Tag: War in heaven

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When was Satan thrown out of heaven?

Overview

Revelation 12 first mentions Christ’s ascension, then the woman in the wilderness, then the war in heaven, and then again the woman in the wilderness. These two wilderness periods are the same. But verses 13-14 show that the real sequence is:

      • Christ’s ascension
      • War in Heaven
      • Woman in the Wilderness

However, the war did not begin after Christ’s ascension. It began long before Christ. The significance of Revelation 12 is that it was the end of that age-old war. The victory in the war in heaven was won through Christ’s victory on earth.

The Wilderness period began after the War in Heaven.

The sequence of events in Revelation 12 is as follows:

Revelation 12:5 describes Jesus’ ascension.

In the next verse, the woman flees to the wilderness, where she hides for 1260 days.

This is followed by the war in heaven between Michael and the dragon and their angels. But the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were thrown out of heaven (Rev 12:8-9).

But then verse 14 describes the same wilderness period as in verse 6. In both, the woman flees into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared to be nourished for the same period (Rev 12:6, 14). Show More

Since the woman’s wilderness period is mentioned both before and after Satan’s defeat in the war in heaven, the question arises about the actual sequence of events. Revelation 12:13-14 gives the answer because it explicitly states that the woman hides in the wilderness after Satan was defeated in heaven and thrown down to earth. Show More

The War began before Christ.

The idea of a war in heaven may seem strange to some. However:

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the powers,
against the world forces of this darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness
in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12; cf. Col 1:20).

Although Revelation 12 mentions the war in heaven after Jesus was caught up to His Father’s throne, the following shows that the war began long before Christ:

The angels were already at war in the Book of Daniel, 600 years before Christ. Show More

The generals of the two armies in the war in heaven (Satan and Michael) clashed before Christ over the resurrection of Moses. Show More

Other examples of the war in heaven, before the time of Christ, are Zechariah 3:1 and Job 1:8-9.

Since the war in heaven raged BEFORE Christ was born, the significance of Revelation 12 is that it was the end of that age-old war.

Satan was thrown out after Christ’s victory.

Some people want to put Satan’s defeat a long time before Christ when Lucifer was “cast … as profane from the mountain of God” (Ezekiel 28:16). Others want to put it at the end of time, when “the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone” (Rev 20:10). But since the victory was won before the woman had to hide in the wilderness, Satan was thrown out of heaven immediately or soon after Christ’s ascension to God’s throne. Therefore, the victory in the war in heaven was won through Christ’s victory on earth.

Chronological Sequence

The actual chronological sequence, therefore, is as follows:

Before Christ, while the dragon prepared to devour the Child as soon as He appeared, war raged in heaven.

After Christ was born and won the victory by remaining faithful to God until death, and was “caught up to God and to His throne” (Rev 12:5), Satan was defeated. “He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Rev 12:8-9).

Although the war in heaven was won, it continued to rage on earth. The dragon persecuted the woman (Rev 12:13), and she fled to the wilderness, where she would be “nourished” for 1260 days (Rev 12:6, 14).

What is the Wilderness Period?

WildernessAs indicated by Revelation 12:13-14, this is a time when God’s people have to hide from persecution. They become invisible. It is a very important prophetic period, for it is mentioned seven times in Daniel and Revelation, first in Daniel 7:25 and 12:7, where it is also the period when God’s people are persecuted. 

Another article identifies this period as the Middle Ages, a period of about 1260 years between the Fall of Rome and the modern era, during which the Church of the Roman Empire ruled the nations of Europe.

Articles on Revelation 12

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They overcame Satan by the word of their testimony. Revelation 12:11

This is an article in the series on Revelation 12. Unless otherwise indicated, all quotes are from the NASB.

SUMMARY

Revelation 12:7-10 describes the victory that Michael and his angels gained over Satan and his angels in the war in heaven. But then Revelation 12:11 continues:

“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony … even when faced with death.”

Since this also refers to a victory over Satan, it may seem as if “they” refer to angels. However, for the following reasons, “they” refer to God’s people on earth:

      • Death – Angels are not “faced with death” (Rev 12:11). In Revelation, it is always people that are killed for their testimony.
        –
      • Brethren – The immediate antecedent of “they” is “our brethren” who were accused by Satan (Rev 12:10). In Revelation, “brethren” always refer to God’s people.
        –
      • Overcome – “They overcame” and in Revelation, it is God’s people who “overcome” (e.g. Rev 3:12).

This creates an apparent contradiction, for it might imply that the victory in the war in heaven (Rev 12:7-10) was actually won on earth by God’s people (Rev 12:11). To solve this, it is proposed that these are two different victories:

      • Revelation 12:11 refers to the everyday experience of God’s people as they overcome Satan’s accusations.
      • The victory in the war in heaven, as described in Rev 12:7-10, was a specific event after Christ’s ascension in which Satan was defeated.

OVERCOME THE ACCUSER BY THEIR TESTIMONY

According to Revelation 12:11, two things are required for “our brethren” to overcome:

      • The blood of the Lamb and
      • The word of their testimony.

