Revelation 12—13 introduces us to the three key characters in the drama of the last half of the tribulation: Satan the dragon, the false Christ and the false prophet. These three are, in a sense, an evil trinity, opposing the true God and His people on earth. While these events will be of special significance to God’s people at that time, the message of these two chapters can encourage suffering Christians during any age.
Chapter 12: A great 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. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its 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 it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 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. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. 7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 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.
10 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 Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over 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.
12 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.”
13 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
The adversary always works through human means, in this case, “the beast” (false Christ or Antichrist) and the false prophet. Satan is an imitator, a counterfeiter, and he seeks to control men by means of deception. “The beast” is the future world dictator who promises to solve the pressing problems of the nations; the false prophet is his “propaganda minister.” For a time, it appears that the satanic trio is succeeding, but then their world empire begins to collapse, the nations assemble for one final battle, Jesus Christ appears, and the battle is over.
Has this not been the pattern for the church’s conflict with evil over the centuries? Whether a Caesar, a Hitler, or Stalin, a Mugabe or an agnostic humanist, Satan has energised and motivated them.
The climax will come with the appearance of the Antichrist in his time (2 Thess. 2).
The Red Dragon (Rev. 12:1-6)
- Two Signs in Heaven
John’s vision opens with two signs in heaven (Rev.
12:1–6).
The first is a woman giving birth to a son. Since this child is identified as Jesus Christ (compare Rev. 12:5 with Rev. 19:15 and Ps. 2:9), this symbolic woman can be none other than the nation Israel; the twelve stars meaning the twelve tribes of Israel. It was through Israel that Jesus Christ came into the world (Rom. 1:3; 9:4–5). [see Blog bonus].
The son is born and is then caught up to the throne of God (Rev. 12:5). We have symbolised here the birth of Christ and His victorious ascension, but nothing is said about either His life or His death.
The woman with child is the first sign; the great
red dragon is the second. Revelation 12:9 makes it clear that this is Satan. The colour red is associated with death (Rev. 6:4), and Satan is a murderer (John 8:44). The heads, horns, and crowns will appear again in Revelation 13:1 and 17:3. The heads represent mountains (Rev. 17:9), and the horns represent kings (Rev.17:12).
This prophetic riddle would have been easily understood by John’s readers. He was giving them a picture of Rome, built on seven hills (Rev. 17:9).
Whilst John is using language to describe Satan’s opposition to the Church through the Roman empire it cannot be forgotten that there is a great deal of symbolism in the passage. The basic idea is that Satan wants to destroy Jesus and His people.
The dragon was cast out of heaven (Rev. 12:9), and he took with him a third of the angels (Rev. 12:7, 9). They are spoken of as “stars” in Revelation 12:4 (see also Dan. 8:10). This is a reference to the fall of Satan (Isa. 14:12–15), when he and his hosts revolted against God. However, the casting out described in Revelation 12:7–10 is yet future.
Remember, the imagery of the fan. We spread things out but the fan in prophetic terms is compressed, each part touching another.
Just as soon as the child was born, Satan tried to destroy Him. This conflict between Satan and “the woman” began soon after man fall (Gen. 3:15). Throughout Old Testament history, Satan tried to prevent the birth of the Redeemer.
When Jesus Christ was born, Satan used King Herod to try to destroy Him (Matt. 2). Satan thought that he had succeeded when he used Judas to betray Jesus and hand Him over to be crucified. But the cross was actually Satan’s defeat!
12:11: “They triumphed over 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”
He has a special hatred for the Jewish people and has been the power behind anti-Semitism from the days of Pharaoh and Haman (see the book of Esther) to Hitler, Stalin, to Hezbollah and Hamas. Finally, in the middle of the tribulation, there will come a wave of anti-Semitism such as the world has never seen (Rev. 12:6). But God will protect His people during those three-and-a-half years (1,260 days;
see Rev. 11:2; 13:5).
Apart from the 144,000 (who are sealed and protected), a believing remnant of Jews will survive this very troublesome time. We are not told where God will protect them or who it is that will care for them (Matthew 24:15–21 will take on special meaning for those believing Jews who live in the end days).
