So why all the wrath? Why so much judgment? Well, for answers we can begin by looking at Revelation 12. A holy and just God must punish the unrepentant. Here we will have to try to assign meanings or people to symbols, since the chapter starts with John seeing a “sign”, a clear indication of symbolism used. Stay with me, we are still reading the Bible literally, looking for literal meaning. Think of a thick blue line on a map, how it “means” or “represents” an interstate highway. I can then look at a map, see a number 95 on a thick blue line, and know that it literally means interstate 95.
This chapter is a sort of parenthesis, a pause in the action, giving us an opportunity to look back at how we got to this point.
The woman is national Israel, and the moon would refer to Jacob’s wife, Rachel, the mother of Joseph. Genesis 37 is the image presented here (one of Joseph’s dreams). The twelve stars represent Israel’s tribes. The woman in this vision is about to give birth.
The great dragon is Satan, and his seven heads may represent consecutive world empires, with one of the horns on the seventh head referring to Daniel 7:24, Daniel’s vision involving the anti-Christ. The stars swept from heaven would seem to be fallen angels who followed Satan. His fall led to his deception of Adam and Eve, resulting in sin entering the human race. Satan awaits the birth from the woman, so as to devour the child, knowing this child is the One who can right the wrongs of man, the only hope of redemption for the fallen world.
The male child born from national Israel is Christ. Though Satan tried, he could not defeat or get rid of this child. He may have thought he did when Jesus was crucified, but we know better, and so does Satan.
Fast forward now to the midpoint of the tribulation. Reminiscent of Daniel 12, there is a great war in heaven, Satan and his angels vs. Michael and God’s. Side note, some believe this to mean that Satan and Michael are very similar beings. The winner? Michael. The cost to Satan for losing? No more access to heaven. Scripture teaches us that there is one who accuses believers before God, that being Satan (Job 1, Gen. 3, Zech. 3:1, and here in Rev. 12:12). And so it appears that during the second half of the Tribulation, he is banished to earth, no longer able to accuse in heaven.
Believers overcome him with faith in Jesus. In his anger, Satan attacks the woman, the now-supernaturally protected Israel, but “she” is delivered by God. In his attack on her, God uses the earth, nature in some way, to protect her. In his frustration, he can only now go after “the rest of her children”, possibly some who did not physically make it to the literal place of escape, or possibly the 144,000 who were sealed. Satan makes war now with those who are loyal to Christ. Daniel saw this, too, more than 2500 years ago, as depicted in Daniel 7.
SO WHAT…?
So, as the people here rejoice in the blood of the Lamb, I likewise rejoice in Romans 8:34. Christ is right there, interceding for me, while Satan continues to accuse me.
So, Satan, along with my own fleshly temptations, looks to cause me to stumble. James 4:7 tells me to resist him, and he will flee. Simple, not easy.
So, it’s worth repeating. The Tribulation is no place to desire to be. The day of salvation is today, the time is now.
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