Revelation 12:1-17

From Now to the End of Time

Revelation

Ian Mackervoy

Chapter 12

War in heaven and on the earth - Revelation 12:1-14

The woman and the *dragon - Revelation 12:1-6

v1 And a great sign appeared in the sky. There was a woman, whose dress was the sun. The moon was under her feet. She had a crown of 12 stars on her head. v2 She was expecting the birth of a child. She cried out with the pain because she would soon give birth. v3 Then there was another sign in the sky. It was a great red *dragon. It had 7 heads and 10 *horns. There was a crown on each head. v4 With his tail, he swept a third of the stars out of the sky. And he threw them down to the earth. Then the *dragon stood in front of the woman who was ready to give birth to a child. The *dragon intended to eat the baby as soon as it was born. v5 Then the woman gave birth to a son, a male child. This son will rule over all the nations. He will be strict and he will have total authority over all people. But someone seized the child and took him to God and to his *throne. v6 The woman ran away from the *dragon. She went into the desert. God had prepared a place for her there. Those who were there will look after her for 1260 days.

Verses 1-2 The events that follow the seventh (7th) *trumpet include the 7 last troubles. These are in Chapter s 15 and 16. In Chapter s 12 to 14, John wrote about events that happen before those troubles.

John saw a great sign in the sky. In other words, he saw a series of strange pictures. And these pictures had a meaning.

The action was in the sky and on the earth. It was not in heaven where God lives. John saw a woman who was ready to give birth to a son. John described her in a strange way. He wrote that her dress was the sun. The moon was beneath her feet. She wore a crown. And there were 12 stars in her crown.

Joseph had a dream (Genesis 37:9-11). In that dream, he saw the sun, the moon and 11 stars. The sun meant Jacob who was also called *Israel. The moon meant Jacob’s wife. The stars meant Joseph’s brothers. The 12 *tribes of *Israel came from Joseph and his brothers. So, the woman whom John saw meant the nation called *Israel.

The woman cried out because of the pains of birth. The Christ would be born into the nation called *Israel.

Verse 3 The next sign that John saw was a great red *dragon. The *dragon had 7 heads and 10 *horns. Each head had a crown on it. This is a description of the last great world government. It will be a *kingdom that unites 10 separate *kingdoms (Daniel 7:7-8; Daniel 7:24). At the same time, the *dragon means someone in particular. The person who gives power to that *kingdom is *Satan. So, the great red *dragon means *Satan.

Verse 4 John saw the tail of the *dragon sweep the sky. A third of the stars seemed to fall out of the sky. These stars seem to mean *angels. When *Satan became God’s enemy, many *angels supported *Satan. These evil *angels had to leave heaven.

The *dragon waited to kill the child as soon as it was born. When Jesus was born, Herod tried to kill him. This *dragon also failed.

Verse 5 The baby boy was born to the woman. That boy was Jesus. He was born to Mary who belonged to the nation called *Israel. But the woman whom John saw was not Mary. The woman in John’s *prophecy meant the *Jews who believed in the *Lord.

The *Lord Jesus Christ will rule on earth as the king over all the nations. He will be a strong ruler. All people will have to obey him. He will be strict with any who do not obey him.

God sent Jesus with his parents to Egypt. So, Herod failed to kill him. Later Jesus died but God raised him from death. Then, after Jesus rose from death, he went up in a cloud into heaven. He went up to God and to his *throne.

The evil plan of *Satan failed. Jesus defeated *Satan. And Jesus went up to God’s *throne in heaven.

Verse 6 During the last three and a half years, *Satan will try to kill all the *Jews. But God will protect those *Jews who believe in him. He has prepared for them a place of safety.

