Revelation
12
This chapter commences another series of revelations. Again
John
returns to the beginning, and traces the spiritual history of the
Church and
the
Christian in their warfare with Satan. But the visions which now follow
are
somewhat different in character from those already related, inasmuch as
the
conflict is now described rather as between the powers of heaven and
hell than between the individual Christian and his oppressors. As with the
other visions, so here, the recital seems calculated to support
the suffering
Christian in his trials, since the overthrow of the powers
of darkness is
foretold; and the whole series culminates in an account of the
final
abasement of the devil, and the exaltation of the Church and the
bliss of
heaven.
The following analysis will help to make clear the relation
of the several
parts of the vision.
WORLD. (vs.7-13.)
Ø The assaults
of the devil.
o
The dragon’s direct
attacks on Christ (vs.1-7 and 13-17).
o
On the Church by means
of the wild beast (vs.1-10).
o
On the Church by means
of the two-horned beast (vs.11-18).
Ø
The overthrow and punishment of the devil. (ch.20:1-10.)
o
The fate of the dragon
(ch.14:7).
o
The fate of the wild
beast (
ch.18.; ch.19:19, et seq.).
o The fate of the two-horned beast (ch.14:9; 19:19, et
seq.).
Ø
The victory of the faithful. (ch.14:13; 19:1-10;
ch.21; ch.22)
Revelation chapter 12 -14 are explanatory
prophecies that describe some of the major
personages and movements of the second half of the
Tribulation period. Beginning
with the woman who represents
Although chapter 11 verse 15 records the
sounding of the seventh trumpet, the effects
it produces are not described until chapters
15 through 18. Chapters 12 - 14 restates or
summarizes that same period, but describing events
from Satan's vantage point.
Including taking the readers back to the
original rebellion as Satan is cast to the
earth along with one third of the angels. (demons) (discoverrevelation.com)
In
this chapter, John sees a vision of a woman "clothed with the sun, and
the moon under
her
feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (v.1) . Note
the similarity between this
description
and the description that Joseph gave of his father Jacob (
and their
children (Genesis 37:9-11). The twelve stars refer to the twelve tribes of
So
the woman is
the woman
being with child and giving birth. While it is true that Mary gave birth to
Jesus,
it is
also true that Jesus, the son of David from the tribe of
"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."
Clearly, this is describing Jesus. Jesus ascended to heaven
(Acts
1:9-11) and will one day establish His kingdom on earth (ch.
20:4-6), and He will rule
it with
perfect judgment (the “rod of iron”; see Psalm
2:7-9). The woman’s flight into the
wilderness
for 1,260 days refers to the future time called the Great Tribulation. Twelve
hundred,
sixty
days is 42 months (of 30 days each), which is the same as 3 1/2 years. Halfway
through
the
Tribulation period, the Beast (the Antichrist) will set an image of himself up
in the temple
that will
be built in
Mark 13:14.
When the Beast does this, he breaks the peace pact he had made with
the
nation has to flee for safety—possibly to
escape of
the Jews is pictured as the woman fleeing into the wilderness. (www.gotquestions.org)
This chapter
begins the second half of the Book of Revelation, just as it marks the
beginning of the second half of the Tribulation, the final 3
½ years before THE
COMING
OF CHRIST TO THE EARTH TO REIGN IN POWER AND GREAT
GLORY! The trumpet of the seventh angel has sounded and its
echo will continue
to resound throughout this
last awful period of the Great Tribulation.
This remarkable
vision also looks back to the very
beginning of earth’s history, then races forth to the
time of Christ and finally to the
events still to be consummated in this final period!
This review is necessary to
comprehend the full significance of the great sign about
to be revealed. (The Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
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:”
And there appeared a great wonder; and a great sign was
seen (Revised Version).
This sign consists of the whole of the appearances,
the
account of which is contained in this verse and the following one. The
vision is thus plainly declared to be figurative (cf. the use of
the
corresponding verb in ch.1:1). In heaven. Though the scene of
the
vision opens in heaven, it is immediately afterwards transferred to the
earth. It is doubtful whether any particular signification is to
be attached to
the
expression. A woman. The woman is
undoubtedly the
Church of God; not necessarily limited to the Christian
Church, but the
whole company of all who acknowledge God, including the heavenly
beings in existence before the creation, as well as creation
itself. The figure
is
found both in the Old Testament and in the New. Thus Isaiah 54:5-6,
“For thy Maker is
thine Husband .... For the Lord hath called thee as a
woman forsaken and
grieved” (compare also John 3:29; II
Corinthians
11:2; Ephesians 5:25-32). Clothed with the sun. The
whole
description is intended to portray the glory and beauty of the Church.
Most
of
the ancient commentators give particular interpretations of the symbols
employed. Thus the sun is believed to represent Christ, the
Sun of
Righteousness. Primasius quotes Galatians 3:27,
“For as many of you
as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” And the moon
under her feet. This is interpreted as showing the permanent nature of the
Church; she treads underfoot the moon, the symbol of
changing times and
seasons. It is thought that a reference is thus intended to the
futility of the
endeavors made to subvert the Church (compare Song of Solomon 6:10).
Others variously interpret the moon of
(1) the
Mosaic Law;
(2) the
irreligion of the world;
(3) the
Mohammedan power.
But the figure is probably intended simply to enhance the
beauty of the
vision, and to portray the exceeding glory of the Church. We may
also
imagine the symbol to denote stability
of existence in the midst of change
of
outward appearance, as the moon is ever existent and ever reappearing,
though obscured for a time. And upon her head a crown of twelve stars.
This image immediately suggests a reference to the twelve
apostles of the
Christian Church, and the twelve
tribes of the Jewish Church. The crown
is
στέφανος –
stephanos - the crown
of victory — the idea of which is
prominent throughout the vision.
The woman represents
Micah 5:2; Romans. 9:4-5) The woman is not
the church, since the church did not bring forth
Christ, But rather He brought forth the
church. The sun reflects redeemed
brilliance and dignity because of her exulted
status and shows her as God's chosen nation.
The moon under her feet alludes to God's
promise of dominion, and the crown of twelve
stars pictures royalty and relates to the 12
tribes of
about the dream Joseph had about the sun, moon
and 11 stars which were bowing down
to Joseph. (who was
the 12th) In this look toward heaven by John, we are taken to a
different aspect of the battle that has gone on
through all ages between Jesus and Satan.
If Jesus is in warfare with Satan, then
His people are in battle as well. (discoverrevelation.com)
The word “wonder” is translated sign in John’s gospel - σημεῖον – saemeion – sign –
informing us that the immediate vision
is symbolic rather than literal. The
woman
includes
“mother
of us all” in the physical sense, and it was concerning her that the
protoevangelic promise (“the seed of the woman will someday crush
the head of
the serpent” (Genesis 3:15) was given. The woman thus represents the whole body
of believers. As true
Church as the bride of Christ,
so the great woman must represent all true believers
beginning with Eve herself. The twelve-starred crown on the woman’s head
seems
to represent either the twelve
tribes of
angels (angels are often called “stars”
in the scriptures) or else the twelve apostles
of the Lamb (ibid. v. 14), or possibly both. Just as Christ had said the righteous would
shine forth as the sun, so the
angel had told Daniel that “they that turn many to
righteouness [shall shine] as
the stars for ever and ever.” (Daniel
12:3) The common
interpretation that the woman is
which this scene is placed.
throughout the ages, beginning with Ever
herself. (The Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
2 “And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and
pained to be
delivered.” The
present, “crieth,” κρὰζει – kraxei - is found in א, A,
P, Coptic, Andreas in a et bav., etc.;
the imperfect, ἐκράζεν – ekrazen - is read
in
C, Vulgate, 7, 8, 31, etc., Andreas in c et p, Primasius; the aorist, ἐκράζεν in
B, twelve cursives (compare the words of our Lord John
16:21-22). A
similar image occurs in Isaiah 26:17; 66:7-8; Micah 4:10. The
trouble which afflicted the Jewish Church, and the longing of the
patriarchs
for
the advent of the Saviour, are here depicted. So also
Paul,
encouraging the Romans to bear patiently their sufferings, says, “The
whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now”
(Romans 8:22)
This Scripture is spiritually speaking of the birth of
Jesus and of Christianity. The birth
pains refer
to the period before the birth of Christ when
(Romans 8:22-23). (discoverrevelation.com)
The original evangelical promise was made by God in
the Gardenof Eden:
“And I
will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between
thy seed and her see; it
shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt
bruise his heel” (Genesis
3:15) These words
were directed to Satan, that old serpent, the very one who
is central in this chapter.
