Revelation 11:1 - 19

3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy (exhort; edify; witness) a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth (a course, dark cloth). 4 They are the two olive trees, and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt (wrong; injure) them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth (eats up; consumes) their enemies; and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6 These have power to shut (close) heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy; and have power over waters to turn (convert) them to blood, and to smite (strike) the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 7 And when they shall have finished (ended; accomplished) their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually (allegorically) is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 And they of the peoples and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not permit (stand aside) their dead bodies to be put in graves (sepulchers). 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another, because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11 And after three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon them who saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up here. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beheld them. 13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake (shaking), and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men (of renoun) seven thousand; and the remnant were terrified (seized with fear or terror), and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is past and, behold (look out; see), the third woe cometh quickly.

15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms (plural) of this world are become the kingdom (singular) of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. 16 And the four and twenty elders, who sat before God on their thrones, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God, 17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty (Omnipotent), who art, and wast, and art to come, because thou hast taken (obtained) to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18 And the nations were angry (wroth), and thy wrath (indignation; vengeance) is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged (avenged; called in question), and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants, the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great, and shouldest destroy (thoroughly) them who destroy the earth. 19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of the covenant; and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderclaps, and a earthquake, and great hail.

1, 2 A reed (kalamos - a stalk) like a rod (rhabdo from rhabdos - a staff; walking stick) was given to John with the command (of the angel) to rise and measure (metreson from metreo - measure a distance) the temple of God and the altar and them that worship in it. In verse 2 John is told who or what to leave out (the open air courtyard) of the temple. It was not to be measured for it was given unto the nations (ethnnesin from ethnos - Gentiles; heathen), and the holy city shall the nations (Gentiles; heathen) tread (patesousin from pateo - trodden) under foot forty-two months. "If the temple and its outer court is the one in Jerusalem, we have a bit of internal evidence that the Revelation was written before A. D. 70, when the city was destroyed. Certainly the outer court of the heavenly temple will not be profaned by the Beast and Antichrist and their legions. This passage appears to parallel Luke 21:24 (Yeager, p. 169) which reads, "And (the Jews) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." Does the scripture mean to put it under God's control and protection? Some would think so. Who are these Gentiles? Smith indicates that they are "...persons (who) possess of the Gentile spirit, worldly, corrupt, hostile to all true religion and to the true Israel...(in) their rudeness and violence - the Gentile enemy, Assyrian, Babylonian, Roman, were wont to tread down Jerusalem itself, when they had forced their way in" (p. 152). During the Great Tribulation Jerusalem will be dominated by the Antichrist and the Beast for "twelve hundred and sixty days" or "time, times and half a time;" this is, the last half of the tribulation referred to as the Great Tribulation.

In referring to the twelve hundred and sixty days or time, times and half a time, Criswell states, "...starting at the twentieth year of Artaxerxes and reading forward four hundred and thirty-four years, sixty-nine sevens, we come to A. D. 30 when Jesus was cut off, when the Messiah was cut off. Then the prophet separates that last week, that seventieth week brings in the everlasting kingdom of God. It brings in the consummation of the age. It brings in the fulfillment of all God's purposes in the earth. It fulfills all prophecies and all visions...He [that prince, that anti-Christ, that one who wars against God] shall confirm the covenant...for one week [for that week]: and in the midst of the week he will turn and these with whom he has made a covenant [He is talking to Daniel about God's people], he will break that covenant in the midst of the week and cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.' Then follows the terrible prophecy here of the Great Tribulation (Volume IV, pp. 19, 20). Just as there is an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments, there is an interlude or intermission between the sixty-ninth and the seventieth week of Daniel's prophecy.

Amos (9:11) prophesies of a day, apparently at the Second Coming of Messiah, when he writes, "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches of it; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old." In a sermon recorded in Acts 15:15 - 17, James prophesies, "After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again its ruins, and I will set it up; that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the nations [Gentiles], upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things." Prior to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ Gabriel announced to Mary, a descendant of David, "Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father, David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." So even though the Tabernacle (Temple) is trodden under foot of man, there will come a day when Messiah will sit in Jerusalem and rule on his father, David's, throne.

