Revelation 12.7–17 narrates a war that begins in heaven and continues on earth.
In heaven, the archangel Michael and his heavenly host initiate hostilities against the devil and his minions, who return fire but are nonetheless defeated and “thrown down” to earth. “It is crucial to note,” comments Grant R. Osborne, “that the two adversaries are not the dragon and God but the dragon and Michael. There is no true dualism in the book between Satan and God, for there is no equality. The dragon’s adversary is the archangel Michael, and he is the more powerful.”
The devil’s downfall occasions great rejoicing in heaven, for he is the long-time enemy of God’s people. “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.”
Not only does Michael defeat the devil, however, but so do we: “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” This is a marvelous little picture of the power of faith and the necessity of faithfulness. We are saved by faith in the effectiveness of Christ’s death for us, but that faith requires faithfulness, especially when our faith is challenged by the difficulties of the times. It is by such a faithful faith that we conquer the devil.
The devil and his minions, thrown to earth, attempt to wreak havoc against God’s people: “he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.” But God protects his own: “the woman was given two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.” (Notice how similar this is to 12.6. It seems that Revelation 12.1–6 and 12.7–17 narrate the same events, but from different perspectives and, in the case of 12.7–17, with greater detail.) The devil attacks again in the wilderness, this time with a flood, but “the earth came to the help of the woman,” swallowing the swollen floodwaters of the devil.
Still, the devil does not give up: “Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” Again we see a picture of faith and works, faithfulness to the “testimony” and obedience to the “commandments.” And again we should assume that such a working faith is more than adequate to defeat the devil.
The highly symbolic nature of the language of Revelation 12 can seem confusing, what with its shifting perspective and piling up of detail, but the basic point of the chapter is clear: God protects his people from spiritual harm. In the process, of course, those people may suffer physical harm and even martyrdom, but nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8.39).
Especially not the devil. As Martin Luther sang, “The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him— / His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure: / One little word shall fell him.”
That little word is “Jesus.”
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