Chapter Twelve

The Woman and the Dragon

We now leave Revolutionary France and move to an entirely different topic here in chapter twelve. First we need to state that the topic of this chapter is not the third woe. Although verse fifteen of the previous chapter told us that the seventh trumpet, also known as the third woe trumpet, was blown, we will not see its effects until chapter sixteen. So far God has taken us through the fall of paganism in Rome in chapter six, and the fall of the Roman Empire itself in chapters eight and nine. But before He takes us forward He needs to stop and tell us about something that has been going on for a long time now. Although we have seen hints of it, God has not yet formally introduced us to Papal Rome, which is to be the next target of His wrath. To do this, He must go back in history over a thousand years before the French Revolution, and this is exactly what this chapter does. He will tell us some things we need to know so that we may identify the object of His wrath without a doubt. We have to know who He is going to destroy in chapter sixteen before He actually does it.

12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

John tells us that a great wonder now appears before him in Heaven. He sees a woman whom he depicts as being clothed with the sun, standing upon the moon, and crowned with twelve stars. In chapter one we saw the sun used in a description of Christ. In chapter ten it was used to describe a “mighty” angel. The sun is also used in Revelation to represent governments and powers, but when it is part of a description, it always refers to those who are good and righteous. This tells us then that the woman John sees is holy. The fact that she is clothed in the sun denotes her spiritual brilliance and purity. The sun here represents the Lord’s Church.

The moon is often used in Revelation, and elsewhere in the Bible, to denote a power of somewhat lesser importance than the sun. Here the moon represents the Law of Moses. While it was important, it did not measure up to the Law of Christ. The Old Law was “A shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things” (Hebrews 10:1). “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ” (Galatians 3:24). It was also referred to as “The handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us” (Colossians 2:14). All of these passages show that the Law of Moses was not the equal of the New Law, but was the imperfect forerunner of the “Perfect Law of Liberty” (James 1:25). The fact that the woman is standing upon the moon shows that it is her foundation, just as the Old Law is the foundation for the New.

Stars are used in chapter one to represent churches. They are used in various other places to represent minor governments and powers; minor at least in relation to the sun and the moon, which represent greater powers. Here the twelve stars represent both, the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel from the Old Testament, and the twelve apostles of the New Testament. In both cases the individuals were important, but pale in comparison to the dispensations which they represent, just as stars pale in glory when compared to the sun and moon.

The fact that these stars were placed on the head shows their prominence. The twelve patriarchs were the physical fathers of the entire nation of Israel. The twelve apostles were the fathers of spiritual Israel, the Church. When you look at a person, the first thing you usually notice is their face. These twelve stars then, which are on the top of the woman’s head, would certainly demand your immediate attention. Thus they will stand out above all of her other features. This was very true of both the patriarchs and the apostles. In chapter four we were introduced to twenty-four elders whom we said represent the Old and New Testaments. These men were part of the foundations upon which both of the Testaments were built. They were the first, and because of this, enjoy a place of special prominence.

Now that we have identified the symbols surrounding this woman, all that is left is to actually identify her. But what entity can be said to be founded in the Law of Moses, clothed in the glory of the Lord’s Church, and have as some of its outstanding contributors the sons of Israel and the apostles of Christ? There is but one thing this could be, God’s people. It is not just Israel, nor is it just the Church, it is both, and then some.

There are dozens of examples in the Old Testament where Israel was referred to as a woman, here are a few. “For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God” (Isaiah 54:5). “How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman; in that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire; but as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!” (Ezekiel 16:30-32). “Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts” (Hosea 2:2).

Likewise the Lord’s Church is often referred to as a woman, the bride of Christ. “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (II Corinthians 11:2). “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). The Apostle Paul compared Christ’s relationship to the Church to that of a husband and wife. “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:23).

So we have both Israel and the Church represented as women, but how are these women related? Are they sisters? Mother and daughter perhaps? Or could they possibly be the same woman? The Apostle Paul answered this question for us. Speaking to the Jews he made the following comments: “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead” (Romans 7:4). The nation of Israel was spiritually married to God under the Old Law. This fact is proven by Jeremiah 3:8, where God says, “And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce.” Paul tells the Jews that they became dead to the Law of Moses by the body of Christ. Christ fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17-8) and thereby broke the tie that bound Israel to God. Spiritually, Israel’s husband had died. Now that Israel was unmarried, she was free to marry again. Paul tells them the one they should remarry is Christ. It was the husband, the Old Law, which died, and the woman, Israel, was then free to remarry Christ. Throughout all of this the same woman is under consideration, she merely changes husbands. And as is customary in marriage, the wife takes on the name of her husband. Therefore the nation of Israel became spiritual Israel, the Church of Christ.