There was to be perpetual enmity between Satan and “the
woman” (that is, all
believing women), [Isn’t it strange as this is one of the role
reversals that is a part
of “THE LIE” secularists
argue a “war on women” by Fundamental Christianity –
CY – 2015], and between the serpent’s seed and the
woman’s seed (talking here
about godly seed. CY – 2015). Someday
there will come the prototype “seed of
the serpent,” one wil be the
very incarnation of Satan, completely embodying the
character of his father, “the father of lies”
(John 8:44). He will be “that man of
sin, the son of perdition” (II Thessalonians 2:3), whose evil career is a major
theme
in the book of Revelation. The One who will conquer this seed of the
serpent will
be the prototype and only perfect “seed of the woman,” THE SON OF GOD, born
not the seed of man but of a virgin. (This is none other than our
Lord and Savior,
JESUS CHRIST! God’s
gracious promise of the coming Savior, the seed of the
woman, given to all mankind, had eventually to be fulfilled
in a particular chosen
nation, a chosen tribe, a chosen family, and finally a
chosen woman. Thus the promise
to the world became the promise to
of David, and ultimately to the virgin Mary. There was much depending on the birth
of this glorious Son.
Not only would He redeem and rule
the whole creation into GLORIOUS
a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His
shoulder: and His name shall be
called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, The Prince of
Peace. Of the
increase of His government and peace, there shall be
NO END, and
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order
it, and to establish it with
judgment and with justice from
henceforth even FOR EVER. THE ZEAL OF THE
LORD OF HOSTS WILL PERFORM THIS!” (Isaiah
9:6-7)
(The Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
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.” And
there appeared another wonder in heaven; and there
was seen another sign in heaven (Revised Version). (See on v. 1.) The
appearance seen is not a representation of the devil as he actually
is, but
the
sign — the dragon — is figurative and descriptive of the particular
characteristics now about to be exhibited. In heaven — most likely
merely
in the space above, where
he could be easily seen. And
behold a great red dragon.
His identity is established by v. 9, where he is called “the great dragon,
the old s
erpent, the devil, Satan, the deceiver.’’ Red; no doubt to enhance his terrible
appearance; suggestive of his murderous,
destructive character. “Dragon”
(δράκων – drakon) in the New Testament
occurs only in this book. In the Old
Testament the word is of frequent
occurrence. In the Septugint δράκων,is used
seventeen times to express the Hebrew tannin (a sea or land
monster, especially a
crocodile or serpent); five times it stands for leviathan; twice
it represents
kephir (young lion); twice nachash (serpent); once ‘attud (he-goat); and
once pethen (python). Tannin (singular)
is always rendered by δράκων,
except in Genesis 1:21, where we find κῆτος – kaetos - but twice it is corrupted
into tannim (viz. Ezekiel 29:3;
32:2). The latter word, tannim, is the
plural of tan (a jackal), and is found only in the plural;
but once it is found
corrupted into tannin (Lamentations 4:3). There is no doubt
as to the
signification of the appearance. The dragon, is, in the Old
Testament,
invariably a symbol of what is harmful,
tyrannous, murderous. It is a
hideous, sanguinary monster, sometimes inhabiting the sea,
sometimes the
desolate places of the earth, always “seeking whom it may devour.”
(I Peter
5:8)
In some passages it refers to Pharaoh (Psalm 74:13; compare
Ezekiel 29:3;
32:2); in others it is a type of what is noxious or
desolate (Job 7:12; Isaiah 13:22;
34:13; Psalm 44:19; Jeremiah 9:11, etc.). In Isaiah 27:1 we
have the combination,
“leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked
serpent;… the dragon t
hat is in the sea.” Having seven heads and ten horns. The description of
the beasts
in chapters
12-17, is evidently derived from the vision of Daniel (7.), although the
details differ. It seems reasonable to conclude, therefore, that the interpretation
generally should follow the same lines as that applied to the Old Testament symbols,
with which the writer was so familiar. The appearances described in Daniel are
universally considered to typify various worldly powers which oppressed the Church
and
nation of the Jews. Similarly here the symbolism seems
intended to portray the
opposition of the devil to
the
world. The heads and horns are both declared in
ch.17:10, 12 to typify
kingdoms — in what way we shall presently see (ibid. v. 10). The numbers seven
and
ten are both symbolical of completeness (see ch.
1:4; 5:1; 13:1; 17:3). We have,
therefore, in this picture of the dragon, the idea of the full and
complete power of
the
world arrayed on earth against God and His Church. This power, connected with
and
derived from the devil, the prince of this world (John 12:31), is often alluded
to
by
John as being opposed to, or in contrast with, the godly (John 7:7; 14:17; 15.;
16.; 17.;
I John 2:15; 3:13; 5:4, etc.). And seven crowns upon
his heads; seven diadems
(Revised Version). That is, the
kingly crown, the symbol of sovereignty, worn by
the
dragon to denote his power as “prince of this world.” The word διαδήματα –
diadaemata - diadems
- is
found in the New Testament only here
and ch.13:1 and
19:12. It is not the στέφανος, the crown of victory
worn by the saints (see
ch.2:10; 3:11; 6:2, etc.). No account is given of the disposition and arrangement
of
the heads, horns, and diadems; nor is it necessary. The seven crowned heads
signify universal sovereignty; the ten horns, absolute power.
Probably those to
whom John wrote understood the symbol as referring specially to the power of
heathen
extends to the power of the world in all ages (see on ch.13:1).
Here is yet another sign in haven. This is another symbolic enactment which
explains
the great cosmic drama
which had been taking place in heaven and earth since the very
foundation of the world.
The two principal characters are the woman and the serpent.
There are two wonders (σημεῖον – saemeion - sign,
miracle) mentioned here, the red dragon,
and “a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon
under her feet” in v. 1. The
dragon
was a hydra-headed serpent. Its seven heads all wore crowns, indicating
kingly power.
These are later interpreted (ch.
17:10) as seven kingdoms of the past.
The ten horns are
interpreted (ibid. v.
12) as ten kings of the end times. A
similar vision was seen by Daniel,
except that the beast of his vision had only one head with
ten horns. (Daniel 7:7, 20,24)
For the identification of these kings and kingdoms,
see the exposition on ch. 17. For the
present, it is enough to say that they represent the kingdoms
of this world and that such
kingdoms largely are indeed under the domain of Satan. This was the very claim of Satan
when he tempted Christ.
“And the devil taking Him up onto an high mountain, shewed
unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of
time. And the devil, said unto
Him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of
them: for that is delivered unto me;
and to whence I will give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall
be thine.”
