Satan’s different characteristic names explained in (12: 9) are:
- The serpent of old: identifying him as the serpent in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1) emphasizing his trachery.
- The devil the slanderer: also means false accuser, a fitting title for Satan. He is a malicious prosecutor of God’s people.
- Adversary: another name for the enemy of God and His people. He was created as “ the star of the morning (Iss. 14:12)’ is now branded as adversary.
- One who deceives the whole world: It is Satan’s habitual and continuous activity. Satan lures people to their destruction by causing them to pay attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Tim. 4:1). He also seduces people to believe him and not God (Gen. 3:4).
A great celebration: (12:10-12):
Christ’s shed blood gives us our perfect standing before God (1 Jn 1:5-2:2). But our witness to God’s Word and our willingness to lay down our lives for Christ defeats Satan as well. Satan is not equal to God; he is not omnipotent, omnipresent, or omniscient His power is limited and his tactics will fail when God’s people trust the power of the blood and of the Word. Nothing Satan does can rob us of “salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ” (Rev. 12:10), if we are yielded to Him. God’s great purposes will be fulfilled! Believers in any age or situation can rejoice in this victory, no matter how difficult their experiences may be. Our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of the wicked one; and these have been defeated by our Saviour (Eph. 6:10ff).
The heavenly saints worshipped and praised God for the following reasons:
- Satan is evicted from the presence of Heaven and in a way heaven is cleansed by his absence.
- No accusation against the suffering saints of the great tribulation.
- The tribulation saints are overcoming Satan’s assaults through the word of their testimony despite all the persecution they are facing.
- The tribulation saints did not love their lives when they faced death in order to fend off Satan. They paid their ultimate price for their loyalty to Christ.
The great praise ended with a sobering warning “Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” But the word “Woe” here is different from the 3-woes that we found in (9:1-12; 9:13-21; 11:14ff). The woe here summarizes the events of climax of God’s plan for the earth. Heaven will rejoice when Satan is cast out, but the earth-dwellers will not; for the last half of the Tribulation will mean intense suffering for the world.
The war on the earth: (12:13-17):
This, then, is the third scene in the drama: Satan knowing that his time is short, and having no more access to heaven, the adversary must vent all of his anger earthward. He begins with Israel (the woman), and creates a wave of anti-Semitism. Satan has always hated the Jews because they are God’s chosen people and the vehicle through which salvation came into the world. Satan would like to destroy the nation, particularly as the time draws near for the Messiah to return to earth to establish the promised kingdom. A Jewish remnant must be ready to receive Him and form the nucleus for the kingdom (Zech. 12:9-14:21; Rev. 1:7).God will prepare a special place where the Jewish remnant will be protected and cared for. It is interesting that the remnant’s escape from Satan is described in terms of a flying eagle, for this is a repeated image in the Old Testament with reference to Israel. God delivered Israel from Egypt “on eagles’ wings” (Ex. 19:4), and cared for the people in the wilderness as an eagle would care her young (Deut. 32:11-12). Their return from Babylonian Captivity was like “mounting up with wings as eagles” (Isa. 40:31).
The remnant will be sheltered for the last half of the Tribulation period i.e. 3½ years. We do not know where this sheltered place will be, nor do we need to know. But the lesson for all of us is clear: God cares for those whom He wants to accomplish His purposes on earth. True, some people will give their lives (Rev. 12:11), but others will be spared..
The phrase “water as a flood” is not explained, but there is a parallel in (Ps:124:7ff). This “flood” is probably an outpouring of hatred and anti-Semitic propaganda. Or it may symbolize armies that invade Israel and seek to defeat the remnant. If that is the meaning, then the earth opening up could well be an earthquake that God sends to destroy the invaders. When Satan discovers that the people he seeks to kill are protected, then he turns on those who were not carried to the hidden place of safety. He will declare war, and God will permit him to have victory for a time (13:7); but ultimately Satan will be defeated.