Latest / Reformed Thinking / The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan - Combat with Appolyon

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The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan - Combat with Appolyon · Reformed Thinking

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  Welcome to the Depth Dive. We're taking a really close look
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  today at some fascinating source material.
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  We're diving into John Bunyan's allegory.
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  The Pilgrims progress. A classic.
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  Absolutely. And our focus is really
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  narrowing in on 2 incredibly intense moments for Christian,
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  his big confrontation with Apollyon and then his passage
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  through the well, the really terrifying valley of the shadow
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  of death. Two huge trials back-to-back.
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  Yeah, and we've got the excerpts right here from the text.
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  They lay out these events in, you know, vivid detail.
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  We'll use those to try and grasp the spiritual meaning Bunion is
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  getting across. That's the plan for this deep
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  dive. The idea is to really pull apart
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  these specific sections, look at the kinds of dangers Christian
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  runs into the opposition, and really critically, what the
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  sources tell us about where his help comes from.
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  You know, his deliverance. It's a chance for you listening
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  to understand different sides of the challenges that pop up on
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  the spiritual path and how Bunion pictures the ways a
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  Pilgrim finds the strength to keep going.
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  All right, let's get into it then.
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  So where do we find Christian At this point?
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  He's walking along with the source calls the King's Hwy. the
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  way of Holiness. That specific phrasing is key.
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  It's not just any old road, right?
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  It's the designated path towards the Celestial City.
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  That's his goal. And Bunyan presents this path
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  itself as well, significant being on the King's Hwy., the
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  way of holiness. That's precisely what makes
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  Christian a target. It's not just random bad luck,
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  his very identity, his direction, that defines the
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  opposition that's going to come at him.
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  It's the straight path, you see, and the adversary opposes those
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  who walk. In that makes sense, and it
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  leads right into the first big trial We're looking at the run
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  in with Napoleon. The sources give a very distinct
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  picture of him, how he looks, how he acts initially.
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  He doesn't just, you know, wander up.
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  He breaks out into grievous rage.
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  Yeah, no subtlety there. And his voice is described like
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  a Dragon's during the fight. It says he makes it yelling and
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  hideous roaring. It's just this picture of open,
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  furious hostility. And Bunyan doesn't leave you
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  guessing about who Apollyon is or why he's there.
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  No, he speaks very plainly, tells Christian.
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  I am an enemy to this Prince. I hate his person, his laws and
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  people. Wow Direct.
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  Very direct, he says. He came out on purpose to
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  withstand thee, and he makes this awful vow to spill thy
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  soul, swearing by his infernal den.
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  So this is personal. It's deliberate.
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  Absolutely a direct, personal, determined attack by this
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  specific adversary. Because Christian belongs to the
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  Prince and is on his highway. And he backs this up physically,
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  doesn't he? The source says.
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  He straddled quite over the whole breadth of the way.
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  Just literally blocks Christian's path forward.
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  Blocks it completely. And he boasts too.
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  It says he's void of fear. Yeah, that act of blocking the
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  path is really potent symbolism, isn't it?
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  It's a physical picture of a direct attempt to just stop
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  Christian spiritual progress cold.
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  Right. Not just slow him down.
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  No, stop him entirely challenging his right to even be
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  on that path. And that boast about being
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  fearless? Well, that's typical pride,
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  isn't it? Overconfidence in his own
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  supposed strength. So how does the actual combat
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  start? The source says Napoleon
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  initiates it, throws A flaming dart at his breast.
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  That's the first shot, a targeted strike.
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  And Christian's first move? It's.
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  Instructive. He doesn't immediately swing his
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  sword. First, he uses a shield in his
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  hand to catch that dart. OK, defense first.
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  Exactly. It stops the immediate danger
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  from that specific projectile. It shows that primary response
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  of using the defenses you have often seen as the shield of
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  faith to ward off those incoming attacks.
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  A reactive defense. Only after he blocks that first
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  hit does he get ready for the real fight, the text says.
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  Did Christian draw his weapon? He realizes, OK, time to stand
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  isn't enough now got to fight back.
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  And Napoleon just ramps it up, doesn't he?
