12:11 asserts that the victory of this battle was not achieved through superior angelic power but through the "blood of the Lamb."
Therefore, even if both Revelation 12:4 and 12:7-9 do refer to the same fall of Satan (which took place on Sunday, before time began), the FINALITY of that fall occurred on the cross (on Monday). Once again we are reminded that it was Christ, and Christ alone, who defeated Satan. Therefore, all power, all glory, and all honor belong to Christ and Christ alone.
Upon a first inspection, it may appear that there are such great differences between these two passages that they cannot possibly be harmonized successfully. For example, the account in Chapter 12 describes Satan as being cast out of heaven and down to the earth, while that of Chapter 20 has him cast into the bottomless pit. In Chapter 12 Satan still has the power to persecute the woman and "the rest of her offspring" (REV 12:12 and 12:17) while in Chapter 20 he is bound with a great chain, shut up, and sealed for a thousand years. How can such obvious differences in symbolism possibly be interpreted as meaning the same thing?
Since this is our first example of trying to harmonize two of the Revelation accounts, let us answer this question in considerable detail, perhaps even in greater detail than the brevity of the two passages would warrant.
The key to harmonization here is the same as everywhere else in the book of Revelation. Specifically, we look at the total picture and identify the points of commonalty. Then, once we have correlated the similarities, we correlate the differences and use this information to gain a better insight as to the proper interpretation of the rest of the symbolism.
For example, in these two accounts, there are several similarities that should help convince us that both accounts indeed refer to the same defeat of Satan. Both accounts identify the dragon as "that old serpent, the Devil, and Satan." Both have him defeated and "cast" down. And both focus upon his power to "deceive" the nations of the world.
Since there is no question about the correlation of these similarities, we conclude that there must also be a correlation between their respective differences. For example, the one thousand years in Chapter 20 must symbolize the same thing as the one thousand two hundred and sixty days in Chapter 12 (which we will discuss in more detail later); the bottomless pit in Chapter 20 must symbolize the same thing as the earth in Chapter 12 (not this physical planet, but the spiritual abyss from which Satan affects our world); and the binding, shutting up, and sealing of Satan in Chapter 20 must symbolize the same thing as the defeat of Satan in Chapter 12.
As already mentioned, this defeat occurred on the cross of Calvary. It was this defeat alone that bound Satan and broke the bonds of sin and death. Therefore, both "Michael" (REV 12:7) and the "angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit" (REV 20:1) symbolize the One who defeated Satan; namely, Jesus Christ.[2] Similarly, the "great chain" that binds Satan and the "seal" that limits his influence upon this world symbolize the Power that currently holds Satan in check; namely, the Holy Spirit (2TH 2:5-8).
Notice that neither of these passages implies that this binding of Satan constitutes the total elimination of his power and influence.[3] Both of these passages imply that Satan is still alive and kicking, but that his power to affect others is no longer comparable to what it was before his defeat on the cross.
For example, in Revelation 12:6, the woman who gave birth to the Child was protected from the dragon's wrath for a specified period of time in the wilderness.[4] The fulfillment of this prophecy can be seen throughout history as Israel was scattered among the other nations of the world yet was miraculously preserved as a people for almost two thousand years in spite of Satan's efforts to destroy her. We also see how the other nations "fed" Israel as God allowed the Jews to prosper economically in almost every country into which they were scattered. The extent of the Holocaust in World War II and the fact that Israel has recently returned to her homeland suggest that these days of protection in the "wilderness" are coming to an end.
Revelation 12:10 illustrates another way that Satan's power has been limited since his defeat. He no longer has access to God to accuse Christians the way he could accuse the righteous in the days before Christ (JOB 1:6-12, 2:1-6.). The reason is that Christians are never justified through their own righteousness but through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. So even if Satan were to come before God to accuse the Christian of his sin, we have an Advocate, Jesus Christ (1JO 2:1), to plead our case, and a Heavenly Father who simply would reply, "The wages of that sin has already been paid by the blood of the Lamb."
A third way in which Satan's power has been limited can be appreciated as follows: If Satan were able to exercise his full power today, he would be the second most powerful being in the Universe (second only to God himself). He could easily overpower us Christians and either kill us outright or else force us to live defeated lives. But James 4:7 reminds us that every committed Christian has the power to resist Satan. No matter what Satan throws at us, we can live victorious lives through Jesus Christ our Lord. Revelation 12:11 simply echoes this truth.
And, finally, Revelation 20:1-3 states that the binding of Satan prevents him from deceiving the nations for a specific period of time; namely, 1000 years. In other words, during the Church Age, the period of history immediately following the Day of Christ, Satan cannot totally blind everyone regarding the truth of God. Specifically, he cannot stop the spread of the Gospel into every nation of the world (MAT 28:18-20). Indeed, the fact that the Gospel has already been proclaimed in every recognized nation and accepted by some of the citizens within every nation is one more indication that the Church Age is essentially over. But here we have stopped talking about Monday and started talking about Tuesday.
[1]The only other verse referring to earthly events, Rev. 12:6, takes place on Tuesday!
[2]Do not get the mistaken impression that this symbolism should be taken any more literally than the rest of the symbolism in these passages. Jesus Christ is no more a literal "angel" named "Michael" than he is a literal "Lamb" (12:11), than Satan is a literal "dragon" or "serpent" (12:9, 20:2), than Israel is a literal "woman" (12:6), or than the Holy Spirit is a literal "seal" or "chain" (20:1,3). The symbolism in these passages should be recognized as exactly that, namely, symbolism. The "angel" and "Michael" symbolize Christ in exactly the same way as the "dragon" and "serpent" symbolize Satan. Therefore, do not confuse the "angel" "Michael" of these passages with the archangel Michael mentioned in Judges 1:9. Indeed, there are significant differences between the two. For example, the "Michael" of Revelation exercises absolute power and authority over Satan while the Michael of the Old Testament dared not even rebuke Satan. In other words, the Michael of the Old Testament had to trust the "Michael" of Revelation to resolve his confrontation with Satan. Thus he said, "The Lord rebuke thee."
[3]It is Rev. 20:10 which describes this complete removal of Satan's presence, power, and influence.
[4]Additional details of this persecution and how the woman was protected from Satan's wrath will be found in Rev. 12:13-17, which we will discuss later.