The Woman and the Dragon (Revelation 12:1-13:1)
OPEN IT
▶ How does it feel to be accused of something you do not do?
EXPLORE IT
▶After the seventh trumpet, what “great and wondrous sign” did John observe in heaven? (Revelation 12:1)
| ▶ How did John describe the woman in his vision? (Revelation 12:2) |
| ▶ What second sign did John see in heaven? (Revelation 12:3) |
| ▶ In what activities was the enormous red dragon involved? (Revelation 12:4) |
| ▶ What did John say about the child born to the woman? (Revelation 12:5) |
| ▶ What happened to the newborn child? (Revelation 12:5) |
| ▶ Where did the woman go right after giving birth? (Revelation 12:6) |
| ▶ What was taking place in heaven in John’s vision? (Revelation 12:7) |
| ▶ What happened to the dragon and his angels? (Revelation 12:8-9) |
| ▶ By what names was the dragon known? (Revelation 12:9) |
| ▶ What did a voice from heaven announce? (Revelation 12:10) |
| ▶ How did the voice from heaven refer to Satan? (Revelation 12:10) |
| ▶ According to the voice from heaven, how was Satan defeated? (Revelation 12:11) |
| ▶ What warning was sounded to the earth and sea? Why? (Revelation 12:12) |
| ▶ What happened when the dragon tried to destroy the woman? (Revelation 12:13-13:1) |
| ▶ When the dragon was unable to kill the woman, where did he direct his destructive efforts? (Revelation 12:17-13:1) |
GET IT
▶In what way does Satan try to oppose God today?
| ▶ In what ways does Satan try to tempt and hurt us? |
APPLY IT
▶ What can you do this week to strengthen your hold on the testimony of Jesus?
Commentary
The final battles of Satan’s long war against God are yet to be fought. They will take place in the future, during the last half of the seven-year tribulation period, the time Jesus called the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21). At that time Satan, aided by the absence of the raptured church and the presence of increased demon hordes (9:1-11), will mount his most desperate assaults against God’s purposes and His people. But despite the savage fury with which those assaults will be carried out, they will not succeed. The Lord Jesus Christ will effortlessly crush Satan and his forces (19:11-21) and send him to the abyss for the duration of the millennial kingdom (20:1-2). After leading a final rebellion at the close of the Millennium, Satan will be consigned to eternal punishment in the lake of fire (20:3, 7-10).
The sounding of the seventh trumpet will proclaim the triumphant victory of the Lord Jesus Christ over the usurper, Satan: “Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever’” (11:15). There will be joy in heaven because Christ has defeated Satan and established His eternal kingdom. Thus, the outcome of the war between Satan and God is not in doubt. Christ’s ultimate triumph is certain.
Though chapter 11 records the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the effects it produces are not described until chapters 15-18. The seventh trumpet will sound near the end of the Tribulation, launching the brief, but final and devastating bowl judgments just before Christ’s return in power and glory. Chapters 6-11 describe the events of the Tribulation up to the sounding of the seventh trumpet; chapters 12-14 recapitulate that same period, describing events from Satan’s vantage point. In addition, the latter section takes the reader all the way back to the original rebellion of Satan (12:3-4). The chronological narrative of the Tribulation events then resumes in chapter 15.
The Tribulation will feature both the unprecedented judgments of God’s eschatological wrath and the desperate fury of Satan’s efforts to thwart God’s purposes. That deadly combination will make the Tribulation the most devastating period in human history (Matt. 24:21-22). During that time, horrifying events will take place, caused both by God’s judgments and by Satan’s fury. Before describing that final war, the inspired apostle John first introduces the main characters involved in it: the woman (Israel), the dragon (Satan), and the male child (Jesus Christ).
A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. (12:1-2)
The first thing John saw in this vision was a great sign—the first of seven signs in the last half of Revelation (v. 3; 13:13, 14; 15:1; 16:14; 19:20). Mega (great) appears repeatedly in this vision (vv. 3, 9, 12, 14); everything John saw seemed to be huge either in size or in significance. Sēmeion (sign) describes a symbol that points to a reality.
