VICTORY OVER ALL EVIL

J.R.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 in Revelation 20 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.

In Revelation, the dragon, Satan, had 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 or 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.)

In a time of fear and uncertainty fostered by the coronavirus pandemic, political division, urban riots, unemployment, business bankruptcies, closed churches, cancelled sports’ spectators, and partisan media we need the assurance that the powers of evil have been defeated by Christ who has the devil on a chain.

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.

John’s next vision is one of awesome and sobering impressiveness. It is a vision of the Last Judgment. He sees a great white throne. All the dead, without respect of persons, are brought before the judgment seat of God. “The great and the small,” that is, those who were important and those who were unimportant in this life, are assembled together. There are no absentees and there are no exemptions. Next, John tells us that the books are opened. One book can be called the Book of Merit, for it contains a record and remembrance of all the deeds of each one who stands before the throne of God. Another book is the book of life, which belongs to the Lamb (13:8; 21:27). This can be called the Book of Mercy. Here the work of Christ, who died to ransom his people and save them from their sin, is put on the credit side of the ledger, along with the names of all who are destined for acquittal and blessedness. This heavenly register of the chosen is mentioned in various parts of the Old Testament (Exod.32:32,33; Ps.69:28; Dan.7:10; Mark 3:16). John refers to it five times throughout Revelation. St. Paul mentions it in Phil.4:3. All are judged by what they had done, for there is no other way that judgment can be made (see 1 Cor.3:11-15).

Finally, the two great enemies of humankind – Death and Hades, which are here personified – are destroyed after giving up the dead that were in them (20:13). These voracious monsters that devour mortals are now overcome and have no more power over humankind. They are thrown into the lake of fire, appropriately called ‘the second death’. The first death (which is but the shadow of death) is of the body alone; the ‘second death,’ which is absolute, unmitigated death, is final and complete separation from God, the source of life (Matt.10:28). ‘Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.’

“The account in these few verses, in spite of their brevity, is one of the most impressive descriptions of the Last Judgment ever written. John’s vision presents these truths better than any reasoned argument could ever do. The opening of the books suggests that our earthly lives are important and meaningful, and are taken into account at the end. But the consultation of the book of life shows that our eternal destiny is determined by God’s decision, by God’s grace, by God’s amazing goodness.” (Breaking the Code: Understanding the Book of Revelation, Bruce, M. Metzger, pp.95-97)

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 (all the evil in the world) – 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 strength and courage in the present conflict, victory for yourself and your loved ones and look forward to that great day.