Be glad then, O heavens, and you who are in them. But there is trouble for the earth and the sea. Rev 12:12
Sea, earth, and heaven. Three things. Have you noticed that God often speaks in in threes?
When you’re following this blog you know that three groups of threes keep reappearing all the time. I am speaking of the three major feast seasons, the high priests three layers of clothes, and the three parts of the temple or the tabernacle in the wilderness. You know that they represent a 30-, 60-, 100-fold way of Christian life, a growing revelation of what Jesus has done for us at the cross.
You know that the first stage is to be baptized with water, with an understanding of Jesus as savior, sins forgiven, but still with an external law.
The second stage is baptized with the Spirit, with an understanding of Jesus as Christ, flowing in the gifts, with the law written on our hearts.
The third stage is baptized with fire, with an understanding of Jesus as King, us being mature sons in authority.
Put otherwise: child – youngster – father.
And in this text: sea, earth, heaven.
Abraham has children like the sand at the seashore and like the stars of the heavens. James talks of wavering people as like waves in the sea. Our text speaks of people in the sea, the earth, and the heavens. Now what does that mean?
Most people think that Jesus wants to make a difference between the heavens and all earthly things, expressed by both sea and land mass. He just wants to include all the navy guys. But God speaks in threes.
The sea represents outer court christians, wavering, doubting, as they have no inner witness, no guide, no comforter. The earth or land mass speaks of Holy place christians. Baptized in the Spirit, but still earth bound. Wanderers in this earth, waiting to depart. They both together are depicted in the masses of children like the sand at the sea shore – some under water, some on dry land, some meandering between the two.
And then there are the ones that realize that they are seated in heaven with the Lord and rule together with him. The children like the stars in heaven.
Todays text continues that only the children in the sea and the earth need to worry about the devil. Why? Because when the serpent in the graden was punished, its legs were taken from her and she was to eat dust of the earth. The only way a defeated serpent would become a dragon is if it had enough food. Dust, sand, dirt – all earthly things. As long as we feed on earthly things, we feed the dragon.
But if we change our thinking and recognize that we already are seated in heavenly places – no need to escape there – we feed on heavenly things. No serpent there – not since he had been defeated on the cross.
Why do I know that this talks about christians, not just people? Because the serpent continues to go after the woman’s children:
And the dragon was angry with the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her seed, who keep the orders of God, and the witness of Jesus. Rev 12:17
But not all of them.
Her child was taken up to God and to his high seat. Rev 12:5
All has been accomplished at the cross. Jesus said: it is finished. What we need to do is embrace and believe the finished work of the cross and grow up to become mature sons of God, dwellers of the Holy of Holies, Christ – he the head and we the body. Recognize that we are one, that we are seated in heavenly places. When we bring down the kingdom to earth, we wage war from a secure position. No enemy there.
What are you waiting for? Tell me.