Revelation 12

“Then I heard a voice in Heaven say: The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah have now come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out: the one who accuses them before our God day and night. They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives in the face of death.”  Revelation 12:10-11 (HCSB)

When I was a kid, I used to fake being sick so that I could watch TV at my Grandparents’ house. My folks didn’t have cable, but my grandparents did. One of my favorite old cable TV shows was “Perry Mason.” Forgotten by most, “Perry Mason” was a show about an attorney…the old school “Law & Order.” No matter what the case, Perry Mason always had a way of winning. Back in the days when “Matlock” (Andy Griffith) was still “Sheriff Andy Taylor,” Perry Mason was the man.

The key to portraying a good courtroom drama is to make the spectator believe the innocent client will be found guilty and that evil will win over justice. But right at the end, when all hope is lost, new evidence and a surprise witness show up. Based on this new evidence and testimony, the judge has no option but to throw the case out of court. Then truth and justice prevail. That’s good TV!

This is similar to what happens in Revelation 12. Satan is the Accuser, and Israel & the Church are the accused. There is irrefutable evidence of our sin, set against the backdrop of God’s standard. Finally, there’s the last-minute evidence of the Blood of the Lamb atoning for the sins of Believers. The last-minute evidence is coupled with the eye-witness testimony of the Messiah’s act of redemption by those who love the Lord above their own lives in the face of death. These are the Martyrs and those who were willing to testify on behalf of the Messiah to the point of their personal physical death.

The Lord’s Judgment is to throw the whole case out of court, along with the Accuser, holding him in contempt. Did you know that your Accuser is before the Lord at this moment? Are you confident that Jesus is your Advocate (attorney), or are you attempting to defend yourself before the Righteous Judge (God)? Do you know what they say about the man who defends himself in court? He has a fool for a client.

**Images to consider when reading this chapter:  Verses 1-5 depict Jesus’ birth and ascension into Heaven after being resurrected. The “woman” in the narrative is not Mary (Jesus’ mother). (Compare Isaiah 66:7-10, 26:17, and Micah 4:10) Instead, the “woman” is Israel, from whom Abraham’s “seed” came forth. (Gen 17:7, Luke 1:55) The Dragon is, of course, Satan. And the “rest of her children” are the Gentile believers. After failing to destroy Jesus, Satan seeks to destroy both Israel (Messianic and non-believers) and the Church, which bears Jesus’ Name.