There are three main figures in Rev. 12: the woman, the man-child, and the great red dragon. Throughout the centuries, there has been war between the woman and the serpent. Actually, the battle has not been fought by the woman, but by the man-child. This chapter covers all the generations from Genesis 3:15 until the end of this age. But it especially gives a more detailed portrait of Satan’s activity during the last three and a half years. This warfare began in Gen. 3:15, and it will consummate in the last three and a half years. The woman with the man-child and the serpent, which has become the great dragon, will fight until the time of the resurrection of the dead overcomers. When all the dead overcomers are resurrected as one entity, the man-child will come into full existence. This single entity, the stronger part of God’s people, will be raptured before the great tribulation, not to the air, but to the throne of God. After the rapture of the man-child, there will be the final three and a half years, or the twelve hundred sixty days.
After the man-child has been raptured to the throne of God, there will be war in the heavens. This indicates that the overcoming saints will exert a great influence upon the coming warfare in the heavens. This war will not begin until the overcoming saints have been resurrected and raptured. After this, there will be war between Satan and his angels and Michael, the archangel, and his angels. (Before Satan fell, he was also an archangel.) After the man-child has been raptured to the throne, there will no longer be any place there for the dragon. Rather, the dragon will be defeated and cast down to the earth. When he comes to earth, the great tribulation will begin. During this period of time, the dragon will do everything possible to damage the man created by God for His purpose. Because up until now God has not yet gained the man-child, He has not had a way to cast Satan from heaven to earth. God needs a corporate man to accomplish this for Him.
The picture in Revelation 12, which concentrates on the last three and a half years, portrays a complete picture of the enmity between the serpent and the woman. When Satan has been cast down to earth, he will cause great damage to the woman, who will still be on earth. In this message we need to consider the great red dragon and his persecution.
Verse 3 says, “And another sign was seen in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.” While the serpent is the subtle one, the dragon is the cruel one.
Verse 3 says that the dragon is great. In Gen. 3, Satan was a serpent, a smaller creature. Here he has become a dragon, much greater than a serpent. Because the serpent has been eating a great deal throughout the centuries, he has been enlarged into a great dragon.
This great dragon is red. Red here signifies the shedding of blood caused by Satan’s murders (John 8:44). Abel was the first martyr murdered by the dragon. In Matt. 23:35 the Lord Jesus spoke of the blood of Abel the righteous. The dragon is not only great because of his eating, but is also red because of his murdering so many overcomers throughout the years.
The great red dragon has seven heads, which are the seven Caesars of the Roman Empire (Rev. 13:1; 17:10-11). When we come to 13:1, we shall see that these seven heads are the heads of the beast and that the beast will not only be the Roman Empire but also Antichrist. In Rev. 17:9-10, we are told that the seven heads are seven Caesars. That the dragon has seven heads, which are the heads of the seven Caesars and of the beast, Antichrist, indicates that the dragon and the beast are one. This means that the seven Caesars of the Roman Empire are the heads of Satan. By this we see that the Roman Empire, especially Antichrist, is the embodiment of Satan.
The dragon also has ten horns. According to Rev. 17:3 and Rev. 17:10, these ten horns will be the ten kings under Antichrist. In the future, the Roman Empire will be restored and will have ten kings. These ten kings equal the ten toes of the great image seen by Nebuchadnezzar in his dream (Dan. 2:42-44). The Roman Empire, like the two legs of this great image, was divided into two sections — the western Roman Empire and the eastern Roman Empire. The ten toes, which are yet to come, will be the ten kings under Antichrist. These ten kings will be the ten horns of the great dragon. This indicates that the Roman Empire, Antichrist, and the ten kings will all be one with Satan.
On the seven heads of the dragon are seven diadems indicating the glory of the seven Caesars’ kingship. All these seven Caesars have an extraordinary kingship. This kingship is their crown. Because the seven Caesars are one with Satan, their crowns are also the crowns of the dragon. Each of these Caesars assumes deity, claims to be God, and forces the people to worship him as God. In doing this, they are one with Satan.
