The End of the War in Heaven and the Outcome
Bible Study Guide
(Verse 8) The war in heaven is raging and the earth is ablaze in evil and destruction. But Satan’s last stand in heaven is a futile one. He knows the end of the story and he knows his story is about to come to an end.
Satan and his angels take on Micheal and his angels in an epic battle whose battleground is heaven.
Satan never had the power to fully oppose God. He is like many other spiritual beings, he was created by God. Creation will not supersede the Creator. Satan’s heavenly privileges are about to be permanently revoked.
The Dragon’s Outcome of the War in Heaven
(Verse 9) The dragon (Satan) and his angels lose the battle. I hope none of you are surprised by this. The dragon has never won a battle he took on to oppose God. The war on earth is raging and Satan might think he’s going to win this one. This war is about to come to its conclusion and it will not end well for the dragon.
Many people question when this verse took place. There are those who understand that Lucifer (Satan) and his angels were cast down to earth ages ago when he rebelled against God.
There are two places in scripture that tell us that this event will happen at the midway point of the Tribulation. We know based on scripture that Satan fell from his status in heaven during ancient times. The Bible also teaches us that he still had access to heaven. We find this evidence in the book of Job.
“One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” (Job 1:6-7)
This is the first encounter we find in scripture between God and Satan. This indicates that Satan still had access to heaven.
The second piece of evidence we have is the upcoming verse 13. This verse is clear in its intent. It shows that when Satan had recognized being hurled to earth, he pursues the woman (Israel) because Jesus had already been resurrected and taken up to heaven by the Father.
The war in heaven was Satan’s last attempt to try and destroy Jesus if he could’ve gotten to Him.
The War in Heaven Ends
(Verses 10-12) The war in heaven comes to a conclusion. The dragon meets failure again. He’s cast down to earth with his angels.
Then John hears a loud voice. We’re not told who the voice comes from. The loud voices we’ve heard thus far have come from angels or the elders around the throne of God. Besides that, we don’t know who the voice belongs to.
The voice exclaims that salvation is near. The time of waiting by those who’ve anticipated being reunited with God is at hand. The dragon, who has tempted and deceived people has met his partial defeat. His full defeat is near.
Heavens rejoice with the sound of those who have been washed by the blood of Christ (saved).
The Third “Woe”
But “woe” to those who are left on earth. The Devil, who has been cast down to you is the third “woe.” Just like a defeated general of an army sent home with his tail between his legs, the dragon is filled with fury.
The people of the earth are about to experience the rage of the dragon. These are going to be the events that will follow after the halfway point and the last three and half years of the Great Tribulation.
This is the time that Christ spoke of as He stood on the Mt. Of Olives teaching His disciples of the end times in the last days.
“How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” (Matthew 24:19-22)
The dragon’s rage will be at its fullness. He knows that his time is short. It’ll only be three and half years before Jesus returns to put an end to the dragon. For those who remain on earth, those three and half years will feel like a life time.
The wrath of God is not complete. There is more to come upon the evil inhabitants of this planet.
The Dragon Pursues the Woman
The dragon will now move the war in heaven to earth. He will not be able to pursue Jesus, as He’s in heaven at the right hand of God. He’ll begin to go after the woman (Israel). This will be a time of antisemitism on steroids.
No time in the history of antisemitism will compare to the fury in the dragon as he sets out to kill every Jew that he can find. This is exactly why Jesus gives His people the instructions to run quickly and don’t look back.
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.”
(Matthew 24:15-21)
God Will Protect His Remnant By Eagles Wings
(Verse 14) Many people would love nothing more than to place the United States somewhere in the Bible. After all, we are a nation who has experienced the blessings of God throughout history. Some would say we deserve to have a place in God’s Word. Well, that would be entirely up to God.
I must encourage you to use extreme caution in adopting this thought process. Especially when looking at this particular verse. Many believe that the eagles wing represent the United States coming to the rescue of its ally, Israel. This antisemitic climax would certainly be one of those perfect times.
But we must adhere to the principle of allowing scripture to interpret scripture. There is no better interpretor of the Bible than the Bible itself. This principle must be adhered to when we choose spiritual leaders to follow. A pastor or Christian leader who teaches this same principle is the one you want to seek out. Don’t look for one that gives you answers you want to hear.
The world is awash with pastors offering their ideas and opinions on God’s Word. This has resulted in a smorgasbord of false teachings across the globe.
What’s the Meaning Behind the Eagle’s Wings?
If we allow the Bible to teach us what this verse means, it’ll first bring us way back to the book of Exodus.
“‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” (Exodus 19:4)
The eagle’s wings clearly point to the power of God and not the United States. There’s more.
“In a desert land he found him,
in a barren and howling waste.
He shielded him and cared for him;
he guarded him as the apple of his eye,
11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest
and hovers over its young,
that spreads its wings to catch them
and carries them aloft.” (Deuteronomy 32:10-11)
Again, God uses the beautiful and powerfully majestic eagle as a symbol of His protection for His people. Still more.
“May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
(Ruth 2:12)
These passages clearly point to the power of God for the protection of His people. When we look at this Revelation scene that John records, it’s clear that no one can protect the people of Israel better than the One who chose them to be His people.
Be cautious to never bend scripture to fit what you’d like to hear. Rather, bend your ear to what God is teaching. Paul, the apostle warned Timothy this would come in the last days of the end times.
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3)
Time, Times and Half a Time
We’ve seen half the Tribulation time period measured out in 1,260 days. Another way, was 42 months. Each equaling three and a half years. Here John records an ancient measure of time, times and half a time.
A time equals one year. Times equals two years. And half a time equals half a year. This also equals, 1,260 days, 42 months, three and half years and the second half of the Great Tribulation.
In order to escape the greatest distress the world and the Jews have ever experienced, God will protect them for this entire period.
After the war in heaven ends and the dragon takes the war to earth, antisemitism will rise to climatic heights. This coincides with the antichrist turning on the Jews and the dragon being hurled to earth.
We looked at where in the wilderness scripture might reveal where God intends to hide and protect the remnant of His people during this time.
Is This Really a Flood?
(Verses 15-16) Many believe that there will be a great flood that will come upon Jerusalem. This comes from the water that spews from the moth of the dragon as he pursues God’s people.
Is this really a flood? Remember, these are signs that John is recording in his Revelation account. It’s likely this is a symbol of the level of antisemitism that will rise during this time. It’s clear by Jesus’ warning that antisemitism will increase to flood levels.
It could be the same symbolism used by Hamas when they titled they’re October 7, 2023 attack the Al-Aqsa Flood. In other words, they overwhelmed the Jews in their unprecedented attack. Could this have been a foreshadowing of the dragon’s flood of antisemitism of Revelation? Well, they will have been led by the same evil spiritual force – the Devil.
The Dragon Will Kill Jews First, Zionist’s, and Then Christians
(Verse 17) The dragon’s war on the Jews will overflow onto other groups in the last days of the end times. We’ve seen since the October 7th, 2023 attack on Israel, a rise against Zionist and Christians.
The evil tide is rising against all who are united with God. Again, we go back to this attack on October 7th, 2023. Was it a foreshadowing of the dragon’s war on Jews first, Zionist’s and then the Christians of Revelation? All things appear to point that way.
The war in heaven may be over and the dragon cast to earth. But his evil work is far from over. He still has a time, times and half a time (3.5 years). He’s going to make the most of it.
If you want to see what the pinnacle of evil looks like, pay close attention as we study Revelation 13.
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