3, 4 Some time later after the temple is trodden down by the Gentiles, God will give power (appoint) unto Him two witnesses (martusin from martus - martyrs) who will prophesy (prophetensousin from propheteuo - exhort; edify; witness) for a thousand two hundred and sixty days; they will be clothed (arrayed) in sackcloth (sakkous sakkos - a coarse, dark cloth). These two witnesses (they are unnamed) will prophesy and testify for the latter half of the tribulation week; they are called two olive trees and two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. One is reminded of Zechariah 4:3, 11 - 14 which reads, "And two olive trees by (the lampstand with a bowl in it), one on the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side of it...Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the lampstand and upon the left side of it? And I answered again, and said unto him, What are these two olive branches which, through the two golden pipes, empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth." Zerubbabel, the governor of Jerusalem, representing the civil order and Joshua, the high priest, represented the religious or spiritual order of the nation. These two men were represented by the two olive trees and the two lampstands.

The last words of the Old Testament are these (Malachi 4:5, 6), "Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the great and terrible [dreadful] day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." Furthermore, in Deuteronomy 18:15 we find these words, "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a great Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken,.." Do these verses in any wise project any light upon the two witnesses? These two passages did justify the Jews in looking for the reappearance of Elijah, and for the coming of a prophet like unto Moses.

5, 6 Just who are these two witnesses? Speculation runs wild sometimes, however, because of the ability of these witnesses to shut up heaven that it not rain while they prophesy and the power to turn water into blood like one of the plagues upon Egypt, some think they are Moses, the Lawgiver, and Elijah, the Prophet. Remember Elijah (II Kings 1:10 - 12) who destroyed two captains with their "fifties" by fire from heaven. If anyone wills (thello - wishes; desires) to hurt (adikesai from adikeo - injure; wrong) them, fire proceeded out of their mouths and devoured (katesthiei from katesthio - consumed; ate up) their enemies; evidently their method of harm would be turned upon their enemies. The reference to Isaiah 54:17 is also called to mind which reads, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me, saith the Lord." These two witnesses, whoever they are, will prophesy for three and one-half years; they are immortal until their mission is accomplished.

These witnesses had power to shut up (kleisai from kleio - close) heaven that it rain not during the days of their prophesy; they also had power to turn (strephein from strepho - convert) waters into blood and to smite (pataxai from patasso - strike) the earth with plagues at their command. Who had power to stop the rain but Elijah (I Kings 17:1), and who had the power of a plague such as turning water into blood but Moses (Exodus 7:19 - 21)? So these witnesses had supernatural powers. Remember how our Lord gave His disciples supernatural powers (Luke 10:19) when He said, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you." 7, 8 When the two witnesses had finished (telesosin from teleo - ended; completed) their testimony, the beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit makes war against the witnesses, and he overcomes them and kills them. The dead bodies of the witnesses will be permitted to lie in the street of the great city (Jerusalem) which is called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified. To be deprived of burial is an act of great indignity. Whenever God was finished with the witnesses' testimony and when they had accomplished what God has set out for them to accomplish, He permitted the beast who had demanded the people's worship, to kill them. It is so with any of God's witnesses, we are immortal until God is finished with our work. The "fulness of the Gentiles has now come in" (Romans 11:25). God and His people will no longer be bothered with rebellion against Him. Nothing remains but judgment of those who have opposed God and His people. The bodies of the witnesses were left in the street (plateias - broadway) of the city called spiritually (pneumatikos - allegorically) Sodom and Egypt, the city where our Lord was crucified which was Jerusalem. The Revelator must have had in mind Sodom with its pleasure and luxuriousness and worst forms of immorality and Egypt with its bondage where the wages of sin became tyrannous (Smith). The bodies of the witnesses are left there to rot and decay unless God intervenes. And intervene He does as can be seen in verse 11.

The beast ascending out of the bottomless pit is identified by Yeager, "as the White Horse Rider of Revelation 6:1, 2, who will confirm the covenant with Israel for seven years (Daniel 9:27a), to resume the countdown on God's clock of the 'times of the Gentiles' (Luke 21:24), the 'fifth' (Revelation 17:10), who along with the first four (Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, Rome) had fallen, who also is the eighth (Revelation 17:11), after his resurrection (Revelation 13:3), who came out of the abyss (Revelation 11:7; 9:1 - 11), in the middle of the week, to rule 42 more months (Revelation 13:3), and to make war with the saints (Revelation 13:7), now, at the close of the 1,260 days of witnessing by God's prophets, kills them" (p. 177).

