Revelation 12.7-17-Satan is Driven Out of Heaven By Michael in the Middle of Daniel's Seventieth Week
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday February 3, 2008
The Day of the Lord: Revelation 12:7-17-Satan is Driven Out of Heaven By Michael in the Middle of Daniel’s Seventieth Week
Lesson # 10
Please turn in your Bibles to Revelation 12:1.
This morning we will temporarily suspend our studies in the book of Romans by continuing our series dealing with the prophetic subject called “the Day of the Lord,” which we conduct the first Sunday of every month when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
“The Day of the Lord” is “not” a literal twenty-four period but rather is an extended period of time beginning with God’s dealing with Israel after the rapture at the beginning of the tribulation period and extending through the 2nd Advent and the millennial age unto the creation of the new heavens and the new earth.
The “Rapture” of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) triggers the beginning of the “Day of the Lord” and will come like a thief in the night meaning it will come upon the world, unexpectedly.
1 Thessalonians 5:2, “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.”
The Rapture is immediately followed by the Tribulation period, which is also known by students of prophecy as, “Daniel’s Seventieth Week.”
Daniel’s 70th week refers to a 7-year period that extends from Antichrist’s peace treaty with Israel after the rapture of the church to the 2nd Advent of Christ and is concerned with the nation of Israel exclusively and will be the worst period in all of Israel’s and the world’s history.
This 7-year period is divided into two three and a half year periods with the first three and a half years characterized as a cold war (Mt. 24:6) whereas the last three and a half years are characterized as a hot war (Mt. 24:21-22).
This period will end with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, which is the visible return of Christ to planet earth with the elect angels and the Church in order to deliver Israel from her enemies and establish Jesus Christ’s millennial reign resulting in the fulfillment of the four unconditional covenants to Israel (Dan. 2:44-45; Zech. 14; Mt. 24:29-31; Rev. 1:7; 19:11-21).
The church age takes place between the 69th and 70th Week of Daniel and was a “mystery” (Eph. 3:9) meaning it was not known to Old Testament prophets.
God has temporarily set aside Israel because of her rejection of Jesus Christ as Messiah (Rom. 9-11) in order to form the church and to fulfill the Times of the Gentiles so therefore, the last seven years of Daniel’s prophecy have yet to be fulfilled but will be fulfilled after the rapture of the church (1 Thess. 4:13-18).
The church is delivered from the wrath to come during this period.
1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Thus far, we have studied the four major events that will take place during the first three and an half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week:
(1) The rise of the Ten Nation Confederacy called the Revived Roman Empire at the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week (Dan. 2; 7).
(2) Antichrist rises to power as the King of the Western Confederacy in Europe (Dan. 7:20, 24; 9:27; Rev. 13:1-10).
(3) The rise of the revived form of the Roman Empire under Antichrist during the first three and a half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week will be accompanied by the formulation of a false religious system under the false prophet (Rev. 13:11-18).
(4) Antichrist’s peace treaty with the leadership of Israel, which takes place after the rapture of the church and actually begins Daniel’s Seventieth Week.
Now, in the middle of the Tribulation, however, the cold war will become a hot war and overflow to planet earth.
The event that will mark this outbreak of war of the last 3 ½ years of Daniel’s 70th week is Michael the archangel and his legions of elect-angels will expel Satan and his legions from heaven (Rev. 12:7).
Satan and the fallen angels defeat in heaven and permanent expulsion from heaven commences the worst period in all of human history and the war to end all wars.
Revelation 12:1-8, “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman (Nation of Israel) clothed with the sun (Represents Jacob), and the moon (Represents Rachel and Leah) under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars (Represents 12 Sons of Jacob) and she was with child (Represents Jesus Christ); and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon (Represents Satan) having seven heads (Represents 7 great Gentile world empires: (1) Egypt (2) Assyria (3) Babylon (4) Medo-Persia (5) Graeco-Macedonia (6) Rome (7) Future Revived Roman Empire) and ten horns (10 Ten European Confederacy, i.e. Revived Roman Empire), and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven (Represents fallen angels) and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male child (Jesus Christ), who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne (Ascension and Session of Jesus Christ). Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days (Last 3 ½ years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week). And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.”
Michael and the elect angels who number 23 of angels that were created overwhelm Satan and his angels who number 13 of the angels created by the Lord because of a simple spiritual principle:
Victory or defeat in angelic warfare is gained by the application of power and the withdrawal of the inferior force.
Now, there were originally 9 divisions in the angelic order of battle and in eternity past, Satan possessed the highest rank among the angels as the guardian cherub.
He was adorned with 9 jewels according to Ezekiel 28:13, which are comparable to the 12 jewels found on the breastplate of the high priest of Israel, where each jewel represented 1 of the 12 tribes liable for military service (Exodus 28:15-21).
Satan in eternity past before his rebellion was the high priest of God ruling over these 9 divisions or tribes of angels just as the high priest in Israel presided over the 12 tribes of Israel (Ezekiel 28:14).