This idea is further strengthened when we consider the nature of the early Church. From its beginnings on the Day of Pentecost in A.D. 30, as recorded in Acts chapter two, the Lord’s Church was comprised entirely of Jews for the first three and one-half years of its existence (this will be proven in the discussion of chapter 14). It was not until Peter was sent to Cornelius, as recorded in Acts chapter ten, that the first Gentiles were welcomed into the brotherhood of Christ. Therefore, the argument of Paul in Romans chapter seven is indeed valid. The woman, Israel, was not replaced by a Church dominated by Gentiles as it is today. Rather, those Jews who were willing to accept Christ, were given ample time to do so. Then the Gentiles were made an addition to, not a supplantation of, the bride of Christ. In effect, the “wife” of God remained the same, only her relationship with God changed. She went from being married to God through the Law of Moses, to being married to God through Christ.

Christians are considered part of spiritual Israel and are even referred to as spiritual Jews by the Apostle Paul. “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God” (Romans 2:28-29).

We now understand the woman under consideration to be a representation of God’s people of all ages. The woman has changed a little through the years, but she is still the same woman. Under the Old Law the woman was Israel, after Christ the woman became the Church.

12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

The woman, who represents God’s people, is now said to be near delivery of a child. In fact, as John sees her, she is in labor. As of yet we know nothing about this child, but we will be able to identify the child as Christ when we get to verse five. I mentioned His identity now because it will be important that we know it in verse four.

12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

John now leaves the woman he has just described to us for a moment, and tells us of another wonder he beholds in Heaven. He describes for us here a terrible looking creature, a red dragon that has seven heads and ten horns. We will see this beast many more times in the ensuing chapters, especially in chapters thirteen and seventeen, where many more details about this beast are given. Let it suffice for now to say that this is a representation of Satan. There is no doubt that this dragon is Satan, for verse nine tells us that.

However, there is more to this dragon than just saying he is Satan. The head, horns, and crowns all have a special significance. The seven heads are seven world empires that Satan will use against God’s people. The ten horns are ten nations that will uphold the seventh head. Here we see that there are seven crowns, one upon each head. Although they all existed at different times, they all had great power and authority during their day. The main theme of this verse is to show the beast in its entirety as it existed over a period of nearly four-thousand years. We are not looking at any one head in particular here, but merely at the group of the seven which Satan used throughout the ages. In the next chapter we will begin to concentrate on the seventh head, and we will find that the other six are no longer crowned. This shows that their time has passed. We will find there that it is the ten horns which are crowned. This shows that the ten kingdoms, which these horns represent, will have come into power by that time. We will delay any further discussion of this beast until chapter thirteen.

12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Satan, pictured here as a dragon, draws the third part of the stars of heaven with his tail. As we have now seen on numerous occasions, stars are used to represent lesser nations, powers and authorities. Here we see that Satan has drawn together one-third of the nations and has cast them to the earth. This is representative of the mighty Roman Empire, which was the sixth head of the beast, and was in existence at the time of the birth of Christ. Rome easily gobbled up all the lesser kingdoms about it, just as the brilliance of the sun gobbles up the stars, in that stars cannot be seen while the sun is present in the sky. Satan used the Roman Empire to control all of the Western world for many centuries. He also used it to oppress God’s people, both the Jews, and the Christians after them.

The woman is about to give birth to her child and Satan stands ready to destroy Him as soon as He is born. At this time the woman is Israel and God’s purpose for her was always to bring forth the Messiah, which she is about to do. Certainly, Satan would have a great interest in the arrival of his nemesis. He wants Christ destroyed and is standing by ready to “devour” Him as soon as He is born. The Bible tells us of Satan’s attempt to kill the newborn Christ child. “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.’ When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt have I called my son.’ Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, ‘In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not’” (Matthew 2:13-18).