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  Throws darts as thick as hail. It shows just how overwhelming,
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  how relentless the attack is. And Bunion points out, even
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  though Christian's trying hard to block them, you know, either
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  with his shield or body, he still gets wounded.
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  So it's not a clean fight the sheer number gets.
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  Through get through, yeah. And the sources tell us where he
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  gets hit, wounded him in his head, his hand and foot.
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  Those specific places are worth thinking about, I reckon.
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  Oh so well. Wounds to the head, maybe
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  attacks on his mind, his understanding, introducing
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  doubt, confusion, maybe false ideas.
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  OK, Yeah. Wounds to the hand could hinder
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  his work, his service, you know, his ability to act or do good.
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  And wounds to the foot? Well, they'd impede his walk,
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  his progress, his ability to stay on the path, keep moving
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  forward. So the attack isn't just
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  physical, it's targeting his mind, his actions, his
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  perseverance. Seems like it it hits his
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  capacity for understanding, doing and staying on the way.
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  And these wounds have a real effect during the fight.
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  He has to give a little back, lose his ground.
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  I'm ready. He's weakened.
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  And because of the injuries, the text says he must needs grow
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  weaker and weaker as it goes on. And Napoleon sees this right?
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  He followed his work, I mean presses the advantage hard,
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  almost overcomes him. It becomes really desperate and
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  then the fight changes, moves from those projectile darts to
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  close combat. Yeah, Apollyon gets right in
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  there gathering up close and starts wrestling with.
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  Christian It's a different dynamic now, Not fending off
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  attacks from a distance, but a direct physical grapple for
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  control. And this close fighting leads to
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  a really critical moment, doesn't it?
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  A dreadful fall. A terrible fall.
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  And worse, when he falls, his sword flew out of his hand.
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  Disarmed. That's bad.
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  Very bad. He's on the ground, no weapon.
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  Apollyon feels sure of him. Then the text says he almost
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  pressed him to death, and Christian himself began to
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  despair of life faces it. The absolute lowest point in the
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  fight, physically and mentally. But Bunyan puts divine help
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  right there that a rock bottom moment.
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  The source uses that specific phrase, but as God would have
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  it, Christian nimbly stretched out his hand for his sword and
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  caught it. That recovery of the weapons
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  specifically attributed to God's intervention.
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  That's the immediate turning. Point.
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  And it's fascinating what he does First, when he gets the
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  sword back, he doesn't just lash out.
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  No. What does he do?
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  He speaks Scripture, cries out, Rejoice not against me, O mine
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  enemy. When I fall, I shall arise.
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  Micah 7.8 A declaration of faith spoken right at the enemy just
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  as he's getting up from what looked like total defeat.
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  Faith finding its voice even when he's physically spent.
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  Then he acts with the sword, gave Apollyon a deadly thrust.
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  The effect? Immediate the thrust makes
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  Apollyon give back as one that had received his mortal wound.
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  Christian realizes he's wounded him with his two edged sword.
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  Two edged sword bunion's likely thinking of Hebrews 4.12 there.
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  Isn't he the word of God being sharper than any 2 edged sword?
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  Seems likely. So the decisive blow wasn't just
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  metal, but maybe the spiritual weapon of God's truth or promise
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  applied at that moment. Makes sense and Christian
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  doesn't let up. No, He presses the advantage
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  made at him again follows up the thrust with another declaration
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  of Scripture. Nay, in all these things we are
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  more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
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  Romans 8.37 another massive statement.
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  Victory isn't in the believer themselves, but it's gained
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  through Christ who loved us. And that combination, the final
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  thrust and that scripture, it does the job.
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  What happens to Napoleon? He's done spread forth his
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  Dragon's wings and speed him away.
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  Just disappears. Quote for a season.
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  For a season so vanquished. For now.
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  But maybe not forever, right? But defeated in this encounter.
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  And Christian's immediate reaction after this incredibly
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  draining battle. It's telling he gives thanks
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  specifically to him that delivered me out of the mouth of
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  the lion to him. That did help me against
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  Apollyon. Acknowledging divine help.
