You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. - John 8:44
We have completed our discussion of the 7 seals and the 7 trumpets of the tribulation. In a few weeks, we will begin dealing with the 7 bowls. In the meantime, however, we will consider a few intervening chapters that provide details about major end time characters and events. Chapters 12 and 13 vividly describe the 3 persons of the unholy trinity - namely Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet - who seek to mimic and misrepresent the true, holy Trinity - God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We will highlight each of these 3 unholy charlatans during the next few weeks, starting this morning with Satan...
I. SATAN FAILS TO DEFEAT JESUS (Revelation 12:1-5)
John saw another great sign appear in heaven. He beheld a woman “clothed with the sun”, having “the moon under her feet”, and wearing a “crown of 12 stars on her head”. Most reputable scholars identify this “woman” as Old Testament Israel. The description given here is similar to that of Joseph's second boyhood dream in which he described his father as the sun, his mother as the moon, and his brothers as stars (Genesis 37:9-11). Jacob’s sons were the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel.
John then saw a great red dragon “having 7 heads and 10 horns”, and on each of the heads was a crown. This “dragon” is clearly identified as the Devil (v9). Most commentators interpret these heads, crowns, and horns as various kings, kingdoms, and leaders under Satanic control. We will see a similar description given to the “beasts” of Revelation 13:1 and Revelation 17:3. John stated that this dragon swept away ⅓ of the stars. This statement mostly likely refers to the original rebellion and fall of Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12-15), during which it is believed that ⅓ of God’s angels joined the failed insurrection and consequently became demons.
John explained that the “woman” was pregnant, had gone into labor, and was crying out in pain because she was on the verge of giving birth. The evil dragon stood before her, intending to devour her newborn Child as soon as it was delivered. She gave birth to a Son who would “rule the nations with a rod of iron” and, before the dragon could consume it, the Child was “caught up to God and His throne”. This Child is generally believed to be Jesus Christ. He was born of the Jews (Israel), overcame the Devil’s attempts to destroy him, and ascended into heaven where He sits at God’ right hand.
II. SATAN IS THROWN DOWN TO EARTH (Revelation 12:7-12)
Next, John stated that a war broke out in heaven between the forces of God, led by the archangel Michael, and the forces of Satan. The Devil and his armies were defeated, expelled from heaven, and cast down to the earth. It is widely held that this “war” is totally different from the initial rebellion of Satan mentioned earlier. The original fall of Lucifer occurred in ages past, probably even before the creation of man, while this conflict will presumably take place in the future. To be specific, I think this particular war in heaven will begin during the first half of the Tribulation and end at the midpoint.
John then heard a loud voice in heaven praising God and proclaiming His kingdom because the accuser of the righteous had been thrown down to the earth. Obviously, this outcast “accuser” was Satan. The armies of God had overcome him by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ), their testimony (or faith), and their unyielding courage. Those in heaven were told to rejoice, seeing that the Devil and his demons had been expelled from their presence. However, those on the earth were warned to be extremely wary because the Devil had come down to them and was hell-bent, knowing that his remaining time was short.
It is important to note that, currently, Satan has access to the throne room of Heaven. As we see in the case of Job, he is permitted to come before God and make accusations against His children. While he and his demons are typically thought of as roaming about the earth, actively seeking to turn the hearts of mankind against God, clearly Satan still has permission to appear in Heaven. Following this war, however, he and his fallen angels will be thrown out of God’s presence and not permitted to return. As we will see in chapter 13, upon the dragon’s expulsion from heaven the Antichrist will come into power and the Great Tribulation will begin.
III. SATAN PERSECUTES GOD’S FOLLOWERS (Revelation 12:6, 13-17)
John said that when the dragon realized he had been cast out of heaven, he began to furiously persecute the woman who had given birth to the Child. In other words, the Devil set out to oppress and terrorize Israel and the Jewish people. To his dismay, 2 wings of a great eagle were given to the woman and she flew away into the wilderness where she was protected from the dragon and nourished for 3 ½ years (a time, times, and half a time). This was foreshadowed back in verse 6 when she fled into the wilderness for 1,260 days (3 ½ years). Though he desperately sought to harm her by hurling waters from his mouth in hopes of sweeping her away in the flood, the earth came to her aid and swallowed the waters.