You and I are involved in a similar conflict today (see Eph. 6:10ff.). Satan is out to destroy the church, and our victory can come only through Jesus Christ. Make no mistake, you’re in a spiritual battle for the souls not-yet-saved.
- War in Heaven (Rev 12:7-12)
The next scene in this cosmic drama is a war in heaven (Rev. 12:7–12). Scripture makes it clear that
Satan has access to heaven even today (Job 1—2).Once he was the highest of God’s angels, but he rebelled against God and was cast down (Isa. 14:12–15).
Of course, when Jesus Christ died on the cross, it meant Satan’s ultimate defeat (John 12:31–33). Satan will one day be cast out of heaven (Rev. 12:7–10), and then finally cast into hell (Rev. 20:10)
After the church is taken to heaven, believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and have their works examined. On the basis of this judgment, rewards will be given (Rom. 14:10–12; 1 Cor. 3:10–15; 2 Cor. 5:10–11). It seems likely that Satan will be present at this event and will accuse the saints, pointing out all the “stains and wrinkles” in the church (Eph. 5:24–27: the primary application of these verses is how Christ is presenting the Church to His father, lessons about marriage are secondary).
How does this future war apply to the church today? The same serpent who accuses the saints in heaven also deceives the nations on earth (Rev. 12:9), and one of his strategies is to lie about the church. Expect opposition for being a Christian. In fact, the enemy only targets those who are active in their faith.
John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
BOOM!
Christ’s shed blood gives us our perfect standing before God (1 John 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.
This dragon’s power is limited (Rev. 12:4). Satan is not God’s equal. He is not all powerful all knowing, ever present.
- War on Earth (Rev. 12:13-16)
This, then, is the third scene in the drama: Satan’s
wrath on earth (Rev. 12:13–16). Knowing that his time
is short, and having no more access to heaven, the
adversary must vent all of his anger earthward.
Satan would like to destroy the nation of Israel, 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 interest ing that the remnant’s escape from Satan is described in terms of a flying eagle. This is not the USA coming to her rescue (America is often seen as an Eagle). 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 her young (Deut. 32:11–12). Their return from Babylonian captivity was like “rising up with wings as eagles” (Isa. 40:31).
It is God who will delver Israel, just as He delivered His Church.
The Beast from the Sea (13:1–10)
13: The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”
5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.
9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.
10 “If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed[c] with the sword,
with the sword they will be killed.”
This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.
Chapter 13 pictures two more symbolic creatures that come to aid the red dragon, forming an unholy trinity. Overall we can see the formation of a world government and the beast and false prophet who will lead it (Walvoord, Prophecy Knowledge Handbook, 580).
The first beast that comes for the sea is a miniature facsimile of the red dragon and has a similar crown or horns (See 17:10; Dan 7:7).
The sea symbolises the place of monsters and demonic (see Job 41:1-34; Dan 7:1-14). It is not that the next beast comes literally from the sea, but it is telling us this is coming from outside of Israel. Some believe this to be the European Union - the text does not give us enough to justify this. It could easily also be a confederation of Arab nations, given the rise of Islam. We just don’t not know.
13:1: it had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.
Some say this seven heads is the seven mountains of Rome. It could be but it probably speaks of secular power, probably an alignment of nations, demonstrated through an individual. John is using language understood by his readers in the seven churches.
At best we can say that this will be a resurrected Roman spirit, a world empire, with a leader most likely from the Mediterranean region (Dan 7:7-8; Rev 12:3;17:3,7).
13:2: The three animals named in Revelation 13:2 remind us of the four beasts Daniel saw in his dream (Dan. 7): a lion (Babylon), a bear (Media-Persia), a leopard (Greece), and a “terrible beast” (the Antichrist). John saw these animals, or kingdoms, in reverse order since he was looking back, while Daniel was looking ahead. The final world empire will be rooted in all the previous empires and unite in one their evil and power.
- wonder
Wonder at his meteoric rise to fame. Wonder at how he was wounded a recovered.
13:3: One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast.
This fatal wound has led some to look for someone who was injured, fought for life, and survived miraculously. This is unhelpful, again we do not know details; what is clear is that this is a parody of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It’s a fake Christ.
