Satan tries to destroy Israel, but God intervenes to provide a way of escape. Instead, Satan now turns his wrath to the children of the woman, representing Israel, who keep God’s commandments.
Revelation 12:13-17Revelation 12:13-17 commentary gives us Satan’s response to being evicted from heaven: And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child (v. 13).
When the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, Satan (the dragon) shifted his focus from heavenly realms to earthly ones. Satan, once able to appear before God (Job 1:6-7Job 1:6-7 commentary), has now been decisively thrown down from heaven (Revelation 12:9Revelation 12:9 commentary).
This demotion intensifies his rage, setting the stage for a final period of calamity before the end of this age. In the grand overview of Revelation, God remains on the throne, while Satan, desperate and constrained for “a short time” (Revelation 12:12Revelation 12:12 commentary), focuses his rage on earth, where he elevates assaults against God’s people.
The text continues, revealing that the dragon persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child (v. 13). In this instance, the woman we were introduced to in Revelation 12:1-2Revelation 12:1-2 commentary symbolizes Israel, the nation of heritage for the Messiah (the male child). Linking to Daniel 9Daniel 9 commentary’s chronology, Israel faces renewed distress during the final seven-year period, especially the latter three-and-a-half years or “time, times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14Revelation 12:14 commentary).
Jesus spoke of this last half of Daniel’s final seven years in Matthew 24:15-21Matthew 24:15-21 commentary, commentary where He called it a time of “great tribulation” that will be unprecedented in history. Here, we see a specific example of conflict between God and Satan, with Satan targeting Israel in a final bid to derail God’s plan.
Though terrifying, this verse also reminds us that the dragon’s power is neither infinite nor independent. All these events in the book of Revelation—the seal, the trumpet, and the bowl judgments —are authorized from the throne room of God. While the dragon persecutes God’s people, believers should remember that this conflict was foretold and will soon give way to Christ’s full unveiling as the King of kings.
Satan’s assault, then, is not an unexpected twist; it is part of the storyline God ordained in the scroll with seven seals (Revelation 5:1-9Revelation 5:1-9 commentary). It will culminate in the eventual triumph of the Lamb who is also a Lion, the One who is both a servant and a king who will rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 12:5Revelation 12:5 commentary).
Satan persecuted Israel. This could overlap with the scene in Zechariah 14:1-3Zechariah 14:1-3 commentary, commentary where the nations surround and take Jerusalem just prior to Jesus’s second coming, which is foretold in Zechariah 14:4Zechariah 14:4 commentary. The armies of the nations are said to gather in the Jezreel Valley, also called the Valley of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16Revelation 16:16 commentary). “Armageddon” comes from “hill of Megiddo,” which refers to the ancient city of Megiddo which was the primary town in the Jezreel Valley. It is about 80 miles, or 125 km, north of Jerusalem.
It could be that the armies of the nations gather in the Jezreel Valley to prepare an assault upon Jerusalem, as in Zechariah 14:1-3Zechariah 14:1-3 commentary. There they assemble to oppose the Lamb, who then descends from heaven to defeat them. If so, then the triumphant return of Jesus in Revelation 19:11-20Revelation 19:11-20 commentary would follow after Zechariah 14:4Zechariah 14:4 commentary, commentary when Jesus alights on the Mount of Olives and it splits in two.
The narrative continues: But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place (v. 14).
This imagery of two wings of the great eagle that are given to the woman is a picture of God’s deliverance of Israel, just as He delivered Israel from Egypt, declaring “I bore you on eagles’ wings” (Exodus 19:4Exodus 19:4 commentary). Just as God provided supernatural protection and guidance before, so He provides for Israel again, further underscoring the key message that God is on the throne and orchestrating rescue amid tribulation.
Even when Satan rages on earth, God prepares refuge for His people. The refuge is in the wilderness. Continuing, John explains that this wilderness refuge is where the woman was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent (v. 14).
