THE DEFEAT OF EVIL

J.R. Tolkien’s famous children’s book, The Hobbit tells the story of Bilbo Baggins, who travels to the Lonely Mountain, accompanied by a vigorous group of Dwarves, to reclaim a treasure stolen from them by the dragon Smaug. Bilbo is swept into the quest of reclaiming the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the dragon.

It is a fantasy worthy of comparison with the vision given to St. John who recounts how, the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, is seized by an angel coming out of heaven. He bound him with a chain and threw him into the Abyss, then locked  it and sealed it to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore. When he is eventually released and attempts to deceive God’s people again, he gathers a great army – in number like the sand on the seashore – surrounds the city of God and attacks it. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil was finally thrown into the lake of eternal fire. (Revelation 20:1-10)

In Revelation, the dragon, Satan, is portrayed as having stolen from humanity the treasure of the kingdom of God, the pearl of great price, the treasure hidden in a field, the presence and power and reign of God, until the army of heaven, led by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who is called Faithful and True, came and waged war by the Word of God. He won the battle by his perfect life, death on the Cross for our sins, and his resurrection, reversing the condemnation of Adam. He gave us new life, a first resurrection, by rebirth through his Spirit, and the privilege of reigning with him in his kingdom (the millennial kingdom). We are no longer deceived by Satan, who has been bound by Jesus (Matt.12:25-29). He has made known to us the mystery of God’s will. The eyes of our hearts have been enlightened so that we know the hope to which he has called us, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. This is treasure indeed. This is the kingdom of God restored to mortals.

Ever since the Incarnation, ever since the Cross, ever since the Resurrection, captivity has been taken captive, the powers of evil have been defeated, and Christ Jesus has the devil on a chain. He can do nothing without our Lord’s permission. None of his evil purposes can finally prevail. That has been a theme that runs through the whole book….This vision of the millennium is the vision of the silver lining behind history. To us the clouds may appear ominously black and fearful, but from God’s side it is quite different. Here is a vision that takes us right to the vestibule of eternity, to the very edge of those clouds, and allows us to peep behind them and see the backside of history to be the supernal reign of Jesus Christ. (The Apocalypse Today, Thomas F. Torrance, p.165f.)

We are constantly bombarded by the latest view of the secular culture which portrays the world in the darkest of terms so that we live defensively to protect ourselves from whatever threatens us: disease, Covid, inflation, crime, education, racism, China, Russia etc. We are called upon to be fearful of losing our lives and so we cower behind closed doors and do not venture out to live normal lives. We act as though this world is all that there is and that our mortal lives are the highest good. The Scriptures give us another perspective of the battle between good and evil that is eternal. We see the world from God’s side, which is quite different. Jesus is Victor, life is eternal. Satan is defeated, locked up and cannot harm us in the end. Yes, there is suffering. Yes, we are called upon to witness to the Gospel and we may be persecuted and lose our lives because of our beliefs. Jesus calls us to live courageously, not fearfully. We are free in Christ and can be brave because of the Holy Spirit who strengthens us. Christians do not need to be fearful, should not live defensively, should not be intimidated by the news.

I value the image of the angel seizing the dragon, chaining him up, and throwing him into the Abyss. How puny Satan looks in comparison with the heavenly angel! It puts his evil power into perspective. He is kept under lock and chain until his final sentence is carried out and he is consigned to the place of destruction. We need never be intimidated by evil, whatever form Satan takes in the lives of our contemporaries, or in our culture. He is severely restricted in what he can do, and his doom is sure, as Martin Luther wrote,

 And tho this world, with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph thru us.

The prince of darkness grim, We tremble not for him –

His rage we can endure, For lo, his doom is sure:

One little word shall fell him.

The message of this chapter has often been obscured by attempts to develop a timeline of the ‘end-times’ using code words for a theological position: premillenial, dispensational, postmillennial, pre-tribulation, post-tribulation. I don’t see a chronology in this vision. Each of the visions is a take on what is happening now and what has happened in the past. It is a repeat of Revelation 12 where Michael and the angels fought against the dragon and defeated him. It is the meaning of the Cross, seen from a heavenly perspective. There Satan was defeated, and at that point the victory of God’s kingdom was won. God is winning his victory in and through our lives today. “For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God, and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God.” (1 Peter 4:17)

What do you do with this revelation? Reclaim the treasure of the kingdom. Don’t be intimidated by the devil – he is on a chain. Join the winning side and fight the good fight of faith by God’s grace, so that when the books are opened, your name and record will be on the roster. Pray for victory for yourself and your loved ones and look forward to that great day.