Satan used Herod to try to destroy Christ, but was unsuccessful. Satan, however, was not through with Christ when this attempt had failed. He also tried to devour Christ spiritually. “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Matthew 4:1). He was tempted to turn stones into bread after having not eaten for forty days (Matthew 4:2-3). He was tempted to jump off the Temple (Matthew 4:5-6). And he was tempted with all of the kingdoms of the earth (Matthew 4:8-9). The Hebrew letter tells us that He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Satan’s attempts to devour Christ were many and varied. He never gave up because he knew it was his last chance to defeat God. But, as we would expect, he was no match for God and was soundly defeated. This defeat, however, has not weakened his desire to see man join him in eternal punishment. Therefore, he continues to tempt and deceive as many as will hearken to his evil allurements.

12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

The woman, which was said to be in labor in verse two, now gives birth to her child. This child was a male, and was destined “to rule all nations with a rod of iron.” This description allows us to clearly identify the child. Notice this prophesy of David. “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, ‘Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel’” (Psalm 2:6-9). And in a description of Christ in Revelation chapter nineteen we find “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron” (Revelation 19:15).

This child, Christ, “was caught up unto God, and to his throne.” This offers further evidence that this child is Christ. This statement can be made of Him, but no one else. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). At present, all other men who have died reside in Hades and will remain there until the end of time. Therefore this child must be Christ.

In a sense Satan won the battle but lost the war. He finally managed, through the wickedness of the Jews, to destroy Christ. But He died without sin and then was raised up by God from the dead. He then ascended back into Heaven victorious over Satan. And not only did Satan fail to get Christ, but he also lost many men at the same time. Without Christ, no man could be saved. Even those who lived before Christ depended on His sacrifice to take away their sins. “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins...But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:1-4, 12). Before the death of Christ all men were without hope. All men were in the same shape as Satan. And he intended to see that things stayed that way. Had he succeeded in killing Christ as a child, Christ would have gone back to Heaven and although Satan would have lost Christ, he would have prevented Him from performing His mission of redeeming mankind.

12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Since we are now considering a time after Christ’s death and resurrection, the woman represents the Lord’s Church. The Church will be forced to flee into the wilderness, which means it will have to worship in secret. It is the seventh head of the beast, the papacy, which will persecute the Church and force it to go “underground” in order to survive. God had anticipated this and had prepared a place for the Church to hide from the beast. And for a period of 1,260 years the Church was forced to survive in secret. This is the third of five references to this time period in Revelation.

12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

Now we come to a very interesting occurrence. We find that Satan and his forces are joined in battle against God’s forces who are led by the archangel Michael. The question is, when did this battle occur? Did it occur before the creation of the world? Or, are the events of this chapter in strict chronological order, which would place it around the time of the establishment of the Church?

12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

“Neither was their place found any more in heaven.” The battle fought in Heaven between Satan with his forces, and Michael with his forces, led to the expulsion and banishment of Satan and his angels. The question is still when did this occur? Christ said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18). Christ spoke these words before the establishment of the Church. Therefore, it appears that the fall of Satan, which resulted from this war in Heaven, took place before the establishment of the Church, and likely before the beginning of the world. However, there is more to the story.

We find recorded in the book of Job that “there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, ‘Whence comest thou?’ Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, ‘From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it’” (Job 1:6-7). This passage shows conclusively that Satan still had access to Heaven and to God. So how could Satan have already fallen from Heaven if he still had access? One point that will hopefully make the picture a little clearer, is that the fall Christ speaks of in Luke 10:18, is not the same event we see recorded here in Revelation. Let us get a little more background information of Satan before we proceed with untangling this mystery.

Ezekiel chapter twenty-eight sheds a little light on this subject for us. Here Satan is referred to as the king of Tyrus. “Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, ‘Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, “Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee”’” (Ezekiel 28:11-17).

Although the comments are addressed to the king of Tyrus, there is little doubt that Satan is the real object of discussion. He is said here to have been created, not born, and to have been in the Garden of Eden. Only Adam, Eve, and Satan fit these two criteria. All other men since Adam and Eve have been born and not created. And Satan was the only other creature present in the Garden.

This person was also an “anointed cherub” at one time, so this rules out Adam and Eve. So clearly Satan is being discussed here. We are also told here what his downfall was. “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness” (Ezekiel 28:17). It was pride that caused Satan to sin and fall from glory. The same sin will likewise be the downfall of multitudes of men. Pride is such an important factor in the lives of men that it is spoken of quite often in the Bible. King David made a statement which seems to fit perfectly the case of Satan. “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God” (Psalm 10:4). David’s son, Solomon, likewise had some very discerning comments about pride. “When pride cometh, then cometh shame” (Proverbs 11:2). “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Satan, who had occupied a very high position in Heaven, began to think too highly of himself and lost everything. Now, in his anger and jealousy, he fights to take everything away from man.

