Understanding the War In Heaven that Broke Out
Bible Study Guide
Chapter 12 of Revelation places us right about the midway point of the Tribulation. The War in heaven is the boiling point of Satan’s rage that overflows onto the earth. It sets off the horrific events of the Great Tribulation. We’ll see this unfold here and in the following chapters.
(Verse 5) Christ was a Jew born out of the nation of Israel. He was born out of the tribe of Judah. It was all according to Old Testament prophesy. Now, John sees the symbol of the nation of Israel give birth to the child, Jesus Christ.
We know this because the Psalmist of the Old Testament foretold that He would rule with an iron scepter.
“You will break them with a rod of iron;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
(Psalm 2:9)
This is a reference to Christ’ Second Coming. It points to His ruling the nations during the 1000 year Millennium after His return.
The second part of verse 5 points to Christ being taken up after His resurrection. He is taken up by God and given His rightful place on His Throne at the right hand of God.
The Jews Flee the Second Holocaust (War in Heaven)
(Verse 6) Notice carefully the events of verse 5 and 6. They jump from one time period to another. We see it in verse 5, as John records the birth of Christ and jumps to the time of His ruling after His Second Coming.
Now, in verse 6, John is going to take a leap back in time. He goes from the Millennium back to the halfway point of the Tribulation. I like to refer to this as the near-far principle. It occurs often throughout scripture. It’s when we see a verse or short passage jump from an early time period to a future time period.
It happens most often in the Old Testament.
As we approach the scene of the war in heaven, something is happening on earth. John sees the woman, the symbol of the nation of Israel fleeing into the wilderness. John records that those running for their lives will be hidden and protected in the wilderness for 1,260 days.
This is a familiar number to us. We know that it represents three and half years or forty-two months. This points and equates to half of the Tribulation Period. This scene places us in the middle of the Tribulation. In what’s called the Great Tribulation.
But what are the Jews running from? Who is telling them to run? Where are they being instructed to run to?
Instructions For the Jews To Flee Are In the Olivet Discourse
As the war in heaven is raging, Jesus Himself gives the Jews the command to run for their lives. The man scripture calls the antichrist will turn on the Jews at the midpoint of the Tribulation. He will go from being their friend and ally to the one who will hunt them down. This event will be much worse than the original Holocaust.
“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.
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 24:15-22)
The Lord’s instructions in Matthew’s gospel of the Olivet Discourse are very clear. Run for your lives! Don’t even attempt to grab any of your belongs. Jesus spoke directly to the Jews when He gave these instructions. John is also referring in this event in Revelation specifically to the Jews.
Those Days of Distress Had To Be Cut Short
This is why the Tribulation Period is set to be only seven years. And the Great Tribulation is set to be only three and half years. Otherwise, no one would survive God’s wrath. But for the sake of the elect, this time period was shortened.
Who Are the Elect?
The “elect” is who John is referring to in this verse. There were 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust. The prophet Zechariah tells us two-thirds of the Jews will be killed during the Great Tribulation.
“In the whole land,” declares the Lord,
“two-thirds will be struck down and perish;
yet one-third will be left in it.”
(Zechariah 13:8)
There are approximately 16 million Jews in the world today. Based on these numbers, there would be 10.5 million Jews hunted down and killed by the forces of the antichrist if the Great Tribulation began today.
It’s important to point out that while these events that John describes refer specifically to Israel, the rise against the Jews will be a global event. It will not only be against the Jews. The antichrist will have another group of people in his cross-hairs. We’ll talk a bit more about that group a little later.
There are two important truths to point out from this passage. Satan’s attack on the Jews is only getting started. But we see glimpses of it today with the attack on October 7, 2023. The other important truth, God has not abandoned His people, Israel. He will pour out His spirit on the protected “elect” hiding in the wilderness. That’s when they’ll turn to Jesus and accept Him as their Messiah.
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”
(Zechariah 12:10)
What Wilderness Will the Jews Hide In?
Many believe that the ancient Jordanian city of Petra will be the place that God has reserved for the “elect” to run to and hide in. It’s an old Nabataean (Bedouin) community that faded away around 106 BC. It was abandoned until it was rediscovered in 1812.
It rests in the slot canyons of the Jordanian wilderness. The walls of this canyon were carved out by these ancient people. It has since been preserved and is open to the public for visits. But no one is allowed to go into the inner parts of the carved out old city.
There’s no direct reference in the Bible that this is the place in the wilderness God intends to hide His people. The closest evidence we have of this possibility is in Daniel 11:41. In this passage, Daniel refers to three separate communities that were a part of ancient Jordan. But, where exactly in the wilderness God will lead His people, we don’t fully know.
A War In Heaven Brakes Out
(Verse 7) The ancient serpent (Dragon/Satan) will have the nations of the earth raging in wars during the Tribulation. Jesus warned us of this in His Olivet Discourse in Matthew’s gospel. John is also shown this warning of wars in the opening of the second seal and the fiery red horse.
When Satan has the earth and it’s inhabitants right where he wants them, he makes his move in the spiritual realm. The ancient dragon who has opposed God from the beginning makes his final stand in a heavenly war against God.
This is not the first time we see the mighty angel, Michael do battle with evil spiritual forces. We come to learn that the archangel Michael is a mighty warrior angel who leads the battle to assist other angels and to protect God’s people. We’ve seen this in the book of Daniel.
“But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.”
(Daniel 10:13)
In this scene, we see the angel Michael come to the rescue of another angel who has making his way to Daniel to reveal more prophesy.
We should not be surprised that Satan loses this war in heaven that he began. It may appear to Satan from time to time that he’s won the battle. But we know he always loses the war.
He knows that his time is running short. Things are about to get much more intense as the third “woe” is about to signify.
Now, we’re going to reveal the mystery behind Satan and the next sign.
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