The phrase time, times, and half a time mirrors Daniel 7:25Daniel 7:25 commentary, commentary which is part of Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy. That it represents three-and-a-half years can be discerned from Daniel 9:27Daniel 9:27 commentary, commentary which says the abomination of desolation will occur in the middle of the “week.” The “week” represents seven years, so the middle of the seven years is three-and-one-half years in, with three-and-one-half years remaining.
This three-and-a-half years is the same as the one thousand two hundred and sixty days spoken of in Revelation 11:3Revelation 11:3 commentary and 12:612:6 commentary. The Hebrews used a lunar calendar of 360 days, so 3.5 times 360 = 1,260.
Jesus stated that the “abomination of desolation” would signal the beginning of the period He called the “great tribulation” (Matthew 24:15Matthew 24:15 commentary, 2121 commentary). Since the abomination of desolation of Daniel 9Daniel 9 commentary occurs in the middle of the seventieth week, or the last seven-year period, we can infer that the great tribulation spoken of by Jesus is the same as the other periods lasting three-and-a-half years.
Accordingly, the often-highlighted period Jesus called the time of great tribulation should properly be considered the latter half of the prophesied seven-year timeframe of the last week of Daniel. It might be that the first three-and-a-half years have the appearance of being a time of peace and prosperity. In Matthew 24:24Matthew 24:24 commentary, commentary Jesus says that Satan’s deception during that period will be so great that it might even deceive the elect.
During this window of great tribulation, Israel will face intense persecution, yet God provides. He prepares a place she could fly into the wilderness to her place. We have Old Testament examples of God’s provision in the wilderness. God fed Elijah by ravens during the three-year drought (1 Kings 17:41 Kings 17:4 commentary). God also preserved Israel in the forty years in the wilderness, feeding them the miraculous provision of manna (Exodus 16:14-15Exodus 16:14-15 commentary). Further, God miraculously provided water and prevented their clothes from wearing out, even over forty years (Deuteronomy 29:5Deuteronomy 29:5 commentary).
We do not know what the two wings of the great eagle will look like. We do not know whether they will be a deliverance through God-given ingenuity or a miraculous intervention. But we do know that there will be a deliverance for the woman (Israel). We are not provided details about how God’s people will fly, or what her place is that is in the wilderness.
These descriptions could be literal or figurative, or both. Jesus exhorted those hearing Him to “flee to the mountains” when they saw the abomination of desolation. That could be literal; there are many hills in Israel. It is also possible that God will provide a wilderness that is a provision external to the world’s new system of exchange, a system that will require consumers to have a mark of the beast in order to buy and sell (Revelation 13:17Revelation 13:17 commentary).
Believers today can derive application from the truth that though trials come, God’s care transcends outward chaos. He is in control, and we can trust Him. Even if it costs us our life for His sake, He will make it worthwhile. The book of Revelation urges faithful witnesses to stand firm, even in the face of rejection, loss, or death. Believers who live to see the abomination of desolation can rely on the Holy Spirit to lead them in their pursuit of His provision.
Next, 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 (v. 15).
Here, the serpent—another depiction of Satan—attempts to overwhelm Israel with a torrent of destruction, a river intended for the woman to be swept away. Whether this river is metaphorical or literal, the intention is clear: Satan seeks to destroy God’s covenant people in one swift, catastrophic event.
The waters or seas in scripture (as in Revelation 17:15Revelation 17:15 commentary) are often symbolic for the chaotic, unruly nations of the earth. The context here is Satan leading the nations to battle against the Lord and His people. So this water like a river could represent a coalition of nations uniting together to persecute and eliminate God’s people by causing them to be swept away with the flood of the nations overwhelming them.
It might be that evil will fill the earth because God removes the “salt” and “light” from it through catching faithful believers up into the air (Matthew 5:13-16Matthew 5:13-16 commentary, commentary1 Thessalonians 4:16-171 Thessalonians 4:16-17 commentary). By removing the believers alive at that time, or perhaps the overcomer-believers providing salt and light to the earth, evil would be allowed to multiply. However, it seems that a great revival will arise, and many will come to Christ thereafter.