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  Yes, and there's a quick interesting mention that Blessed
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  Michael helped me. He also points to the bigger
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  picture, says the plan for his ruin came from Great Beelzebub,
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  who is Apollyon's captain. So recognizing the hierarchy of
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  Evelare. Seems so.
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  And his song gives credit to his own effort by dint of sword.
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  But the overall victory, the preservation, it's all
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  attributed to divine help. Bunyan's view seems clear.
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  The Pilgrim has to fight with the tools given, but the
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  ultimate deliverance belongs to God.
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  That tracks. And after all that physical and
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  spiritual stress, he needs restoration, right?
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  He does, and he receives it. A hand doesn't say whose, just a
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  hand brings some of the leaves of the tree of life.
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  Tree of Life, echoes of Genesis and Revelation.
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  Right. Christian takes them, applies
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  them to his wounds, and Bunyan says quite emphatically he was
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  healed immediately. Wow, supernatural healing after
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  the battle. Exactly points to that divine
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  restoration available after conflict.
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  And did he get any, you know, normal refreshment?
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  He does. He also sits down, eats some
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  bread, drinks from a bottle he received earlier.
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  He's refreshed, so alongside the supernatural healing Bunyan
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  shows ordinary ways of getting strength back are also part of
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  the deal. Prepares him for what's coming.
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  And how does he set off again? Is he relaxed now?
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  Confident. Not exactly relaxed, he starts
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  his journey again with his sword drawn in his hand.
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  Still ready. Yes, he says.
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  I know not that some other enemy may be at hand.
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  So beating one huge enemy doesn't mean the coast is clear.
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  He stays alert. Vigilance is still needed.
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  A. Hard one lesson, probably.
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  OK, so that brings us to the transition.
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  Where does he go next? Immediately after this valley,
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  where he fought Apollyon, the source material says there was
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  another valley known as the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
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  Right next door, practically. And Christian understands he
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  must needs go through it. No way around it.
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  No detour, it's directly on the path to the Celestial City,
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  signifying, I guess, that these really difficult, scary periods
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  are just part of the appointed way for a.
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  Pilgrim Yeah, unavoidable parts of the terrain.
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  And Bunyan makes a direct comparison right at the start
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  between these two trials. What does he say?
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  He states here Christian was worse put to it than in his
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  fight with Apollyon. Wow, worse than Apollyon?
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  That fight sounded about as bad as it could get.
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  I know it's a really significant statement tells us that even
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  though the Apollyon fight was fierce, nearly fatal, this
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  valley presents a different kind of trial and maybe, according to
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  Bunyan, an even harder one. We need to figure out why.
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  OK, so stepping into this valley, what are the initial
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  descriptions like? They are designed to create
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  dread. It's called a very solitary
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  place. Isolate yes and Bunyan quotes
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  Jeremiah 2.6, calling it a wilderness, a land of deserts
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  and of pits, a land of drought and of the shadow of death, A
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  land that no man except a Christian Bunyan ads pass
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  through and where no man dwelt. So associated with death,
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  emptiness, loneliness, a place uniquely traveled by those on
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  this specific spiritual path. And other descriptions just pile
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  on the horror. It's as dark as pitch.
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  Pitch dark. Filled with terrifying things,
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  hobgoblins, satyrs and Dragons of the pit.
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  Nasty creatures. The air itself is filled with a
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  continual howling and yelling. It's a place where discouraging
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  clouds of confusion hangover you, where death doth always
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  spread his wings over. It sounds oppressive terribly,
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  and everything is every whit dreadful being utterly without
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  order. It's it's not just physical
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  darkness, it's spiritual chaos, confusion, fear, the constant
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  presence of death, a. Truly grim picture.
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  And does he meet anyone there? Right at the entrance, yes, he
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  meets two men. Bunyan connects them to the
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  children of them that brought up an evil report of the good land.
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  Like the fearful spies in Numbers who didn't want to enter
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  Canaan. Seems like that's the illusion
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  and these guys aren't going forward.
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  They're hurrying back out of the valley.
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  Running away? What do they tell Christian?
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  Their warning is blunt, meant to scare him off.
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  They say they were going that way when as far as we durst, but
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  we're almost past coming back because the danger was so bad.
