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Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?" I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (vv. 13-14)


A few years back, the movie Age of Innocence was released to critical acclaim. It starred Michelle Pfieffer, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Winona Rider. It was a period piece set in the late 1800s and was marketed as a story of love and romance. It was a commercial art film that already was being labeled an Oscar contender.

Viewer response was lukewarm. Some might suggest this was because of an absence of gratuitous sex and violence. Others would just say the film was depressing. Daniel Day-Lewis' character was engaged to marry Winona Rider's character. Before the marriage, he met his fianc e's cousin portrayed by Michelle Pfieffer. The two fell in love, but would not admit it to each other. Social etiquette of the day would not allow the engagement to be broken. Michelle Pfieffer's character could not steal away her cousin's betrothed. The wedding went on as scheduled, and all three characters lived miserably ever after.

As depressing as this sounds, the real reason viewers failed to connect with the movie was a lack of empathy for the characters. No character was "right" or "good." Perhaps the Michelle Pfieffer and Daniel Day-Lewis characters did the right thing by not following their romantic instincts, but they wallowed around in self-pity to the point of making life wretched for everyone around them. In subsequent meetings, passion was evident between the two characters as was the misery of unenacted lust. The characters were neither good nor bad -- only gray. Gray -- not a bad emotional description of the film.

In stark contrast is the movie Star Wars. In Star Wars, the bad guys and the good guys are clear cut. Everyone knows to root for Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia to defeat Darth Vadar and the Emperor. The lines were clearly drawn. There was good, and there was evil. There was no gray.

This is one reason Star Wars was so popular and spawned two sequels and two prequels with more in the making. There are no rumors of Age of Innocence II: Life Stinks, Live With It or Age of Innocence III: Return of the Miserable People. We like heroes. We like to root for the good guy. This battle of good and evil also helps explain our fascination with the biblical book of Revelation. Here, like Star Wars, we find clear distinction between good and evil. It is a battle where only one side will emerge as the victor. You know who to pull for.

Revelation 12:7-12 outlines a key fight. Instead of Luke Sky-walker and Darth Vadar, we find the Archangel Michael and a dragon known as The Adversary. The Adversary was the embodiment of an entire universe of evil. He was the leader of an army of demons who opposed God's good purpose for humanity. John describes him in Revelation as a red dragon with seven heads and ten horns. He is an ugly embodiment of the dark side of the force.

And in this corner, is Michael, the patron angel of Israel. He has been involved with angelic battles for Israel before having defeated the patron angel of Persia as well as others. He is the commander of God's cosmic army. He is the good guy. He is the hero.

And thus began a cosmic battle that could only be termed star wars. Humanity was at stake and the winner controls both heaven and earth. John doesn't describe the battle. He only gives the result. Michael wins as The Adversary and his army are cast from heaven. As John wrote his Revelation, the defeated dragon set up shop on planet Earth to cause misery to any available scapegoat. One could imagine, The Adversary was behind the making of the Age of Innocence, but John was more concerned with the persecution of Christians for their faith. His message was to hold fast to the faith because The Adversary had already been defeated. The Adversary was powerless and his demise was completed in John's vision as he "was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur" where his punishment is to be "tormented day and night forever and ever" (20:10).

This battle was fought for the souls of humanity -- the multitude clothed in white that survived the great ordeal of Revelation 7:13-17. It was God's grace claiming the saints of all time. God makes Michael the victor over the loser Adversary. The Lamb wins, and the people are saved by his blood. So pull for the victor and celebrate the victory that was won for the saints.