The literal approach to interpreting Scripture allows for normal use of symbolic language but understands that it points to a literal reality. In this case, the description plainly shows that the woman John saw was not an actual woman. Also, the reference to “the rest of her children,” those “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (v. 17), shows that this woman is a symbolic mother.
That the woman was clothed with the sun reflects redeemed Israel’s unique glory, brilliance, and dignity because of her exalted status as God’s chosen nation (Deut. 7:6; 14:2; 1 Kings 3:8; Ps. 33:12; 106:5; Isa. 43:20). The reference to the moon under her feet may be a further description of Israel’s exalted status. Having described the woman’s attire, John noted her condition: she was with child. That also is familiar Old Testament imagery describing Israel (Isa. 26:17-18; 66:7-9; Jer. 4:31; 13:21; Mic. 4:10; 5:3). That the woman is pregnant further confirms her identity as Israel; the church cannot be a mother since she is not yet married (19:7-9; 2 Cor. 11:2). Being pregnant, the woman cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. Just like a pregnant woman in labor feels pain, so the nation of Israel was in pain, waiting for Messiah to come forth. The cause of some of the pain is the persecution by Satan, who attempts to destroy the mother.
Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth, he might devour her child. (12:3-4)
With the second sign, a new character emerges on the scene: the woman’s mortal enemy, dramatically portrayed by another sign that appeared in heaven. verse 9 clearly identifies the great red dragon as Satan (20:2). Satan, of course, is not an actual dragon (any more than Israel is an actual woman) but a malevolent spirit being, a fallen angel. The symbolic language used to describe him pictures the reality of his person and character. Only in Revelation is Satan referred to as a dragon; before that he is called (among other names) a serpent (Gen. 3:1ff.; 2 Cor. 11:3). A dragon is a far more terrifying symbol.
The dragon is further described as having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. He is depicted as a seven-headed monster that rules the world. Satan has been allowed by God to rule the world since the Fall and will continue to do so until the seventh trumpet sounds (11:15). The seven heads with their seven diadems (diadema; royal crowns symbolizing power and authority) represent seven consecutive world empires running their course under Satan’s dominion: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and Antichrist’s future empire (17:9-10). The final kingdom, ruled by Antichrist, will be a ten-nation confederacy; the ten horns represent the kings who will rule under Antichrist (17:12; 13:1; Dan. 7:23-25).
Satan’s pervasive, evil influence is not limited to the human realm, but extended first into the angelic realm. In the picturesque language of John’s vision, the dragon’s tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. The references to the dragon’s angels in verses 7 and 9 indicate that the stars of heaven are angels. Angels are depicted symbolically as stars elsewhere in Scripture (9:1; Job 38:7).
When Satan fell (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:12-17), he swept away a third of the angelic host with him. Along with their defeated leader, those evil angels were cast from heaven to the earth. It should be noted that although he was cast from his dwelling in heaven, Satan, in this present age, has access to God’s presence; see 12:10; Job 1, 2. The number of angels who joined Satan in his rebellion is not revealed, but is vast. Revelation 5:11 says that the number of the angels around God’s throne numbered “myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands.”
As the next event in his dramatic vision unfolded, John noted that the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth, he might devour her child. Throughout history, Satan has bent all his efforts toward persecuting the people of God. Because they were the chosen people through whom the Messiah was to come, and by whom the good news of forgiveness was to be proclaimed, Satan reserved his special hatred for Israel. Unable to destroy the Messianic bloodline, Satan attacked Jesus first through Herod, who attempted to kill the baby Jesus. Herod slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. (Matt. 2:13, 16) At the outset of our Lord’s earthly ministry, Satan tempted Him to mistrust God (Matt. 4:1-11). But the devil’s efforts to get Jesus to abandon His mission failed. Satan tried to use the people of Nazareth to kill Jesus (Luke 4:28-30), but their enraged attempt to “throw Him down the cliff” (v. 29) ended in failure when He calmly “pass[ed] through their midst, [and] went His way” (v. 30). Satan’s other attempts to cut short Jesus’ earthly ministry also ended in failure, “because His hour had not yet come” (John 7:30; 8:20). Even the devil’s seeming victory at the Cross was his ultimate defeat (Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14; 1 Pet. 3:18-20; 1 John 3:8).