This will include a great awakening among the Jewish people, who will recognize Jesus as being their covenant God and savior and mourn for Him (Zechariah 12:10Zechariah 12:10 commentary). We saw in Revelation 7:4Revelation 7:4 commentary that God called 12,000 special missionaries from each of the twelve tribes to minister to His people.
We will see in Revelation 14:6Revelation 14:6 commentary an angel testifying of the “eternal gospel,” so perhaps there is also an angelic witness that brings many to Jesus during that time of tribulation. Those who are faithful to Christ during that time will gain a special blessing, as it will apparently require an extra dose of faith to be a faithful witness during that terrible period.
The image of a serpent that 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 might call to mind the repeated biblical theme of overwhelming waters—Noah’s flood (Genesis 7Genesis 7 commentary), Pharaoh’s pursuit at the Red Sea (Exodus 14Exodus 14 commentary), Jonah’s cry to be saved from the waters (Jonah 2:3Jonah 2:3 commentary), and the psalmists’ lamentation of being engulfed by waters (Psalm 69:1-2Psalm 69:1-2 commentary).
In each of these instances of His people being overwhelmed in a flood, God intervenes to provide deliverance for His people. Just as God parted the Red Sea for Israel and rescued Noah in the ark, so, too, He is capable of providing miraculous relief in the end times.
Furthermore, the serpent’s attempt to annihilate the woman (Israel) underscores the severity of the end-time conflict. In Daniel 9:27Daniel 9:27 commentary, commentary we see a covenant with Israel made and then broken by an unnamed person who is likely the beast of Revelation. He will “put a stop to sacrifice” and create an abomination of desolation, sparking the fiercest period of tribulation.
Satan’s outpouring of water like a river (v. 15) mirrors the heightened violence and deception Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:21-25Matthew 24:21-25 commentary. Nonetheless, scripture assures us that no matter how aggressive Satan’s schemes become, God’s sovereignty remains intact. Each calamity described in Revelation fits into the seals, trumpets, and bowls progression, all executed under the Lamb’s overarching authority.
In response to this flood, John writes: 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 (v. 16).
Again, here the dragon represents Satan and all whom he is influencing. It might be that the river and “flood” represent the nations who have fallen under Satan’s dominion. This dramatic intervention, where the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river, shows that nature itself becomes an ally of God’s plan. Instead of the woman perishing under watery chaos, the earth absorbs the serpent’s destructive force. This emphasizes that heaven’s throne room initiates events, and creation on earth responds in ways that shield God’s people.
This echoes earlier scriptural narratives: God also had the wind blow a path through the Red Sea for Israel, which subsequently collapsed upon the Egyptians (Exodus 14:21Exodus 14:21 commentary, 27-2827-28 commentary). Also, when Korah and his followers rebelled against Moses, “the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them” (Numbers 16:32Numbers 16:32 commentary). In that Old Testament account, the rebellious group was consumed, and the faithful were spared.
Similarly, here in Revelation, the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river, thwarting the enemy’s weapon. It could be that God uses the forces of nature against the armies hostile to the Lord and His people (Revelation 19:19Revelation 19:19 commentary).
Such divine deliverance points again to God’s sovereignty over final events. Moreover, this reinforces that the time of great tribulation is not simply an onslaught of evil without restraint. These chapters remind us how each wave of tribulation emerged from the scroll (Revelation 5Revelation 5 commentary) with God’s authorization.
So even as the serpent assaults Israel, God’s cosmic design includes unstoppable deliverance. Satan’s fury may escalate, but it can never surpass the plan documented from Genesis through Revelation: that God will accomplish all He intends for Israel and the nations, culminating in Christ’s reign and the subsequent new heaven and new earth.
Finally, the passage concludes: 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 (v. 17).
Having failed to destroy Israel, Satan the dragon was enraged with the woman, who is Israel. So, Satan’s rage turns toward the rest of her children. The rest of her children likely refers to believers outside of Israel who follow Christ—both Jews and Gentiles who keep the commandments of God andhold to the testimony of Jesus.
It is interesting to note that, during these last days, there does not appear to be a divide between believers who are faithful witnesses and believers who are not faithful witnesses. Perhaps the choice has become so stark there are only two categories: 1) those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus, and 2) enemies of Jesus.