Ezekiel records that Satan was “cast…to the ground.” This is the fall Christ speaks of in Luke 10:18. Someone who was an anointed cherub in Heaven being cast to the earth would certainly fall like lightning. However, based on what we saw in Job Satan retained access to the heavenly realm even after this time. Do these two accounts conflict with each other? Peter said “for if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (II Peter 2:4). The word hell here if from the Greek tartarus, which is used only this once in the Bible. Thayer defines it as “the name of a subterranean region, doleful and dark, regarded by the ancient Greeks as the abode of the wicked dead, where they suffer punishment for their evil deeds.”[1] I believe Peter used a different word here for the state of the fallen angels to show that their condition was different from sinful men. Even though the angels that sinned have lost their position and authority in Heaven they still can speak to God. Like evil men, these angels will spend eternity in Hell, but for now they are still in a different state than men.

So I ask again, if the two accounts of Satan’s fall can not be reconciled into one event, do they contradict each other? No. Satan was cast from Heaven in that he lost the position and authority he had as an anointed cherub. He was not cast out in that he still had access to speak with God. So what is the significance of the casting out we see here in Revelation? And why did it require a war this time instead of God simply “showing him the door?” We will address that with the next two verses.

12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

It has already been said that Satan and his angels were cast out of Heaven, but what has not been mentioned is where they were cast out to. This verse answers that question for us. Satan and his angels were banished to the earth. This is what is referred to above in II Peter 2:4. Life here on earth might not seem all that bad to most humans, but imagine how it must be for those angels who at one time were in Heaven enjoying the presence of God. They have now been banished to the earth, which Peter referred to as “chains of darkness.” If Heaven is to be such a great improvement for man over the earth, then correspondingly it must be just as great a loss for the angels who were cast out. The question could logically be asked, how can Satan, a spirit, be bound to the physical earth. In reality, he can not. He is not physically confined here, but his sphere of influence is. He no longer has any influence in Heaven, but is reduced to meddling in the affairs of mortal men.

This verse gives us four names for Satan. The great dragon, that old serpent, the Devil, and Satan. He is also called by other names in the Bible. “Lucifer” and “son of the morning” in Isaiah 14:12. The “prince of Tyrus” in Ezekiel 28:11-19. The “prince of this world” in John 12:31, 14:30, and 16:11, and the “prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2. But whatever his name, his ways are always just as evil.

He is said to deceive “the whole world.” In general this is true, the vast majority of men have been deceived by Satan and have forsaken God. There are actually very few men historically who have served God. As Christ said, “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14).

The final phrase of the verse just reiterates for us the point that Satan was defeated in the battle and cast down to the earth along with those angels who sided with him in his rebellion against God.

Having now discussed the participants in the war and its consequences, we should also discuss exactly what a “war” in heaven is. Certainly we are familiar with carnal warfare with its bloodshed, death and great destruction. But all of the participants in this battle are spiritual beings which are incapable of being injured or killed like physical beings. Therefore, machine guns, tanks, bombs, and the like, the usual fare on the battle field, would have no place in a spiritual battle in heaven.

How then can a war be fought if there are no weapons with which to kill and destroy the enemy? We must examine the reasons behind warfare to understand this. The reason for every war is very simple and can be summed up in one word, power. There can be variations on this theme, but when you examine any war you will find that it is always fought by two sides each desiring to either exercise power over the other or to be freed from the other’s control. Sometimes this conflict of power may be in terms of who will control certain natural resources such as land, water, mineral deposits, oil or gas fields, etc. Other times it might simply be the desire of each side to impose their beliefs and practices (political, religious, economic, social, etc.) on the other side. Or it can simply be an exercise to demonstrate power. One group attacks and subdues another to show everyone else the level of their strength and military prowess. But whatever the rationale for any war might be, it is always ultimately rooted in the desire for and struggle over power.