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  So they barely escaped. That's their story.
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  They tell Christian turn back if you value life or peace.
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  They describe the darkness, the creatures, the noise.
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  They are just defined by their fear and their retreat from this
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  trial. How does Christian react to that
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  terrifying warning? It shows his resolve really
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  grounded in his calling. He says.
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  I perceive not yet, but that this is my way to the desired
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  haven. He holds firm.
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  He acknowledges their fear but sticks to his understanding this
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  hard place is the necessary Rd. So he parts ways with them and
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  keeps going. And does he still have his sword
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  out? He does, the text notes.
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  He keeps his sword drawn for fear lest he should be
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  assaulted. Still vigilant, carrying that
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  lesson from Apollyon. OK, but you said this valley
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  might be different. Does the sword help here?
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  Well, the nature of the valley quickly tests that approach
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  first. The path itself is described as
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  exceeding narrow. Really narrow, not much room to
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  maneuver. Exactly, and the narrowness is
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  made worse by the dangers on both sides.
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  What's on either side? On the right, a very deep ditch.
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  Bunyan links this to where the blind have led the blind and
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  have both there miserably perish.
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  Sounds like maybe falling into serious error, bad doctrine,
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  legalism. Maybe that a rigid path that
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  leads to ruin. Could be and on the left there's
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  a very dangerous quag, like a swamp or a mire.
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  A quagmire. Yes and it says even a good man
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  falls he can find no bottom. Bunyan even mentions King David
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  falling into one and needing God AG that is able to pull him out.
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  Wow, so that sounds like maybe despair, doubt, getting tangled
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  in sin that just pulls you down offers no solid footing.
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  That seems right. Two very different spiritual
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  dangers flanking this incredibly narrow path.
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  And it's pitch dark, you said. Pitch dark.
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  Navigating this is almost impossible for Christian.
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  He's more put to it. He's in this awful spot, trying
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  to avoid the ditch on one side, he's ready to tip over into the
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  mire on the other. Teetering on the edge.
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  Constantly in the total darkness, he knew not where or
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  upon what he should set it next, the text says.
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  He sighs bitterly. Just sheer distress.
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  So these aren't enemies attacking him directly like a
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  Polygon, it's the environment itself that's the threat.
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  Exactly. It's about navigating a path
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  full of subtle, deadly hazards. The darkness hides the way,
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  makes judgement so hard. It's this constant struggle for
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  balance and direction in a hostile place, a real picture of
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  trying to stay on the true path between extremes of spiritual
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  danger. And it gets worse.
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  Oh yes, the sources describe another feature about the midst
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  of this valley, the mouth of hell, located hard by the
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  wayside. The mouth of hell right there.
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  Right beside the path, and from it comes flame and smoke,
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  pouring out. Sparks, hideous noises.
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  And here's the crucial difference.
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  Bunion points out these things, the flames, the smoke, the
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  noises. They cared not for Christian
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  Sword, as did Apollyon before. So the sword is useless here.
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  Completely ineffective against this kind of pervasive
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  environmental horror. So what does he do if the sword
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  doesn't work? He was forced to put up his
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  sword. He has to switch tactics to
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  what? He has to take himself to
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  another weapon called All prayer.
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  All prayer. Interesting term.
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  It is the sources record him crying out, O Lord, I beseech
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  thee, deliver my soul. A direct quote from Psalm 116.
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  A cry for deliverance? Yes, it shows that when faced
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  with these these overwhelming spiritual forces, you can't
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  fight directly. The only option left is total
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  reliance on God expressed through desperate prayer.
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  And does the prayer stop the danger?
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  Not entirely. The flames still reach towards
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  him. It shows the threat is ongoing,
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  but it marks that vital shift in his strategy from personal
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  combat to divine appeal. So beyond the fire from Hell's
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  mouth, what else is going on in this darkness?
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  It's filled with other unsettling things.
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  He hears doleful voices and rushings to and fro.
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  Unseen movement and sounds creepy.
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  Very makes him fear he'll be torn in pieces or trodden down
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  like mire. And this isn't just a quick
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  scare, it goes on for several miles.