9 - 11 People of every nation, kindred and tongue shall see (blepo - futuristic) the dead bodies of the witnesses for three and one-half days and would not permit (aphiousin from aphiemi [futuristic] - stand aside for) them to be buried (mnema - grave; sepulcher). Did someone desire to bury them? In fact the people rejoiced over their death and exposure; they sent gifts to one another and made merry because they were finished with God's two prophets or so they thought. The dead witnesses were made a gazing stock of the public. The reason for rejoicing is for the antichrist's supposed victory over the witnesses; they look forward to ultimate success in building a world society without Christ and His witnesses. Yeager states, "Italians in the street in Milan violated the body of Benito Mussolini and that of his mistress in 1945. People from all over the world saw the pictures of their bodies suspended by their feet, as Italians kicked their faces off" (p. 179). How will the "people and kindreds and tongues and nations" see the witnesses' dead bodies? Before the invention of television in the fifth decade of the twentieth century this would have been impossible. There must have been a sort of a carnival atmosphere; God's two preachers were dead, and the enemy had violated their corpses. The people seem to be "at once fiendish and childish" (Swete); someone has called this the "Devil's Christmas." They may have shouted, "Free at last;" the beast who had rid them of their tormentors quickly became an international hero. "Praise Satan," they must have cried! After three and one-half days, however, the story changes, for God's Spirit (life from God) entered into them, and God raised the witnesses up and gave them life again; they stood upon their feet.

12 - 14 God performed a special resurrection for the witnesses; in fact, the two witnesses followed our Lord's example: Three and one half years of faithful witnessing; they witnessed against the World Establishment; they died on time at the hands of the Establishment; they were dead three days - they were resurrected from the dead - they ascended into heaven (Yeager, p. 183). A hundred million television screens must have recorded the shock and great fear when the cameras zoomed in on their glowing faces and as the four piercing eyes glare out. Of course, great fear (megas phobos) fell upon those onlookers. God shouted, "Come up hither!" Furthermore, a cloud received the witnesses much like Jesus ascended (Acts 1:9). Now God manifests His wrath even more when the earth begins to shake and one-tenth part of the city of Jerusalem falls. In the great earthquake (megas seismos - great shaking); in it seven thousand people (onomata anthropon - men of name; great men of fame) are killed. The remnant (those remaining) was affrighted (emphoboi from en + phobos - seized with terror) and gave glory to the God of heaven. Incidentally the word emphoboi is first used on Luke 24:5 where Jesus is raised from the dead. Notice how God does things in a great way - there was a great earthquake (11), and here great fear fell upon the people. The people may have given glory to God, but they, doubtless, did not manifest true repentance. The second woe is past, now comes the third woe quickly (see 8:13; 9:12). The seventh trumpet is about to sound. These three trumpet judgments are referred to as Woe (ouai), Woe, Woe. The locusts from the abyss were the first woe, the hellish cavalry of the Euphrates was the second woe. Look out (idou - behold; see) the third woe is coming.

15 When the seventh angel sounded there were great voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms (basileia, plural) of this world are become the kingdom (singular) of our Lord, and of his Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. All the kingdoms of this world that have been united or merged under the rule of the Satanic kingdom with the Beast in control. It is a kingdom that is against the Lord; the Satanic kingdom will soon be overthrown, and all the kingdoms will merge into one kingdom and King Jesus will rule. He will rule and reign forever and ever (literally - into or unto the ages of the ages). One is reminded of Matthew 25:21, 23 which read, "His lord said unto (the five talent servant), Well done thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord...His lord said unto (the two talent servant), Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things, Enter thou into the joy of thy lord." Faithful servants will rule and reign with Lord Messiah, King Jesus. This is when Luke 1:33 will be fulfilled; it reads, "And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." 16 - 18 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God saying, "We give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty (pantokrator from pas + krateo - Omnipotent), who is, who was, and who is to come, because you have taken (eilephas from lambano - obtained) to you your great power and do reign. Since our God is Omnipotent, He can take (eilephas from lambano - receive; accept) power; He has begun to reign. Yeager writes, "God the Father chose His elect (Ephesians 1:3, 4); God the incarnate Son reconciled them unto the Father and God the Holy Spirit will have effectually called them into the intimate personal relationship described by Jesus in John 17:21" (p. 190). And the nations were angry (orgisthesan from orgizo - wroth), and your wrath (orge - indignation; vengeance) is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged (krithenai from krino - avenged; called in question), and that you should give reward unto your servants, the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear your name, small and great, and should destroy (diaphtheirai from dia + phtheiro - destroy thoroughly) them who destroy the earth." Jehovah God will destroy the destroyers; those who have been destroying the earth all these years will in turn be destroyed thoroughly. God will pour out His wrath on the unbelieving, hell deserving nations that forget God (Psalm 2).