This further highlights the call for God’s servants on either side of the great tribulation to read, hear, and do the things in this book, and to be faithful witnesses who do not fear rejection, loss, or death. It is they who will receive a promised special blessing (Revelation 1:3Revelation 1:3 commentary).
The Greek word translated as testimony in the phrase who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus is “martyria.” To hold to the testimony of Jesus is to live with the attitude of Revelation 12:11Revelation 12:11 commentary:
“And they overcame him [Satan] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony [“martyria”], and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” (Revelation 12:11Revelation 12:11 commentary)
To live as a good testimony (“martyria”) for Jesus is how believers “overcome.” To overcome is to win the victory of life. As Jesus said, His people win life by laying down their lives (Luke 9:23-24Luke 9:23-24 commentary).
We will see in Revelation 20:4Revelation 20:4 commentary a special promise to “those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus” that they will come to life and reign with Christ “for a thousand years.” It seems consistent with other passages that those who overcome as Jesus overcame will also reign during this thousand-year reign on the current earth (Revelation 3:21Revelation 3:21 commentary).
We know for sure that those who lose their lives as witnesses for Jesus during the time of great tribulation will reign with Him during the thousand years of Revelation 20Revelation 20 commentary (Revelation 20:4Revelation 20:4 commentary). As we will see, after the thousand years, Satan will be released for a time and the nations will rebel once again (Revelation 20:7-10Revelation 20:7-10 commentary). After this rebellion is destroyed once and for all, there will be a new heaven and earth in which righteousness reigns, and those who overcome will inherit these things (Revelation 20:1Revelation 20:1 commentary, 77 commentary).
While Israel stands uniquely as a target in the crosshairs of the dragon—who is also the serpent, the devil (accuser), and Satan (adversary)—all those who follow Jesus the Messiah share in his persecution (2 Timothy 3:122 Timothy 3:12 commentary). This is because Satan opposes all that is of God.
God chose humans to have dominion over the earth. Humans are “infants and nursing babes” (as compared to the angelic beings) who are “lower than the angels” that God appointed to reign in order to silence Satan, God’s adversary (Psalm 8:2Psalm 8:2 commentary, commentaryHebrews 2:7Hebrews 2:7 commentary). It seems God assigned humans to reign over the earth to demonstrate that inferior creatures who reign by serving will do a better job than a superior (angelic) creature ruling as a tyrant.
This could be why Satan hates humans so much, and why he hates Israel (the woman) and the deliverer (Jesus) who comes through her (Israel). Jesus has restored to humanity the “glory and honor” of having the right to reign through the “suffering of death,” displacing Satan (Hebrews 2:9-10Hebrews 2:9-10 commentary).
In Matthew 24:9Matthew 24:9 commentary, commentary Jesus warns His followers that “they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name” during these last days. This is echoed by Revelation 12:11Revelation 12:11 commentary; there will be many who overcome as Jesus overcame by losing their lives for their testimony. We will see in Revelation 20:4Revelation 20:4 commentary that many of the martyrs will be “beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus.”
Of course, God’s people have endured times of persecution throughout history. In fact, such opposition is transpiring to various degrees in many parts of the world even today (as of this writing). According to one source, roughly five thousand followers of Jesus were killed for their faith during 2023.
Jesus’s encouragement to endure “to the end” (Matthew 24:13Matthew 24:13 commentary) is relevant to the thought of what it means to keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Jesus urged His disciples not to be disheartened by the ferocity of Satan’s opposition. Jesus stated that the world will get so lawless that many believers will have their love grow cold (Matthew 24:12Matthew 24:12 commentary). But those who endure until the end will avoid having their love grow cold.
To persist in love in the face of hate is part of what is required to endure as faithful witnesses. We saw in the letter to the Ephesian church that God will remove a witness if they forget love (Revelation 2:4-5Revelation 2:4-5 commentary). We also saw that Jesus endured in love until the end, asking His Father to forgive those who crucified Him (Luke 23:24Luke 23:24 commentary).
