"His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it."
(Revelation 12:4)
“His tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth,” indicates his power and strength. This is not meant to be taken literally, because the earth could not contain a third of the stars of heaven! It likely is reference to the angels that fell with Satan now making up the demonic hoard intent on attacking everything godly and good.
The dragon’s ambition can be seen in verse 4. He waited for the woman to give birth so that “he might devour her child.” As we will see, the child refers to Christ. Throughout the history of the world, Satan has sought to subvert and destroy the godly seed through which Christ would come. The background is Genesis 3:15. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Satan’s goal was to destroy the line through which Christ would come. So often the promised lineage of the Messiah faced extinction: at the flood, in Abraham having no heir, in Jacob facing Esau in the wilderness, in David being hunted down by Saul, in the wicked Queen Athaliah killing all heirs to the throne except Joash, in Haman’s plans to destroy all the Jews, in Herod’s attempt to kill all the baby boys around Bethlehem. But God preserved our Savior so that He might go to the cross on our behalf and deliver us from the dominion of Satan! Now Satan’s rage is transferred to the Church.
The dragon’s ambition can be seen in verse 4. He waited for the woman to give birth so that “he might devour her child.” As we will see, the child refers to Christ. Throughout the history of the world, Satan has sought to subvert and destroy the godly seed through which Christ would come. The background is Genesis 3:15. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Satan’s goal was to destroy the line through which Christ would come. So often the promised lineage of the Messiah faced extinction: at the flood, in Abraham having no heir, in Jacob facing Esau in the wilderness, in David being hunted down by Saul, in the wicked Queen Athaliah killing all heirs to the throne except Joash, in Haman’s plans to destroy all the Jews, in Herod’s attempt to kill all the baby boys around Bethlehem. But God preserved our Savior so that He might go to the cross on our behalf and deliver us from the dominion of Satan! Now Satan’s rage is transferred to the Church.
(Dr. Phil A. Newton)
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