(Luke 4:5-6) It
is sobering to realize that all governments of men are ultimately controlled
by the devil, even though God Himself ordained the
powers that be (Romans 13:1)
and commands Christians to submit to their ordinances (I
Peter 2:13-15). There have been
godly men in positions of political power and these have
had a restraining influence.
To the extent that a government is
founded upon law rather than men, and to the extent
of these laws are based on the laws of God
as revealed in Scripture, to such an extent will the
government be in conformity with GOD’S PURPOSES rather than Satan’s.
There have been
periods in the history of
nominally Christian nations, when this seems to have been
largely the case. Sad to say that
Satan’s claim was so nearly the truth that Christ
Himself did not bother to refute it.
John
says in I John 5:18-19, “We know that….the whole world lieth in wickedness.”
Practically
all the past kingdoms of the world, symbolized by the
seven heads and ten horns, are/were
united by the spirit of the fiery dragon. (The Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
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.”
And his tail drew
the third part of the stars of heaven, and
did cast them to the
earth; draweth
(Revised Version). Not the stars with
which the woman is crowned (see v. 1), but other stars. In
describing the
vast power of the devil, John seems to allude to the tremendous result
of
his rebellious conduct in heaven, in effecting the fall of other angels with
himself (Jude 1:6). The seer does not here interrupt his narrative
to
explain the point, but returns to it after v. 6, and there
describes briefly
the
origin and cause of the enmity of the devil towards God. The third part
(as in ch.
8:7, et seq.) signifies a considerable number,
but not
the
larger part. And the dragon stood
before the woman which was
ready to be delivered,
for to devour her child as soon as it was born;
which was about to be delivered, that when she was delivered, he
might
devour her child (Revised
Version). A graphic picture of what is true of
Christ Himself of the Church, both Jewish and Christian,
and of every
individual member of the Church. This is another example of the
personal
history of Christ being repeated in the history of His Church. The
devil, in
the
person of Herod, attempts to prevent the salvation of the world;
through Pharaoh he endeavours to crush
the chosen people of God,
through whom the Messiah was to bless all the earth; by means of
the
power of Rome He labors to exterminate the infant
When John tells us that the devils' tail
drew a third of the stars of heaven
and threw them to earth, he is describing the
original demonic uprising
against God.
Satan somehow managed to convince a third of all God's
angels to join him in his rebellion; these
beings we now call "demons" or
"fallen
angels." They serve Satan and play an important role in the
judgments of the Tribulation. We see here, also, the woman about to birth,
and this is the birth of Jesus the
Christ. Satan used Herod to try to kill
Jesus
the moment He was born. That was not God's
plan, so Jesus was protected until
the time of the cross. This also indicates
here the birth of the church, which the
devil has tried to devour every way he
could. (discoverrevelation.com)
This scene is
behind Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:16-17.
Christ had spoken of
“the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41) Here for the first time we learn that
these satanic angels
constituted a third of all the angels.
When Satan was cast
to the earth from heaven, the great host who followed him in his rebellion
were
also forced out of heaven, thereby becoming “The rulers of the darkness of this
world.” (Ephesians 6:12) When Satan was cast to the earth, he got a
victory over
Eve but God had
promised that the seed of the woman, in turn destroying Satan.
Thus began the agelong effort by Satan to thwart the fulfillment of the
prophecy
by trying to destroy any who could possibly be the promised seed. Many times
Satan attempted
to destroy Christ before He could go to the cross. When he was
unable to destroy Christ’s holiness at the temptation, he tried again and again
to
slay Him, but always without success.
When the hour came, Christ went to the
cross that He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the
devil.
(Hebrews
2:14) Also, Christ gave His life, no man took it from Him! (John 10:17-18)
(The
Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
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.”
And she brought forth
a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of
iron; a son, a male — the
Greek υἱόν, ἄρσεν
– huion arsen – male son; man
child - renders it
emphatic — who is to rule, as in the Revised Version; to rule, or
to govern as a shepherd (compare
the verb in Matthew 2:6). This reference
and
Psalm 2:9 leave no doubt as to the identification of the man child.
It is Christ who is intended. The same expression is used of Him in
Revelation 19., where He is
definitely called the “Word of
God.” And her
child was caught up
unto God, and to His throne. The sentence seems
plainly to refer to the ascension of Christ and His subsequent
abiding in
heaven, from whence He rules all nations. The seer, perhaps,
wishes to
indicate at once the absolute immunity of Christ from any harm
proceeding
from the power of the devil, whose efforts are henceforth directly aimed
only at the
members. As remarked above (see on v. 4), what is true of the
personal
history of Christ is often true of His Church and of His true
members. And
thus some have seen in this passage a picture of the woman, the Church,
bringing forth members, to devour whom is Satan’s constant purpose,
but
who in God’s good time are taken to His throne to be near Himself.
This is speaking of Jesus Christ. Jesus
was caught up unto God to set on the right
hand of God at the resurrection and is setting
at the right hand of God. When He
returns, Jesus will rule all nations as Lord of
lords and King of kings. During Jesus'
earthly, millennium kingdom, this rule is a
breaking, and shattering work of
judgment.
An iron rod is one that cannot be broken and speaks of the
resoluteness of Christ's rule. He will swiftly and immediately judge all sin
and put down any rebellion. (discoverrevelation.com)
That the primary fulfillment of this promise relates
to Jesus Christ is clear from the reference
to Psalm 2:7-9.
Since the nations will not willingly submit themselves to God and His
Anointed One (ibid.
v. 2), He will have to subdue them forcibly, and to reign over them with
a scepter of iron.
Christ is again identified thus when He finally conquers them as the
Victorious King of kings. (ch. 19:5) This promise applies also in a secondary
sense to all
who genuinely believe on Him and are included among those
who conquer with Him. “And
he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power
over the
nations: And he shall
rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be
broken to shivers:
even as I received of my Father.”
(ch.
2:26-27) The words “caught up”
precisely as those used in connection with the rapture of the
believers at the return of Christ,
when we “shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air ”
(I Thessalonians 4:17)
(The Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
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.” And the woman fled into the wilderness. As
with Christ, so
with His Church. His great trial took place in the wilderness; so the trial
of
the
Church occurs in the wilderness, by which figure the world is typified.
It is generally pointed out that this verse is here
inserted in anticipation of
v. 14. We prefer rather to look upon it as occurring in its
natural place,
the
narrative being interrupted by vs. 7-13 in order to account for the
implacable hostility of the devil. Where she hath a
place prepared of God.
א, A, B, P, and
others insert ἐκεῖ - ekei as well as ὅπου – hopou - where
she there
hath, etc. — a redundancy which is an ordinary Hebraism. Though
the
Church is “in the world,” she is not “of
the world” (John 17:14-15);
though the woman is in the “wilderness,” her place is “prepared
of God.”
The harlot’s abode (ch. 17.) is
in the wilderness, and it is also of the
wilderness; it is not in a place specially prepared of God. That they should
feed her there a
thousand two hundred and three score days.
The
sense is the same as in v. 14, “that she should be sustained there.” The
interpretation of the 1260 days, or 3 ½ years, coincides here with that
adopted in ch.11:2. It describes the period of this world’s
existence, during the
whole of which the devil persecutes the
to
be the period of the power of the beast, that is, the world power. (For a
discussion of the whole subject of this period, see on ch. 11:2.)
The wilderness represents anywhere outside
Tribulation period (1260 days is three and
one half years),
among the Gentile nations, where God will care
for her. (Perhaps through the
Gentile believers) God will frustrate Satan's attempt to
destroy
the Tribulation and will hide His people just
as Jesus stated in Matthew 24:15-21.