Believers can look forward in hope to Christ’s ultimate victory—“the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ” (Revelation 12:10Revelation 12:10 commentary). One of the primary themes of Revelation is that God promises He will make it more than worthwhile to those who overcome as He overcame (Revelation 3:21Revelation 3:21 commentary). Jesus desires His people to overcome the fear of rejection, loss, and death, to leave all that is of the world and follow Him.
The phrase keep the commandments of God, referring to the faithful witnesses, also emphasizes the need to persist in love. The two greatest commands are to love God with all our being and to love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39Matthew 22:37-39 commentary). As the Apostle John said in his first epistle, “We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:191 John 4:19 commentary).
Jesus said that we cannot be His disciple unless we bear His cross (Luke 14:27Luke 14:27 commentary). To keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus requires that we follow Jesus’s admonition in Matthew 7:13-14Matthew 7:13-14 commentary, commentary to choose to live a life that has a narrow gate and difficult path. But we take that path because of Jesus’s promise that the difficult path through the narrow gate leads to life.
This is the same promise Moses made to Israel when he restated to Israel the commandments of God in Deuteronomy. He told them the same thing Jesus stated in His Sermon on the Mount, that there is a fundamental choice between walking in the commandments of God—which is the way of love, life, and prosperity—or walking in the ways of the world with its pagan ethic of the strong exploiting the weak, ways that lead to death and destruction:
“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity” (Deuteronomy 30:15Deuteronomy 30:15 commentary).
Even as Satan went off to make war with the rest of her children because they follow God’s commands and hold to the testimony of Jesus, he cannot thwart God’s endgame: the eventual defeat of evil, culminating in Jesus’ return to establish the Messianic Era on earth.
Set to dark mode
Revelation 12:13-17 meaning
Revelation 12:13-17Revelation 12:13-17 commentary gives us Satan’s response to being evicted from heaven: And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child (v. 13).
When the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, Satan (the dragon) shifted his focus from heavenly realms to earthly ones. Satan, once able to appear before God (Job 1:6-7Job 1:6-7 commentary), has now been decisively thrown down from heaven (Revelation 12:9Revelation 12:9 commentary).
This demotion intensifies his rage, setting the stage for a final period of calamity before the end of this age. In the grand overview of Revelation, God remains on the throne, while Satan, desperate and constrained for “a short time” (Revelation 12:12Revelation 12:12 commentary), focuses his rage on earth, where he elevates assaults against God’s people.
The text continues, revealing that the dragon persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child (v. 13). In this instance, the woman we were introduced to in Revelation 12:1-2Revelation 12:1-2 commentary symbolizes Israel, the nation of heritage for the Messiah (the male child). Linking to Daniel 9Daniel 9 commentary’s chronology, Israel faces renewed distress during the final seven-year period, especially the latter three-and-a-half years or “time, times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14Revelation 12:14 commentary).
Jesus spoke of this last half of Daniel’s final seven years in Matthew 24:15-21Matthew 24:15-21 commentary, commentary where He called it a time of “great tribulation” that will be unprecedented in history. Here, we see a specific example of conflict between God and Satan, with Satan targeting Israel in a final bid to derail God’s plan.
Though terrifying, this verse also reminds us that the dragon’s power is neither infinite nor independent. All these events in the book of Revelation—the seal, the trumpet, and the bowl judgments —are authorized from the throne room of God. While the dragon persecutes God’s people, believers should remember that this conflict was foretold and will soon give way to Christ’s full unveiling as the King of kings.
Satan’s assault, then, is not an unexpected twist; it is part of the storyline God ordained in the scroll with seven seals (Revelation 5:1-9Revelation 5:1-9 commentary). It will culminate in the eventual triumph of the Lamb who is also a Lion, the One who is both a servant and a king who will rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 12:5Revelation 12:5 commentary).