War in heaven - Revelation 12:7-12

v7 Then there was a war in heaven. Michael and his *angels fought against the *dragon. And the *dragon with his *angels fought against Michael. v8 But the *dragon did not win. He and his *angels could not stay in heaven. v9 Michael and his *angels threw that great *dragon out of heaven. The *dragon means the ancient snake who is called the devil and *Satan. It was *Satan who caused all people to *sin. Michael and his *angels threw *Satan down to the earth with all the *angels who supported him.

v10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven. The voice said, ‘Now our God will save his people. Now he will use his power and rule as king. Now his Christ will have authority over the world because the devil does not now stand in front of our God. He was there day and night and he was accusing the *believers. But the *Lord threw the devil out of heaven. v11 Those who believed overcame the devil because of the blood of the *Lamb. And they defeated him by means of the true words that they spoke as witnesses. They did not love life too much and they were not afraid to die. v12 Therefore, be glad, you inhabitants of heaven. But it will be terrible upon the earth and the sea. The devil has gone down there. And he is very angry. He knows that he does not have much time.’

Verses 7-8 There was a war in heaven. *Satan (the *dragon) and his *angels were on the one side. Michael and his *angels were on the other side.

*Satan used to be an *angel. He had tried to be equal with God. But *Satan failed and so he had to leave heaven. He took with him those *angels who had supported him. But, *Satan was still able to go in and out of heaven. So, this event is his final battle in heaven.

Michael is one of the chief *angels of God. Michael fought against *Satan and defeated him. *Satan and his forces failed in the fight. They could not stay in heaven and they had to leave.

Verse 9 The *dragon means *Satan. He is the devil. He was also the snake that caused people to *sin (Genesis 3:1-7).

Michael threw *Satan and his *angels out of heaven. He threw them down to the earth.

Verse 10 John saw *Satan and his *angels fall from heaven. Then John heard a loud voice in heaven. The voice said that now God would rescue his people. God will use his power and his *kingdom will come. Jesus Christ will soon rule the earth. He will rule on this earth for a thousand years (chapter 20).

Now *Satan could not go to God in heaven. From the start, he had been there day and night.

All the time he accused God’s people of *sin. But now the *Lord threw him out of heaven.

Verse 11 The defeat of *Satan was not merely the work of *angels. Jesus died and he rose again from death. This is how Jesus defeated *Satan.

Those who believed in Jesus Christ overcame *Satan. The blood of the *Lamb had removed all their *sins. So, *Satan had no reason to continue to accuse them. They spoke the truth about God and *Satan had no answer to it. They were willing to die if necessary and they were not afraid of death.

Those who believe in Jesus Christ share in his success. What Jesus achieved, he did for God’s people. This is the defeat of *Satan.

Verse 12 The war in heaven has ended. *Satan has failed. The *Lord has sent *Satan away. Those who live in heaven can be happy.

The *Lord threw the devil down onto the earth. The devil will know that his end is near. He will have a short time when he will continue to work on the earth. He will be angry, fierce and cruel. During this short time, it will be terrible for those who live on the earth.

This short time means the same three and a half years as in verse 6. At the end of that time, Christ will arrest *Satan. Chains will bind *Satan and he will remain in the great hole for a thousand (1000) years.

War on the earth - Revelation 12:13-18

v13 The *dragon realised that God had thrown him down to the earth. So, he began to pursue the woman who had given birth to the boy. v14 The woman received two wings like a large *eagle. Now she could fly to her place in the desert. She will receive there whatever she needs for three and a half years. And the *dragon will not be able to hurt her. v15 Then the *dragon poured water like a river out of his mouth. The *dragon wanted to carry the woman away in the flood. v16 But the earth helped the woman. The earth was like an animal that opened its mouth. So, the earth swallowed the river that the *dragon poured out of his mouth. v17 Then the *dragon was angry with the woman. So, the *dragon went away to fight her other children. They are the people who obey God. They are loyal witnesses of Jesus. v18 And the *dragon stood on the sand by the sea.

Verse 13 The *dragon could not kill the child. God threw the *dragon (*Satan) out of heaven. So, the *dragon turned his attention to the woman. He tried to kill her.

The woman means the true *Jews. They are the *Jews who trust in God. *Satan will oppose them. But God will protect them.

Verse 14 God gave to the woman a pair of wings. They were like the wings of a great *eagle. The *eagle is a very powerful bird. With these wings, the woman escaped from the *dragon.

