Revelation 12, Satan Cast Down (Overview)

Two "witnesses" have appeared and been destroyed, then resurrected.  The seventh trumpet has sounded – along with the third Woe? – and heaven has been opened. 

Revelation 12: 1-6, The woman and the dragon

A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.  She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 

Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.  His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. 

She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.  The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. 

What does it mean "another sign appeared in heaven"?  Is this in the sky?  Or in God's Heaven?

Who is the woman? Who is her child?  The woman and the child are part of God's plan and the dragon's attempt to kill the child is defeated.  One-third of the stars are swept out of the sky. The Child is snatched up to heaven while the woman flees into the desert.

The woman may be Israel and her child the Messiah, Jesus.

1260 days occurs again, as does the destruction of "one-third".

Revelation 12: 7-9, War in heaven

And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.  But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.  The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 

When was Satan thrown from heaven?  (See Luke 10:18)

I think we see Satan thrown from heaven a number of times in this book.  If the downfall of Satan is a single event then it appears to be outside of time.

Revelation 12: 10-12, Satan thrown to earth

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.  They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.  Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." 

The devil now concentrates on earth? Why is he called the accuser? How was the "accuser" overcome?

The devil's defeat and exile to earth is not good for earth....

Revelation 12: 13-17, Satan pursues the woman

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.  The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach.  Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.  But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.  Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring--those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

The woman spends 3 1/2 "times" in the desert, before the serpent attempts to sweep her away in a river. The river is defeated by the earth. Then the dragon attacks the woman's children, the followers of Jesus. (Is there any way to view any of this literally? Surely not....)

The woman continues to be pursued by the dragon.

We need to keep track of a cast of characters. So far, in these two chapters we have seen the following.

1. Two Witnesses (Rev 11)
2. The Beast from the Abyss, killer of the Witnesses (Rev 11)
3. The Pregnant Woman and her Child,
4. The Dragon (7 heads, 10 hours), identified as Satan,
5. Michael, the archangel.

The list of characters will grow in the next chapter.

Revelation 11: 15-19, The Seventh Trumpet

The sixth trumpet has sounded, and there has been an interlude, with two witnesses for God, who are eventually killed, then brought up to heaven.  The second "woe" has then ended and so the third begins, with the sounding of the seventh trumpet.

Revelation 11: 15-18, The last trumpet

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
    the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
    and he will reign for ever and ever.”

16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 
17 saying:

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
    the One who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
    and have begun to reign.
18 The nations were angry,
    and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
    and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your people who revere your name,
    both great and small—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”


Finally, the seventh trumpet sounds. It apparently announces the final kingdom of the world, the heavenly kingdom.

What is said to occur with the sounding of this last trumpet?

The main result seems to be praise, praise that God has finally begun to reign, finally bring justice and judgment.  (This is so strange to modern ears!)

Revelation 11: 19, The last trumpet

Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm. 

What does it mean for God's temple to "open"?

Once again, the image of God involves dramatic light, noise, sensory overload.  Here it is described as severe thunderstorm, with dramatic hail, mixed with an earthquake.

The chaos here will continue in the next chapter as a woman dressed in sunlight appears, and is pursued by a red dragon.

Revelation 11: 7-14, Death and Resurrection of Two Witnesses

John has eaten the scroll of a might angel, feeling the sweetness, then the nausea of that scroll.  Then he is told to prophesy to all the world....

If we view a year as 360 days then the period 1260 days is three and a half years. Much has been made of this. Those who see a specific historical period of the "Great Tribulation" see that period as lasting seven years and so this event would occur halfway through that time.

Revelation 11: 7-10, The death of the two witnesses

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 
8 Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. 
9 For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 
10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

The witnesses seem indestructible.  And then they are destroyed.  They are destroyed by a Beast that comes up out of the Abyss (Hades?) Their bodies are displayed for 3 1/2 days.

Why does 3 1/2 suddenly appear throughout this passage?  (1260 days = 42 months = 3 1/2 years.)

The bodies of the witnesses, says the writer, will lie in the public square of a great city, the great city where their Lord was crucified.  So this city is Jerusalem. 

The death of these witnesses, these two prophets, will be celebrated by the world system, a system "tormented" by them.