Verse 4 says, “And his tail drags away the third part of the stars of heaven, and he cast them to the earth.” “The stars of heaven” signify the angels (Job 38:7; Isa. 14:12). “The third part of the stars of heaven” should be the fallen angels who followed Satan in his rebellion against God. Satan drags all of them away. After the man-child has been raptured to the heavens, he will no longer tolerate Satan’s presence in the heavens. Then heaven will be cleared up, and Satan will be cast down to the earth. When Satan is cast down to the earth, all the fallen angels will be cast down with him (v. 9). At that time, the earth will be filled with fallen angels who will damage the dwelling place of rebellious man. What a dreadful place it will be! I do not want to be on earth at that time.
Have you noticed that in the word dragon there are the words drag-on? The dragon drags things on. Any dragging in the church life is a sign of the dragon. The dragon not only drags away the angels, but sometimes he drags the saints.
Verse 4 says that “the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bring forth, so that when she brings forth he might devour her child.” That the dragon stood before the woman signifies that Satan is always against the people of God. From the time of Genesis 3:15 to this day, Satan has been continually fighting against the woman with the intention of devouring her child. During the last three and a half years, Satan will oppose that part of God’s people who will be left on the earth during the great tribulation.
Do not accept the wrong teaching that all Christians will be raptured before the great tribulation. There is no verse that teaches this. I have been studying this matter of rapture for over fifty years. In my study I have learned that the deep, sound Christian teachers agree that it is wrong to say that all Christians will be raptured before the great tribulation and that no believers will pass through the great tribulation. This concept is a wrong teaching. If you accept it, you may be left in the great tribulation. In 12:5 we see that the man-child will be caught up to God before the last three and a half years. After the rapture of the man-child, the remainder of the woman’s seed, including the Jews who keep the commandments of God and the Christians who have the testimony of Jesus, will be left on earth. On the one hand, the man-child will be raptured before the three and a half years and, on the other hand, the seed of the woman, including both Jews and Christians, will be left to pass through most of the great tribulation. After Satan has been cast down to earth, he will do his best to persecute God’s people who are still on earth after the rapture of the man-child.
The ancient serpent is the subtle, deceiving one. Whenever the Bible speaks of the serpent, it denotes the subtle one (Gen. 3:1). By the time of Revelation 12, the serpent is not new; he is ancient, being close to six thousand years old.
Verse 9 says that the great red dragon is called the Devil. The Greek word for Devil is diabolos, meaning accuser, slanderer. The Devil accuses us before God and slanders us before men. The Devil accused Job (Job 1:9; 2:4-5) and Joshua (Zech. 3:1-2) and is now accusing the believers “before God,” even “day and night” (v. 10). The Devil not only accuses us to God, but he also slanders God to us. When the Devil goes to God, he accuses us before God. But when the Devil comes to us, he slanders God to us. Do not think that his slander is apparent, for often he slanders God in a subtle way. For example, he may slander God by raising within you the question, “Why does God do this to me?” This questioning is a form of slander. Something in you may ask why God treats you in a certain way. Do not think that this issues from you. No, it is the speaking of the Devil in you. Any question about the word of God in the Bible is also a slander. If you take a small slander, the Devil will give you a greater one. Then you would say God probably is not faithful. What slander this is! The significance of the title Devil is that he is the accuser and the slanderer.
The great dragon is also called Satan (12:9). In Greek, the word Satan means “adversary.” Satan is not only God’s enemy outside of God’s kingdom, but also God’s adversary rebelling against God from within God’s kingdom. The enemy denotes the foe outside of God’s realm; the adversary denotes the foe within God’s realm. Satan was once within God’s realm; he was not an outsider. Hence, he was and still is the adversary. Where is this adversary? He is inside of you. He is not only the outside enemy, but also the inside adversary. It is easy to defend yourself against an enemy, but it is difficult to defend yourself against an adversary because he is within you. The adversary is in your house.