The war in heaven, although spiritual and not carnal, also follows this same principle. The war was fought to see who was the most powerful in Heaven. Of course everyone knows that God is, or at least everyone should know. But as we pointed out in the previous verse, Satan’s pride got the better of him and he lost sight of reality. He began to think that he was equal to God himself. “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness” (Ezekiel 28:17). Satan’s heart was lifted up in pride and he did the very unwise thing of challenging God’s power and authority. So what form did the war in heaven take? Probably nothing more than Satan standing up to God, confronting Him and inciting the rest of the angels to join him in revolt, which many did. “Satan...was cast out into the earth, and HIS ANGELS were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:9).

No weapons were used, no blood was shed, and no lives were lost. It was more a war of words or a war of wills than anything else. But the consequences for the losing side were extremely high. Satan, and all the angels who foolishly followed him, were permanently cast out of Heaven and are destined to spend eternity in outer darkness.

Why did this war occur when it did? Prior to Christ fulfilling His mission and dying on the cross for all mankind there was a problem. As the Hebrew letter points out “for the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:1-4). Prior to the Cross, all men were living with their sins, they could not be forgiven. You can imagine Satan’s reaction to this. I’m sure he was quick to point out to God every sin that otherwise righteous men committed. And until Christ died he had a point. Man was no better than Satan, both had sinned against God. This point is made expressly clear in the next verse.

12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Having introduced the great adversary of God’s people, the story now shifts back to the Deliverer. Christ is given credit for bringing to man salvation, strength, His Kingdom, and His power. Through Jesus’ death salvation came to mankind. “And being made perfect, he (Jesus) became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Hebrews 5:9). Likewise strength came to man through Christ. The Apostle Paul said “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

The kingdom of God, which is the Church, also arrived at the same time. During the time of His ministry “Jesus began to preach, and to say, ‘Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 4:17). This lets us know that the kingdom was to be established soon, but it does not tell us exactly when. Christ said further of this matter “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom” (Matthew 16:28). His comments here allow us to know that the Kingdom was to be established soon after he had spoken these words. Certainly it had to have occurred during the first century. Finally, the Apostle Paul lets us know that the kingdom had already been established in his day. “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). Here Paul shows that they had already been translated into the kingdom. One cannot be translated into something that does not exist. Thus we know that the kingdom had already come by this time. It fact it came on the day of Pentecost, A.D. 30.

The “power of his Christ” was spoken of by Jesus Himself after His resurrection. “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). There was nothing which He did not possess the power to accomplish. And much of this power was delivered to His apostles for the benefit of their work. And today His power continues to reside with His people in the form of the Holy Spirit.

For the first time since the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden man enjoys a good relationship with God. “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (II Corinthians 5:18). This is certainly reason for man to rejoice, because he had no hope otherwise. But man is not the only one who is jubilant over this. “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:10). The angels were certainly glad to see the offer of salvation extended to mankind.

“The accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” “Our brethren” is spoken by someone in Heaven, and is almost certainly an angel, and refers to those men who are faithful to God. It is not strange that angels should consider men their brethren. We will later see an angel make a similar statement to John. “I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 19:10).

Satan is the one here called “the accuser of our brethren.” He, being a spirit as God is, was able to talk with God as we have already established in the book of Job. Before Christ redeemed man Satan had a legitimate complaint with God. Mankind was in the same state as Satan himself, separated from God by sin. All men were condemned by their sins and God could not defend them before Satan. But the sacrifice of Christ gave men a way to be free from their sins. God offered forgiveness to all who would obey His will. I believe this even includes Satan. Had he been willing to bow down before Jesus and admit his superiority I believe that he also could have been forgiven. Now God can defend the faithful against the accusations of Satan. Since their sins have been forgiven Satan’s indictments are completely without basis.

I think we are now in a position to explain the timing and purpose of the war in Heaven. After Christ’s successful mission God could now fairly include righteous men and at the same time exclude Satan. I believe that God told Satan to leave and not come back. Satan, of course, wasn’t going to go without a fight. He no doubt presented many arguments as to why he should rule Heaven and not God. And why the other angels should follow him and no longer serve their Creator. Michael was apparently tasked to be the voice of reason and present the logical side of the argument, God’s side. Satan was apparently very convincing in his arguments, persuading many of the angels to follow him.