(discoverrevelation.com)
Wherever they will end up, whether
concentrated in one location such as
or scattered over the vast wilderness areas
south and southeast of
these godly people witll
be under God’s special protection and will receive His
special provision! Isaiah foresaw this time in these words: “Come, my people,
enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy
doors about thee: hide thyself as it
were for a little moment, until the
indignation be overpast. For behold, the
Lord cometh out of His place to punish the
inhabitants of the earth for their
iniquity.” (Isaiah 26:20-21) In the “waste-howling wilderness,”
there is surely
no food for a multitude of desolate
Israelites to eat for 3 ½ years.
Nevertheless,
the Lord had fed several million of His
people for forty long years in the desert
once before, and He can do it again. The manna was called “angel’s food”
(Psalm 78:25 and, no doubt, angels again
will be the instruments
God uses in
meeting this need. (The Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
7 “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
against the
dragon; and the dragon
fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not;
neither
was their place
found any more in heaven.” And
there was war in heaven.
The passage vs. 7-13 is an interruption of the narrative of the persecution of the
woman by Satan. It is caused,
apparently, by a desire to account in some degree
for
the relentless hostility of the devil towards
God and His Church. Two
explanations of the passage
may be referred to.
have a slight hint in Jude 1:6. This, on the whole, seems to
agree best with
the general sense of the chapter, and to present fewest
difficulties. Thus:
Ø
It accounts for the
insertion of the passage (see above).
Ø
The war is directly
between the devil and Michael, not between the
devil and Christ, as at the Incarnation and Resurrection.
Ø
Vs. 8 -9 seem to
require a more literal interpretation than that
which makes them refer to the effects of Christ’s resurrection.
Ø
It was not at the
period of the Incarnation that the scene of Satan’s
opposition was transferred to the earth, as described in v. 12.
Ø
The song of the
heavenly voice may be intended to end with the word
Christ (v. 10), and the
following passages may be the words of the writer
of the Apocalypse, and may refer to the earthly martyrs (see
on v. 10).
Ø
This attempt of the
devil in heaven may be alluded to in John 1:5,
“The darkness overcame it not” (see also ibid. ch.12:35).
the victory then won over the devil. This interpretation
renders the whole
passage much more figurative.
Ø
Michael is the type of
mankind, which in the Person of Jesus Christ
vanquishes the devil.
Ø
Subsequent to the
Resurrection Satan is no more allowed to accuse
men before God in heaven, as he has done previously (see Job
chps.1 & 2;
Zechariah 3:1; I Kings
22:19-22); he is thus the accuser cast down
(v. 10), and his place is
no more found in heaven (v. 8).
Ø
The earth and sea
represent the worldly and tumultuous nations.
Perhaps the strongest
argument in favor of the second view is found in
Luke
10:18 and John 12:31. Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon; Michael and his angels [going
forth] to war with the
dragon (Revised Version). Michael
(מָי־כאֵל;) signifies, “Who is like to
God?” We may compare this with the cry of the worldly
inch.13:4,
“Who is like unto the beast?” In Daniel, Michael is the prince who stands
up for the people
of
archangel,” is alluded to in Jude 1:9 as the great opposer of Satan.
John,
perhaps borrowing the name from Daniel, puts forward Michael
as the chief of those who remained faithful to the
cause of God in the
rebellion of Satan
and his angels. The angels of the dragon are the stars
of v. 4, which he
drew with him to the earth, and possibly the reference
to this event in v.
4 gives rise to the account in vs. 7-13. Some
commentators
interpret the war here described as that between the
Church and the world.
Michael is thus made to be symbolical
of Christ, and some have no difficulty in indicating a
particular man
(such
as Licinius) as the antitype of the dragon. And the dragon
fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was
their place
ound any more in heaven. The Greek is stronger, not even their place,
etc. Οὐδέ - oude – neither
- is read in א, A, B, C, Andreas, Arethas;
οὔτε – oute – neither
- is found in P, 1, 17, and others. So complete was
the defeat of Satan that he was no
longer permitted to remain in heaven
in any capacity.
The vision of war in heaven anticipates
Satan's exclusion from "heaven" and his restriction
to the earth during the last half of the
Tribulation. Michael the archangel is the leader of
God's holy angels (Daniel 10:13,21; 12:1; Jude 1:9).
At some point of the Tribulation period,
God will empower Michael and his forces to
cast Satan and his forces out of access to heaven,
so that Satan must thereafter confine his
activities to the earthly sphere. I
believe there is an
order of command in heaven as there is here on
the earth. We see here, that not only the
church of the Lord Jesus Christ is being
attacked here on the earth, but that there is war in
heaven as well. Here we see defeat of Satan to
such an extent that he is not allowed in
heaven any more, not even to accuse the
believers. His defeat on the earth is
complete as well.
His doom was sealed when Jesus died on the
cross and was resurrected. (discoverrevelation.com)
The angels are intensely concerned with all these
events on earth. It is the devil and
his angels who are bent on persecuting the woman;
therefore, it is Michael and God’s
angels who will protect and feed her. Satan has befouled the earth with his easy
access
to people and even to accuse them before God as “the
accuser of the brethren…which
accused them before our God day and night.” (v.
10) But this
situation is about to be
ended. No longer
will Satan and his host contaminate the earth as business as usual.
“The heavens are the Lord’s.” (Psalm
113:16) Satan and his angels have been allowed
to continue there for thousands of years, by God’ s
grace and for man’s testing, BUT THE
TIME HAS COME TO EXPEL THEM! This
battle probably began before the Lord and
His holy angels descended from heaven to set up His
judgment seat in the atmospheric
heavens where the demonic powers had held sway for ages. (ch. 4:2; I Thessalonians 4:16-17)
(The Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
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.”
And the great
dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called
the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world; cast down
(Revised Version); the whole inhabited earth (Revised
Version, margin).
“The dragon:” so called, because he is the destroyer (see on v. 3). “The
ancient serpent,” as he was revealed in Genesis 3. So in John 8:44
he is
“the destroyer from the
beginning.” “The devil” (" (Διάβολος
– Diabolos) is
the
Greek rendering of the Hebrew Satan, שָׂמָן, “the accuser, the
adversary;”
reference is made in v. 10 to the signification of the name, “The Deceiver.”
The deceits by which Satan cheated the world in oracles,
sorcery, soothsaying,
magic, and
other frauds, are here specially
noticed. These were put to flight by
the
power of Christ and of the Holy Ghost, in the preaching of the gospel by the
apostles and others in the first ages of Christianity. Our Lord Himself, speaking
of
the consequence
of the preaching of the seventy disciples, reveals the spiritual
struggle and the victory: ‘I
was beholding Satan as lightning fall from
heaven’ (Luke 10:17-18).” He was cast out into the earth, and his
angels were cast out
with him; cast down to the earth, etc.
(Revised
Version). “To the earth” in a twofold sense:
of Satan, in being cast to earth as opposed to heaven;
degree sustain the struggle against God.
The evil one is given four designations:
(1)
Dragon pictures his monstrous character as the enemy of God;
(2)
Serpent connects him with the clever deception of Eve in Genesis 3;
(3)
Devil means "slanderer" (v. 10);
(4)
Satan means "Adversary" (I Peter 5:8).
He also deceiveth
the whole world (20:8). Notice we are
told here, that the serpent
that tricked Eve was the devil as well. You can call him by any name you want to.
If whatever you call him is evil, it is
the devil or his handiwork. Here we see
that he
deceiveth (is continually deceiving) the whole
world. The devil runs to and fro
throughout the earth seeking whom he may devour. The
devil does not even bother
the lost at all. He already has them. He is after the BELIEVER. He
comes to church
regularly, trying to coax you away. He brings false
doctrine and strife in the church.
