Revelation 12:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And 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 brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

NIV: Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

NASB: 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 brothers and sisters has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night.

CSB: Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been thrown down.

NLT: Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, 'It has come at last — salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth — the one who accuses them before our God day and night.

KJV: And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

NKJV: Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

Heaven cheers the expulsion of Satan and his angels from heaven. A loud voice from heaven proclaims the fact that the accuser of the believers has been cast down. The voice acknowledges that the accuser points out believers' faults and sins around the clock. Now he is cast out of heaven and God and Christ are exalted.

Satan's expulsion brings Christ's millennial kingdom even closer. God will deliver His people from the Devil's tyranny. God's power and Christ's authority are about to be displayed. The end of the Devil's kingdom is certain! Although Jesus judged and defeated the Devil when Jesus was on earth (John 16:11), Jesus did not execute the sentence He pronounced on Satan. Someday, however, He will chain the Devil and cast him into the bottomless pit for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1–3), and finally He will consign the Devil and his followers to eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7–10).

Revelation 12:7–12 describes a war in heaven which breaks out between Michael and his angels and the Devil. Prior to this expulsion, the Devil has access to heaven, where he accuses believers. Job 1 confirms this fact. However, he cannot prevail in his war on Christ and His followers. Genesis 3:15 prophesies his violent opposition to the virgin-born Son of God, and Revelation 20:1–10 reveals his ultimate defeat and eternal punishment. Revelation 13 unveils the Devil's two henchmen, the beast and the false prophet, who assist him in persecuting Israel.

This chapter relates several highly symbolic visions, which introduce figures critical to the end times. First is a woman, representative of Israel. Second is a red dragon, identified with Satan. Third is a male child, who is Jesus Christ. The red dragon seeks to devour the woman's male child, but God caught the child to His throne, referring to the ascension of Jesus after His resurrection. The passage then continues to describe a war in heaven between Michael and Satan—here Satan becomes the fourth key figure—which results in Satan's complete and total eviction from heaven. Satan attempts to destroy Israel, most likely through an armed invasion, which is supernaturally defeated by God through an earthquake. The fifth main figure is the collective ''offspring'' of the woman. These events are given further details in passages such as Ezekiel chapter 38.

Preceding verses have brought us to the middle of the tribulation, after the seal judgments and very near the end of the trumpet judgments. Now, the focus shifts to symbolically introduce a series of important figures. These are mentioned in various eras, not as part of the earlier chronology of Revelation. This passage relates to Matthew 24:15–26 and Isaiah 16:1–4. Ezekiel 38 and Joel 1 describe an invasion into Israel from the north, and Revelation 9 identifies the invading army as demon inspired. Revelation 13 continues to describe major end-times figures, focusing on ''the beast,'' also known as the Antichrist, and the False Prophet.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''