THE REVELATION OF JOHN Bible Study 31 Study by Lorin L Cranford Text: Rev. 12:7-12 All rights reserved © QUICK LINKS 1. What the text meant. Exegesis of the Text: Historical Aspects: A. War between Michael and Satan, vv. 7-9 External History B. Declaration of victory, vv. 10-12 Internal History Literary Aspects: Genre 2. What the text means. Literary Setting Literary Structure Michael Defeats the Dragon Greek NT Gute Nachricht Bibel NRSV NLT 7 Καὶ ἐγένετο πόλεμος ἐν 7 Dann brach im Himmel 7 And war broke out in 7 Then there was war τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὁ Μιχαὴλ καὶ οἱ ein Krieg aus. Michael mit heaven; Michael and his an- in heaven. Michael and the ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ τοῦ πολεμῆσαι seinen Engeln kämpfte gegen gels fought against the drag- angels under his command μετὰ τοῦ δράκοντος. καὶ ὁ den Drachen. Der Drache mit on. The dragon and his angels fought the dragon and his δράκων ἐπολέμησεν καὶ οἱ seinen Engeln wehrte sich; 8 fought back, 8 but they were angels. 8 And the dragon ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ, 8 καὶ οὐκ aber er konnte nicht stand- defeated, and there was no lost the battle and was forced ἴσχυσεν οὐδὲ τόπος εὑρέθη halten. Samt seinen Engeln longer any place for them in out of heaven. 9 This great αὐτῶν ἔτι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. musste er seinen Platz im heaven. 9 The great dragon dragon -- the ancient serpent 9 καὶ ἐβλήθη ὁ δράκων ὁ Himmel räumen. 9 Der große was thrown down, that ancient called the Devil, or Satan, μέγας, ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὁ Drache wurde hinunterg- serpent, who is called the the one deceiving the whole καλούμενος Διάβολος καὶ estürzt! Er ist die alte Sch- Devil and Satan, the deceiver world -- was thrown down to ὁ Σατανᾶς, ὁ πλανῶν τὴν lange, die auch Teufel oder of the whole world—he was the earth with all his angels. οἰκουμένην ὅλην, ἐβλήθη εἰς Satan* genannt wird und die thrown down to the earth, and 10 Then I heard a loud τὴν γῆν, καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ ganze Welt verführt. Er wurde his angels were thrown down voice shouting across the μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἐβλήθησαν. auf die Erde hinuntergestürzt with him. heavens, “It has happened 10 καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν mit allen seinen Engeln. 10 Then I heard a loud at last -- the salvation and μεγάλην ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ 10 Dann hörte ich eine voice in heaven, proclaiming, power and kingdom of our λέγουσαν· ἄρτι ἐγένετο ἡ mächtige Stimme im Himmel “Now have come the salva- God, and the authority of his σωτηρία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ sagen: »Jetzt ist es gesche- tion and the power and the Christ! For the Accuser has βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ hen: Unser Gott hat gesiegt! kingdom of our God and the been thrown down to earth ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, Jetzt hat er seine Gewalt ge- authority of his Messiah, for -- the one who accused our ὅτι ἐβλήθη ὁ κατήγωρ τῶν zeigt und seine Herrschaft an- the accuser of our comrades brothers and sisters before ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν, ὁ κατηγορῶν getreten! Jetzt liegt die Macht has been thrown down, who our God day and night. 11 αὐτοὺς ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ in den Händen des Königs, accuses them day and night And they have defeated him ἡμῶν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός. den er gesalbt und eingesetzt before our God. 11 But they because of the blood of the 11 καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐνίκησαν αὐτὸν hat! Der Ankläger unserer have conquered him by the Lamb and because of their διὰ τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀρνίου καὶ Brüder und Schwestern ist blood of the Lamb and by the testimony. And they were not διὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς μαρτυρίας gestürzt; er, der sie Tag und word of their testimony, for afraid to die. 12 Rejoice, O αὐτῶν καὶ οὐκ ἠγάπησαν τὴν Nacht vor Gott beschuldigte, they did not cling to life even heavens! And you who live ψυχὴν αὐτῶν ἄχρι θανάτου. ist nun aus dem Himmel hi- in the face of death. 12 Re- in the heavens, rejoice! But 12 διὰ τοῦτο εὐφραίνεσθε, nausgeworfen. 