Revelation 12 Footnotes

12:1–14:20 Chapters 12–14 function as a prelude to the bowls-of-wrath sequence (chaps. 15–16). They provide a midstream orientation to characters and content that is crucial in understanding the latter part of Revelation.

12:7-10 The sense that the “woman” in v. 6 is faithful Israel is strengthened by Satan’s clash with Michael, the archangel assigned to protect Israel (Dn 12:1). Throughout Satan’s career of deceiving the world and accusing the brethren (Rv 12:10), he was allowed a place in heaven (Jb 1–2). But now he is cast out. “The evil day” (Eph 6:13) of spiritual warfare will be far more intense, with Satan and his “angels” (demons) thrown down to the earth.

12:11 Sometimes what looks like defeat is victory, as when brethren die for their faith. Satan has killed them, but they have actually conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.

12:17 The devil does not give up easily. Unable to get at the “woman” and enraged, he turns aside to declare war against (i.e., kill) the Gentile saints (13:7). The Gentiles are Jesus’s “other sheep that are not from [the Jewish] sheep pen” (Jn 10:16).