The Explanation

Look up into the sky. John sees something amazing there. A woman, dressed in sunlight, with the moon under her feet and twelve stars for a crown. She is about to have a baby, and she cries out in pain.

Then something terrible appears. A huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns and crowns on every head. His tail is so big it knocks stars right out of the sky. The dragon stands in front of the woman. He is waiting. The moment her baby is born, he wants to eat him up.

But the baby is born safely. This child will one day rule every nation. Before the dragon can touch him, God snatches the baby up to his own throne. The woman escapes too, running into the wilderness, to a place God has already prepared for her.

Then the fight moves. War breaks out in heaven itself. Michael and his angels fight the dragon and his angels. It is a real battle, swords of light against darkness. And the dragon loses. He is thrown out of heaven, down to the earth, he and all his angels with him.

A loud voice shouts from heaven: now salvation has come, now God's kingdom has come, because the accuser has been thrown down. The dragon is furious. He knows he does not have much time left.

So he chases the woman. She is given wings, like a great eagle, to fly to her safe place. The dragon spits out a flood of water to sweep her away, but the earth itself opens its mouth and drinks the flood up. The woman is safe. Furious, the dragon turns to make war on her other children instead, the ones who keep God's commands and hold on to Jesus.

What Does This Mean?

This is not a fairy tale dragon. This is Satan, the enemy who has hated God's people from the very beginning. He wanted to destroy Jesus the moment he was born. He wants to destroy God's people too. That is scary, and the Bible does not hide it.

But here is what the story shows louder than the fear: the dragon loses. Every single time. He could not stop Jesus from being born. He could not win the war in heaven. He could not drown the woman. He is powerful, but he is not as powerful as God.

The Common Thread

The baby in this story is Jesus. The dragon is the enemy who has been trying to stop God's rescue plan since the garden of Eden. But God always protects his promise. Jesus was born, he lived, and nothing the enemy did could stop him from going to his throne.

And how do God's people win against the dragon? Not with their own swords. Verse eleven says they overcame him "because of the Lamb's blood, and because of the word of their testimony." Jesus, the Lamb, already won the real battle. His people share in that victory when they trust him and speak the truth about him, even when it costs them something.

For You

You might feel small sometimes, like the woman running from something big and scary. Maybe it is fear, or feeling left out, or being tempted to lie. Remember, the dragon already lost the real war. Jesus is on the throne right now.

When you are scared of something, you can say out loud what is true: Jesus already won. That is your testimony too, even at seven years old.

Talk About It

Why do you think God let John see the dragon lose the war in heaven before telling the rest of the story?

What is one true thing about Jesus you could say out loud when you feel scared?

Praying Together

Dear God, thank you that Jesus is stronger than any enemy. Thank you that you protect your people, just like you protected the woman in this story. When we are afraid, remind us that Jesus has already won. Amen.