11 Unsere joice then, you heavens and terror will come on the earth [οἱ] οὐρανοὶ καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς Brüder und Schwestern ha- those who dwell in them! But and the sea. For the Dev- σκηνοῦντες. οὐαὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ ben ihn besiegt durch das Blut woe to the earth and the sea, il has come down to you in τὴν θάλασσαν, ὅτι κατέβη ὁ des Lammes und durch ihr for the devil has come down great anger, and he knows διάβολος πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἔχων standhaftes Bekenntnis. Sie to you with great wrath, be- that he has little time.” θυμὸν μέγαν, εἰδὼς ὅτι waren bereit, dafür ihr Leben cause he knows that his time ὀλίγον καιρὸν ἔχει. zu opfern und den Tod auf is short!” sich zu nehmen.12 Darum Page 646 INTRODUCTION freue dich, Himmel, mit allen, people of God gathered around Him already celebrat- In the opening scene die in dir wohnen! Ihr aber, ing the Lamb’s coming victory over Satan and all those of the cosmic battle be- Land und Meer, müsst zittern, loyal to him (14:1-5). tween God and Satan we seit der Teufel dort unten bei What we see in scene two in the defeat of Satan euch ist! Seine Wut ist unge- were introduced to the by Michael and his army is a resounding affirmation of heuer groß; denn er weiß, er initial ‘characters’ in this hat nur noch wenig Zeit!« seit the superior power of God over evil in this world. To be drama between good and der Teufel dort unten bei euch sure the presentation is in apocalyptic terms as a cos- evil. The woman with child ist! Seine Wut ist ungeheuer mic battle, but the reality in the depiction is the ultimate was persecuted by the old groß; denn er weiß, er hat nur helplessness of evil when it encounters a holy God op- dragon. But the child born noch wenig Zeit!« erating in full force to conquer and banish evil. This lies to the woman was snatched away to safety in heaven behind the apostolic Christianity teaching of the power at the moment of its birth. The woman then managed of love over hate, of peace over war etc. to flee into the wilderness, a place of refuge and safety To a readership in the first century world that be- from the dragon for a time. God took protective care of came highly anxious and scared with every thunder both, the Son in heaven with Him and the mother on and lightning storm that came along, such a message earth under God’s care. as 12:7-13 was a resounding declaration that God re- In vv. 7-9, scene two of the cosmic action occurs mains in control. And that the true reality is not what with a summation of a futile attempt of Satan to attack they had been taught while worshiping these pagan God from his position in the sky below the dwelling gods, but rather that the one true God has totally de- place of God. But God authorized his angel Michael to feated Satan up in the sky and will subsequently defeat take an army of angels to fight against Satan and his him on the earth. To those initial believers with Jewish cohorts in something of a battle. It doesn’t last ‘until synagogue connections a similar message had been the water gets hot’ with Michael defeating Satan and drilled into them, but with the critical shift that obedi- then God banishing Satan from the sky to the earth in ence to the Torah was central to victory, and not Christ. defeat. John challenges this understanding in powerful terms The pericope concludes in vv. 10-12 with a victory here. And it is the people whose names are in the proclamation from God declaring victory over evil and Lamb’s book of life who will indeed share in both victo- Satan for His people. Satan no longer has any capacity ries over the dragon. To be sure, suffering and hardship to accuse God’s people of disloyalty to the One who will come through persecution, but even martyrdom is reigns supremely on His throne in Heaven. The procla- no defeat, but instead a victory for God’s people. Satan mation affirms the victory of God’s people over Satan, on earth is a wounded dragon keenly aware that his but warns the rest of the people on earth that a wound- days are numbered. But the Lamb of God will ultimately ed warrior has come into their midst with but a short defeat him and banish him and all those following him time left before his absolute banishment to the lake of to eternal torment in the lake of fire. fire. He will take revenge on the non-believing people In our shared commitment to Christ with these first on earth, since God’s people won victory over him in Christian readers we come to share in this ‘good news’ the battle led against Satan by Michael in the sky. for it applies to all of God’s people and not just to a se- This depiction will then set up scene three in lect few. 12:13-17 where Satan will begin his futile conquest of the earth. It effort begins with Satan attempting to track 1. What did the text mean to the first readers? down the woman who birthed Christ in her wilderness hiding place. She manages to elude his grip through Historical Aspects: being given the wings of the great eagle so she can flee External History.