19 The temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his covenant (kibotos diathekes - ark of testament); and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderclaps, and an earthquake, and great hail. It was made known to the enemies of God Who was in control. Jehovah God the Creator of the universe; the God Who made man in the beginning. He it is Who is in control. Thus the Great Tribulation week ends with God in control.

"Jesus shall reign where'er the sun
Doth his successive journeys run,
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till suns shall rise and set no more."

Revelation 12:1 - 17

3 And there appeared another wonder (portent) in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast (threw) them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour (consume; destroy) her child as soon as it was born.

5 And she brought forth (bore; was delivered of) a man child (son), who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness (desert; a solitary place), where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

7 And there was war (a military conflict; a battle) in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth (seduces; leads astray) the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

12 Therefore rejoice (be glad), ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath (strong passion; fierceness; indignation), because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted (followed after; pursued)the woman which brought forth the man child. 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished (fed; gave food) for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face (presence) of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood (moving river; rushing stream) after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped (rescued; succored) the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant (the rest) of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

1, 2 Chapter 12 is devoted to the age-old conflict between God and Israel against Satan and his forces. There seems to be a great division here in the Apocalypse. The first eleven chapters, concluding with the sounding of the seventh trumpet, bring the consummation of the age, when the kingdom of this world, the sovereignty of this world, become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ (Criswell, p. 65). Here again, the reader is invited to view heaven as a stage and to observe as the events transpire. The chapter begins with four great personages - a woman, a red dragon, a male child and the archangel Michael. The Revelator writes first of the appearance (ophthe from orao - sight; perception) of a great wonder (semeion - sign; miracle) in heaven - a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars, and the woman was great with child, even crying out and travailing in birth (basanizomene from basanizo - experiencing birth-pangs), and ready to be delivered of her child. The twelve stars without a doubt are symbolic of the twelve tribes of Jacob. (There may be an allusion to this vision in Genesis 37:9 - 11). The Apostle Paul writes to the Roman Christians (Romans 9:3 - 5), "For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the laws, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen."

3, 4 There appeared another wonder (portent - R. S. V.) - a great red dragon (drakon - a fabulous animal; a hideous beast; a great serpent), having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns (diademata from diadema - a kingly ornament) upon his heads. With his tail he drew a third of the stars out of heaven and cast (ebalen from ballo - threw) them to the earth; and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered, to devour (kataphage from katesthio - consume; destroy) her child as soon as it was born. This red dragon is the embodiment of Satan as he sought to thwart Jehovah's plan of redemption of the human race. In the ages since his fall from heaven, Satan has sought every way he could think of to prevent the redemptive work of Messiah. If we follow the reasoning of John in Revelation 17:9 the seven heads are typical of seven mountains on which the harlot sat. It is too early in history to make the ten horns represent the ten countries of the European Common Market, Europe United (Europa Uni(t)e) or whatever. One third of the stars drawn out of heaven by Satan or Lucifer may follow the concept that there are three archangels - Gabriel, Michael and Lucifer (son of the morning) who were in charge of all the angels, and when Satan was cast out of heaven (Isaiah 14:12 - 17; Ezekiel 28:11 - 19) one third of the angels followed his lead and became evil, fallen angels or demons while the other two-thirds remained under the control of Gabriel and Michael.

Satan began his work of trying to thwart God's plan of redemption, and he has tried over and over again. When he learned that a descendant of Eve would bruise his head, he began by destroying Abel; then his slimy hands of intrigue and clandestine moves can be seen throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Yeager calls Satan's efforts "his anti-Messianity." Satan's efforts to destroy the Christ-child through Herod; then to disqualify Him for redemptive purposes (Matthew 4), endeavoring to entice Christ to by-pass the Cross experience, and on and on one can see the devil's working against God and His Son. The "great dragon" is so termed because of his remorseless cruelty. Legend had hieroglyphics paint the dragon as a monster in form and appearance outside the pail of the animal kingdom, a combination of superhuman craft and cruelty (Scott, p. 258).

John Milton in Paradise Lost writes this of Satan,

Aspiring
To set himself in glory, above his peers,
He trusted to have equaled the Most High,
And, with ambitious aim
Against the throne and monarchy of God
Raised impious war in heaven and battle proud.

