Christmas Character Study: The Dragon

Have you ever seen a dragon in a nativity before? Although not as commonly seen, there are people who add one. Why on earth would a dragon be among the donkeys, sheep, and cows? This is not in reference to a mythical creature, but rather a name that Satan himself is referred to in Revelation 20:2.

We know that the Devil can only be in one place at one time. Why would it not surprise us that when Jesus came to earth, the enemy would be right there waiting to attack or cause trouble?

“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who ‘will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.’ And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days” (Revelation 12:1-6).

Could Satan Have Been at Jesus’ Birth?

Revelation is a book with a lot of symbolism and various interpretations among believers. As we dive in, please know that this is one interpretation of Scripture. There is no place in the gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth mentioning a dragon, however as we view the Bible as a whole, this is a legitimate belief and worth pondering.

Do you not find it amazing that Mary was pregnant and about to give birth to Jesus, and Satan is described as standing in front of her. If you have ever encountered spiritual warfare, you know that when you are following the Lord’s will, the enemy will come against you. I can only imagine the lies that Satan was telling to Mary. Perhaps something like: “You cannot have this baby” or “how horrible to be giving birth in a stable, how could this really be the Son of God?”

But then, Mary gave birth to Jesus. He is identified in Revelation 12:5 by the fulfilled prophecy of ruling the nations with an iron scepter (Psalm 2:9). There are also references in this passage to the original fall of Satan with 1/3 of the angel population.

“Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down — that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him” (Revelation 12:7-9).

Here we read that the great dragon is the ancient serpent, Satan. He is clearly identified. He and his demons are on the earth and their goal is shared, “To lead the whole world astray.”

The Role of the Dragon in the Birth of Jesus

As Mary gave birth to the Savior of the world, I am convinced that Satan was there. No place was a greater threat to his worldly kingdom at that time. Yahweh was coming.

Another very legitimate view is that the pregnant woman in Revelation is Israel because Jesus came from her. The male child is Jesus, however was this End Times prophecy connected to the birth of Christ? We do not know for certain. However, as we wrap up our study on the birth of Jesus, may we remember that even though Satan caused humanity to sin, that he himself was still under the authority of God. (We see this a lot in the book of Job.)

Jesus was never truly threatened by Satan when coming to earth; He is God. However, just like in a sporting event, when the other team comes to your territory, there is a threat of defeat. Satan knew that his time was short and the true King of kings had come. Satan did everything in his limited power to stop Jesus, but he failed. Later, he would try to tempt Jesus by twisting the word of God, but Jesus never sinned. It may have even looked as if Jesus lost at the cross, but the enemy knew that it was finished.

We do not need to fear the idea of Satan being present at the nativity, or be hyper-focused on him. This should give us even more peace and confidence that our Savior Jesus has come, and it was about to be game over for Satan. Sin would no longer have a hold on all the believers past, present, and future. It was for freedom that Christ came to set us free. And in the stillness of the night, gazing upon the face of God, just hours out of the womb, God’s rescue plan was in motion. We serve a glorious Redeemer.

Where Else Do We See the Dragon in Scripture?

The word dragon is drákōn meaning: “a dragon or huge serpent; met: Satan.”

For further study, the dragon appears in the following Scripture passages:

Revelation 12Revelation 13:1-4Revelation 16:13Revelation 20:2

3 Things to Know about the Dragon

1. The Devil Is Seen from Genesis to Revelation