Check everyone and everything they say by
the Word of God. The deceiver
will come dressed in sheep's clothing, Matthew
7:15 He plants doubt and fear
wherever he goes.
The devil is the very one who brings in the "feel good"
religion.
Beware, he is a destroyer, he appealed to Eve's
flesh and destroyed her. The
flesh
is at war with the Spirit. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE FLESH. (discoverrevelation.com)
Appropriately enough, this is the very middle verse of
the Book of Revelation, and the event
it describes marks again the middle of the tribulation
period. The repetition of the names and
titles of the wicked one in this verse is striking – the
great dragon, that old serpent, the Devil,
Satan. There can surely be no doubt as to his
identity. The old serpent in Genesis is the great
dragon in Revelation, as well as the Satan who tested Job
and the Devil who tempted Christ.
He is the great enemy of God and of God’s people
through the ages. He often appears deceptively
as an angel of light and a minister of righteousness (II
Corinthians 11:14-15), but he is really a
hissing snake, and a fiery dragon, and a devouring lion (I
Peter 5:8). Note especially the amazing
assertion that he has been the deceiver of the whole
world. Educated and ignorant, king and
pauper, male and female, Jew and Gentile, strong and weak,
young and old, black and white –
all are deceived by him. All the world’s
high-sounding philosophies, conceived ever so brilliantly
by profound thinkers –whether pragmatism,
idealism, gnosticism, determinism, hedonism,
materialism, transcendentalism, existentialism,
deism, or any of countless
others, and regardless
of the eminence of the geniuses with whose names they
are associated – Aristotelianism, Platonism,
Hegelianism, Marxism, Maoism. Confucianism,
Buddhism, Kantianism, Freudianism – all are
man-originated, man-centered, and man-honoring, rather than God-originated, God-centered, and
God-honoring. They are all merely varieties of humanism, rather than theism,
exalting man rather
than God and thus helping to
carry out Satan’s attempt to dethrone God. Furthermore, they are all
based on a denial of God’s Word as supreme – true and
final. They assert man’s reason in judgment
upon God’s Word. “Yea, hath God said . . . ?”
(Genesis 3:1) was Satan’s first deception, as
he tempted Eve, and he has followed the same procedure
ever since. If he can persuade men to
question, to doubt, to modify, to allegorize, to compromise
God’s Word, and then finally to
disobey, reject, and destroy God’s Word, he will thereby defeat
God’s purposes in creation,
and God Himself will then no more be God. But how can he thus deceive the whole world
into
rejecting God’s Word and believing the lie of humanism?
The answer, clearly, is by persuading
men that God is not the ultimate reality, and that the
universe itself is the only eternal entity.
Space, time, matter, energy, motion – these are the
only eternal absolutes, and all other systems
(organic or inorganic, cosmic
or atomic, physical or spiritual) are in a perpetual state of
evolutionary flux, ever changing and always relative. Thus all the beliefs and philosophies
of men are humanistic philosophies, denying the
absolutes of God and His Word, and all
humanism is based on the grand deception of
evolutionism. Small wonder that all religions
and philosophies of men, ancient or modern, naïve or
sophisticated, are fundamentally
evolutionary systems, the only exceptions being those based on
God’s word, the Bible.
The Devil has effectively deceived the whole world,
therefore, utilizing the same monstrous
deception with which he has deceived himself. He
apparently believes, that, since matter is
the only ultimate reality, rather than the God who
claimed to have created him, he can
somehow succeed in dethroning God and placing himself on
God’s throne. This is THE
CONFLICT OF THE AGES!
(The Revelation
Record – Henry Morris)
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.” And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven. The “great
voice” is characteristic of all the heavenly utterances (compare
ch.5:2; 6:1, 10;
16:17, etc.). The personality of the speaker is not indicated.
From the following chorus the voice would seem to
proceed from many
inhabitants of heaven. Now is
come salvation, and strength, and the
kingdom of our God, and
the power of His Christ; the salvation and the
power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His
Christ
(Revised Version). The Revised Version marginal reading may also be
noticed, Now is the salvation… become our God’s, and the
authority [is
become] His Christ’s. The
heavenly inhabitants celebrate the triumphant
confirmation of God’s supremacy, which has been vindicated by the defeat
and
expulsion of the rebellious hosts. “The salvation of God” (σωτηρία –
sotaeria ) is that which proceeds from Him; that salvation which belongs to
God as its Author; compare ch. 7:10; 19:1.
“The authority of his
Christ” is first manifested in heaven; Satan is cast down to the
earth, and
here again at a subsequent epoch the authority of Christ is
displayed, and
another victory won over the devil. This seems to be the
conclusion of the
heavenly song. As before stated (see on v. 7), the three and a half
verses
now
concluded seem to relate to a period previous
to the creation of the
world. It seems equally
probable that the following two and a half verses
refer to those earthly martyrs and suffering Christians for whom
this book
is
specially written. These two views can be reconciled by supposing the
song of the heavenly voice to cease at the word “Christ” (v. 10); and
then the writer adds words of his own, as if he would say, “The cause of
the
victorious song which I have just recited was the fact that the devil was
cast down, the same who is constantly accusing (ὁ κατηγορῶν
– ho kataegoron –
the accuser) our brethren.
But they (our brethren) overcame him, and valued not
their lives, etc. Well may ye heavens
rejoice over your happy lot, though it means
woe to the earth for a short time.” For the accuser of our brethren is cast
down, which accused them
before our God day and night. The one
accusing them (ὁ κατηγορῶν
); not the past tense. Satan does not cease
to
accuse, though he may not do so with effect,
since he may be overcome
by the “blood of the Lamb.” The heavenly beings
are henceforth beyond his
reach. He can yet accuse men — our brethren —
says John; but even
here his
power is limited by the victory of THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION
OF CHRIST referred
to in v. 5. “Accuser” (κατηγορῶν) is found in א, B, C,
P,
Andreas, Arethas. The form κατήγωρ – kataegor - found in A, is
rather the Targumic
and
rabbinic corruption of the word קטיגור, than the Greek word itself.
“Of our brethren,” the saints and martyrs (see above); “is cast down” (or,
“was cast down”) from heaven.
The words salvation, strength (δύναμις - dunamis - power),
kingdom, and ἐξουσία –
exousia - authority)
all refer to the coming of the millennial
He (the devil) is tossed out once and for
all time. His day is over. The last half of
the Tribulation will be a time of terrible
trouble on earth (Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:27; 12:1;
Zephaniah 1:15; Matthew 24:15-22). It will
be Satan's final attempt to prevent the return
and the reign of Christ. He has only a short
time to try to prevent the establishment of
Christ's kingdom so his wrath intensifies
of his persecution of
(discoverrevelation.com)
When the heavens are finally cleansed of all the
demonic powers and Satan himself is gone, this
will be the signal for a glad cry of victory from all the
multitudes assembled at the throne in the
heavens. Probably this very throne will have been the
objective of the attack by hell’s angels,
since it was this throne that Satan coveted, but now it is
fully secure and the attacking hosts are
gone. The coming of God’s kingdom and the reign of
Christ, already celebrated a number of
times by the redeemed throng in heaven, is again the object
of their thankful praise. A special
object of thanksgiving is the fact that Satan no longer will
have personal access to God, which
privilege he has abused for ages by continual accusations
against the redeemed. Of course,
when such accusations are made (no doubt often justified
in part, though probably also
distorted and magnified), the Lord Jesus Christ is our
intercessor and advocate (Hebrews
7:25; I John 2:1), and His blood is a perpetual
offering and cleansing agent for our sins
(i
John 1:7, 2:2). Nevertheless, Satan’s repeated presence and disturbing
charges against
fellow believers still on earth constitute an intensive
irritant in heaven, and great will be
the exultation when he is finally deposed completely. (The Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
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.”