- worship
13:4: Satan’s craving for worship is opening satisfied because people will worship the persons, the beast for the sea, whom the red dragon summoned forth.
Satan can do nothing without God’s permission (see Job 1—2; Luke 22:31–32), so “the beast’s” authority is delegated, not inherent. It will last for three-and-a-half years, the last half of the tribulation.
- words
All dictators use words to control shoe around them. 13: 5-6: The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.
- war
Finally, there will be war (Rev. 13:7–10). God will permit Antichrist to war against His people (Dan. 7:25) and even to defeat some of them. John prophesied that some of the saints will be captured and some will be martyred. But because of their faith, they will have patience, or endurance (see Heb. 6:12; Rev. 1:9), and will not deny the Lord in spite of persecution and death.
Keep in mind that “the beast” is a counterfeit Christ. The world would not receive Christ, but it will receive Antichrist (John 5:43; 2 Thess 2:8-12). In Revelation 17, we will learn that “the beast” rises to power by means of “the harlot,” a symbol of the apostate world church. This is not any one denomination or faith, but a world religious system that has rejected God’s Son and God’s truth. However, when “the beast” rises to universal power, he will no longer need “the harlot” and shall subsequently destroy her and establish his own satanic religion.
The Beast from the Earth (13:11–18)
13:11-18: Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honour of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.
In Revelation 16:13; 19:20; and 20:10, the beast from the earth is called “the false prophet.” The dragon or Satan is the counterfeit Father (“I will be like the Most High”), “the beast” is the counterfeit Christ, and the false prophet is the counterfeit Holy Spirit. This completes the satanic trinity.
One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ and lead people to trust and worship Him (John 16:7–15). The false prophet will point to Antichrist and his image and compel people to worship Satan through “the beast.”
The image of the horns (Rev. 13:11) suggests that the false prophet has authority, but the absence of a crown indicates that his authority is not political. Jesus warned that there would be false prophets (Matt. 24:11, 24), and this one will be the greatest.
The false prophet may not be an outsider of the un-raptured church, but an insider, a false prophet from within the ranks of the left behind, (cf. 2 Pet 2:1-3; Mark 13:22; 2 Thess 2:9). Possibly a Pope? Possibly a celebrity Christian fake preacher. We do not know, but someone who commands an audience. Several of these novices will rise after the rapture to claim it did not happen!
He will have the “character” of a lamb but the voice of the dragon. What a deceiver he will be—and all the world will listen to him!
- Abomination
His greatest sign will be “the abomination of desolation” mentioned by Daniel (Dan. 9:27; 11:36), Jesus (Matt 24:15), and Paul (2 Thess. 2:4). What is “the abomination of desolation”? It is the image of “the beast,” set up in the temple in Jerusalem.
An idol is bad enough, but setting it up in the temple is the height of all blasphemy. Since Satan could not command worship in heaven, he will go to the next best place—the Jewish temple in the Holy City (see Dan. 8:9–14).
- mark of the beast
16-18: It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.
What is this mark? (This section adapted from Hank Hanegraaff, “Is the mark of the Beast a microchip?”, 15 Feb, 2023, updated 7 May, 2024, https://www.equip.org/bible_answers/is-the-mark-of-the-beast-a-microchip/)
Firstly, it is an imitation of the mark upon God’s people (Rev 14:1-2). It is a symbol of ownership and allegiance.
Secondly, it is economic. You can’t buy and sell without it. Is it something physical. The church used to the it was a tattoo. Now people will think it’s a microchip, under the skin. Some believe it’s barcodes, but barcodes are not made up of three sixes (that had long since been debunked)!
In October 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (USA) approved the marketing of a microchip implantable under the skin of humans for medical identification. Prophecy pundits immediately began touting Verichip technology as the mark of the Beast spoken of in Revelation 13. Contrary to such newspaper eschatology, there is no biblical basis for believing that the mark of the Beast is a silicon microchip.