This figurative language describes the Devil’s unsuccessful attempts to destroy Israel during the Great Tribulation. I believe that it refers specifically to the 144,000 Messianic Jews (ie, true Israel) who will be sealed by God and protected from Satan and the Antichrist. Some have even speculated that the LORD will use the United States, as alluded to by the “eagle’s wings”, as a protector of Israel. I don’t particularly share this interpretation, but it is interesting to think about I suppose…
Once the dragon recognized that he was unable to destroy the woman, and having already failed to devour her Child (Jesus), he then turned his anger toward her other children. These “other” children included all of those who kept the commandments of God and held to the testimony of Jesus. In other words, in his growing frustration and desperation the Devil began to pour out his wrath upon all believers (other than the 144,000) - whether Jew or Gentile. He persecuted anyone who would not submit to his rule, through the evil hands of the Antichrist.
CONCLUSION
In closing, I believe that Revelation 12 provides a thorough and graphic description of Satan’s progressive collapse. He was originally created by God as a beautiful, blameless angel (Isaiah 28:13-15). Over time, however, he became envious and prideful. Wanting to be God himself, Satan led an unsuccessful rebellion against the LORD Almighty. Though soundly defeated, he and the fallen angels who joined him were still permitted to commune with and exercise limited influence over the affairs of mankind. God created human beings with free will, and therefore tolerated the continued presence of Satan on earth consistent with His divine purposes.
The dragon’s greatest attempt to thwart God came when he sought to destroy Jesus. Working through the crazed King Herod, the Devil sought to murder Jesus as a baby. When that failed, he tried to taint Jesus’ ministry and render it ineffective by tempting Him to sin (especially in the wilderness). When those efforts also proved unsuccessful, he spurred the Jews and Romans to crucify Christ. Even that didn’t work, as Jesus triumphantly rose from the grave!
In the last days Satan will stage another futile uprising against God. This time he and his angels will be completely banished from Heaven and cast down to the earth. There they will rage against Israel and God’s children during the Great Tribulation. Ultimately, with time running out, the Devil will rally all of his forces together in a collective assault against God at the Battle of Armageddon… more on that later.
Here is the bottom line - Satan is a loser. He was unable to overthrow God the Father in ages past or defeat Jesus the Son at Calvary, and he will never derail the LORD’s plan for Israel and/or His redeemed people. Though he has created chaos and inflicted extensive damage on humanity, Satan’s eternal fate is sealed and his doom is certain. Those who follow him will share in his downfall and humiliation.
We have completed our discussion of the 7 seals and the 7 trumpets of the tribulation. In a few weeks, we will begin dealing with the 7 bowls. In the meantime, however, we will consider a few intervening chapters that provide details about major end time characters and events. Chapters 12 and 13 vividly describe the 3 persons of the unholy trinity - namely Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet - who seek to mimic and misrepresent the true, holy Trinity - God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We will highlight each of these 3 unholy charlatans during the next few weeks, starting this morning with Satan...
I. SATAN FAILS TO DEFEAT JESUS (Revelation 12:1-5)
John saw another great sign appear in heaven. He beheld a woman “clothed with the sun”, having “the moon under her feet”, and wearing a “crown of 12 stars on her head”. Most reputable scholars identify this “woman” as Old Testament Israel. The description given here is similar to that of Joseph's second boyhood dream in which he described his father as the sun, his mother as the moon, and his brothers as stars (Genesis 37:9-11). Jacob’s sons were the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel.
John then saw a great red dragon “having 7 heads and 10 horns”, and on each of the heads was a crown. This “dragon” is clearly identified as the Devil (v9). Most commentators interpret these heads, crowns, and horns as various kings, kingdoms, and leaders under Satanic control. We will see a similar description given to the “beasts” of Revelation 13:1 and Revelation 17:3. John stated that this dragon swept away ⅓ of the stars. This statement mostly likely refers to the original rebellion and fall of Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12-15), during which it is believed that ⅓ of God’s angels joined the failed insurrection and consequently became demons.
John explained that the “woman” was pregnant, had gone into labor, and was crying out in pain because she was on the verge of giving birth. The evil dragon stood before her, intending to devour her newborn Child as soon as it was delivered. She gave birth to a Son who would “rule the nations with a rod of iron” and, before the dragon could consume it, the Child was “caught up to God and His throne”. This Child is generally believed to be Jesus Christ. He was born of the Jews (Israel), overcame the Devil’s attempts to destroy him, and ascended into heaven where He sits at God’ right hand.