And they overcame
him (compare
the frequent references to those
who
overcome, and the promises made to them, Revelation 2.; 3.; 21:7,
etc.).
The reference “they” is to “our
brethren,” the accused ones of v.10.
By the blood of
the Lamb; because of the blood, etc.
(Revised
Version). That is, “the blood of
the Lamb” is the ground or reason of their
victory, not the instrument. So in ch.1:9, “I John… was in the
island called
because of the word)”
(compare ch.6:9). “The Lamb,” who was
seen “as
it had
been slain” (ch.5:6) — Christ. And by the word of their testimony; and on
account of the word, etc. The one phrase is the natural complement of the other.
“The blood of the Lamb” would have been shed in vain without the testimony,
the
outcome
of the faith of his followers; that testimony
would have been impossible
without the shedding of the blood. And they loved not their lives unto
the death; their life even
unto death. That is, they valued not their
life in
this world, even to the extent of
meeting death for the sake of giving their
testimony. There is no
article in the Greek, merely ἄχρι θανάτον – achri thanaton
–
until death - so also in the same phrase in Acts 22:4. The article of the
Authorized
Version in Acts 22:4 is probably derived from
present passage, from Tyndale’s.
Victory is Theirs - Thank God that His Word does not leave
the story of the Tribulation
saints with their earthly demise, but loudly
proclaims their ultimate victory
through the
blood of the Lamb. The "they" here are the
Christians. When Jesus shed His blood on
You can see here the word of our testimony
is when we open our mouths and declare
that we believe Jesus Christ is Lord, and also
believe He rose from the grave; we will
be saved. We must proclaim this, even if we
know it will mean our life. We
are not to
regard life here on this earth as very
valuable. The life that is important is in heaven.
(Matthew 19-21 – CY – 2015) This
world is not the Christian's home. WE ARE
JUST PASSING THROUGH! (discoverrevelation.com)
The saints at the throne in heaven gladly
give their witness to the faithfulness of the suffering
saints who had just lately been experiencing
demonic persecution on earth and satanic
accusation in heaven. As always, victory over
sin and Satan had been achieved by the two-edged
sword of faith and confession. The blood
of the Lamb had been the necessary and sufficient price
of their forgiveness and redemption, and
they had believed and received this in their hearts. But
that same Redeemer had also said they must
confess this faith openly on earth, thus proving it to
be genuine faith, before He would confess
them as His own to His Father at the throne in heaven
(Matthew 10:32-33). This is the testimony of many Scriptures.
(Romans 10:9).
O
Lord, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with
meekness and fear”
(I Peter 3:15).
Furthermore these tribulation saints (like
many others through the ages) had maintained their
inward faith and outward testimony even in the
face of martyrdom. Satan’s slanders against the
saints become hollow (as did his accusations
against Job) and empty when they prove the
genuineness of their faith even in the presence of
opposition and ridicule, of suffering and death.
(The Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
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.”
Therefore rejoice,
ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them;
O heavens (Revised
Version). Κατοικοῦντες – katoikountes - that dwell, is read in
א, 26, 29, 30, 31, 98, Andreas, Vulgate, Primasius,
Memphitie, Armenian.
The Revisers have followed the common reading of σκηνοῦντες – skaenountes -
tabernacled, which is found in the majority of manuscripts. There is no sense of
transitoriness in John’s use of σκηνόω – skaenoo – dwell -
rather one of repose and
tranquillity (compare ch.7:15). Κατασκηνοῦντες – kataskaenountes is found in C.
So in ch.13:6 the abiding place of God is
called his tabernacle. These are the words
of
the writer (see on v. 10). The cause for this rejoicing has been given
in v. 9; the
devil having been cast out, those in heaven enjoy absolute
immunity from
all
harm which he can work. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of
the sea! Woe for the earth
and for the sea! (Revised
Version). A few cursives
give τοῖς κατοίκουσιν tois katoikousin - to the dwellers. The influence of the
devil works woe to the whole world — to the human inhabitants,
to the
animal and vegetable life of the earth which was cursed for man’s
sake (compare
Genesis 3:17). For
the devil is come down unto you, having great
wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time; or, came
down (aorist). “A short season” (καιρός – kairos) in which to exist in the world.
His wrath, kindled by his ejection from heaven, is
the greater because of
the
comparative shortness of his reign on earth. This “short season” is the
period of the world’s existence from the advent of Satan till the
final
judgment. It is short in
comparison with eternity, and it is frequently thus
described in the New Testament (Romans 9:28; I Corinthians 7:29; and
here, ch.3:11, etc.). It is the “little time” of ch. 6:11; the “little season” of
ch.20:3, during which Satan must be loosed. Here ends the
digression
descriptive of the struggle in heaven before the creation of the world,
and
the
following verses take up and continue the narrative which was interrupted
after v. 6.
Here we Christians are told to look up and
rejoice when we see terrible things happening,
because our redemption draweth
nigh. (Luke 21:28) The devil, even now,
is in an all out
push to destroy the church as it used to be
fifty years ago. He realizes his time is running out,
and he is working on the believers, trying to convert them to his way. His
scheme is to tell
us not to be a radical Christian. He is
trying to make us not take God real seriously. He
doesn't mind going to most churches, because he hears very little pure Word of
God and
no sermons on the blood. Watering down Jesus
is one of his favorite tools to destroy the
church. It will be Satan's final attempt to
prevent the return and the reign of Christ. He
has only a short time to try to prevent the
establishment of Christ's kingdom. Therefore
he has great wrath and intensifies his
persecution of
setting up his own counterfeit kingdom through
the Beast, the false messiah.
(discoverrevelation.com)
While all those who have been translated to heaven can
experience great joy at Satan’s
final exile from heaven, it will be a great woe for those
on earth. Those who are already
believers there, both Jews and Gentiles (as well as those
Bible-believing Israelites who
have yet to acknowledge Christ) will undergo the most
severe persecutions to which
Satan and his angels can subject them, seeking either
to slay them in his bitter resentment
and wrath or at least to eliminate their usefulness to
God on earth. All the other inhabitants
of earth he knows must be organized quickly into a
massive army against God. His angelic
hosts have proven insufficient, but there may be the one
last chance that these can be
supplemented with the two billion or more ungodly men and women
still left on earth.
It is a foolish and desperate hope, but it is all he
has. Furthermore, he well knows that
God’s calendar has only allowed him another forty-two
months, so his time is running out.
The inhabitants of the earth and sea must be quickly
sealed in their own rejection of God,
both to assure his control over them and to cheat God of
any further souls for His kingdom.
But who are the “inhabiters of the sea?” Actually the words “the inhabiters
of” do not
appear in the oldest manuscripts, though they are in the
received text. However, the
pronouncement of woe on the land and sea merely in their physical
structures would
seem pointless, so that their inhabitants are at least
included by implication. In any case,
it is likely that the term applies to the not
inconsiderable number of people who spend
most of their time on the sea (fishermen, merchant seamen,
navy personnel, houseboat
dwellers). Both boat people and land dwellers are the
objects of Satan’s wrathful
purposes. This is the pronouncement of the third “woe”
(compare Revelation 8:13; 9:14).
Satan’s wrath and the sounding of the seventh trumpet
both persist throughout the entire
second half of the tribulation. This verse is the
middle verse, not of the entire Book of
Revelation (v. 9), but
of chapters 4 through 19, which are the chapters comprising the
tribulation period. (The
Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
13 “And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth,
he
persecuted the woman which brought
forth the man child.”
