“They came up over the surface of the earth and surrounded the encampment of the saints, the beloved city. Then fire came down from heaven and consumed them. The Devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever…Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away.” ~Revelation 20:9-10; 21:3-4
The ogress is pleased with her cruel deeds, not knowing she has been deceived. Then one day she discovers Sleeping Beauty and the children in their hiding spot…“She ordered a huge vat to be brought into the middle of the courtyard. This she filled with vipers and toads, with snakes and serpents of every kind, intending to cast into it the queen and her children…There they were, and her minions were making ready to cast them into the vat, when into the courtyard rode the king!…At that moment the ogress, enraged at what confronted her, threw herself head foremost into the vat and was devoured on the instant by the hideous creatures she had placed in it. The king could not but be sorry, for after all she was his mother; but it was not long before he found ample consolation in his beautiful wife and children.”[1]
So ends the “original” tale of Sleeping Beauty: the enemy is vanquished and all are allowed to live in peace and contentment.
I love how in both the Sleeping Beauty story and Revelation, the victory comes suddenly, almost unexpectedly, and in the nick of time. The fear of the young queen and her children is palpable – “minions” are about to throw them into a vat of vile creatures. The “beloved city” is under siege from the forces of darkness. There is no escaping their fate.
And then suddenly, the prince arrives. The Savior comes. The forces of darkness are overthrown as if they were never there.
The intent of the Sleeping Beloved saga is to show how God can awaken and redeem anything. He will vanquish our greatest Enemies and awaken our hearts to New Life.
Our Enemy will be vanquished. Since God always keeps His promises, we can be assured of this victory…Which means we can claim the victory now and be awakened to New Life, right now.
So, dear one, will you heed the call of Love, and be awakened to New Life?
Sources
[1] Dore, Perrault’s Fairy Tales, p. 20
