Dragon (The Book of Signs, Ch. 24)

By Dr. David Jeremiah

It seems there is more evil operating in the world than mere human sin can account for. Satan, the lord of death, is our perennial adversary, the archenemy of God and His creation. It was his rebellion that corrupted creation and brought death and evil into the world.

In Revelation 12 we learn much about this archfiend’s role in the end times drama – his objecive, his character, his vendetta, his rebellion and his doom. These elements are revealed in five phrases of such cosmic significance that all but one are precedded by the adjective great.

The Great Sign

A great sign appered in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head, a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

Revelation 12:1-2

In this verse, the woman is Israel and the child is Christ. In this first great sign, we see Satan’s objective. He is determined to destroy the woman’s Child to prevent both God’s redemptive purpose and his own destruction.

The Great Dragon

Another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a gret fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born … so the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:3-4, 9

Satan was thwarted in his attempt to destory the Christ child. Revelation 12 gives us more concentrated information about the dragon, Satan, than any other chapter in the Bible.

• Satan’s Personality
• Satan’s Power
• Satan’s Partners
• Satan’s Purpose

The Great War

War broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.

Revelation 12:7-8

The war described here is not merely a single battle; it is more like World War II, a conflict fought by many antagonists on many fronts. Michael battles Satan; God’s angels battle Satan’s angels; God-led humans battle Satan-led humans.

The defeated Satan fights on in sheer vindictiveness, but he cannot conquer those of us who have joined the army of the Lord and claim Christ’s victory as our own.

The Great Wrath

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.

Revelation 12:12

Satan is aware that the game is up. He is forever defeated. Yet in the interim between his defeat and his final sentence, his wrath will explode, wreaking death and destruction like never before.

• An Aggravated Assault
• An Anti-Semitic Assault
• An Angry Assault

The Great Wings

The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent … but the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

Revelation 12:14,16

Jews would immediately recoginze the two wings of a great eagle as symbolic of the grace of God, who spoke of delivering them from bondage in Egypt. This reference assures Israel that during Satan’s aggressive assault, God will again deliver them.

A day is coming when Satan’s thrashing will cease. We are in the thrashing time and the temptation is to despair. We have to remember, though, that it won’t last forever.

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The Book of Signs: 31 Undeniable Prophecies of the Apocalypse By Dr. David Jeremiah / Thomas Nelson What does Scripture tell us about the world to come? What signals will precede the end times? Jeremiah presents his revised, updated, and hope-filled work on biblical prophecy, the apocalypse, and the Lord’s judgment against sin. This epic guide is a must-have resource for navigating today’s uncertainties and embracing God’s promises for the future. 480 pages, SOFTCOVER

The Book of Signs: 31 Undeniable Prophecies of the Apocalypse By Dr. David Jeremiah / Thomas Nelson 480 pages, HARDCOVER