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  Wow, several miles of this constant unseen terror and
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  psychological pressure. That's very different from the
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  Apollyon fight, which had a clear beginning and AD.
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  Totally different and it wears him down.
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  He gets to a point where he thinks he hears a company of
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  themes coming forward to meet him.
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  The fear of being totally overwhelmed ramps up.
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  What does he do then? Does he panic?
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  He struggled internally. He stops, thinks about what to
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  do. He even has half a thought to go
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  back. Understandable.
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  The fear is so intense, retreat sounds tempting.
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  But then his experience, his faith kicks in.
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  He remembers beating Apollyon, remembers past dangers he
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  overcame, and he thinks that the danger of going back might be
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  much more than pressing on. Good point.
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  Turning back isn't necessarily safer.
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  Right. That thought strengthens his
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  resolve. He decides to go on
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  perseverance, informed by past deliverance and the potential
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  danger of retreat. That's key here, OK?
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  So he resolves to go on. What happens when the friends
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  seem to get closer? When they seem nearer and
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  nearer, he doesn't try to fight them physically.
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  He cries out with the most vehement voice.
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  What does he cry out? A declaration of dependence.
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  I will walk in the strength of the Lord God.
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  Not asking for strength, but declaring where his strength
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  lies, speaking it right into the fear.
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  Exactly an active claiming of divine help.
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  And does it work? Instantly and dramatically, the
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  text says. So they gave back and came no
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  further. Wow.
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  So that kind of spiritual opposition, the unseen
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  terrifying presence, it's pushed back not by human effort, but by
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  asserting reliance on God's strength.
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  That's what Bunyan shows here. Yeah, But then he introduces
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  another kind of trial in the valley, maybe even more
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  unsettling. What's that?
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  An internal one, The source says.
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  Poor Christian was so confounded that he did not know his own
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  voice. He's in a stain of deep
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  confusion, disorientation, and the.
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  Specific trial is really insidious.
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  One of the wicked ones got behind him and whisperingly
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  suggested many grievous blasphemies to him.
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  Whispering blasphemies. Horrible.
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  But here's the truly awful part. And Bunyan highlights this
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  Christian Verily thought had proceeded from his own mind.
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  Oh no, he thought he was having those thoughts.
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  Yes, a subtle psychological attack where the enemy plants
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  these vile thoughts but makes the Pilgrim believe they're
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  their own. Imagine the distress that would
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  cause someone trying to follow God.
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  That's deeply disturbing, an attack on his conscience, his
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  Peace of Mind. The source confirms how bad this
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  was. This put Christian more to it
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  than anything that he met with before.
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  Worse than the Fall, Worse than the Friends.
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  Apparently so. He wasn't hurt physically or
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  scared by noise as much as he was distressed by the idea that
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  he could be blaspheming him that he loved so much.
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  And he couldn't tell where they were coming from.
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  No, his confusion was so deep he lacked the discretion either to
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  stop his ears or to know from whence these blasphemies came.
• 19:15
  He couldn't discern the source, so it felt like his own internal
• 19:18
  failure, not an external attack. That's a uniquely nasty form of
• 19:22
  spiritual warfare. Praying on shame, self
• 19:25
  condemnation, making you question your own heart.
• 19:28
  And it wasn't just a fleeting moment, the source says.
• 19:31
  Christian had travelled in this disconsolate condition some
• 19:34
  considerable time, a prolonged period of internal agony in the
• 19:37
  valley. Just awful.
• 19:39
  Does anything breakthrough that darkness and confusion?
• 19:41
  Yes, thankfully, just like in the Apollyon fight, there's a
• 19:44
  turning point, a sign of help. Christian thought he heard the
• 19:47
  voice of a man as going before. Him, a human voice in all that
• 19:50
  chaos, A. Human voice, a crucial sound in
• 19:54
  the overwhelming darkness and noise.
• 19:56
  And what does the voice say? Instantly recognizable
• 19:58
  Scripture. Psalm 23.4 Though I walk through
• 20:02
  the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for
• 20:04
  thou art with me. The Shepherd's Psalm Comfort in
• 20:08
  the darkness. And Christian's reaction is
• 20:10
  immediate. Then he was glad.