Satan persecuted Israel. This could overlap with the scene in Zechariah 14:1-3Zechariah 14:1-3 commentary, commentary where the nations surround and take Jerusalem just prior to Jesus’s second coming, which is foretold in Zechariah 14:4Zechariah 14:4 commentary. The armies of the nations are said to gather in the Jezreel Valley, also called the Valley of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16Revelation 16:16 commentary). “Armageddon” comes from “hill of Megiddo,” which refers to the ancient city of Megiddo which was the primary town in the Jezreel Valley. It is about 80 miles, or 125 km, north of Jerusalem.
It could be that the armies of the nations gather in the Jezreel Valley to prepare an assault upon Jerusalem, as in Zechariah 14:1-3Zechariah 14:1-3 commentary. There they assemble to oppose the Lamb, who then descends from heaven to defeat them. If so, then the triumphant return of Jesus in Revelation 19:11-20Revelation 19:11-20 commentary would follow after Zechariah 14:4Zechariah 14:4 commentary, commentary when Jesus alights on the Mount of Olives and it splits in two.
The narrative continues: But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place (v. 14).
This imagery of two wings of the great eagle that are given to the woman is a picture of God’s deliverance of Israel, just as He delivered Israel from Egypt, declaring “I bore you on eagles’ wings” (Exodus 19:4Exodus 19:4 commentary). Just as God provided supernatural protection and guidance before, so He provides for Israel again, further underscoring the key message that God is on the throne and orchestrating rescue amid tribulation.
Even when Satan rages on earth, God prepares refuge for His people. The refuge is in the wilderness. Continuing, John explains that this wilderness refuge is where the woman was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent (v. 14).
The phrase time, times, and half a time mirrors Daniel 7:25Daniel 7:25 commentary, commentary which is part of Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy. That it represents three-and-a-half years can be discerned from Daniel 9:27Daniel 9:27 commentary, commentary which says the abomination of desolation will occur in the middle of the “week.” The “week” represents seven years, so the middle of the seven years is three-and-one-half years in, with three-and-one-half years remaining.
This three-and-a-half years is the same as the one thousand two hundred and sixty days spoken of in Revelation 11:3Revelation 11:3 commentary and 12:612:6 commentary. The Hebrews used a lunar calendar of 360 days, so 3.5 times 360 = 1,260.
Jesus stated that the “abomination of desolation” would signal the beginning of the period He called the “great tribulation” (Matthew 24:15Matthew 24:15 commentary, 2121 commentary). Since the abomination of desolation of Daniel 9Daniel 9 commentary occurs in the middle of the seventieth week, or the last seven-year period, we can infer that the great tribulation spoken of by Jesus is the same as the other periods lasting three-and-a-half years.
Accordingly, the often-highlighted period Jesus called the time of great tribulation should properly be considered the latter half of the prophesied seven-year timeframe of the last week of Daniel. It might be that the first three-and-a-half years have the appearance of being a time of peace and prosperity. In Matthew 24:24Matthew 24:24 commentary, commentary Jesus says that Satan’s deception during that period will be so great that it might even deceive the elect.
During this window of great tribulation, Israel will face intense persecution, yet God provides. He prepares a place she could fly into the wilderness to her place. We have Old Testament examples of God’s provision in the wilderness. God fed Elijah by ravens during the three-year drought (1 Kings 17:41 Kings 17:4 commentary). God also preserved Israel in the forty years in the wilderness, feeding them the miraculous provision of manna (Exodus 16:14-15Exodus 16:14-15 commentary). Further, God miraculously provided water and prevented their clothes from wearing out, even over forty years (Deuteronomy 29:5Deuteronomy 29:5 commentary).
We do not know what the two wings of the great eagle will look like. We do not know whether they will be a deliverance through God-given ingenuity or a miraculous intervention. But we do know that there will be a deliverance for the woman (Israel). We are not provided details about how God’s people will fly, or what her place is that is in the wilderness.
These descriptions could be literal or figurative, or both. Jesus exhorted those hearing Him to “flee to the mountains” when they saw the abomination of desolation. That could be literal; there are many hills in Israel. It is also possible that God will provide a wilderness that is a provision external to the world’s new system of exchange, a system that will require consumers to have a mark of the beast in order to buy and sell (Revelation 13:17Revelation 13:17 commentary).