Revelation 11: 11-14, Their revival

But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 
12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.

13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon. 

Yet the Witnesses live on, at God's command.  Who are they? They ascend to heaven "in a cloud", observed by their enemies. In all of that, there is a dramatic earthquake and damage to a tenth of the city (presumably still Jerusalem.)

This is all very specific, presumably a single historical event?

Nothing is said here about the beast; presumably it lives on?

And so ends the second woe.

Revelation 11: 1-6, Two Witnesses

John has eaten the scroll of a might angel, feeling the sweetness, then the nausea of that scroll.  Then he is told to prophesy to all the world....

Revelation 11: 1-2, John to measure the temple

 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. 
2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

John measures the temple.  Why?  

This measurement is then not mentioned again, as we move on with the events regarding the witnesses. However, a similar measurement of Jerusalem occurs in Zechariah 2.

(Many parts of this vision have parallels in the Old Testament book of Zechariah, including versions of the four horsemen.)

Revelation 11: 3-6, The two witnesses

And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 
4 They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”
5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 
6 They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

We have two witnesses, two olive trees, two lampstands.  (As my friend, Tim Hall, points out in a comment to an older post, this imagery occurs in the Old Testament, in Zechariah's vision, Zechariah 4.)

The Witnesses seem indestructible, with supernatural powers.  They seem to represent God, in some way?

If we view a year as 360 days then the period 1260 days is 3 and a half years. Much has been made of this. Those who see a specific historical period of the "Great Tribulation" see that period as lasting seven years and so this event would occur halfway through that time.

Revelation 11, Two Witnesses and the Seventh Trumpet (Overview)

John has eaten the scroll of a might angel, feeling the sweetness, then the nausea of that scroll.  Then he is told to prophesy to all the world....

Revelation 11: 1-2, John to measure the temple

I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there.  But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. 

John measures the temple.  Why?  (This measurement is then not mentioned again, as we move on with the events regarding the witnesses.)

Revelation 11: 3-6, The two witnesses

And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth."  These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 

If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.  These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want. 

We have two witnesses, two olive trees, two lampstands.  [As Tim Hall points out in a comment, this imagery occurs in the Old Testament, in Zechariah's vision, Zechariah 4.]  

The Witnesses seem indestructible, with supernatural powers.  They seem to represent God, in some way?

If we view a year as 360 days then the period 1260 days is 3 and a half years. Much has been made of this. Those who see a specific historical period of the "Great Tribulation" see that period as lasting seven years and so this event would occur halfway through that time.

Revelation 11: 7-10, The death of the two witnesses

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.  Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.  For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.  The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. 

The witnesses seem indestructible.  And then they are destroyed.  They are destroyed by a Beast that comes up out of the Abyss (Hades?) Their bodies are displayed for 3 1/2 days.

Why does 3 1/2 suddenly appear throughout this passage?  (1260 days = 42 months = 3 1/2 years.)

Revelation 11: 11-14, Their revival

But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them.  Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.  

At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 

The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon. 

Yet the Witnesses live on, at God's command.  Who are they? Nothing is said here about the beast; presumably it lives on?

And so ends the second woe.

Revelation 11: 15-18, The last trumpet

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."  

And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.  The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great-- and for destroying those who destroy the earth." 

Finally, the seventh trumpet sounds. It apparently announces the final kingdom of the world, the heavenly kingdom.

What is said to occur with the sounding of this last trumpet?

Revelation 11: 19, The last trumpet

Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

What does it mean for God's temple to "open"?

The chaos here will continue in the next chapter as a woman dressed in sunlight appears, and is pursued by a red dragon.

Revelation 10: 8-11, Eating the Scroll

In this vision, John ingests the scroll and it starts sweet in his mouth but brings nausea afterwards. 

Revelation 10: 8-11, Eating the angel's scroll

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’” 
10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 
11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”

In this vision, John ingests the scroll and it starts sweet in his mouth but brings nausea afterwards. And then John is told to go further in the prophesy, prepared to address all people and all nations, all languages and kings.

The quote in verse 9 is from Ezekiel 3:3; there Ezekiel is told to eat a scroll and it is sweet. Here the scroll turns sour afterward.

