Revelation 12:10-18

10 And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is made health, and virtue, and kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before the sight of our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him for the blood of the lamb, and for the word of his witnessing; and they loved not their lives till to the death [and they loved not their souls, or lives, unto the death].
12 Therefore, ye heavens, be ye glad, [Therefore, glad ye, heavens] and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the earth, and to the sea; for the fiend is come down to you, and hath great wrath [having great wrath], witting that he hath little time.
13 And after that the dragon saw, that he was cast down into the earth, he pursued the woman, that bare the man child.
14 And two wings of a great eagle were given to the woman, that she should fly into desert [that she should flee into desert], into her place, where she is fed by time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15 And the serpent sent out of his mouth after the woman water as a flood, that he should make her to be drawn of the flood.
16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened his mouth, and swallowed up the flood [and sopped up the flood], that the dragon sent [out] of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was wroth against the woman [is wroth to the woman], and he went to make battle with others of her seed, that keep the commandments of God, and have the witnessing of Jesus Christ.
18 And he stood on the gravel of the sea. [And he stood upon the gravel of the sea.]

Revelation 12:10-18 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO REVALATION 12

This chapter contains a vision of two wonders or signs seen in heaven, a woman and a dragon, and an account of what followed thereon, war both in heaven and earth. The vision of the woman is in Re 12:1,2, who is described by her being clothed with the sun; by her having the moon under her feet; by a crown of twelve stars on her head; and by her pregnancy, travail, pains, and cry. The vision of the dragon is in Re 12:3,4, who is described by his size, a great one; by his colour, red; by the number of his heads and horns, and the crowns on the former; by the force and strength of his tail, drawing and casting: down to the earth the third part of the stars of heaven; and by his position, standing before the woman, in order to devour her child when born. Next follows an account of the birth of her child, and what became of that and her: the child is said to be a man child, is described as a monarch, and as advanced to great honour and dignity; but she flies into the wilderness, where a place is prepared for her of God, and where she is hid for the space of 1260 days, Re 12:5,6; upon this ensues a war in heaven; the combatants on one side were Michael and his angels, and on the other the dragon and his; the issue of which was, that the latter were conquered, and cast out into the earth, Re 12:7-9, on account of which victory a triumphant song is sung by the inhabitants of heaven, because of salvation and strength that were come to them; and because of the kingdom and power of Christ, which now took place; and because of the ejection of Satan, the accuser of their brethren; in which song also notice is taken of the manner in which Satan was overcome by those he accused, by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and by their death; and it is concluded with an apostrophe to those that dwell in heaven, calling on them to rejoice, and to the inhabitants of the earth denouncing woe to them, because the devil was among them, whose wrath was great, his time being short, Re 12:10-12. Next follow the dragon's persecution of the woman, and her flight into the wilderness, and the care took of her there, as before described, Re 12:13,14; then the method the serpent took to annoy her, the help she received from the earth, and the wrath of the dragon upon that; which put him upon making war with the remnant of her seed, who kept the commandments of God, and had the testimony of Jesus, Re 12:15-17.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.