You need to realize that this adversary is inside of you. Many times he will pretend to be you. Not realizing that it is he, you may think that it is you. Often when you are wrong, you should not blame yourself that much. Rather, you should say, “Satan, you must bear the blame because this is not I, but you.” Dare you say this to Satan? You may not be bold to say this because you have been deceived. Before 1936, I was deceived for over eleven years. When filthy thoughts entered my mind, I confessed them, telling the Lord how bad I was and asking Him to forgive me. But the more I confessed, the more these unclean thoughts came in. One day, in 1936, I saw that I was being cheated. These thoughts were not mine; they were the thoughts of the evil one. From that time onward, I have not confessed these things anymore. Instead, I say, “Satan, take this away. I refuse to be cheated by you. This is not my thought; it is yours. Now get rid of it. Satan, you must be condemned.” Do not be kind to Satan and do not be cheated by him. Be bold to speak this way to him. Satan is within you. Because of this, he pretends to be you. Thus, you must say to him, “Satan, this is not I — it is you. I don’t care whether you are outside of me or inside of me — you are you. You are the adversary.” Learn to say this to him. Do not be cheated into believing that you are that bad. Satan, not you, is the bad one. Before we repented, we did not admit that we were bad. Rather, we were arrogant, saying, “I’m not sinful — I’m perfect.” But after we repented, were saved, and received grace, the adversary subtly came to us, causing us to think that we were so dirty and so bad. That is the thought of the adversary.
For many years, I did not know the difference between the enemy and the adversary. As the adversary, Satan is even in the church pretending to be something that he is not. In Matthew 16:22 we see that Peter was cheated. Peter thought that he was speaking, but actually it was Satan. The Lord exposed the adversary, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan” (Matt. 16:23). Likewise, in our experience, many times it is not we who do certain things; it is Satan, the adversary.
Verse 9 says that the great dragon, who is called the Devil and Satan, “deceives the whole inhabited earth.” No one is an exception; everyone has been cheated by him. Everyone on earth, from the highest to the lowest and from the greatest to the least, is being deceived by Satan. If we would know who the great dragon is, we must know all these aspects regarding him.
Now we must see the dragon’s persecution. Verse 13 says, “And when the dragon saw that he was cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who brought forth the man-child.” The dragon will be cast down from heaven to earth (vv. 9-10, 13). As we have seen, this has not yet taken place because the man-child has not yet been brought forth and raptured to the heavens. But one day the man-child will be resurrected and raptured, and Satan will be cast down.
After Satan has been cast down to the earth, he will know that “he has a short time” (v. 12). The short time here will be the three and a half years of the great tribulation (v. 14; 13:5; 11:2).
The dragon will also have great rage (v. 12). He will be angry because of losing his territory in the heavens and in the air. He will be cast down and limited to the earth. This will enrage him.
The dragon will persecute the woman who brought forth the man-child. Satan will concentrate his hatred upon God’s people. Due to this, I encourage you to be prepared to be among the overcomers. Otherwise, you will be part of the woman left to pass through the major part of the last three and a half years. During that time, you will have to face the angry dragon.
Verse 15 says, “And the serpent cast water like a river out of his mouth after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away by its current.” “Water” here signifies armies which will be sent by Satan to destroy the people of God (Isa. 8:7-8; 17:12-13; Jer. 46:7-9; 47:2-3). Satan will speak a word to the kings of this earth to gather their armies to persecute the people of God. Three unclean spirits like frogs will proceed out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet (16:13). These unclean spirits will “go forth to the kings of the whole inhabited earth, to gather them to the war of the great day of God the Almighty” (16:14). These spirits will instigate the rebellious kings to send their armies to persecute God’s people, which will include the loyal Jews and the faithful Christians. If you are left to pass through the great tribulation, you may have to suffer this.