And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. (12:5-6)
Despite all of Satan’s relentless efforts to prevent it, the woman (Israel) gave birth to a son. The incarnation of the male child, the Lord Jesus Christ, “who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh” (Rom. 1:3; Rom. 9:5), was the fulfillment of prophecy (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Mic. 5:2). Israel brought forth the Messiah. The Bible emphasizes that Jesus was of Jewish lineage. He was a son of Abraham (Matt. 1:1), a member of the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10; Mic. 5:2; Rev. 5:5), and a descendant of David (Matt. 1:1; 2 Sam. 7:12-16).
Nor will Satan be able to hinder Christ’s coronation; He will rule all the nations with a rod of iron during His earthly, millennial kingdom (v. 10; 2:26-27; 11:15; 19:15). Psalm 2:7-9 indicates that this rule is a breaking, shattering work of judgment. The Messiah will come and destroy all the nations (19:11-21) and in His kingdom have dominion over the nations that enter to populate that kingdom. An iron rod is also one that cannot be broken. Just as all of Satan’s past efforts to hinder Christ have failed, so also will his future efforts fail (11:15). The phrase rod of iron speaks of the resoluteness of Christ’s rule; He will swiftly and immediately judge all sin and put down any rebellion.
Between Christ’s incarnation and His coronation came His exaltation when He was caught up to God and to His throne at His ascension. Christ’s exaltation signifies the Father’s acceptance of His work of redemption (Heb. 1:3). Satan could not stop Christ from accomplishing redemption and therefore being exalted to the right hand of the Father as a perfect Savior.
But though he is a defeated foe, Satan will not give up. Unable to stop Christ’s birth, ascension, or rule, Satan still assaults His people. He has already instigated the genocidal massacre of Jews in Europe, as well as the death of countless thousands throughout history. During the Tribulation, Satan will increase his efforts to destroy the Jewish people, so that the nation cannot be saved as the Bible promises (Zech. 12:10-13:1; Rom. 11:25-27). And so that there will be none left alive to enter the millennial kingdom, he will seek to kill believing Jews. God will frustrate Satan’s attempt to destroy Israel during the Tribulation by hiding His people, just as the Lord Jesus Christ predicted: “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.” (Matt. 24:15-21)
Antichrist’s desecration of the temple will send the Jewish people fleeing into the wilderness. The exact location where God will hide them is not revealed, but it is probably somewhere east of the Jordan River and south of the Dead Sea, in the territory formerly occupied by Moab, Ammon, and Edom (Dan. 11:40-41). Wherever their hiding place will be, they will be nourished and defended by God (vv. 14-16), just as their ancestors were during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness. The length of Israel’s stay in hiding, one thousand two hundred and sixty days (three and a half years; 11:2-3; 12:14; 13:5) corresponds to the last half of the Tribulation, the period Jesus called the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21). Those Jews who remain behind in Jerusalem will come under the influence of the two witnesses, and many in that city will be redeemed (11:13). Eventually, despite Satan’s efforts, “all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:26).
Having introduced the combatants in 12:1-6, John describes the first phase of Satan’s final assault on God before Christ’s return. Verses 7-12 describe the war in heaven.
And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. (12:7-8)
There has been war in heaven since the fall of Satan (Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:11-19). Though at present he still has access to God’s presence in heaven (v. 10; Job 1, 2), Satan’s domain is the earth and the air around the earth. That is why the Bible describes him as the “god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4) and the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2) and his demon hosts as “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).
Satan (along with the evil angels) has actively opposed both the holy angels and God’s people since his fall. In the Old Testament, demons sought to hinder the ministry of the holy angels to Israel (Dan. 10:12-13). In the present age, Satan “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8), opposes the spread of the gospel (Matt. 13:19, 37-39; Acts 13:10), oppresses individuals (Luke 13:10-16; Acts 10:38), and uses sin to disrupt and pollute the church (Acts 5:1-11). Believers are to be wary of his schemes (2 Cor. 2:11), give him no opportunity (Eph. 4:27), and resist him (James 4:7).
