Author Archives: Maria Tatham, a gentle iconoclast

Reading through Revelation – Chapter 12, Part 2 – And there was war in Heaven

 
 

Revelation 12:7-12

NASB
The Angel, Michael

7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole [d]world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,

“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even [e]when faced with death. 12 For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who [f]dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”

[d] Revelation 12:9  Lit inhabited earth
[e] Revelation 12:11  Lit to death
[f] Revelation 12:12  Or tabernacle

Intro to a tiny gallery

Strangely, many depictions of Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon  are shown as if happening upon the stage of this world rather than in Heaven as the Bible teaches. Also, images Of the dragon are often unscriptural. Take note, too, that one of the images below is described as Michael “slaying” the dragon rather than “waging war” with him.  

I wonder how the dragon’s expulsion from heaven affects his accusations against us.

A tiny gallery

War in Heaven - Apocalypse by Gebhard Fugel 15 - Kap. 12.7 Michaels KampfWar in Heaven – Apocalypse by Gebhard Fugel 15 – Kap. 12.7 Michaels Kampf

Saint Michael slaying the Dragon - Josse Lieferinxe, Master of St. Sebastian, 15th Century

Saint Michael slaying the Dragon – Josse Lieferinxe, Master of St. Sebastian, 15th Century

Bamberg Apocalypse Folio 030v St Michael Fights Dragon

Bamberg Apocalypse Folio 030v St Michael Fights DragonWar in Heaven - São_Miguel_Arcanjo,_oficina_de_Garcia_Fernandes_(atr.)

Saint Michael the Archangel – Garcia Fernandes Workshop (atr.)

Reading through Revelation – Chapter 12, Part 1 – A great sign appeared in Heaven

 
 

Revelation 12:1-6

NASB
The Woman, Israel

12 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2 and she was with child; and she *cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

The Red Dragon, Satan

3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4 And his tail *swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the  dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

The Male Child, Christ

5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to [a]rule all the [b]nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she *had a place prepared by God, so that there [c]she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

[a] Revelation 12:5  Or shepherd
[b] Revelation 12:5  Or Gentiles
[c] Revelation 12:6  Lit they would nourish her for

Intro to a tiny gallery

The importance of this passage convinced me not to introduce it with a mere image. Instead I’ve appended a tiny gallery.

No painting or engraving can capture the glories or terrors of the Apocalypse. Every attempt will fail, for God’s Word alone is Truth and Eternal, and absolutely Real. Art is a gift to us when it reflects and honors His Word, for then it can delight us and remind us of the One Who is good, holy, and true – the Triune God.  

A tiny gallery

Apocalypse by Gebhard Fugel (1863-1939) 14 - Kap. 12.1 Frau und DracheApocalypse by Gebhard Fugel (1863-1939) 14 – Kap. 12.1 Frau und Drache

Woman of the Apocalypse - from the Hortus Deliciarum by Herrad of Landsberg - 12th Century

Woman of the Apocalypse – from the Hortus Deliciarum by Herrad of Landsberg – 12th Century

Woman and dragon (Giusto de Menabuoi) 14th CenturyWoman and dragon (Giusto de Menabuoi) 14th Century

Vasiliy Koren's Apocalypse p.13 - Woman and dragon - between 1692 and 1696

Vasiliy Koren’s Apocalypse p.13 – Woman and dragon – between 1692 and 1696

The Woman Clothed in the Sun (Speculum humanae salvationis) - anonymousThe Woman Clothed in the Sun (Speculum humanae salvationis or Mirror of Human Salvation) – anonymous – originating in 14th Century

Reading through Revelation – Chapter 11, Part 4, And the Seventh Angel sounded

 

Revelation 11:15-19

NASB

15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His [a]Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,

“We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. 18 And the nations were enraged, and  Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and  the time to [b]reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the [c]saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

19 And the [d]temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His [e]temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great [f]hailstorm.

[a] Revelation 11:15  I.e. Messiah
[b] Revelation 11:18  Lit give the reward to
[c] Revelation 11:18  Or holy ones
[d] Revelation 11:19  Or sanctuary
[e] Revelation 11:19  Or sanctuary
[f] Revelation 11:19  Lit hail

The book of revelation in Art
Below is an illustration of the Seventh Angel from The Saint-Sever Beatus, also known as The Apocalypse of Saint-Sever, (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, MS lat. 8878). It is an 11th Century French Romanesque illuminated Apocalypse made at Saint-Sever Abbey. Among other things it contains the Commentary on the Apocalypse of Beatus of Liébana.
 

Saint-Sever Beatus f. 157r - Seventh trumpet - crop

 
 
Here is a bit about Beatus of Liébana and his original commentary of which The Saint-Sever Beatus was a copy:
 
Towards the end of the eighth century Beatus, a monk in the monastery of San Martin de Turieno, near present day Santander, compiled a Commentary on the Book of Revelation, or Apocalypse, from the writings dedicated to the topic by such patristic authors as Jerome, Augustine, Ambrose and Irenaeus. Recognition of Beatus of Liébana has survived to our time thanks to his decision to illustrate the sixty-eight sections into which he divided the text of the Book of Revelation . . . Lacking any copy from before the tenth century, we cannot be sure of the appearance of Beatus’s original illustrations.
 
 

Here is another depiction of the Seventh Angel by an unknown Spanish miniaturist:

The Seventh Angel of the Apocalypse Proclaiming the Reign of the Lord - Spanish, circa 1180 - unknown miniaturist

The Seventh Angel of the Apocalypse Proclaiming the Reign of the Lord – Spanish, circa 1180 – unknown miniaturist

Reading through Revelation – Chapter 11, Part 3, The Lord’s Two Witnesses

Revelation 11:7-14

NASB

7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

11 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

thoughts

More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation - eBook - By: William Hendriksen Some Christians, including Dr. Hendriksen, believe that the Two Witnesses portray the Church in this present Gospel Age between the First and Second Coming of the Lord: its witness (ministerial and missionary), proclamation and judgements, and suffering. Others believe that they are individuals who will appear at the End of the Age. May the Lord give us light and peace about these important truths! 

The book of revelation in Art
Below are illustrations from a 13th century manuscript housed in Oxford’s Bodleian Library, MS Douce 180 (The Douce Apocalypse). According to Wikimedia Commons, “The manuscript was never finished, and the illustrations are in various states of completion. Some survive as exceedingly sensitive line drawings; others have their gold leaf added, while others are partly coloured.”  

 

Douce Apocalypse - Bodleian Ms 180 - p.035 - The witnesses breathe fire and prophesy to the people

Douce Apocalypse – Bodleian Ms 180 – p.035 – The witnesses breathe fire and prophesy to the people

 

Douce Apocalypse - Bodleian Ms 180 - p.036 -Death of two witnesses

Douce Apocalypse – Bodleian Ms 180 – p.036 – Death of the witnesses

Douce Apocalypse – Bodleian Ms 180 – p.037 – The people rejoice at the death of the witnesses