Chapter Twelve

The fourth section of the book of Revelation begins, as do all the sections, with a vision. As the section progresses, we are introduced to three adversaries of God and His people: the dragon, the beast from the sea and the beast from the land.

Revelation chapter 12 can be broken down into three parts. Verses 4-6 deal with Satan versus Christ on earth. Verses 7-9 involve Satan battling the angels in heaven. And verses 13- 17 are concerned with Satan against the Christians on earth.

The woman who appears in verse one represents the followers of God. According to the plan of God, the Jewish nation gave birth to Christ and to Christianity.

But the woman cannot be limited to physical Israel, because of what we find in verses 13-17. Galatians 3:23-25 and Colossians 2:14 teach us that the death of Jesus marked the end of the Jewish religious system. Nor does the context allow us to limit her to the New Testament church. What we have here is the nation of Israel, but in the sense used in Galatians 6:16, Philippians 3:3 and other passages.

Romans 2:28 and 9:6-8 inform us that not all descendants of Jacob have a part in the true Israel. Only those who obey God are children of the promise.

Perhaps, then, the woman represents the faithful Jews who obeyed God and became Christians. The Roman persecution was aimed first at them, but was later directed toward Gentile Christians.

As the woman is giving birth to a child, who is obviously Jesus, the great red dragon Satan is trying violently to destroy the child. Satan tried to destroy Jesus during His time on earth, but all that the adversary actually accomplished was the fulfillment of the plan ordained by God. The woman is nourished for the period of time that we discussed in chapter 11.

So the dragon turns his fury toward heaven. This is a foolish move on his part, and he is soon cast down. He is not strong enough, and there is no longer any place for him in heaven. Remember that, before the sacrifice of Christ, Satan could accuse us before God.

Man was certainly not good enough to free himself from this accusation. Sin made a separation between God and men, as stated in Isaiah 59:2. All have sinned, as pointed out in Romans 3:23. And the wages of sin is death, as noted in Romans 6:23. But the blood of Christ was offered to release us from our sins. And Satan lost his place. We discussed this in connection with Revelation 9.

Verse nine identifies the dragon as the serpent who is called the Devil and Satan.

Verses 10-11 give praise to God and Jesus for putting an end to the accusation. Here we find that it is indeed the blood of Christ that is responsible. But we also find that obedience is required of those who would take advantage of this blood.

A warning is issued in verse 12 to prepare those who are on the earth.

Finally, the dragon turns his wrath on the Christians on earth. But God lifts His followers on two wings of the great eagle and carries them away. God says in Exodus 19:4 that this is what he has done for the Israelites in bringing them out of Egypt and carrying them through the wilderness.

There will be persecution. We live in a wilderness. But God will take care of those who obey Him. Notice once again the limited period of persecution during which God provides for His people.

The serpent pours out water from his mouth in an attempt to sweep away the woman. Water is used in prophetic language to represent a large group of people. In Old Testament prophecy, God sometimes threatens to sweep away a group by calling in a great nation identified as a river or sea. Isaiah 8:6-8 and 17:12-13 are good examples of this. God destroyed a wicked world with a flood. He buried the army of Pharaoh under the Red Sea. So water draws a good picture of God's powerful judgment, whether the water is literal or figurative. Satan tried to wipe out Christianity by using the Roman empire. And he has tried to use many other nations in the following centuries. But God protects His people.

Unfortunately, Satan never learns that God is in control. He is always enraged to the point where he rushes off to seek other Christians to destroy. 1 Peter 5:8 aptly describes him as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

Baseball was not around when John saw this vision, but the number three was being used to represent a complete number. Satan struck out three times in this chapter. He's a three-time loser. God is in control, and Satan is a complete failure.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."