Michael and the dragon (Satan) have known each other since they were created, and the battle during the Tribulation will not be the first time they have opposed each other. Michael is always seen in Scripture as the defender of God’s people against satanic destruction. In Daniel chapter 10 the inspired prophet gives an Old Testament example of him in action. A holy angel, dispatched with an answer to Daniel’s prayer (Dan. 10:12), was delayed for three weeks by a powerful demon who was in control of the Persian Empire (Dan. 10:13; v. 20). It was not until “Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help” him (v. 13) that he was able to prevail. Daniel 12:1 also speaks of Michael’s defense of God’s people: “Now at that time [the Tribulation; v. 7] Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.”
The reference to the dragon and his angels reinforces the truth that the demon hosts are under Satan’s command—a principle stated by Jesus in Matthew 25:41: “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.’” All of Satan’s attempts to oppose God throughout history have failed, and he will lose this final angelic battle as well. The devil and his angels are not strong enough to defeat God, Michael, and the holy angels. Satan will suffer such a complete defeat that there will no longer be a place found for him and his demon hosts in heaven. Every inch of heaven, as it were, will be thoroughly scoured and all the rebellious fallen angels permanently cast out. They will no longer have access to God’s presence, and Satan will never again accuse believers before God’s throne.
And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (12:9)
As a result of his defeat, the great dragon was thrown down from heaven to the earth. This describes Satan’s second and permanent expulsion from heaven. The fourfold description of the dragon leaves no doubt as to his identity. First, he is called the serpent of old (20:2), identifying him as the serpent in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1ff.; 2 Cor. 11:3) and emphasizing his subtlety and treachery. The dragon is also called the devil. Diabolos (devil) means “slanderer,” “defamer,” or “false accuser”—a fitting title for Satan, the ultimate false accuser (v. 10). He accuses men to God, God to men, and men to other men. Satan is a malicious prosecutor of God’s people, constantly trying to arraign them before the bar of God’s holy justice. Part of his “prowling around like a roaring lion” (1 Pet. 5:8) no doubt includes seeking evidence of believers’ sins with which to accuse them before God’s throne.
As they were cast out of heaven with Satan at his original rebellion (12:4), so also will his angels be thrown down with him after his final expulsion from heaven. The arrival of the excommunicated demon host (and their evil commander) on earth will add immeasurably to the horror of the Tribulation. They will join the innumerable demons already roaming the earth, the lately arrived demons belched forth from the abyss (9:1-3), and two hundred million other formerly bound demons (9:13-16) to create an unimaginable holocaust of evil.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” (12:10-12)
The defeat of Satan and his demon hosts and the cleansing of their foul presence from heaven forever will trigger an outburst of praise there. Such sudden outbursts frequently punctuate the prophetic narrative of Revelation (e.g., 4:8-11; 5:9-10, 11-14; 7:9-12; 11:15-18; 15:3-4; 19:1-8). The identity of those whom John heard crying out with a loud voice in heaven is not stated. This collective voice (as the use of the plural pronoun our indicates) cannot be angels, since angels could not refer to humans as their brethren. The Bible describes angels as believers’ fellow servants (19:10; 22:8-9), but never as their brethren. These worshipers, then, are most likely the redeemed, glorified saints in heaven.
The saints began by rejoicing that the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come. Salvation is to be understood in its broadest sense. It encompasses not only the redemption of individual believers, but also the deliverance of all creation from the ravages of sin’s curse and the power of Satan (Rom. 8:19-22). Power speaks of God’s omnipotence, His triumphant, sovereign power that crushes all opposition and will establish His kingdom (11:15). They rejoiced further that the authority of … Christ has come (11:15). The rule of Christ is by authority from God (Ps. 2:8; Matt. 28:18; John 17:2). So certain is the establishing of the kingdom and the rule of Christ that, though yet future, they are spoken of in the past tense. The heavenly worshipers rejoice that the first step, Satan’s defeat, and final ejection from heaven, has already taken place. They know that, having been expelled from heaven to earth, he will shortly be cast from the earth into the abyss (20:1-3), and then from the abyss into his ultimate destination—the lake of fire (20:10).