Verse 17 says, “And the dragon was angry with the woman and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.” The “rest of her seed” signifies the people of God other than the man-child. Among them, some will be the Jews “who keep the commandments of God,” and some will be the believers who “have the testimony of Jesus.” Satan will not only persecute the woman, but will make war with the rest of her seed, with the weaker part of the woman.
Verse 14 says, “And the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman that she might fly into the wilderness into her place.” The “great eagle” signifies God, and the “two wings” signify His strength to rescue (Exo. 19:4; Deut. 32:11-12). As God brought the children of Israel out from Pharaoh’s persecution, so will He bring His people away from Satan’s persecution in the great tribulation. The mighty God will afford His people divine strength to escape Satan’s persecution.
Some may wonder what the wilderness is. I cannot answer this question definitely, but I do have my own realization of what it might be. Although I do not wish to interpret this verse, I am willing to share with you my realization of what the wilderness is. Since its beginning, the United States has been a land to which people who desire a free conscience toward God might escape. We are all familiar with the story of the Mayflower. The pilgrims fled from persecution and escaped to this country. For more than three hundred years, America has been used by God as a refuge for His escapees. The symbol of this country is an eagle. When the persecution comes, many of God’s people may escape to the United States by airplane. Hallelujah, there will be a wilderness on earth for God’s escapees! Even today, the United States is still a refuge for escapees.
We have seen that the dragon will “cast water like a river out of his mouth after the woman.” Verse 16 says, “The earth helps the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth.” At that time, just as in Numbers 16:31-33, the earth will open and swallow the armies sent by Satan. This means that during those three and a half years there will be many earthquakes. God will use these earthquakes to open the earth to swallow the armies sent by Satan. Do not be on earth at this time. Rather, we should watch this from the heavens. When God sends the earthquakes during the great tribulation, earth will no longer be a good place on which man can dwell peacefully. God will shake the earth, not only to warn the earth dwellers, but also to swallow up Satan’s armies. Satan will send his frogs to stir up the kings of the earth to send their armies, but God will move His little finger to shake the earth that the earth might swallow up the armies. This will be God’s way to deal with the situation.
Verse 6 says, “The woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that they might nourish her there a thousand two hundred and sixty days.” Moreover, verse 14 says that the woman will “fly into the wilderness into her place,” where she will be “nourished for a time, and times, and half a time from the face of the serpent.” After the rapture of the man-child, the woman will be left on earth to suffer persecution (v. 13). During the time of the great tribulation, God will prepare a place to nourish her for “a time, and times, and half a time,” or “a thousand two hundred and sixty days,” the three and a half years of the great tribulation. God will nourish her before He brings His people into the millennial kingdom. This is similar to the time when Pharaoh persecuted the children of Israel and God brought His people to the wilderness, where He nourished them before bringing them into the good land. The United States is so rich in food that it can nourish nearly any number of people. No country on earth is as rich in food as the United States. Praise the Lord that there will be such a nourishing place on earth!
We have seen a general picture of the coming days. Since Genesis 3:15, both the woman and the serpent have been present, fighting against one another. Throughout the years, this fighting has increased and intensified. It will continue to do so until the time of the end when all the martyred saints will be resurrected and raptured to the heavens as the man-child. When they reach the throne, they will say, “Satan, here we are. Now that we have come, you must go down to earth.” Then Michael, the archangel, and his angels will war against the dragon and his angels. The dragon will be cast to the earth and the great tribulation will begin. During that time, the dragon will persecute and make war against the people of God who are still on earth. This will last three and a half years. But God will still be sovereign. On the one hand, He will swallow up Satan’s armies by opening the earth. On the other hand, He will afford a way for His people to escape and He will nourish them in a special place. God will preserve His people. However, I do not want to enjoy that preservation. I prefer to be taken away before the great tribulation. How about you? Praise the Lord for this clear picture of the coming days.
