THE BOOK OF REVELATION

INTRODUCTION - Revelation 11 made the pronouncement that when Christ ascended into heaven, He took the place of all power and authority by becoming King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 11:15). As we study chapter 12, we are given a fantastic vision filled with the details of Christ's triumphant victory. There are three main characters in Revelation 12, the Woman, who represents the Old Testament church, the Child, who is the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Dragon, who is the Devil. The chapter begins with a description of the war of the ages, as the Church brings forth Christ and the Devil stands by ready to devour Him. Yet Christ is triumphant! He ascends into heaven as the victorious King. In the next part of Revelation 12 we shall see that this triumph was not just an earthly success, but His ascension also initiated a great war in heaven, ending in the casting out of the Devil from heaven.

1) MICHAEL AND THE DRAGON DOING BATTLE - Revelation 12:7 - This war is a direct response to the ascension of Christ. It is because Christ has taken all authority and power that a great war is waged between the forces of heaven and the Devil's horde.

A) THE DESCRIPTION OF MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL - Michael, whose name means "Who is like God?," is mentioned only three times in Scripture. Here we see him as the leader of the hosts of God. In Daniel 10 he is pictured as the prince and protector of God's people. In Jude 9 he is seen contending with Satan over Moses' body, and it is here that he is called an archangel. Some have suggested that Michael is actually a representation or figure of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why Christ? First, the war waged in heaven is undoubtedly between Christ and the Devil. The Lord Jesus is certainly the leader and the war would not take place without Him. Secondly, Michael is pictured as the "prince" of God's people. Also, the only other place where "archangel" is mentioned is I Thessalonians 4:16, where Christ descends with the voice of an archangel. It is possible that Christ is actually "the angel of the Lord", or "Michael", found here in Revelation 12. Whoever he is, Michael is pictured as Captain of the Lord's army.

B) THE DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAGON - Several words are used to describe Satan in this passage. These are names which basically outline the work of the devil in this world. He is a "red dragon" which is the symbol of his beastliness and his involvement in world history and empires. This characteristic will be brought out in great detail in the next chapter. Next, he is called "that serpent of old" bringing to mind Genesis 3 and the fall of man. The devil is the great deceiver of mankind. When the serpent is cast out, we can understand that the fall in the garden has been reversed. The havoc which the devil brought upon mankind has been turned around as Christ has defeated and thrown out the serpent from heaven. Then, he is called the "devil", a name which means false accuser and slanderer. Here he is pictured as the great liar (John 8:44), who loves to misrepresent through lies. He comes to God as the accuser of the people of the Lord. Finally, he is called "Satan" which has the same meaning as "devil." This is the proper name of the devil, again meaning "accuser."

2) THE DEFEAT OF THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS - Revelation 12:4, 7-9 - In verse 4, we are told that the forces of the devil number a third of the stars of heaven. Here are the angels who did not keep their original position. They joined Satan in the rebellion against God. The war takes place in heaven because the Child has ascended to the throne. Up to this point, the devil has had access to heaven, but now it is time to purge heaven of his presence. As the kingdoms of the world have become Christ's, so Satan has become an overthrown enemy, defeated and cast down (note that verse 9 repeats this statement three times in just one verse). This picture of Satan's defeat is an important New Testament theme. When did Satan fall from heaven? How are we to view him today because of that fall? As we read through the New Testament, we see that the fall of Satan began as soon as Christ entered the world. We see at the temptation of Christ the devil being overthrown in his attempts to make Christ sin. The devil promised all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would but bow to him. Yet the Lord would already receive these things as an inheritance from His Father. Then, every time a demon is cast out, we see a picture of the overthrow of Satan. Notice how prominent demon possession is in the Gospels. It is not so prevalent in the Old Testament, nor do we hear much about it in the epistles. Yet when we go to the Gospel accounts, demons are everywhere. This is because Christ is present and the devil has gathered his horde against the Lord. Yet every demonic expulsion had a message behind it - "the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matthew 12:28). Christ proves the presence of God's kingdom through demon expulsion. Whenever Christ is faced with Jewish opposition, we see demonic influence behind it. Christ said to the Jews, "you are of your father the devil" (John 8:44), showing the devil's work behind their rebellion and rejection. Yet perhaps the greatest evidence of Satan's overthrow is in the words of Christ when He saw His own earthly ministry as a casting out of the devil (Luke 10:17-22). Here he says to His disciples, "I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven." Satan's fall began at the coming of Christ and culminated at the Lord's ascension. Christ cast out the devil, made a public spectacle of him, and defeated him thoroughly at the cross (John 12:31; Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14,15). This is what is reflected in Revelation 12.

3) THE WORSHIPFUL RESPONSE TO THE DEVIL'S DOWNFALL - Revelation 12:10-12 - A call to worship is extended to the people of God at the result of Satan's overthrow.

A) THE FALL OF SATAN ESTABLISHES CHRIST AS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS - Verse 10 shows us the great accomplishments involved with the overthrow of Satan. Christ has completed His work of salvation, and with that salvation comes the strength and power of God. The church rejoices in the strength of Christ which is able to overcome sin, save fallen souls, and create them into new creatures in the Lord. Strength and power have come so that we might daily fight our temptations and find victory through Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God has been established with Christ's ascension to the throne.

B) THE FALL OF SATAN DEPOSES THE DEVIL AS THE ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN - The Lord told His disciples that it wasn't so important for them to rejoice over the devil's fall, rather they should rejoice that their names were written in heaven. To have one's name written in heaven meant that one would now be defended by the Lord of heaven. As a child of God, even Satan can no longer bring accusations against you that will stick, for the work of Christ defeats all accusations (Romans 8:1, 33,34). No one can bring a charge against God's elect for Christ has died, risen and ascended for His people. He is the defender and intercessor on our behalf.

C) THE FALL OF SATAN GIVES POWER TO THE CHURCH TO OVERCOME THE WICKED ONE - This is a theme which we will take up in our next study. Yet for now we must understand that with the casting out of Satan the people of God are able to defeat him through the power of Christ and the message of the Gospel. The Christian church has been given this power to tear down the strongholds of the devil. This is why we are called to rejoice in the devil's fall. As Christ has conquered, so we become conquerors in Him!