Revelation 10: 1-7, No More Delay!

The seven seals have been removed, the scroll of history unrolled, leading to seven angels with seven trumpets.  The seventh trumpet has now sounded. But, as before, there is an interlude between the sixth and seventh event.

Revelation 10: 1-4, The mighty angel

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 
2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 
3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 

4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”

This angel is dramatic, majestic.  Again color is used to describe someone we cannot look at, too bright to face.  He plants a foot on the sea and one on land, as if he were larger than either.  He too has a scroll and seven thunders respond to his shout.  But John in prevented from communicating the message of the seven thunders.  After all the things revealed so far, suddenly something is hidden from John.  Why?

Revelation 10: 5-7, No more delay

Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 
6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! 
7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

Note the word "delay". The people of John's time asked, "Why had Jesus delayed his return?" Two thousand years later that question is certainly stronger, sharper. But John says that someday the "delay" will finally end.

Revelation 10, Angel 'Twixt Land and Sea (Overview)

The seven seals have been removed, the scroll of history unrolled, leading to seven angels with seven trumpets.  The seventh trumpet has now sounded. But, as before, there is an interlude between the sixth and seventh event.

Revelation 10: 1-4, The mighty angel

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.  He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 

And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down." 

This angel is dramatic, majestic.  He plants a foot on the sea and one on land, as if he were larger than either.  He too has a scroll and seven thunders respond to his shout.  But John in prevented from communicating the message of the seven thunders.  After all the things revealed so far, suddenly something is hidden from John.  Why?

Revelation 10: 5-7, No more delay

Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven.  And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay!  But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets." 

Note the word "delay". The people of John's time asked, "Why had Jesus delayed his return?" Two thousand years later that question is certainly stronger, sharper. But John says that someday the "delay" will finally end.

Revelation 10: 8-11, Eating the angel's scroll

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."  

So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. 

He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey."  

I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.  

Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."

In this vision, John ingests the scroll and it starts sweet in his mouth but brings nausea afterwards. And then John is told to go further in the prophesy, prepared to address all people and all nations, all languages and kings.

Revelation 9: 12-21, The Sixth Trumpet

Five trumpets have been sounded. Each has announced something falling from heaven to strike the one-third of the earth.

The NIV footnotes say that Abaddon and Apollyon mean "Destroyer".   The star that fell with the fifth trumpet seems to be the "angel of the Abyss", that is Satan, Destroyer.

There are more "locusts".

Revelation 9: 12, Two more judgments

The first terrible judgment is past. Two others are still coming.

The first four trumpets brought destruction; the last three bring "woes". The first woe corresponded with the fifth trumpet.

Revelation 9: 13-16, The sixth trumpet

The sixth angel blew his trumpet. Then I heard a voice coming from the four corners of the golden altar. The altar stands in front of God. 
14 The voice spoke to the sixth angel who had the trumpet. The voice said, “Set the four angels free who are held at the great river Euphrates.” 
15 The four angels had been ready for this very hour and day and month and year. They were set free to kill a third of all people. 
16 The number of troops on horseback was 200,000,000. I heard how many there were.

Four angels have been released by the voice of God.  The angels were "held at the river Euphrates". The river Euphrates is an ancient river, at the cradle of humanity, and mentioned with the Tigris River in Genesis as one of the boundaries of the garden of Eden (Genesis 2: 10-14.) According to Genesis 3:24, after driving mankind from Eden, an angel is put there to guard the way to the Tree of Life.

Once again, one-third of mankind will die in this event.  The four angels have been waiting for this very hour, day, month, year, as if it were indeed a single moment in time.

The number two hundred million is literally "twice ten thousand ten thousands."

Revelation 9: 17-19, The sixth trumpet

The horses and riders I saw in my vision had armor on their chests. It was red like fire, dark blue, and yellow like sulfur. The heads of the horses looked like lions’ heads. Out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 
18 A third of all people were killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of the horses’ mouths. 
19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails. The tails were like snakes whose heads could bite.

The author describes these 200 million horses and riders; they have armor that is vivid red, blue and yellow; the head of the horses is terrifying, looking like lions, yet they act like ancient dragons, spouting fire, smoke and sulfur, which act like three different plagues.  The horses have deadly mouths and tails!

