The War (Revelation 12:1–17)
The final battles of Satan’s long war against God are yet to be fought. They will take place in the future, during the last half of the seven-year tribulation period, the time Jesus called the great tribulation (Matthew 24:21). At that time Satan, aided by the absence of the raptured church and the presence of increased demon hordes (9:1–11), will mount his most desperate assaults against God’s purposes and His people. But despite the savage fury with which those assaults will be carried out, they will not succeed. Jesus will effortlessly crush Satan and his forces (19:11–21) and send him to the abyss for the duration of the millennial kingdom (20:1–2). After leading a final rebellion at the close of the millennium, Satan will be consigned to eternal punishment in the lake of fire (20:3, 7–10).
In describing that final war, the inspired apostle John first introduces the main characters involved in it: the woman (Israel), the dragon (Satan), and the male child (Jesus Christ).
THE CHARACTERS OF THE WAR (12:1–6)
The Woman
"A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth." (Rev. 12:1–2)
The first thing John saw in this vision was “a great sign,” the first of seven signs in the last half of Revelation (12:3; 13:13, 14; 15:1; 16:14; 19:20). The Greek word for “great” appears repeatedly in this vision (verses 3, 9, 12, 14). Everything John saw seemed to be huge either in size or in significance. This “sign” describes a symbol that points to a reality. In this case, the description plainly shows that the woman John saw was not an actual woman. Also, the reference to “the rest of her children,” those “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (verse 17), shows that this woman is a symbolic mother.
The woman is the second of four symbolic women identified in Revelation. The first, though an actual woman, had the symbolic name Jezebel (2:20). and represented paganism. The third, depicted as a harlot, appears in 17:1–7. She represents the apostate church. The fourth woman (19:7–8) is the bride of the Lamb and represents the true church. Some argue that the woman in this present vision represents the church also, but as the context makes clear, she represents Israel. The Old Testament also pictures Israel as a woman (Jeremiah 3:1, 20; Ezekiel 16:32–35; Hosea 2:2) whom God will ultimately restore to Himself (Isaiah 50:1). A reference to the ark of the covenant (11:19) adds further support for identifying the woman as Israel.
John saw that the woman was “clothed with the sun, and had the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” That fascinating description reflects Joseph’s dream (Genesis 37:9–11). That the woman was clothed with the sun reflects redeemed Israel’s unique glory and exalted status as God’s chosen nation. It also links her with Jacob (the sun in Joseph’s dream), an heir in the Abrahamic covenant. The reference to the moon under her feet may be a further description of Israel’s exalted status. It could also include the concept of God’s covenantal relationship with Israel, since the moon was part of the cycle of Israel’s required times of worship (Numbers 29:5–6; Nehemiah 10:33; Psalm 81:3; Isaiah 1:13–14; Colossians 2:16). The crown of twelve stars on the woman’s head refers to the twelve tribes of Israel.
Having described the woman’s attire, John noted that she was with child. That also is familiar imagery describing Israel (Isaiah 26:17–18; 66:7–9; Jeremiah 4:31). Being pregnant, the woman cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. Just like a pregnant woman in labor feels pain, so the nation of Israel was in pain, waiting for Messiah to come forth. The cause of some of the pain is the persecution by Satan, who attempts to destroy the mother.
The Dragon
"Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child." (Rev. 12:3–4)
With the second sign, a new character emerges. Verse 9 clearly identifies the great red dragon as Satan (cf. 20:2). Satan is not an actual dragon, but a fallen angel. The symbolic language used to describe him pictures the reality of his person and character. Only in Revelation is Satan referred to as a dragon. Red, the color of fiery destruction and blood, further stresses Satan’s vicious, deadly nature. Red is a fitting color for the dragon, since he attacks both the woman and her child.
The dragon is further described as having “seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.” He is depicted as a seven-headed monster that rules the world. These represent seven consecutive world empires running their course under Satan’s dominion: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and Antichrist’s future empire (17:9–10). The final kingdom, ruled by Antichrist, will be a ten-nation confederacy. The ten horns represent the kings who will rule under Antichrist (17:12). The shifting of the diadems from the dragon’s heads to the beast’s horns (13:1) reveals the shift in power from the seven consecutive world empires to the ten kings under the final Antichrist.
Satan’s pervasive, evil influence is not limited to the human realm but extends first into the angelic realm. In the picturesque language of John’s vision, the dragon’s tail “swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.” The references to the dragon’s angels in verses 7 and 9 indicate that the stars of heaven are angels.
When Satan fell (Isaiah 14:12–15; Ezekiel 28:12–17), he swept away a third of the angelic host with him. Along with their defeated leader, those evil angels were cast from heaven to the earth. The number of angels who joined Satan in his rebellion is not revealed but is vast. Revelation 5:11 says that the number of the angels around God’s throne numbered “myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands.” Since one-third of the angels fell, and Revelation 9:16 reveals that two hundred million demons will be released from captivity near the Euphrates River, there must be at least four hundred million holy angels.
As the next event in his dramatic vision unfolded, John noted that “the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.” Throughout history, Satan has bent all of his efforts toward persecuting the people of God. Having failed to wipe out the people of God and the messianic line, Satan desperately attempted to murder the Messiah Himself before He could do His saving work. Yet Satan could not defeat the Son of God.
The Male Child
"And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days." (Rev. 12:5–6)
In spite of Satan’s relentless efforts to prevent it, the woman (Israel) gave birth to a son. The incarnation of the male child, the Lord Jesus Christ, “who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3), was the fulfillment of prophecy (e.g., Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Micah 5:2). Israel brought forth the Messiah. Satan could not stop Christ from accomplishing redemption and therefore being exalted to the right hand of the Father as a perfect Savior.
But though he is a defeated foe, Satan will not give up. Unable to stop Christ, Satan still assaults His people. During the tribulation, Satan will increase his efforts to destroy the Jewish people, so that the nation cannot be saved as the Bible promises (Zechariah 12:10–13:1; Romans 11:25–27). So that none might be left alive to enter the millennial kingdom, he will seek to kill believing Jews. In a brief glimpse of what will be described more fully in verses 13–17, John noted that “the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” God will frustrate Satan’s attempt to destroy Israel during the tribulation by hiding His people, just as the Lord Jesus Christ predicted (Matthew 24:15–21).