Why is the “testimony” of God’s people, “even when faced with death” required to overcome Satan’s accusations? Why is the blood of the Lamb not sufficient? This is addressed by the series on the seven seals. In Revelation 5, Christ died to gain the right to open the book of God’s judgments (Rev 5:5 – see, Book of Life), but the book remains sealed. A process is required to open the book. This process involves “the word of their testimony … even when faced with death.”

– END OF SUMMARY – 

WHO ARE THEY?

Revelation 12:7-10 describes the victory that Michael and his angels gained over Satan and his angels in the war in heaven. As argued in a previous article, Christ’s victory on earth enabled Michael to gain victory in heaven. Rev 12:10 describes the outcome of that victory:

“The accuser of our brethren has been thrown down,
he who accuses them before our God day and night.“

Revelation 12:11 continues:

“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

The first question in this article is: Who are “they?” Are “they” people or angels?

THEY ARE ANGELS.

The following may indicate that “they” could refer to angels:

      • Immediate context – Revelation 12:11 refers to some victory when it says, “they overcame him.”  “Him,” in the context, refers to Satan. Since “they” overcame Satan, and since Michael’s angels defeated Satan in the immediate context (Rev 12:7-10), this may imply that “our brethren” refers to Michael and his angels.
        –
      • Blood of the Lamb – As previously argued, the angels gained the victory “because of the blood of the Lamb.” Now Rev 12:11 says the same of “our brethren.“

THEY ARE PEOPLE.

The following indicates that “they” are God’s people on earth:

      • Death – As far as we know, angels are not “faced with death” (Rev 12:11). In Revelation, it is always people that are killed for their testimony; never angels, for example:
        –

          • “Those who had been slain … because of the testimony which they had maintained” (Rev 6:9; cf. 12:17).
          • “Those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus” (Rev 20:4).
            –
      • Brethren – The immediate antecedent of “they” is “our brethren” who were accused by Satan (Rev 12:10). It is in Satan’s nature to deceive and accuse (Rev 12:9-10). He certainly must have attempted at least to deceive and accuse Michael and his angels “before our God.”  For that reason, “our brethren” arguably include angels. However, elsewhere in Revelation, “brethren” always refer to God’s people (Rev 6:11; 19:10; 22:9).
        –
      • Overcome – “They overcame” and in Revelation, it is God’s people who “overcome” (e.g. Rev 3:12).

APPARENT CONTRADICTION

The evidence seems stronger that verse 11 describes God’s people on earth, but this creates an apparent contradiction, for it might imply that the victory in the war in heaven (Rev 12:7-10), in which Michael’s angels won the victory, was actually won on earth and by God’s people (Rev 12:11). 

To solve this apparent contradiction, it is proposed that these are two different but related victories:

      • Revelation 12:11 refers to the everyday experience of God’s people as they overcome Satan’s accusations.
      • The victory in the war in heaven, as described in verses 7-10, was a specific event after Christ’s ascension in which Satan was defeated.

Christ’s victory on the earth (that He remained faithful to God to the end, even under the most excruciating torment – “even when faced with death“) forms the foundation of both these victories.

OVERCOME THE ACCUSER BY THEIR TESTIMONY

However, according to 12:11, two things are required for “our brethren” to overcome:

“They overcame him
because of the blood of the Lamb and
because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

The Lamb is Jesus (e.g. Rev 5:6). Both “the blood of the Lamb” and “the word of their testimony” are required for God’s people to overcome Satan. Their willingness to die for what they believe is not a third requirement but indicates the strength of their testimony. The testimony that overcomes Satan is a testimony that is proven real when one’s life is in danger. Satan said to the LORD, “all that a man has he will give for his life” (Job 2:4), but these people prove him wrong, for they are willing to die for their faith.

BLOOD OF THE LAMB

The first requirement is “the blood of the Lamb.” How the blood of Christ purchased men for God has been discussed in the series on the seven seals. (See, The book which not even God can open.)

THEIR TESTIMONY

But the question is: Why is the “testimony” of God’s people, “even when faced with death” required to overcome Satan’s accusations (Rev 12:10-11)? Why is the blood of the Lamb not sufficient? This is also addressed by the series on the seven seals. Revelation 5 and 12 are parallel in the sense that both describe the consequence of Christ’s victory on earth:

      • Revelation 5 shows that Christ was accepted as the true witness and, therefore, received the right to open the book of God’s judgments (the book of life).
        –
      • Revelation 12 shows that Satan was proven to be a liar and he was thrown out of heaven in his capacity as “the accuser of our brethren” (Rev 12:10).

To come back to the question: Why is the “testimony” of God’s people, required to overcome Satan’s accusation; Christ died to gain the right to open the book of God’s judgments (Rev 5:5), but the book remains sealed. A process is required to open the book. This process involves “the word of their testimony … even when faced with death.” Please see the article series on the seals for further discussion.

ARTICLES IN THE SERIES ON REVELATION 12

OTHER RELEVANT ARTICLES

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