Revelation 12:4 says that 1/3 of the angels fell, that means 3 angelic divisions in the Lord’s military rebelled.
These 3 angelic divisions are arranged in rank, thus mimicking God.
So like God, Satan has a military that is organized in ranks.
This is suggested by the fact that Michael is called the Archangel or chief angel (Jude 9) and in Daniel 10:13 he is called one of the chief princes.
Ephesians 6:12 presents the Satanic “order of battle,” which is a military term generally used to denote the force structure of a particular combatant in any given military campaign.
Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (NASU)
So Satan has governmental organization or hierarchy patterned after God since he mimics God and he has a military.
Although Satan had instigated revolution against God in heaven, he recognizes the importance of discipline and order.
Patterned after the divine system, Satan divided his demons into officer personnel all the way down to the rank and file.
Much of what the Bible has to say about angels, holy and fallen, is couched in military language and terminology.
Among the military terms used to describe angelic groupings are the words “hosts” (1 Kng.22:19; Neh.9:6; Ps.103:21; 148:2; Dan.8:10; cf. Lk.2:13), “army” (Lk.2:13; Rev.19:9), “legion” (Matt.26:53; Mk.5:9; Lk.8:30), and “band” (Ps.78:49).
The base of operations of the fallen angels and their activities take place in the earth’s atmosphere as well as the stellar universe.
We noted this in our study of Genesis 1:6-8 where after the 2nd day of restoration, the Lord did “not” designate the restoration of the earth’s atmosphere as tov, “good,” or more accurately, “perfect.”
The reason for this omission is that Satan and the fallen angels inhabit the earth’s atmosphere.
Ephesians 2:1-2, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.”
Fallen angels also have access to the 3rd heaven where the Supreme Court of heaven resides and is convened 24/7 according to a comparison of Scripture with Scripture.
Job 1:6, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.”
Satan has access to heaven and accuses believers before the throne of God (Zechariah 3:1-7) but the Lord Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of the Father as the believer’s advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1).
So the Bible teaches that during the midway point of Daniel’s 70th week that Michael and the elect angels of God defeat Satan and his armies and throw them out of heaven.
Thus, the fallen angels must have access to the 3rd heaven in order to be thrown out of it.
Revelation 12:7-8, “And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.”
The name “Michael” means “who is like God?” and poses a rhetorical and negative question, one demanding a negative answer meaning “who is like the Lord?” No one!
This is significant for this angel’s very name and presence stands as a rebuke and refutation to Satan’s boast in Isaiah 14:14b, “I will make myself like the most High,” i.e., “I will be like God.”
In Daniel 12:1 he is called the great prince and in Jude 9 he is “the archangel,” i.e., first or chief of the angels.
Here, in Revelation, we read of “Michael and his angels,” those under his authority, thus, it appears that Michael became the chief commander and leader of the holy angels after Satan’s fall.
Michael, the archangel, is the guardian of the nation of Israel (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9).
Until this point in the Tribulation, Michael never lays a hand on Satan.
But at this point in the Tribulation, however, Michael gets to do what he undoubtedly has longed to do for millenniums; he gets to boot Satan out of heaven.
The Lord foresaw the defeat of Satan in heaven.
Luke 10:18, “And He said to them, ‘I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.’”
This event was also prophesied by the prophet Daniel in Daniel 12:1.
Daniel 12:1, “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.”
Revelation 12:9, “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
The “great dragon” and “serpent of old” is identified as “Satan,” which is the noun Satanas, a legal term meaning “adversary” and “Devil,” which is the noun Diabolos, also a legal term meaning “slanderer, false accuser.”
“The great dragon” emphasizes Satan’s vicious and cruel character and emphasizes his end time activity and behavior.
“The serpent of old” draws our attention to Satan’s crafty character and reminds us of the Garden of Eden, the fall of man, his usurpation of man’s rule on earth, and his constant activity of temptation and deception.
Revelation 12:10-12, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.’ And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
This leads us to the communion service and so therefore, could we have our ushers pass out the communion elements and let us take a few minutes to meditate upon the Lord and prepare ourselves for the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper is a commandment given by the Lord Jesus Christ to every church age believer to bring into remembrance His Unique Person and Finished Work on the Cross, both of which serve as the basis for fellowship with God and each other as members of the Body of Christ.
In the communion service, the bread portrays the sinless humanity of Christ, which was sacrificed for us and the wine portrays His spiritual death as our Substitute, both of which serve as the basis for fellowship with God and each other.
The communion service is also a reminder that we have fellowship not only with God but also with each other as members of the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:16-17, “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.”
1 Corinthians 11:23, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread.”
1 Corinthians 11:24, “and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’”
1 Corinthians 11:25, “In the same way {He took} the cup also after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink {it} in remembrance of Me.’”
1 Corinthians 11:26, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”