The *Lord had prepared a place for the woman. It was in the desert. She flew there and she was safe. The *Lord protected her for three and a half years. The *dragon had just three and a half years before Christ would arrest him. The woman was safe for the whole of that period.

This means that the *Lord protects his own people. So, the *Lord will protect until the end the *Jews who trust in him.

The *dragon tried to reach the woman. But he was not able to hurt her.

Verses 15-16 As the woman flew to the desert, the *dragon opened his mouth. He sent a great flood of water after her. If the water had reached her, she would have drowned. But the earth opened up and it swallowed the water. So, the water could not reach the woman. She was safe from the flood.

The devil will pour out all his evil deeds against the *Jews. He will do all that he can to kill all of them. But God will not allow him to succeed. God has promised to rescue his people (called *Israel) in the last days. And God will do the things that he promised to do. God will save *Israel.

Verse 17 The *dragon was angry because he could not reach the woman. So, he went to fight her other children.

Christ came from the *Jews. He, the Son of God, was by birth a *Jew. Those who believed in him did not become *Jews. The children of the woman were both *Jews and those who were not *Jews.

The *dragon could not hurt the *Jews. So, he attacked God’s people who were not *Jews.

God’s people will suffer terrible problems for those three and a half years. Those who believe in Jesus will suffer much. Many of them will die because they believe in Jesus. It will be a terrible time.

Verse 18 The *dragon stood by the sea. He would call up another *beast from the sea. On behalf of the *dragon, this new *beast would lead the fight against God’s people.

dragon ~ an evil creature, a beast. Satan is called the dragon.
creatures ~ Things that are alive. In the Book of Revelation, there are 4 special angels in heaven called creatures.
beast ~ an animal. In this Book of Revelation, the beasts describe Satan, Antichrist and the false prophet.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
angel ~ a servant of God from heaven. God made angels to serve him and to take his messages. So, angels are God’s servants from heaven. But there are evil angels who opposed God. These evil angels now serve the devil.
Antichrist ~ a powerful ruler who imitates and opposes Christ. The Book of Revelation also describes the Antichrist as ‘the beast’. The Antichrist hates Christ. The Bible also refers to many antichrists. These are people who hate Christ like the Antichrist.
prophet ~ person who speaks for God. A prophet can sometimes say what will happen in the future. The Book of Revelation also describes a false prophet. This false prophet speaks on behalf of the Antichrist and Satan.
horns ~ the bones that some animals such as goats and male sheep have on their heads.
throne ~ the special chair for the king or for an important person.
trumpet ~ a musical instrument; it makes a sound when a person blows into it.
Israel ~ the country of the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
tribe ~ a large family from one man. The nation called Israel grew from the 12 sons of Jacob. These 12 families became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israel ~ the country of the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
angel ~ a servant of God from heaven. God made angels to serve him and to take his messages. So, angels are God’s servants from heaven. But there are evil angels who opposed God. These evil angels now serve the devil.
prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things.
lord ~ a title for someone who rules.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. Those who sin are called sinners.
believer ~ a person who believes in Christ.
lamb ~ a young sheep.
Lamb ~ a name for Jesus because he died as a sacrifice for our sin. He is the Lamb of God.
sacrifice ~ the priests killed a special animal and they burned it on an altar. This was to ask God to forgive sins. Jesus died as a sacrifice for our sins.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. Those who sin are called sinners.
altar ~ the special table where priests burned animals and other gifts that they offered to God.
forgive ~ to forgive is to remove sin.
eagle ~ a very large and quick bird.
beast ~ an animal. In this Book of Revelation, the beasts describe Satan, Antichrist and the false prophet.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
Antichrist ~ a powerful ruler who imitates and opposes Christ. The Book of Revelation also describes the Antichrist as ‘the beast’. The Antichrist hates Christ. The Bible also refers to many antichrists. These are people who hate Christ like the Antichrist.
prophet ~ person who speaks for God. A prophet can sometimes say what will happen in the future. The Book of Revelation also describes a false prophet. This false prophet speaks on behalf of the Antichrist and Satan.