The question could also be asked, when did the other angels sin? Did they join Lucifer in his initial rebellion at or before the beginning of the world, or did they side with him as the war began in Heaven? Or did perhaps some join him at both occurrences? I think we can at least answer part of this. We can establish that at least some angels had rebelled with Satan initially. “Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly” (Job 4:18). What other folly or foolishness could be under consideration here that their rebellion against God? “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). I believe the war in Heaven took place when Christ triumphantly returned. Satan could no longer justly accuse God’s servants before Him and it was time for him to go. If that is the case, then prior to Christ’s death, burial and resurrection we see Him make reference to “the devil and his angels.” Clearly some angels had already joined with Satan long before the war in Heaven.

Now to sum all of this up. At some point prior to or at the Creation, Satan rebelled against God and was removed from his position as an anointed cherub. This is the first fall of Satan referred to by Ezekiel and Jesus. Despite his defeat, Satan retained the ability to converse with God and used this opportunity to remind Him on a continuous basis that men were sinful creatures. Christ came and successfully made a sacrifice of Himself for the sins of mankind. As Christ returned triumphantly to sit at the Father’s right hand Satan attempted to seize control of Heaven. Michael and the other righteous angels stood their ground and refused to join Satan and his evil followers in their rebellion. At last Satan had no choice but to leave Heaven for good. After what Christ did God could now be a little more discerning about who was allowed into Heaven. “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life” (Revelation 21:27). This passage tells us quite clearly that no unrighteous person will be allowed into Heaven. This meant that Satan and the other rebels had to go. This is the second fall, the one referred to here in Revelation, that occurred as a result of the war.

The fact that Satan “accused them before our God day and night” shows his determination and perseverance in trying to bring man down. He knows that he has lost the war, so he is going to try to win as many small battles as possible. After all, we should not really expect Satan to be a gracious loser.

12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

The first thing we need to do to understand this verse is to determine who “they” refers to. Since this verse begins with the conjunction “and” we can see that it is a continuance of the previous verse. At the end of the last verse the topic of consideration was “our brethren.” We do not know exactly who is talking, but it is a voice from Heaven, therefore it must be a heavenly being, most likely an angel. Who would be considered the brethren of the inhabitants of Heaven? Men faithful to God certainly would. Those who have overcome Satan through the blood of Christ, which we have already seen washes away the sins of man. So this verse speaks of men who have overcome Satan through the blood of Christ.

And through “the word of their testimony.” This simply refers to the gospel, or good news, of Christ. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16). It is through obedience to the gospel that men can contact the blood of Christ, and therein receive forgiveness of their sins, thereby overcoming Satan.

“And they loved not their lives unto the death,” means that these men were more concerned about obeying God than they were about the preservation of their own lives. They were ready and willing to die for God if and when it came to that. As the apostle Peter said, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). God’s will is often in conflict with man’s laws and ordinances and will often cause His servants to be in opposition to secular governments. This conflict can sometimes lead to death for the faithful if they refuse to forsake their faith. But this is exactly what God expects of His servants. “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). A death for the Lord is not by any means an empty death, but is the door way to glory.

12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

The casting down of Satan was cause for great celebration among the inhabitants of Heaven. Not that they enjoyed seeing anyone lost to sin, but since Satan made his own choice to become evil he did not deserve a place in Heaven any longer. Therefore it was a joyous thing for them to see him removed from Heaven. There can be little doubt that the righteous angels did not like Satan’s continued presence in Heaven after he had already rebelled against God.

The result for mankind when Satan was cast down to the earth, however, was somewhat different than for the angels. This vile and evil angel, was cast down from Heaven and permanently banished. He was sent to dwell among men and can only hope to influence them to turn against God. The problem is that Satan is very angry about being cast out of Heaven. And since he can not get back into Heaven anymore, the only way he has to vent his wrath toward God is against mankind. This is why a “woe” is pronounced for the “inhabitants of the earth and of the sea.” The reason that both earth and sea are mentioned is to let us know that there will be no place to hide from Satan’s wrath. Satan does not know exactly how long he has since no one except God knows when the end will come. “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32). But certainly he does have a good idea of about how much time he has; and he knows it is not long. So he is bent on doing as much damage as quickly as he can. Prior to Christ’s successful mission and triumphant return to Heaven I believe Satan thought he actually had a chance of winning. Now he realizes that he has lost and he is very angry about it. And since he can not take his vengeance out on God, man finds himself receiving the brunt of Satan’s rage and fury.

