The Greatest Beast: Satan

(Revelation; fourth beast; Daniel 7)

Satan has become familiar to Bible readers from the first pages, when he in the form of a serpent deceived Adam and Eve. Whoever broke the commandments of God, immediately Satan “night and day accused them in front of our God”. Also, Job, whom God had found to be a righteous man, made Satan doubt his true righteousness. Job 1:7 tells: And Jehovah said to Satan, From where have you come? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

–  Peter tells us something similar to the functioning of Satan: 1 Pet 5:8 Be sensible, watch, because your adversary the Devil walks about as a roaring lion seeking someone he may devour; – Satan has been doing this throughout the history of mankind. And now that the end time is at hand? What will be the role of Satan in end-time events?

Rev 12:3 And another sign was seen in the heavens. And, behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns! And on his heads were seven diadems. 

Remember the seven kings and the ten kings (horns that depict a king) we read in the previous article: Satan – the great red dragon!

The beast of this verse is found in Revelation as well as in Daniel’s book. It will play a significant role in end-time battles. The dragon is identified as Satan. The dragon and the seven heads and the ten horns depict a confederation the purpose of which is to destroy the state of Israel.

12:4 Its tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky and threw them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth so that it could devour her child when it was born.

The dragon’s tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven (angels) on the earth. The question is about war in heaven, which is described in verse 7:

War in heaven. Rev 12:7 Then a war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon and its angels fought back.
8 But it was not strong enough, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
9 The huge dragon was thrown down. That ancient serpent, called devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, was thrown down to the earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.

An important question which preoccupies many is: when will this war be waged and when will Satan and his angels be cast out of heaven to earth? The following verses give this a hint.

Rev 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: 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 brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, Now the salvation, the power, the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ have come. For the one accusing our brothers, the one who accuses them day and night in the presence of our God, has been thrown out.

John heard in the vision a great voice to say that Satan and his angel – one-third of the angels – have been cast out of heaven on earth and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come. (Rev 12:10) The kingdom of God has not yet been born, so war will happen in the near future as part of the end-time events. It is also related to the Second Coming of Christ when he takes the kingdom of God and rules together with the resurrected Saints. Christ comes with his mighty angelic force and strikes against Satan’s troops winning them. This is preceded by a time of great tribulation of seven years including the Lord’s Day of wrath.

So be glad, heavens, and those who live in them! How terrible it is for the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you with great wrath, knowing that his time is short! (12:12). When the dragon saw that it had been thrown down to the earth, it persecuted the woman who had given birth to the boy. (12:13).

In his great anger Satan starts to persecute the church of the believers: Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went away to do battle against the rest of her children, the ones who keep God’s commandments and hold on to the testimony about Jesus. (12:17). 12:14: However, the woman was given the two wings of a large eagle so that she could fly away from the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she could be taken care of for a time, times, and half a time [3.5 years, 42 months from the presence of the serpent].

– The persecution of the church will take half of the seven-year tribulation in its second half.

In his great anger, Satan begins to persecute the church of believers on earth.

 

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