(For an explanation
of the characters here alluded to, see on the previous verses.)
The devil, defeated in his attempts against God in heaven,
and foiled in his
attack upon the man child — Christ Jesus (see v. 5), now
directs his
efforts against the woman — the Church. The interpretation
must not be
confined to one peculiar form of evil which assails the Church, but
must
include all — the bodily persecutions with which those to whom
John
wrote were afflicted, the heresies which arose in the Church,
the
lukewarnmess of her members (ch.3:16), and all others.
No longer able to combat his enemies in
heaven, either human or angelic, Satan will seek to
vent his wrath on
with
will instruct his man of sin to seek to
destroy the Jews when they refuse. The
Jewish people
have been persecuted longer than any other
nation in history, and this last persecution will
have the purpose of their complete and final
destruction. God, however, will once again
intervene on their behalf, and they will be
protected there in their place in the wilderness.
Furthermore, God will use this time for
intensive instruction and reconciliation with His
ancient people, preparing them to receive the
Lord Jesus as their Messiah and Savior
when He comes to the earth again at the end of
their three-and-a-half year exile:
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and
bring her into the wilderness, and speak
comfortably unto her. . . . And I will betroth
thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth
thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment,
and in lovingkindness and in mercies. . . .
and I will say to them which were not my
people, Thou art my people; and they shall say,
Thou art my God” (Hosea 2:14-23). (The Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
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.”
And to the woman
were given two wings of a great eagle.
“The two wings of the great eagle” is found in most
authorities, though a
omits both the articles. The symbol of the eagle is a common one
in the
Old Testament, and this may
account for the presence of the article. The
escape of the Jewish Church from the power of Pharaoh, and her
preservation in the wilderness, are referred to under a like figure
(see
Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:11, “Ye have seen what I did unto
the Egyptians, and
how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto
myself”). The natural enmity between the eagle and the serpent is alluded
to. “The two wings” may typify the Old and New
Testaments, by the authority
of
which the Church convicts her adversaries, and by which she is supported
during her period of conflict with the devil. That she might fly into the
wilderness, into her place.
The reference to the flight of
is
still carried on. “Her place” is the “place
prepared of God” (v. 6). The Church,
though in the world, is not
of the world (see on v. 6). Where
she is nourished
for
a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. Still the
history of
wilderness, so the
The redundant δπον ἐκεῖ - dron ekei - where there, follows
the analogy of the
Hebrew (see on v. 6). “The time, times,
and half a time,” is the period elsewhere
described as 42 months, 1260 days, 3.5 years. It
denotes the period of the existence
of this world (see on ch.11:2). The expression is taken from Daniel
7:25; 12:7.
By this verse and v. 6 is established the identity of the
two expressions — 1260 days,
and
the time, times, and half a time (i.e. one year + two years +
half a year). The plural
καιροί - kairoi - is used for “two times,”
as no dual occurs in the Greek of the New
Testament. The construction (τρέφεται ἀπὸ
προσώπου τοῦ ὄφεως – trephetai apo
prosopou
tou opeos - , nourished from the
face of the serpent), is built upon the
analogy of the Hebrew. The
“serpent” is the “dragon” of v. 13 (compare v. 9, “the
great dragon, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan”). The two words are
used as convertible terms (compare v. 17, where he is again called “the dragon”).
The wings of a great eagle represent swift
escape from persecution. The eagle in many
instances in the Bible is symbolic of God. I
believe, it means that God will protect us
in the midst of the problems. This I believe
is what the "sealing of the believers" is all
about. That phrase comes from Daniel 12:11.
This refers to the second half of the
Tribulation which begins
by the abomination of desolation. In Matthew 24:15 Jesus said
"When ye therefore shall see the
abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth,
let him understand)."
During this time, God protects
are hiding, but will be unable to get at them
because of GOD’S DIVINE PROTECTION!
(discoverrevelation.com)
The urgency of the woman’s flight is
reiterated here. In order to escape the wrath of the beast,
she required special help, “two
wings of a great eagle.” The meaning of this figure is not clear
except that it implies MIRACULOUS HELP! There is probably an allusion to Exodus
19:4.
“Ye
have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings,
and brought
you unto myself.” In this case, the figure certainly
refers to the many miracles by which the Lord
brought
I show unto him marvelous things.” Micah 7:15; see also Zechariah 14:3 – CY – 2015)
Once the woman reaches her place prepared by God, she
will be “nourished” (same word as
“feed” in v. 6), and this no doubt will also
require miraculous provision. The duration
(“time and times and half a time”) is
clearly the same period as the 1,260 days of v. 6.
The use of this unusual terminology here
is probably for the purpose of tying it in to Daniel
7:25 and 12:7, where the same terminology
appears, also referring to the second half of the
tribulation. The
woman is nourished in the very “face of the serpent.” Try as
he will Satan
is unable to reach and destroy the woman in
the wilderness.
(The Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
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.”
cast out of his mouth after the woman water as a river… carried
away by the river. A flood,
in the Old Testament, has several significations.
It frequently expresses overwhelming misfortune. Thus Psalm
69:15,
“Let not the waterflood overflow
me;” Psalm 90:5, “Thou carriest
them
away as with a flood”
(compare also Daniel 9:26; 11:22; Isaiah 59:19;
Jeremiah 46:7; Amos 9:5, etc.). The flood is typical
of every form
of
destruction with which the devil seeks to overwhelm the
At the period of the writing of the Apocalypse, it plainly
symbolized the
bitter persecutions to which Christians were subjected; but its
meaning
need not be limited to this one form of destruction. Thus all those writers
are
correct, so far as they go, who interpret the flood of the Mohammedan
power, of heresy, of the Gothic invasion, etc.
The flood symbolizes overwhelming evil and
persecution. This imagery symbolizes
trouble in general. Satan's forces will sweep
towards the Jew's hiding place like a
great flood so as to be drown, killed or
consumed by them. (discoverrevelation.com)
The most probable meaning of the sign is that of an
overwhelming army dispatched by the beast,
as instigated by the serpent. This would be
the obvious reaction of the irate dictator when the
Jews suddenly flee
figure of speech in the Old Testament. For example,
when the Egyptian armies came against
and he saith, I will go up, and
will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants
thereof”
(Jeremiah 46:8). Note also Jeremiah 47:2 and Daniel 11:26. Whatever the
meaning of the
figure, Satan will mount what would seem to be an invincible
attack against the godly remnant of
flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard
against him” (Isaiah
59:19). “If it had not been
the Lord who was on our side, now may
stream had gone over our soul; Then the proud waters had
gone over our soul, Blessed be the Lord,
who hath not given us a prey to their teeth” (Psalm 124:1-6). (The Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
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.”
swallowed up the river (Revised
Version). “The earth”
frequently, but not invariably, in the Revelation signifies “the
wicked.” It is
doubtful, therefore, how far the figure here employed should be
pressed.
What is certain is that the writer intends to express the
idea that the Church
is preserved in a wonderful and even miraculous way from the efforts of
the devil. Further than this we cannot proceed safely. Possibly we
may see
in
the passage an allusion to the world embracing Christianity, by which the
instrument of Satan’s ill will became a defense to the Church; though
an
earlier period and earlier deliverances seem more likely to be
intended
(such as the conversion of Paul);
for after endeavoring to destroy the
woman at one stroke, the dragon proceeds to war with her seed.
The
words recall another incident in the history of the
and
his company; though, of course, the nature of the incidents is not the
same in both cases.