One can attempt to make these objects into modern weaponry -- is the smoke a chemical weapon? or these strange tanks -- but I think that is not a useful exercise. Surely in the past we have seen nightmares like this, from the black plague of Europe to the weapons of mass destruction unveiled in the two world wars of the last century.

Revelation 9: 20-21, The world's reaction to the plagues

There were people who were not killed by these plagues. But they still didn’t turn away from what they had been doing. They did not stop worshiping demons. They kept worshiping statues of gods made out of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood. These statues can’t see or hear or walk. 

21 The people also did not turn away from their murders, witchcraft, sexual sins and stealing.

Despite the horrible disasters, mankind is resistant to change.  The most persistent charge against mankind is their idolatry, their worship of gods made by idols. But they also murder, steal, are sexually immoral and involved in "magic arts".  Mankind seems incapable of repenting, possibly because they see nothing to repent from and no one to turn to.

Despite the horror of these events, the Christians listening to John's letter were probably encouraged. This vision describes what happens to those of the earthly kingdom, those who put their hopes in the emperor cult or other forms of political power.  There is only one true kingdom, John will tell us, and it will eventually come to power and reign for all eternity. 

Revelation 9: 6-12, The First Woe

Five trumpets have been sounded. Each has announced something falling from heaven to strike the one-third of the earth.

Revelation 9: 6, Looking for a way to die

6 In those days, people will look for a way to die but won’t find it. They will want to die, but death will escape them.

This falling star, that follows the fifth trumpet, set loose locusts. This time there appears to be no real destruction (of "one-third") as previously, but pain and suffering.
The suffering is a torture to the people of the world, for they seem unable even to die!

Revelation 9: 7-12, The first woe

7 The locusts looked like horses ready for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold. Their faces looked like human faces. 
8 Their hair was like women’s hair. Their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 
9 Their chests were covered with something that looked like armor made out of iron. The sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 
10 They had tails that could sting people like scorpions do. And in their tails they had power to hurt people over and over for five months. 
11 Their king was the angel of the Abyss. In the Hebrew language his name is Abaddon. In Greek it is Apollyon. His name means Destroyer.

12 The first terrible judgment is past. Two others are still coming. 

Much has been made of the descriptions of the locusts, as if they describe some futuristic, science fiction form of warfare.  Maybe they do ... but more likely they are simply hideous and frightening.

Someone, somewhere, has tried to identify them with military helicopters.  As if some such identification is useful to us.  My reaction to those attempts is that it skips two millennia of readers who would never have imagined such an identification.

The NIV footnotes say that Abaddon and Apollyon mean "Destroyer".  The star that fell with the fifth trumpet seems to be the "angel of the Abyss", that is Satan, Destroyer.

More woes will come.

Revelation 9: 1-6, The Fifth Trumpet

Four trumpets have been sounded. Each has announced something falling from heaven to strike the one-third of the earth.

Revelation 9: 1-5, The fifth trumpet

The fifth angel blew his trumpet. Then I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the tunnel leading down into a bottomless pit. The pit was called the Abyss. 
2 The star opened the Abyss. Then smoke rose up from it like the smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 
3 Out of the smoke came locusts. They came down on the earth. They were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 
4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree. They were supposed to harm only the people without God’s official seal on their foreheads. 
5 The locusts were not allowed to kill these people. But the locusts could hurt them over and over for five months. The pain the people suffered was like the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. 

6 In those days, people will look for a way to die but won’t find it. They will want to die, but death will escape them.

The falling star has the key to entrance to the Abyss and opens it.  Out pour smoke and locusts. This time there appears to be no real destruction (of "one-third") as previously, but pain and suffering to those who do not have the seal of God.

Locusts have always represented destruction and overwhelming disaster, as hordes of locusts could strip the crops from the fields and bring starvation. And their appearance, in waves of insects was always eery, frightening.

The NIV footnotes say that Abaddon and Apollyon mean "Destroyer".  The star that fell with the fifth trumpet seems to be the "angel of the Abyss", that is Satan, Destroyer.

The first four trumpets brought destruction; the last three will bring "woes".