Manger Danger

One of our family’s favorite holiday films is Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean. My favorite scene is Mr. Bean playing with a nativity display inside Harrods department store.

Being the childish buffoon he is, Mr. Bean gets creative and adds several unorthodox characters to the manger scene, the most bizarre being a Tyrannosaurus rex.

Seeing a giant reptile try to attack baby Jesus is not crazy if you’ve read chapter 12 in the book of Revelation. The apostle John says he saw a large red dragon standing in front of Mary as she was about to give birth to the Messiah, “ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born.” Revelation 12:4.

Whoa! I don’t remember that scene in any Christmas pageant!

Satan hated that first Christmas so much that he wanted to eat baby Jesus alive! He knew the Messiah’s birth would mean the beginning of the end for him—so he tried to kill him in Bethlehem but failed. Next, he possesses Herod to kill all the males born in the region who were two years old or under, thinking that would thwart God’s plan. Again, he failed.

Satan hasn’t given up. Ever since Christ’s birth, he has tried to destroy the spiritual offspring of the Messiah.

“And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.” Revelation‬ ‭12‬:‭17‬

Christmas is not about Santa, or presents under a tree. It’s an epic story about an ancient war between the forces of good and evil—between a blood thirsty Dragon and the perfect Lamb—and those who follow Him.

This holiday, remember the real story of Christmas—that Jesus came to earth to slay the Dragon who was hell-bent on destroying us.

Because the Dragon has been defeated, anxiety, insecurity and depression can be overcome. The fear of death can vanish. Every demonic stronghold of addiction can be broken because of what Christ did on the cross.

The Dragon still roams the earth, seeking to devour us—But here is God’s amazing promise…

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭20‬

If that’s not the greatest Christmas gift ever I don’t know what is!

To learn more about the ancient war between the Dragon and the Lamb, and how it fits into end times events like the October 7 deadly Hamas attack on Israel, read The Dragon’s Prophecy by Jonathan Kahn‭—a fascinating book explaining today’s global hatred toward Jews and Christians.