It was a true reflection of my own convictions, and my calling as a teacher. I was about 17; my niece was 3. We were sitting together at our local church, listening to the sermon. I know she was listening because when the pastor said in passing something about “the government,” she tugged on my jacket for my attention, and whispered in my ear, “We hate the government, don’t we?” Whether I am reading a book, or watching a movie, I always see the bad guy as a metaphor for the state. Saruman, he’s the government. Moby Dick is too, and Apollo Creed, Mr. T., and Ivan Drago.
I’m not suggesting that when Bunyan told the story of Pilgrim and Apollyon that it was his intention to present Apollyon as anything other than the, broadly speaking, forces of evil. Though, given all that Bunyan suffered at the hands of the English state, I can’t be sure. This, however, I am sure of- any state that does not kiss the Son is an enemy of the Son. And any enemy of the Son is and is to be an enemy of mine.
The state that does not recognize and honor the Lordship of Christ will always, in one way or another, be at war with the Bride of Christ. Refusal to surrender is rebellion. When the Roman empire fell, this principle abided. And it crosses borders as well. It is as true in the west as it is in North Korea or China. The only difference is the nature of the warfare. Whether the state is using us as entertainment down at the coliseum, or whether it is assaulting the souls of our children at their places of education/worship, the war is on.
The scene with Apollyon, however, sticks with me not because this demon is the state, but because of the response of Pilgrim. I love the sheer practicality of both Pilgrim, and the King. Facing this monster that makes Goliath look like a schoolgirl, Pilgrim takes stock of his situation. As I would be, he is tempted to run. The trouble is, while he is equipped for battle, he is not equipped for retreat. His front is in armor, his back exposed. There is, therefore, only way to go, forward.
As Paul enjoins the Ephesians to put on the full armor of God, and then goes on to describe that armor, you will notice that for we too there is no reverse in our tank. We can only move forward. But surely Paul isn’t talking about the state is he? I know we do not war against flesh and blood, “but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12). With talk like this, Paul could lose his 501C-3 status.
The point of spiritual weaponry is not that it cannot work against “real” weapons, but rather that “real” weapons can’t work against it. Because I am equipped with the truth, I am buckled about my waist, I am able to gird up my loins like a man, prepared for battle. A view that the unsubmissive state is only in a vague and fuzzy way the enemy of the King will not prepare me for battle. In like manner I cannot have a brave heart, nor can I protect my heart, unless I am dressed in His righteousness. The state cannot condemn me, and thereby destroy me, because I’m plucked from the fire.
My calling is not merely to not retreat, not merely to stand firm. I am to advance, to go through Apollyon. For this I need “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Isn’t that odd, the gospel of peace equips us for war? We war confident of the promise of peace. The shield of faith extinguishes the fiery darts of the enemy. Because I know every knee will bow, and every tongue confess, because I know the Son will “break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psalm 2:9), I move forward in battle.
With the helmet of salvation, with the sword of the Spirit we will vanquish all the forces of evil, wherever they might be. His very Word is sufficient to cut down Goliath, to smite Apollyon, to topple Leviathan. There is the power because His Word is power. By His Word He made the light. By His Word He stretched forth the firmament. If we are equipped with His Word, then we are indeed strong in the Lord, and in His mighty power.
The bumper sticker is only half-right. It tells us, “I love my country; I fear my government.” It is a good thing to love one’s country. And it is a great thing to distinguish between one’s government and one’s country. But there is a problem. We can and should recognize them as an enemy. We can revile them for their failure to bow before the King. We can prophecy against them for their rebellion, warning them of the wrath to come. But what we must never do is to fear them. Fear is reserved for our King.
The truth is that Apollyon is a kitten before the Lion of Judah. Because we are in union with Him, Apollyon is a kitten before us. All the might and power of the world’s only superpower is, we must remember, dependent and derived. What Jesus told Pilate is still true today, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above” (John 9:11). Do not fear the beast; let the beast fear you.