II. SATAN IS THROWN DOWN TO EARTH (Revelation 12:7-12)
Next, John stated that a war broke out in heaven between the forces of God, led by the archangel Michael, and the forces of Satan. The Devil and his armies were defeated, expelled from heaven, and cast down to the earth. It is widely held that this “war” is totally different from the initial rebellion of Satan mentioned earlier. The original fall of Lucifer occurred in ages past, probably even before the creation of man, while this conflict will presumably take place in the future. To be specific, I think this particular war in heaven will begin during the first half of the Tribulation and end at the midpoint.
John then heard a loud voice in heaven praising God and proclaiming His kingdom because the accuser of the righteous had been thrown down to the earth. Obviously, this outcast “accuser” was Satan. The armies of God had overcome him by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ), their testimony (or faith), and their unyielding courage. Those in heaven were told to rejoice, seeing that the Devil and his demons had been expelled from their presence. However, those on the earth were warned to be extremely wary because the Devil had come down to them and was hell-bent, knowing that his remaining time was short.
It is important to note that, currently, Satan has access to the throne room of Heaven. As we see in the case of Job, he is permitted to come before God and make accusations against His children. While he and his demons are typically thought of as roaming about the earth, actively seeking to turn the hearts of mankind against God, clearly Satan still has permission to appear in Heaven. Following this war, however, he and his fallen angels will be thrown out of God’s presence and not permitted to return. As we will see in chapter 13, upon the dragon’s expulsion from heaven the Antichrist will come into power and the Great Tribulation will begin.
III. SATAN PERSECUTES GOD’S FOLLOWERS (Revelation 12:6, 13-17)
John said that when the dragon realized he had been cast out of heaven, he began to furiously persecute the woman who had given birth to the Child. In other words, the Devil set out to oppress and terrorize Israel and the Jewish people. To his dismay, 2 wings of a great eagle were given to the woman and she flew away into the wilderness where she was protected from the dragon and nourished for 3 ½ years (a time, times, and half a time). This was foreshadowed back in verse 6 when she fled into the wilderness for 1,260 days (3 ½ years). Though he desperately sought to harm her by hurling waters from his mouth in hopes of sweeping her away in the flood, the earth came to her aid and swallowed the waters.
This figurative language describes the Devil’s unsuccessful attempts to destroy Israel during the Great Tribulation. I believe that it refers specifically to the 144,000 Messianic Jews (ie, true Israel) who will be sealed by God and protected from Satan and the Antichrist. Some have even speculated that the LORD will use the United States, as alluded to by the “eagle’s wings”, as a protector of Israel. I don’t particularly share this interpretation, but it is interesting to think about I suppose…
Once the dragon recognized that he was unable to destroy the woman, and having already failed to devour her Child (Jesus), he then turned his anger toward her other children. These “other” children included all of those who kept the commandments of God and held to the testimony of Jesus. In other words, in his growing frustration and desperation the Devil began to pour out his wrath upon all believers (other than the 144,000) - whether Jew or Gentile. He persecuted anyone who would not submit to his rule, through the evil hands of the Antichrist.
CONCLUSION
In closing, I believe that Revelation 12 provides a thorough and graphic description of Satan’s progressive collapse. He was originally created by God as a beautiful, blameless angel (Isaiah 28:13-15). Over time, however, he became envious and prideful. Wanting to be God himself, Satan led an unsuccessful rebellion against the LORD Almighty. Though soundly defeated, he and the fallen angels who joined him were still permitted to commune with and exercise limited influence over the affairs of mankind. God created human beings with free will, and therefore tolerated the continued presence of Satan on earth consistent with His divine purposes.
The dragon’s greatest attempt to thwart God came when he sought to destroy Jesus. Working through the crazed King Herod, the Devil sought to murder Jesus as a baby. When that failed, he tried to taint Jesus’ ministry and render it ineffective by tempting Him to sin (especially in the wilderness). When those efforts also proved unsuccessful, he spurred the Jews and Romans to crucify Christ. Even that didn’t work, as Jesus triumphantly rose from the grave!
In the last days Satan will stage another futile uprising against God. This time he and his angels will be completely banished from Heaven and cast down to the earth. There they will rage against Israel and God’s children during the Great Tribulation. Ultimately, with time running out, the Devil will rally all of his forces together in a collective assault against God at the Battle of Armageddon… more on that later.
Here is the bottom line - Satan is a loser. He was unable to overthrow God the Father in ages past or defeat Jesus the Son at Calvary, and he will never derail the LORD’s plan for Israel and/or His redeemed people. Though he has created chaos and inflicted extensive damage on humanity, Satan’s eternal fate is sealed and his doom is certain. Those who follow him will share in his downfall and humiliation.