The event that will cause the kingdom and authority of Christ to be established is the expulsion of Satan from heaven. So, the saints offer praise that the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. As redeemed and glorified individuals, there was nothing Satan could legitimately accuse them of. Still, it must have grieved them that their suffering brethren on earth were subject to the devil’s slanderous accusations. Satan’s defeat will put an end to those relentless accusations (Job 1:11; 2:5; Zech. 3:1; 1 Pet. 5:8).
The apostle John gave the only basis for victory over Satan when he wrote, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). It is only through God’s power that any believer in any age can defeat Satan. Accordingly, the Tribulation believers overcame Satan first because of the blood of the Lamb. Like their martyred brethren already in heaven, they “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:14).
A second way these Tribulation saints overcame Satan’s assaults was through the word of their testimony. Despite all the persecution (and even martyrdom) they suffered; they will remain faithful witnesses to Jesus Christ; their testimony will never waver.
The suffering Tribulation saints also were able to fend off Satan’s onslaught because they did not love their life even when faced with death. Their faithfulness extended all the way to death; they willingly paid the ultimate price for their loyalty to Christ. They knew that all martyrdom could do to them was usher them into the eternal bliss of Christ’s presence (Phil. 1:21, 23; Matt. 10:38-39; Acts 20:24; Rom. 8:38-39). Because their faith was genuine, it not only justified and sanctified them, but also enabled them to persevere all the way to glorification. A sure mark of true believers is that they continue in the faith even to death (1 John 2:19). In the words of Jesus, “The one who endures to the end, he will be saved” (Matt. 24:13).
For this reason, because of the defeat of Satan and the triumph of the saints, the heavenly chorus calls on the heavens and all who dwell in them to rejoice. That joyous note is followed by the sobering warning “Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” Satan’s rage is even more violent because he knows that he has only a short time—the remainder of the Tribulation—for his final assault on God’s people. His actual time will be the three and a half years of the reign of Antichrist (13:5), whom Satan places in power immediately after being cast down from heaven. It is the same period referred to in 12:6, 14. It is a short time because Jesus Christ will return to establish His earthly millennial kingdom.
And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. (12:13-14)
The reason is now given for Israel’s flight, which was first mentioned in 12:6. Following his defeat by Michael and the holy angels; the dragon (Satan) was thrown down to the earth. Frustrated and enraged by his ejection from heaven and desperate, “knowing that he has only a short time” (12:12) left to oppose God’s plans before he is incarcerated in the abyss (20:1-3), the devil furiously persecuted the woman (Israel; 12:1), who gave birth (12:2) to the male child (Christ; 12:5). The only appropriate response to the imminent danger will be immediate flight; there will be no time even to return home to gather belongings. Pregnant women and those nursing infants will be especially vulnerable, since it will be difficult for them to flee quickly. So severe will the peril be that God will intervene and “for the sake of the elect [both Jews and Gentiles] those days will be cut short” (Matt. 24:22).
John saw in his vision that the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. This is figurative language that symbolically depicts Israel’s escape from Satan’s assault. The striking imagery of the two wings of the great eagle is taken from Exodus 19:4: “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.” God will bring Israel to safety, just as He delivered the nation from bondage in Egypt. Wings in Scripture symbolize strength (e.g., Isa. 40:31) and speed (e.g., 2 Sam. 22:11; Ps. 18:10; 104:3).
The location of the place to which the Jews will flee is not revealed. Some have suggested the fortress-like city of Petra, carved into the rocky cliffs of Edom between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. Approachable only through a narrow gorge, Petra was easy to defend in ancient times. The term wilderness does not reveal the exact location of Israel’s place of refuge, since that term is a general one often used to describe the desolate area east of Jerusalem (Matt. 3:1; Mark 1:4; John 11:54).