• 20:12
  Just hearing that brought relief.
• 20:14
  Immense relief, and Bunyan explains why, showing how small
• 20:18
  signs offer huge comfort and deep trials.
• 20:21
  First, just knowing some who feared God were in this valley
• 20:25
  as well as himself was comforting shared experience.
• 20:29
  He wasn't totally alone in facing this kind of thing.
• 20:31
  That makes sense. Safety in numbers, even if you
• 20:33
  can't see them. Second, hearing that voice made
• 20:36
  him realize God was with them, though in that dark and dismal
• 20:39
  state which led him to think, why not with me, though I cannot
• 20:44
  perceive it? That's vital faith, grabbing
• 20:46
  hold of God's presence based on promise and seeing in others,
• 20:50
  even when his own feelings or senses in the dark don't confirm
• 20:53
  it. Exactly, he infers God's
• 20:55
  presence for himself from the evidence with others.
• 20:58
  And 3rd he hoped could he overtake them to have company.
• 21:02
  Just the prospect of fellowship was encouraging.
• 21:04
  Did he catch up to the person? He calls out but gets no answer.
• 21:07
  Then apparently the other Pilgrim also thought he was
• 21:10
  alone. Shows how isolating the valley
• 21:12
  can be even when others are nearby.
• 21:14
  Still, hearing the voice was a turning point.
• 21:16
  What happens next? After the voice comes another
• 21:18
  big shift, and by and by the day broke.
• 21:21
  Light finally. Yes, and Christian recognizes it
• 21:25
  as God's work. Quoting Amos, he has turned the
• 21:28
  shadow of death into the morning.
• 21:30
  The physical darkness starts lifting.
• 21:32
  What is the light reveal? It's invaluable.
• 21:34
  It lets him look back and see what hazards he had gone through
• 21:37
  in the dark. Not because he wants to go back,
• 21:39
  Bunion stresses. But for perspective to.
• 21:42
  Understand what he survived. Right.
• 21:44
  He can now see more perfectly the deep ditch on one side, the
• 21:48
  dangerous quag on the other, just how narrow the way really
• 21:51
  was. He also saw the creatures,
• 21:53
  hobgoblins, satyrs, Dragons, but they were all afar off.
• 21:57
  Apparently, after break of day they came not nigh.
• 22:01
  Interesting. So the light itself diminished
• 22:03
  certain threats. Yes, the light, Bunyan says,
• 22:06
  referencing Jarb, discovered these dangers.
• 22:09
  It revealed their true nature and position, which were hidden
• 22:11
  before. OK, so daylight helps.
• 22:13
  Is he through the worst of it now?
• 22:15
  Well, Bunny notes something surprising.
• 22:18
  The second part of the valley which Christian now enters in
• 22:20
  the light was, if possible, far more dangerous than the first
• 22:23
  part he went through in the dark.
• 22:25
  More dangerous, even with light. How?
• 22:27
  The dangers are different. The way here was all along, set
• 22:30
  so full of snares, traps, gins and Nets here, and so full of
• 22:35
  pits, pitfalls, deep holes and shelvings down there.
• 22:39
  Hidden traps. Not monsters, but things
• 22:42
  designed to trip you up and snare you, make you fall
• 22:45
  suddenly. Exactly.
• 22:47
  Subtle, numerous hazards, the source says.
• 22:50
  If it had still been dark, had he had 1000 souls, they had in
• 22:54
  reason been castaway in darkness.
• 22:56
  These unseen traps would have been unavoidable.
• 22:58
  To the light is absolutely essential for this part.
• 23:01
  Crucial because just now the sun was rising as he entered this
• 23:04
  section. Perfect timing and the light is
• 23:06
  what saves him here. In the light he could see and
• 23:09
  avoid all these hidden dangers that would have certainly caught
• 23:11
  him in the dark. He needed that discernment.
• 23:13
  Yes, and Christian quotes Job again.
