Revelation 12:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"

NIV: Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."

NASB: For this reason, rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you with great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.'

CSB: Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you with great fury, because he knows his time is short.

NLT: Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.'

KJV: Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

NKJV: Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

The voice from heaven that John heard called on all of creation to rejoice. The Devil's defeat and banishment from heaven was an occasion of great joy. However, the voice also pronounced woe to the earth and sea because the Devil was confined to the earth. Further, the Devil knew his time was short. Soon he would be confined to the bottomless pit and then to the lake of fire. So he will try to do as much damage as he can in the brief time that he has left.

Specifically, at this point in time, Satan knows he only has 1,260 days, the second half of the tribulation, to vent his fury. Although Satan is not omniscient—all knowing—he knows the Scriptures. He used them in a futile attempt to trip Jesus and cause Him to sin. He knows the Scripture foretells his appointment with eternal judgment. But how will he vent his fury in the second half of the tribulation? Revelation 12:13–17 and Revelation 13:1–18 give the answer.

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.''