With all his wrath and all his cleverness
and all his power, the old dragon
cannot reach one who is under God’s protection,
for “greater
is He that is
in you, than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4). The overflowing horde
of men and weapons sent after the Jews in
the wilderness by the beast
(if that, indeed,
is what the river from the serpent’s mouth depicts),
though infinitely superior to the unarmed
refugees in might, is utterly
unable to conquer them or even to reach
them. A great chasm will open
in the earth, already trembling and unstable
from the worldwide earth
movements of the tribulation period, and swallow
them up. Such a terrestrial
miracle is quite appropriate in the
context. The whole situation is analogous
to the pursuit of the children of
When the Egyptian armies were drowned in
the
deliverance in these words: “Thou stretchest
out thy right hand, the earth
swallowed them” (Exodus 15:12). Whatever the exact fulfillment of this
prophecy may entail, it is calamitous and devastating to the purposes of the
beast and the dragon. By the same token, their miraculous
deliverance and
sustenance will be traumatically persuasive to the
Jewish men and women,
trembling in their place of refuge. “As
I live, saith the Lord God, surely with
a mighty hand, and with a stretched out
arm, and with fury poured out, will
I rule over you: . . . And I will bring
you into the wilderness of the people, and
there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I
pleaded with your fathers
in the wilderness of the
And I will cause you to pass under the
rod, and I will bring you into the bond of
the covenant” (Ezekiel 20:33-37). As the
forty years in the wilderness prepared the
people of
years in the wilderness will make them ready to
receive Christ and enter the glorious
kingdom age of the millennium. But, although this Jewish remnant is to be the
nucleus
of the millennial
believers) still scattered around in all the
nations of the world. These are also of
concern both to the dragon and to the Lord. (The Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
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.”
And the dragon was
wroth with the woman, and went to
make war with the
remnant of her seed; waxed wroth… went
away to
make, etc. (Revised
Version). Having failed to prevent the mission of the
man child — Christ Jesus — and having been foiled in his
attempts to
overwhelm the
members of the Church — the seed of the woman. The method by which
he
endeavors to do this is related in the following chapters. The “rest of
her seed” (Revised Version) signifies all the children of the woman,
excluding the man child of v. 5. All members of the
thus
referred to, those who are brethren of Christ (compare Hebrews 2:11,
“For which cause
he is not ashamed to call them brethren”).
Which keep
the commandments of
God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ
(nearly all manuscripts omit
“Christ”); hold the testimony (Revised
Version). This plainly points out who are the “rest of the
seed” — they are
those who are God’s faithful
servants. We may see in the
description a
reference to the
of
the Jewish Church were they to whom “the commandments
of God”
were specially revealed, and Christians are they who specially “hold the
testimony of Jesus.” (For
an explanation of the latter phrase, see on ch.1:2.)
.We have now reached another stage in the history of the
warfare carried on
by
the devil against God.
to destroy it as a whole, before there was time for the “seed” to spring
up.
Having failed in every attempt, the dragon now sends other agents by whom he
hopes to destroy the individual
members of the Church — the other seed of the
woman — the brethren of Christ.
This is likened to the army of Pharaoh's
when all of his chariots were destroyed in Exodus 15.
Verse 12 states: You stretched out your right
Hand, the earth swallowed them."
This really angers Satan. He cannot get to
Jesus, as we said before, so he is venting his
anger on the followers of Jesus. Notice here
that there is only a remnant left that has not
fallen for the devils false doctrine. A remnant
means a very small portion that is left.
You see here, that this
small portion (remnant) of Christians are still keeping God's
commandants, and even though the opposition has been
great, they still have given the
testimony of Jesus Christ. These two names (Jesus,
Christ) together mean The
Savior,
the Anointed One. The remnant may be a reference either to:
(discoverrevelation.com)
When the dragon cannot reach the woman herself
(and certainly he can no longer touch the true
seed, Jesus Christ), he will direct his full wrath against
“the
remnant of her seed.” Thus, his age-long
vendetta against “the
seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15) will continue right to the very end of
the
age and his final incarceration in the lake of fire. When
the Jews flee
at the midpoint of the tribulation, there will
undoubtedly be many who remain behind. Some will
prefer compromise, some will be unaware of the danger or
ignorant of the Scriptures, and some
will simply be unable to flee for one reason or
another. In any case, there will be considerable
numbers of Israelis who will continue to live in
also are referred to in a number of biblical
prophecies. Furthermore, there will still be many
Israelites in other nations,
and these too are included in the prophecies.
All of these will
undergo severe persecution at the end-times, by
virtue of being Jews, and for refusing the
mark of the beast. It is
remarkable that such a small and apparently insignificant nation as
could be the focus of so much attention and concern from
all the great nations of the world.
It is equally remarkable that the Israelites who have
been scattered around the nations of the
world for thousands of years still retain their national
identity and still feel that the land of
Jewry. In the imminent prophetic future, as already
discussed (Chapter 6) is the invasion of
western alliance (NATO and the Common Market) into a state of
world preeminence. Even
then, attention will still center on
also as the beast, the man of sin, the Antichrist, the
final world dictator before the triumph of
Christ) will make his seven-year treaty with
have returned to
wherever they are, the beast will seek to persecute them, and God will thereby chastise them, in
hopes they can be delivered from their
unbelief and finally brought to acknowledge the
Lord Jesus as their Messiah and Savior. Many Scriptures deal with their great tribulation and
final restoration. For example, Jeremiah says: “For,
lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will
bring again the captivity of my people
return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they
shall possess it. . . . Alas! for that day is
great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of
Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. . . .
For I am with thee, saith
the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither
I
have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct
thee in measure,
and will not leave thee altogether
unpunished” (Jeremiah 30:3-11). Note
also many other
Scriptures to this effect (Leviticus 26:40-45;
Deuteronomy 30:1-5; Isaiah 11:10-16; 27:6-13;
Jeremiah 23:3-8; 31:7-11;
32:37-41; (I reccommend Jeremiah ch. 23 v. 6 – Jehovah Tsidkenu –
Names of God by Nathan Stone – this website – CY – 2015) Ezekiel 34:11-16; 36:22-28;
and
Daniel 12:1). In fact, great portions of the
books of the Old Testament prophets, especially Isaiah,
deal with the sufferings and promised blessings of the
scattered remnants of
period. Apparently
there will also be many Gentiles in the nations of the world who will become
believers during this period. Ch. 7:9-14 speaks of a
great multitude from all nations who come out of
the great tribulation and will then be martyred during
its second half. Some will survive, however, and
will constitute the remnant who will populate the
millennial world when Christ returns. All of these,
also, are included among the seed of the woman, with whom
the dragon will engage in mortal
combat during the last three-and-a-half years – the Great Tribulation.
It is these who “keep
the
commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ.” The old serpent – as well as the
beast, the serpent’s seed, and all his other
multitudes of demonic followers and human spiritual
progeny – hate these people with diabolic passion,
making war on them in unremitting intensity
and ferocity. But despite all
such persecutions, they love not their lives unto death, maintaining
“the testimony
of Jesus Christ” and seeking to “keep the commandments of God.” Some
modern
Christians, who carry dispensational distinctions to
an extreme, would suggest that keeping God’s
commandments somehow mitigates against a testimony for Christ and
salvation by grace, but these
tribulation saints certainly find the two
compatible, even in the most difficult circumstances that
godly men and women will ever have to endure. (The Revelation Record – Henry Morris)
"Excerpted text Copyright AGES
Library, LLC. All
rights reserved.
Materials are reproduced by
permission."
This material can be found at:
http://www.adultbibleclass.com
If this exposition is helpful, please share with
others