• 23:16
  His candle shineth upon my head, and by his light I walk through
• 23:20
  darkness. It affirms that divine
• 23:22
  illumination is what lets him spot and sidestep these hidden
• 23:25
  snares. He makes it to the very end of
• 23:28
  the valley in this light underscores that God's guidance
• 23:31
  that light of truth is needed to navigate these specific kinds of
• 23:34
  hidden perils. So he finally gets through the
• 23:36
  whole valley. What does he see at the end?
• 23:38
  Grim evidence of what happened to others before him.
• 23:41
  Blood, bones, ashes and mangled bodies lying around.
• 23:44
  A sobering sight. Why are they there?
• 23:46
  Nearby, he spots a cave where two giants, Pope EE and Pagan,
• 23:51
  dwelt in old time. Pope and Pagan.
• 23:54
  OK, clear allegory there. Very, Bunyan says.
• 23:56
  It was by whose power and tyranny the men whose bones,
• 24:00
  blood, ashes, etcetera lay there were cruelly put to death,
• 24:03
  directly referencing historical persecuting powers.
• 24:06
  Right. Threats to believers in previous
• 24:08
  eras. How does Christian fare passing
• 24:10
  this cave now? The narrator notes with some
• 24:12
  surprise that Christian went by without much danger.
• 24:15
  Why wasn't it dangerous anymore? Bunyan gives the allegorical
• 24:18
  reason Pagan has been dead many a day, representing, you know,
• 24:22
  the decline of Pagan Rome or other ancient idolatrous forces
• 24:26
  as major persecutors in Bunion's time.
• 24:28
  OK, Pagan is gone. What about Pope?
• 24:31
  Pope is yet alive, representing the ongoing presence of the
• 24:34
  papacy. But Bunyan says he's gotten old,
• 24:38
  weakened by many shrewd brushes in his younger days.
• 24:41
  And now he's so crazy and stiff in his joints that he can now do
• 24:45
  little more than sit in his cave's mouth, grinning at
• 24:48
  pilgrims and biting his nails because he cannot come at them.
• 24:52
  Yeah, it's still malicious, but largely powerless.
• 24:55
  That's the picture. He still yells threats like you
• 24:58
  will never mend till more of you be burned, showing the lingering
• 25:01
  hostility. But his physical ability to
• 25:03
  enforce that threat is gone, according to Bunyan's view here.
• 25:06
  How does Christian handle seeing him?
• 25:08
  He's a bit cautious at first, especially hearing the threats,
• 25:11
  but he held his peace and set a good face on it and so went by
• 25:14
  and catch no hurt. He doesn't engage, just walks
• 25:17
  fast, right? He doesn't fight or argue, just
• 25:19
  passes by. Acknowledges the malice, maybe,
• 25:23
  but recognizes it's largely toothless now.
• 25:26
  It suggests some past oppositions, though historically
• 25:29
  deadly and still hostile in spirit, don't have the same
• 25:32
  physical threat anymore. They require discernment and
• 25:35
  quiet perseverance, not direct combat.
• 25:37
  OK, so he survived Apollyon in the valley.
• 25:41
  He must be relieved. Immensely.
• 25:43
  And he breaks into another song, a song of deliverance,
• 25:46
  expressing wonder at being kept safe in that distress.
• 25:50
  Who gets the credit in the song? He gives explicit thanks.
• 25:53
  O blessed be that hand, that from it hath delivered me,
• 25:56
  attributes the rescue squarely to divine aid.
• 25:58
  Does he mention the specific dangers?
• 26:00
  He does. He lists the whole range dangers
• 26:02
  in darkness, devils, hell and sin covers pretty much
• 26:05
  everything he faced, and he specifically mentions the hidden
• 26:07
  dangers from the second part of the valley, snares and pits and
• 26:11
  traps and gnats. And the conclusion?
• 26:13
  The conclusion puts the glory where he believes it belongs.
• 26:16
  But since I live, let Jesus wear the crown.
• 26:20
  It just reinforces that whole theme, getting through these
• 26:23
  trials, surviving them. It's ultimately due to Christ.
• 26:26
  That's clear. So, leaving the valley behind,
• 26:28
  where does the path lead? He comes to a little ascent, a
• 26:31
  small hill. It's described as being put
• 26:33
  there specifically for pilgrims to see before them.
• 26:37
  Gives them a viewpoint. A chance to look ahead.