First, biblically, the mark of the Beast is a parody of the mark of the Lamb. Just as the mark on the foreheads of the 144,000 in Revelation 14 symbolises identity with the Lamb, so the mark in Revelation 13 symbolises identity with the Beast. Likewise, when Jesus said that on him who overcomes He will write “the name of my God and the name of the city of my God…I will also write on him my new name” (Revelation 3:12), we intuitively realise He does not have a Sharpie in mind.
Secondly, the forehead and the hands are Old Testament symbols of a person’s beliefs and behaviour (cf. Exodus 13:9; Deuteronomy 6:8; 11:18; Ezekiel 9). In other words, what you believe and how you behave mark you as either belonging to God or belonging to Satan. As such, John’s reference to the mark of the Beast in Revelation is securely tethered to Scripture. Conversely, the notion that the mark of the Beast is Sunday worship, a tattoo, or a silicon microchip has no biblical basis whatsoever.
Thirdly, the mark of the Beast is not something that can be taken inadvertently. It is the intentional denial—in thought, word, and deed—of the lordship of Jesus Christ. It is a forced denial of Jesus (Rev. 13:16 - even non-believers are forced). Thus, rather than fearfully avoiding microchip technology, we should with fear and trembling resist the temptation to be conformed to the evil systems of this world.
Instead, we must boldly accept the mark of the Lamb by offering our bodies as living sacrifices and by being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1–2).
True believers did not receive this mark as seen later, because they bore the mark of Jesus (Rev 20:4).
(I am sure you’ll all want to show me theories on Youtube).
- The number
I’ll need to give you the short version here! The number 666 in Hebrew numerology speaks of a person that John and his readers knew: Nero.
He was pointing them to look out for a worldwide, empire building dictator with the same spirit as Nero. To overtly say this in an open letter would have brought more persecution to the church. [Blog bonus]
Which certainly should discount fear of barcodes and technology. These things are more to do with whom we worship, the deceptions of Satan, and the separating of those who follow Jesus and those who do not.
But more than that, the number for God is 777, [perfection x perfection x perfection]. In this passage we have seen a fake trinity, demanding worship and allegiance. John here is saying, “You might call yourself God, but you’re still a man” by using the 666 number.
Whatever the enemy does, he will never be God. There’s only room on heaven’s throne for one, the One whom we worship!
The second half of the tribulation will be dominated by these characters.
Wrapping this up:
Reminder: you will be raptured before this one world government and one world economy is fully formed.
Stop being scared by conspiracy theorists and Hollywood.
Your salvation is secure in Jesus!
——————————
Blog Bonus:
Israel as a woman?
In the Old Testament, Israel is often compared to a
woman, and even a woman in travail (Isa. 54:5; 66:7;
Jer. 3:6–10; Mic. 4:10; 5:2–3). The apostate world system is compared to a harlot (Rev. 17:1ff.), and the church to a pure bride (Rev. 19:7ff.).
World leaders depicted as dragons:
This symbolism, meaning their destructive force.
Pharaoh is called a “dragon” (Ezek. 29:3), and so is Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 51:34).
Nero as 666:
We probably do know just what wisdom the author of Revelations intended to convey with that number. Yes, it's Roman, and it's numerals, but the numerals aren't Roman. The Roman is the emperor Nero; the numerals are letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each letter has a numerical value: Aleph is 1, Beth is 2, and so on until 10, then count by tens till 100, then by hundreds till we run out of letters. Nero Caesar in Hebrew is NeRON QeiSaR; adding up the letters we get ``the number of the man'', 666.
This kind of numerical signature is called gematria, and is still used in Hebrew and Arabic. But it's notoriously malleable.We can never know beyond all doubt, but there's fairly good evidence. It made sense for an early Christian to represent Nero, and the pagan and powerful Empire that Nero stood for, as the Beast. It also made sense to use the code of gematria. If you write plainly that Nero and Rome are doing the Devil's work, then you're an enemy combatant, and the Roman legal code had no Bill of Rights. But give only the number, and you have plausible deniability: maybe the gematria is just a coincidence, and you were really hinting at the Pope or Roman numerals or whatever, or honestly reporting a mystic prophecy of the far future.(for an interesting article, look here: https://people.math.harvard.edu/~elkies/mp666.html#:~:text=Each letter has a numerical,of the man'', 666.)
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