In her place of safety and refuge, Israel will be supernaturally nourished (fed) by God. Cut off from the world system, and unable in any case to buy and sell (13:17), the Jews will need outside help to survive. God will supernaturally supply them with food, just as he did by providing their ancestors with manna and quail in the wilderness (Ex. 16:12ff.), and Elijah with food at the brook Cherith (1 Kings 17:1-6). Certainly, it is not incredible that, in a time of devastating miraculous judgments, God will miraculously provide provisions for His people. The duration of Israel’s hiding, and God’s provision is defined as a time and times and half a time. That phrase, drawn from Daniel 7:25 and 12:7, refers to the second half of the Tribulation (the three-and-a-half-year period Jesus called the Great Tribulation; Matt. 24:21). It is the same period defined in 12:6 as “one thousand two hundred and sixty days” (11:3) and in 13:5 as “forty-two months” (11:2). This period, initiated by the setting up of the abomination of desolation (Dan. 11:31; 12:11; Matt. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:3-4), will mark the visibly, overtly evil career of Antichrist. During that time God will protect Israel from the presence of the serpent. Although Satan may know where the Jews are hiding, he will be unable to get at them because of divine protection. Frustrated by this defeat of his first assault on the Jewish people, the devil will launch a second attack.
And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. (12:15-16)
Thwarted in his initial attempt to massacre the Jewish people, and unable to directly assault them in their hiding place, Satan will resort to long-range tactics. Since the serpent is not an actual snake but a symbolic representation of Satan, the water he spews like a river out of his mouth is likely symbolic as well. The imagery once again derives from the Old Testament, where floods symbolize trouble in general (2 Sam. 22:17; Job 27:20; Ps. 18:16; 32:6; 69:1-2, 13-14; 124:2-5; 144:7) and an invading, destroying army (Jer. 46:8; 47:2; Dan. 11:26). Satan’s attacking force will sweep toward the Jews’ hiding place like a great flood. The devil will seek to cause Israel to be swept away with the flood; to be drowned by it, to be consumed and destroyed.
But just as He sheltered Israel from Satan’s initial onslaught, so also will God defeat this second assault. In dramatic fashion, the earth helped the woman; it opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. The imagery is reminiscent of Moses’ description of God’s destruction of Pharaoh’s army in Exodus 15:12: “You stretched out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them.” Another Old Testament parallel is the dramatic story of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, whose rebellion against Moses was crushed by God in a shocking, dramatic fashion. (Num. 16:28-33)
So, the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (12:17)
By now thoroughly frustrated and enraged by his inability to destroy the woman (Israel), the dragon (Satan) will turn his fury toward new targets. Some have identified the rest of her children with whom Satan will make war as the 144,000 (7:2-8; 14:1-5); others see them as believing Gentile Tribulation saints (7:9-14), who are sons of Abraham by faith (Gal. 3:7). It seems best to take this as an all-inclusive phrase, referring to all those who name the name of Jesus Christ.
They are further described as those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Entolas (commandments) is a word used frequently in John’s writings to refer to New Testament commands (e.g., 14:12; John 14:15, 21; 15:10, 12; 1 John 2:3-4; 3:22-24; 5:2-3). The testimony of Jesus is not testimony about Him, but the testimony He gave, the truths He taught that are revealed in the New Testament. These persecuted believers will give further evidence that their salvation is real by their obedience to the truth of Scripture.
Like his first two attacks directed against Israel, Satan’s third attack on God’s people will also fail. At the sounding of the seventh trumpet, “loud voices in heaven” will proclaim, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever” (11:15). All of Satan’s efforts to prevent Christ’s kingdom from being established are doomed. The Lord Jesus Christ will triumph; He will reign on earth, and the surviving Tribulation saints, both Jews and Gentiles, will enter His earthly kingdom.
And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. (13:1) The imagery of the sand of the seashore depicts the nations of the world (20:8). The dragon summoned the Antichrist, described as a beast coming up out of the sea. Thērion (beast) is also used to describe Antichrist in 11:7. The beast must be understood as representing both a kingdom and a person. The beast must represent a kingdom, because of the complex description of him in the latter half of verse 1. Yet the beast must also represent a person, since he is always described with personal pronouns (e.g., “his,” “him,” “he”; vv. 1-8; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2, 10). Daniel (Dan. 7:25; 8:24-25; 11:36-45) and Paul (2 Thess. 2:4) also describe the Antichrist as a person. In this manner, Scripture views the final world empire as inseparable from its ruler.