• 26:39
  What does he see? He takes advantage of it, looks
• 26:41
  down the path and sees another Pilgrim up ahead, faithful
• 26:45
  before him. Company after all that
• 26:47
  isolation. Exactly the possibility of
• 26:50
  fellowship after the solitary trials of the valley.
• 26:52
  Does he call out? He does.
• 26:54
  Eager for company, he calls out the faithful to wait up.
• 26:57
  And does faithful wait? Faithful's reply shows his own
• 27:00
  journey is also urgent and dangerous.
• 27:03
  He calls back that he can't wait.
• 27:04
  He's in a hurry because he's upon my life and the avenger of
• 27:07
  blood is behind me. Wow, so more danger on the path.
• 27:11
  It reminds us the trials aren't over just because Christian got
• 27:13
  through. His pilgrims face different
• 27:15
  threats at different points, each needing urgency and
• 27:18
  alertness. The path continues and new
• 27:21
  things await. OK, let's try and sort of pull
• 27:23
  back from all these details for a moment.
• 27:25
  We've seen Christian face 2 incredibly intense trials, but
• 27:29
  they seem really different in character, don't they?
• 27:31
  Very different. You've got the direct, personal,
• 27:34
  almost physical fight with Apollyon representing maybe a
• 27:38
  head on spiritual assault from a specific adversary.
• 27:41
  Right. And then you have the Valley of
• 27:43
  the Shadow of Death, which is prolonged environmental
• 27:46
  internal, characterized by that overwhelming darkness, unseen
• 27:50
  terrors, hidden traps, and those really nasty psychological
• 27:54
  attacks that felt like they were coming from inside him.
• 27:56
  And we saw how Christian had to deal with him differently.
• 27:59
  His responses had to fit the threat against Apollyon.
• 28:02
  It was the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, God's Word.
• 28:05
  It was a battle, but in the valley against those things he
• 28:08
  couldn't fight directly. The darkness, the fear, the
• 28:12
  traps. His reliance shifted.
• 28:14
  It became about all prayer, crying out for deliverance,
• 28:16
  declaring his dependence on God's strength, finding comfort,
• 28:20
  just hearing another believer's voice, relying on God's light to
• 28:23
  see the hidden dangers. Yeah, the narrative gives such
• 28:26
  specific details, doesn't it? Like where Christian got wounded
• 28:29
  by Apollyon's darts, the description of the ditch and the
• 28:33
  quag on either side of the narrow path, the nature of that
• 28:36
  fire from Hell's mouth, the the subtle awfulness of those
• 28:40
  whispered blasphemies. It all illustrates just how
• 28:43
  varied the opposition can be for someone on this path.
• 28:45
  It really does. And crucially, Christian getting
• 28:48
  through it all, then attributing his survival to that hand and
• 28:51
  saying let Jesus wear the crown, well that just drives home the
• 28:54
  main idea. And these sources doesn't.
• 28:55
  Getting through these huge trials isn't finally down to the
• 28:58
  pilgrims own grit or skill alone.
• 29:00
  It depends on divine help, on grace.
• 29:03
  So thinking about these sources, here's maybe something for you,
• 29:06
  the listener, to consider. These passages seem to suggest
• 29:10
  that the kind of spiritual opposition you face might need
• 29:13
  different sorts of reliance on God, different spiritual
• 29:16
  responses. Right.
• 29:17
  It's not one-size-fits-all. So maybe ask yourself, how might
• 29:22
  figuring out what kind of challenge you're dealing with
• 29:24
  right now? Is it more like a direct
• 29:27
  Apollyon style assault? Or is it more like the pervasive
• 29:30
  confusion, the internal struggle, the hidden traps of
• 29:34
  the valley? How might that discernment help
• 29:37
  you figure out how to seek help and use the resources God
• 29:40
  provides on the King's Highway? That's a good question to
• 29:43
  ponder. Thank you for joining us for
• 29:44
  this deep dive into these really potent sections of Bunion's
• 29:47
  work. Yeah.
• 29:48
  Thanks for listening. We hope this gives you something
• 29:50
  helpful to think about as you go forward.