Day 209

“7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole [b]world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Revelation 12 :7-9 (NASB)

The war in Heaven is described in military language: The Greek words: ‘polemos,’ ‘polemesai’ and ‘epolemesen’ in Revelation 12 normally describe armed conflict. But they can be used in figurative ways as well, to heighten the drama of quarrels and verbal disagreements (e.g. James 4:1). Upon closer examination, the war in heaven is more a war of words than a military event. There are 4 main pieces of evidence for this in Chapter 12. 

First, the dragon sweeps 1/3rd of the stars down from heaven with his tail (Grk: oura). The tail is an OT symbol for a prophet who teaches lies (Isa 9:15). Second, the dragon is defined in Rev 12:9 as “that ancient serpent”, a clear reference to the lies about God spoken to Adam and Eve in the garden (Gen 3:1-6). Remember Jesus told us in John 8:44 that he was the “Father of lies.” Thirdly, the dragon/satan is cast out of heaven as the “accuser of the brethren” in Rev 12:10. It is his accusing words, rather than physical weapons, that result in his being cast out. Finally, the dragon/satan is overcome by “the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Rev12:11). So, the war in Rev 12 is not a military battle; it is a war of words and ideas. 

The fact that Rev12 is the physical and spiritual heart of the book should tell us something significant about the narrative that has been unfolding as we read, and about that which is to come in the 2nd half of the book. 
Lucifer had stood in open revolt against God (Isa14:12-15), and after being cast out of heaven, become the self-proclaimed ruler of this world after usurping Adam’s rule. By His death and resurrection, Jesus redeemed what was lost and satan’s true character was revealed before the universe. At the cross, lucifer demonstrated to a watching universe, that he would if he could, put God himself to death.

Henceforth his work was restricted. Rev 4 & 5 described how before the watching cosmos, the rule over the earth was transferred back to Jesus, and He was proclaimed the legitimate sovereign. (Eph 1:20 – 22, Phil 2:9-11). Eventually, whether saved or lost, “Every knee shall bow” even satan himself!