The battle of the archangels is referred to thus:

Michael bid sound
The archangel trumpet; through the vast of heaven
It sounded, and the faithful armies rungHosannah to the Highest; nor stood at gaze
The adverse legions, nor less hideous joined
The horrid shock; now storming fury rose,
And clamor such as heard in heaven till now
Was never, arms on armor clashing brayed
Horrible discord, and the maddening wheels
Of brazen chariots raged; dire was the noise
Of conflict; overhead the dismal hiss
Of fiery darts in flaming volleys flew,
And flying vaulted either host with fire.
So under fiery cope together rushed
Both battles main, with ruinous assault
And inextinguishable rage;...

Furthermore, Milton writes of the expulsion of Satan

...Him the Almighty
Hurled headlong flaming from the ethereal sky,
With hideous ruin and combustion down
To bottomless perdition; there to dwell
In adamantine chains and penal fire
Who durst defy the Omnipotent to arms.

Never underestimate the power and work of Satan. In Job (1:6 - 2:10) he destroyed Job's family, slew his children and sent Job to the ash heap. In Zechariah the prophet writes, "I saw Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand." In Matthew 3 Satan sought to destroy the Messiah with temptations. In Matthew 13 our Lord said of him, "The evil one steals away the Word of God that is sown in the human heart." In Matthew 13 he is the one who over sowed the wheat with tares. In Luke 13 Satan is accused of infirmity, "Lo, these eighteen years she hath been bowed down by Satan." In Acts 5 he induced Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Spirit. In I Peter 5 the writer says of Satan, he is, "as a roaring Lion walketh through the earth seeking whom he may devour."

5, 6 The woman brought forth (eteken from tikto - bore; was delivered of) a male (huion arsen - lit., man son; male heir) who was to rule (poimainein from poimaino - shepherd; exercise authority over) all nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up (herpasthe from harpazo - seized; carried away) unto God, and to his throne. The woman, however, fled (ephuen from pheugo - escaped by flight) into the wilderness (eremon from eremos - desert; a solitary place), where a place was prepared by God for her, and they will fed her a thousand two hundred and threescore days. Jehovah God providentially provided the woman, Israel, with both "place" and nourishment for the 1260 days.

This period of time is mentioned over and over in the Scriptures (Revelation 11:2, 3;13:5). From the time of the decree for the building of Jerusalem until the time when Messiah shall be cut off is sixty-nine weeks of years. Then the seventieth and final week in which God deals with the Jewish nation is separated by itself. That last week is divided in two parts, 'in the midst of the week,' as Daniel says in 9: 27. The final week is divided into two parts: three and a half on this side and three and a half on that side; a thousand two hundred sixty days on this side and a thousand two hundred sixty days on that side; forty -two months on this side and forty-two months on that side; a time and times and dividing of time (1 + 2 + ½ = 3 ½ or "three and one-half years") on this side and a time, times and dividing of times on that side. That is the source of that period of time (Criswell, pp. 70, 71). The period of seven years are sometimes referred to as "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7). Paul wrote to the Galatians (4:4, 5), "But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Furthermore the Psalmist wrote (2:9), "(God's Son) shalt break (the enemy) with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Revelation 19:15 further reinforces the rule of our Lord, "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."

7 - 9 Then John writes of the war (polemos - a military conflict; a battle) in heaven between Michael and his angels against the dragon and his angels. The dragon failed to prevail (ischusen from ischuo - was not strong enough to win the battle), and there was found no place in heaven for him. Michael and his angels won the warfare, and Satan was cast out of heaven to the earth (oikoumenen from oikoumene - the inhabited world). Satan has numerous names - dragon; old (archaios - ancient) serpent (ophis - snake); the Devil (Diabolos - dia + ballo = slanderer; accuser); and Satan (Satanas - adversary). He and his angels were cast out of heaven, but they all continue to deceive (planon from planao - seduce; lead astray) the whole world. "Satan had to be cast down to earth, then into the abyss, and finally into the lake of fire, not to reign, but to suffer eternally, and most abject and degraded of beings" (Scott, p. 255). Although he was cast down he seems to have access to heaven as the accuser of the brethren (verse 10). He approached God and accused Him of placing a hedge around Job (1:6 - 12). He does have a limitation, however, God is still sovereign and gives Satan only so much power.