12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

Satan’s persecution of the righteous began way back in the Garden of Eden. Satan was cast down from his position as an anointed cherub into the earth. As soon as he got his first opportunity he began to try to deceive mankind, and he has continually persecuted God’s people ever since. The seven headed beast that was introduced a few verses ago, and which will occupy center stage in the next chapter, is a representation of Satan’s persecution of the woman throughout the ages. Satan has sought to derail God’s plans all along the way. In the days of Noah he had succeeded in deceiving the entire population of the earth, except Noah (and possibly his family). God cleansed the earth of Satan’s evil and started over repopulating the earth with Noah’s descendants. Then God chose for Himself the descendants of Abraham’s grandson to be His people. His purpose in selecting them was to bring the Messiah into the world to save mankind from their sins. Satan resisted at every turn and the story of the Children of Israel, God’s wife, is a very tortured journey for almost two-thousand years of good versus evil. God was trying to prepare this people to bring forth the redeemer, while Satan was trying to draw them away from God completely. Certainly the majority followed Satan’s evil ways, but as the book of acts demonstrates there were still many who were righteous and prepared to accept the Messiah when He came. In addition to trying to draw God’s people away with evil, Satan has also sought to use powerful nations and powers to destroy God’s people. The seven powers he has used to try to kill the woman are all included in the seven headed beast.

12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

This is now the fourth time that we see reference to the 1,260 year period. This time the length of the period is not quite as easy to understand as before. In prophesy a “time” is synonymous with a year. This can be seen by its usage in Daniel 4:16. “Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.” This prophesy, concerning Nebuchadnezzar, was dealing with something which would happen to him for a period of seven years, but in the verse it is expressed as “seven times.” It is used the same way here in Revelation.

So we have a year, years (two), and one-half year. This is a total of three and one half years. The question could be raised as to how we know “times” means two years and not three of four years. We could technically say that any number greater than one would fit, but then it becomes a matter of rationale. What rationale could be offered for saying that it should be five instead of three? Absolutely none. The only logical choice, then, is two. Two is the logical choice because it is the first number which will fit our criterion, and since we have no basis for going to any higher number, we have to stick with it.

The next question to answer is how long is three and one-half prophetic years? Since each month had thirty days a year has twelve months, a year would be 360 days. This give us 360 days, 720 days and 180 days, or a total of 1,260 days. And indeed when we use this number we find that it agrees perfectly with the other four accounts. 3½ years is exactly 1,260 days, which is what we were expecting to find.

The two wings which the woman was given simply represents her ability to escape the persecution of Satan. A creature which possesses the ability to fly like an eagle has tremendous mobility. It can soar effortlessly to escape danger. God will make sure that His Church is safe and that all of its needs are met. He will make sure she is able to elude Satan and will have a place to hide during the 1,260 year period that she must be in the wilderness. “She is nourished...from the face of the serpent,” again lets us know that God will care for His Church, and keep it safe from the wrath of Satan, even though he is looking very hard for her.

12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

We have already seen that Satan is very angry and desirous to persecute the Lord’s Church. Here we are told that he “cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman.” But what was this flood? The key is that it came from Satan’s mouth. This gives us the indication that he is using ideas and doctrines to try to accomplish his goals. Satan became the author of many false doctrines which swept the world of Christianity. His hope was that eventually everyone would become caught up in these doctrines and the Lord’s Church would disappear in the deluge. These doctrines overspread the earth like a flood of water and caused most men to leave the Bible in favor of the doctrines of men. It is no wonder that Jesus and His inspired apostles warned so strongly against false teachers; they knew what was coming. Jesus said “For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect” (Mark 13:22). And this is exactly what Satan tried to do.

12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

The flood of false doctrine failed to accomplish Satan’s mission. “The earth opened up her mouth, and swallowed up the flood.” The idea expressed here is that the false doctrines were not able to reach all of the small rural villages and towns. By the fourth century most towns of any size would either have a bishop in it or else one from a larger town would preside over it. But there were just so many small towns that it was nearly impossible for every single one to fall under the sway of Roman Catholicism, which became the dominant false doctrine. So the vast expanse of territory over which Christianity had spread before the wholesale corruption set in, insured that pockets of people would be left who still respected the Bible and followed its teachings. The first few centuries of Catholic domination were fairly kind to those who held beliefs opposed to Rome. But as Satan realized that his plan was failing, he knew he must try a different approach, and so he turned to persecution.