Since 11:7 and 17:8 state that the beast comes up out of the abyss, it is best to equate the sea with the abyss. That interpretation is in harmony with the Old Testament, which also uses the metaphor of the sea to picture the realm of satanic activity (Job 26:12; Ps. 74:13-14; 89:9-10; Isa. 27:1). Some of the demons are currently incarcerated in the abyss (9:1-11; Luke 8:31), and Satan will be imprisoned in that abyss during the millennial kingdom (20:1-3).
The Antichrist will be a man (2 Thess. 2:4), but at some point, in his life, he will be indwelt by a powerful demon from the abyss. This demon-possessed man will be a gifted orator, an intellectual genius, possess great charm and charisma, and have immense leadership power. Added to those natural qualities will be the hellish power of Satan. The result will be a person of superhuman power, vast intelligence, and consummate wickedness.
While all unbelievers are children of Satan (John 8:44), no one in human history will be more completely the devil’s child than the Antichrist. His “family likeness” to Satan becomes strikingly apparent from John’s description of him as having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems. That same grotesque description was applied to Satan in 12:3: “Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.” The description of Antichrist emphasizes the importance of the ten horns by mentioning them first and associating the diadems with them instead of the heads.
Horns in Scripture symbolize strength and power, both for attack and defense (1 Sam. 2:1, 10; 2 Sam. 22:3; Job 16:15; Ps. 18:2; 75:4-5; 89:17, 24; 92:10; 112:9; Jer. 48:25; Mic. 4:13). In this passage, they represent the great power of the kings who will rule under Antichrist’s absolute authority. Ten fits the imagery of the fourth beast in Daniel 7:7, 24, and is a symbolic number representing all the world’s political and military might. Antichrist will rise from among these ten (Dan. 7:16-24) and will not rule merely ten nations, but the entire world (Dan. 7:23). Unlike the seven heads, which represent successive world empires, all the rulers symbolized by the ten horns will rule at the same time (17:12).
Daniel described this final coalition, headed by Antichrist, in Daniel 2:41-44:
“In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery. In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.”
The final world empire will be in some sense a revival of the Roman Empire (the iron legs and ten toes of the statue in Daniel 2) but will far exceed it both in power and extent. It will be much more than a European confederacy; it will cover the entire world. Ultimately, Antichrist’s empire will be crushed by Christ (the “stone [that] was cut out without hands”; Dan. 2:34, 45) when He comes to establish His earthly kingdom.
In addition to his ten horns, the beast is described by John as having seven heads. Those seven heads represent seven successive world empires: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and Antichrist’s final world kingdom. The ten diadems (royal crowns) indicate the horns’ regal authority and victorious power. John also noted that on the beast’s heads were blasphemous names. Like many of the Roman emperors and other monarchs before them, these rulers will blasphemously arrogate divine names and titles to themselves that dishonor the true and living God. They will follow the pattern of their master, Antichrist, “who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God” (2 Thess. 2:4).
THINK ABOUT THIS: Believers must learn to read the history of Israel as a type of their own spiritual history in Jesus Christ. The Old Testament is for our encouragement and instruction (Rom. 15:4). For example, it teaches Christians to see themselves during a great exodus, experiencing God’s salvation and testing in the wilderness. Another way the Old Testament helps Christians is by giving us the background for understanding the New Testament, including the book of Revelation. Treasure the whole Bible, and study it.
Christians fight in an invisible war against Satan. The church’s enemy aims at nothing less than its destruction and condemnation. Therefore, Christians must be vigilant and prepared to suffer. They must cling to Jesus Christ and His shed blood as the only solution to the guilt of their sins. They must never let go of their gospel witness but trust that God will use the persecutions they face to glorify Himself and build His church. How does this lesson encourage you to stay in the fight for Christ?
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