10 - 12 John states that he heard a loud voice in heaven. The voice proclaimed, "Now is come salvation, and strength and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." All heaven rejoices that the accuser that accuses the brethren has been thrown out of heaven; he accused the brethren before God continually. Satan was characterized by Jesus as a liar and the father of lies. When he rebuked the Pharisees (John 8:44) He said, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of our father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it." Although Satan is referred to as the accuser, the Christian has an Advocate Who is Jesus Christ the Righteous; I John 2:1 reads, "...And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." Job refers to our Lord as his Daysman, Umpire or Go-between (Job 9:33); Paul calls Him a Mediator (I Timothy 2:5). It is He Who pleads our case before a righteous God. Although the charges against God's people may be true, He is still our Advocate, Daysman and Mediator because the Christian has placed faith and trust in the shed blood of the Savior. We plead guilty as charged, but at the same time the debt for our sins has been paid for by the Savior. He took our place on Calvary so that we may go free. Jesus said (Matthew 10:32), "Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father, who is in heaven."

The host of heaven overcame (enikesan from nikao - conquered; prevailed over) Satan and his forces by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death. When nothing else will put Satan to flight, invoking the blood of the Savior and the testimony of the word will do so. Then John writes "therefore rejoice (euphrainesthe from euphraino - be glad; make merry), ye heavens, and ye that dwell (skenountes from skenoo - live) in them, Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath (themon from themos -strong passion; fierceness; indignation), because he knoweth that he has but a short time (oligon dairon - brief while; opportunity)." At this point on God's time clock, Satan has only three and one-half more years to make his accusations as the "god of this world" (II Corinthians 4:4), and after which he will spend 1000 years in the abyss (Revelation 20:1, 2) at the end of which following his last short rebellion (Revelation 20:3, 7 - 10) he will be cast forever into the lake of fire and brimstone (Yeager, p. 213).

13, 14 Now John returns to his story about the conflict between Satan and the nation Israel. When Satan saw that he was cast out of heaven onto the earth, he became very wroth and persecuted (edioxen from dioko - followed after; pursued) the woman who brought forth the male child. And God protected the woman by giving her two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly (petetai from petomai - as a bird would fly) into the wilderness, into her place, where she will be nourished (trephetai from trepho - fed; given food) for a time, and times, and half a time, (three and one-half years or 1260 days) from the face (prosotou from prosopon - presence) of the serpent. This apparently is the great tribulation of which our Lord spoke in Matthew 24:15 - 22). The woman is given two wings of a great eagle; this figure of speech is found in Exodus 19:3, 4 which reads, "...Thus shall thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you unto myself." In Isaiah 40:21 God promised Israel, "...they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

15 - 17 To try to stop Israel from fleeing, the Devil cast out of his mouth water like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood (potamophoreton from potamos + phero - moving river; rushing stream). And the earth helped (eboethesen from eboetheo - rescued; succored) the woman by opening up her mouth and swallowing up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was angry (wroth) with the woman and went out to make war with the remnant (loipon from loipos - the rest) of her seed who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Following the work of Satan so far; he is cast out of heaven (Revelation 12:7 - 9), he opens the abyss and releases the Beast (Revelation 9:1, 2), he breaks his promise with Israel (Daniel 9:27b) and invades the temple (II Thessalonians 2:4), and now comes to the desert in pursuit of Israel (Yeager, p. 219).

To what place will Israel (the woman) flee? Many think that the Rock City of Petra is the logical place. It is according to Unger, "a notable fortress and stronghold. This Transjordanian high place has been excavated...in the Old Testament (it is called) Sela, the capital of Edom, between the Salt Sea and the Elamitic Gulf (II Kings 14:7; Isaiah 16:1)" (p. 852). It is located south of the Dead Sea and is known as a mighty stronghold which can be entered in only one way through the Siq which is a narrow passageway between two high rock walls. A dramatic picture is presented in these verses, "144,000 Jews fleeing fearfully across a desert with a turbulent flood of water in pursuit. The cries of the people reverberate among the rocks and echo across the desert. The earth hears and helps. The desert sands absorb the water. Satan, in frustration, mobilizes the Gentile armies against the Hebrew Christians in the world...Satan will be frustrated because his attempt to drown the fleeing Jews will have failed. If he succeeded, the Messiah now about to leave His throne in the glory and return to take His place of David's throne on earth, would be a King of the Jews without a kingdom people. It is therefore inevitable that the attack upon the 144,000 will fail. Satan, unable to destroy the woman, will go away in frustration to other hellish activity" (Yeager, p. 220 - 222). Satan can and will be overcome but only by the power of the blood of our Savior and by the sacrifice of the Son of God Himself.

Almighty God has used many hymn writers but these two suffice:

Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There's power in the blood, power in the blood,
Would you o'er evil a victory win?
There's wonderful power in the blood.

--Lewis E. Jones

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The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not, desert to its foes.
That soul tho' all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake.

--Anon.