12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

We see now that when Satan realizes that the spread of false doctrine is not going to be sufficient to destroy the Church, he makes war against it. This represents extreme persecution and oppression. It is not that these things had been absent in the past, but now this is Satan’s primary tool in trying to eradicate the Church. He makes war with the Church through the agency of the Catholics who were very brutal in their attempts to suppress belief in the teachings of the Bible. History bears out very well that the Catholics were more or less tolerant of other beliefs for several centuries. But beginning around the twelfth century they began a policy of violent suppression of others who held “heretical” views. This coincides with the idea that Satan first used false doctrine and then later persecution to try to destroy the Church. Thus the idea that the “flood” in verse fifteen has reference to false doctrines is confirmed.

“During the first millennium of the church, execution for doctrinal deviation was rare. In A.D. 385 at Trier, Germany, bishops put to death Priscillian and his followers for doubting the Trinity and the Resurrection. At Alexandria in 415, the great woman scientist Hypatia, head of the Alexandrian Library, was beaten to death by monks and other followers of St. Cyril, who viewed her science much as the church later viewed Galileo’s. At Constantinople around 550, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian killed multitudes of non-conformists to impose Christian orthodoxy. Otherwise heresy was a minor issue.

After the turn of the millennium, a few persecutions occurred. King Robert the Pious burned thirteen heretics at Orleans in 1022. At Goslar, Germany, a community of Christians—deviants whose beliefs made them unwilling to kill chickens—were convicted of heresy and hanged in 1051. In 1141, priest Peter Abelard was sentenced to life imprisonment because he listed church contradictions in a book titled Yes and No. Then, in the 1200s, a storm of heretic-hunting burst upon Europe.”[2]

“Medieval society was monolithic in religion; religious pluralism was not admitted. In the early medieval period, church and crown were generally tolerant of diversity of religious persuasion. Heresy was not approved, but neither was it persecuted. By the late 12th century, however, Christendom had become a closed, sensitive society. It became suspicious of religious thought (for example, Jewish and Albigensian) that was at variance with the common faith of Christendom. Aberrations were thus regarded as a threat to church, realm, and society itself. Hence the Inquisition was established by Emperor Frederick II and Pope Gregory IX to prosecute and persecute religious dissenters.”[3]

To summarize, for the first several centuries after the Catholics achieved supremacy in the sixth century, persecution was not very widespread. This is the period when Satan was attempting to carry away the Church in a flood of false doctrines. For all practical purposes the entire Western world was Catholic, and it would not be hard to believe that eventually the last few pockets of resistance would die out. But this did not happen. There was always a small segment who held to the Bible’s teachings, and rejected Rome’s doctrines of devils. So finally, Satan decided he would have to step up his campaign to eradicate the Church. This is when he began his “war with the remnant of her seed.” This began around the twelfth century and lasted until Rome’s political power was taken away in the French Revolution.

“The remnant of her seed.” The fact that he mentions the remnant shows us that the man child born in verse five is not under consideration here. That child was Jesus and He is now passed from the scene. But the woman has apparently given birth to other children in the meantime, which we have thus far not been told about. But who are these children? Remember that the woman is the Lord’s Church? Who are the “children” of the Church, and the brothers and sisters of Christ?

Jesus once said “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Matthew 12:50). Thus Christians are the brothers and sisters of Christ, and are the remnant of the woman’s seed. A person becomes a child of the woman by being reborn spiritually. Jesus said “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). The kingdom of God is the Church, so if a man is not born again he is not a member of the Church. The apostle Paul also illustrated this point. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17). When a person is reborn into Christ he becomes a Child of God, and of the woman, the Church. And the way someone is born into Christ and the Church is through baptism. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Thus from all of this we see that the remnant continues to change as Christians die and others are added through baptism.

This remnant against which Satan is making war, is not just anyone who claims to be a Christian, but those who “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” The testimony of Christ is simply the gospel of Christ. We can see that Satan is only concerned with those who actually keep the commandments of God. Many people profess Christianity, but are following a false doctrine, which has its origins with Satan. He is not concerned with these people because he already has them in his corner. He is concerned with those who are on a course for Heaven. Since Satan has been cast out he does not want anyone else to be able to enjoy the pleasures of Heaven if he can not.

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[1] Thayer, 1989, s.v. “ταρταρόω.”

[2] James A. Haught, Holy Horrors: An Illustrated History of Religious Murder and Madness, (Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 1990), pp. 53-4.

[3] Americana, 1989, s.v. “Catholic Church.”