Believers today can derive application from the truth that though trials come, God’s care transcends outward chaos. He is in control, and we can trust Him. Even if it costs us our life for His sake, He will make it worthwhile. The book of Revelation urges faithful witnesses to stand firm, even in the face of rejection, loss, or death. Believers who live to see the abomination of desolation can rely on the Holy Spirit to lead them in their pursuit of His provision.
Next, 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 (v. 15).
Here, the serpent—another depiction of Satan—attempts to overwhelm Israel with a torrent of destruction, a river intended for the woman to be swept away. Whether this river is metaphorical or literal, the intention is clear: Satan seeks to destroy God’s covenant people in one swift, catastrophic event.
The waters or seas in scripture (as in Revelation 17:15Revelation 17:15 commentary) are often symbolic for the chaotic, unruly nations of the earth. The context here is Satan leading the nations to battle against the Lord and His people. So this water like a river could represent a coalition of nations uniting together to persecute and eliminate God’s people by causing them to be swept away with the flood of the nations overwhelming them.
It might be that evil will fill the earth because God removes the “salt” and “light” from it through catching faithful believers up into the air (Matthew 5:13-16Matthew 5:13-16 commentary, commentary 1 Thessalonians 4:16-171 Thessalonians 4:16-17 commentary). By removing the believers alive at that time, or perhaps the overcomer-believers providing salt and light to the earth, evil would be allowed to multiply. However, it seems that a great revival will arise, and many will come to Christ thereafter.
This will include a great awakening among the Jewish people, who will recognize Jesus as being their covenant God and savior and mourn for Him (Zechariah 12:10Zechariah 12:10 commentary). We saw in Revelation 7:4Revelation 7:4 commentary that God called 12,000 special missionaries from each of the twelve tribes to minister to His people.
We will see in Revelation 14:6Revelation 14:6 commentary an angel testifying of the “eternal gospel,” so perhaps there is also an angelic witness that brings many to Jesus during that time of tribulation. Those who are faithful to Christ during that time will gain a special blessing, as it will apparently require an extra dose of faith to be a faithful witness during that terrible period.
The image of a serpent that 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 might call to mind the repeated biblical theme of overwhelming waters—Noah’s flood (Genesis 7Genesis 7 commentary), Pharaoh’s pursuit at the Red Sea (Exodus 14Exodus 14 commentary), Jonah’s cry to be saved from the waters (Jonah 2:3Jonah 2:3 commentary), and the psalmists’ lamentation of being engulfed by waters (Psalm 69:1-2Psalm 69:1-2 commentary).
In each of these instances of His people being overwhelmed in a flood, God intervenes to provide deliverance for His people. Just as God parted the Red Sea for Israel and rescued Noah in the ark, so, too, He is capable of providing miraculous relief in the end times.
Furthermore, the serpent’s attempt to annihilate the woman (Israel) underscores the severity of the end-time conflict. In Daniel 9:27Daniel 9:27 commentary, commentary we see a covenant with Israel made and then broken by an unnamed person who is likely the beast of Revelation. He will “put a stop to sacrifice” and create an abomination of desolation, sparking the fiercest period of tribulation.
Satan’s outpouring of water like a river (v. 15) mirrors the heightened violence and deception Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:21-25Matthew 24:21-25 commentary. Nonetheless, scripture assures us that no matter how aggressive Satan’s schemes become, God’s sovereignty remains intact. Each calamity described in Revelation fits into the seals, trumpets, and bowls progression, all executed under the Lamb’s overarching authority.
In response to this flood, John writes: 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 (v. 16).
Again, here the dragon represents Satan and all whom he is influencing. It might be that the river and “flood” represent the nations who have fallen under Satan’s dominion. This dramatic intervention, where the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river, shows that nature itself becomes an ally of God’s plan. Instead of the woman perishing under watery chaos, the earth absorbs the serpent’s destructive force. This emphasizes that heaven’s throne room initiates events, and creation on earth responds in ways that shield God’s people.
This echoes earlier scriptural narratives: God also had the wind blow a path through the Red Sea for Israel, which subsequently collapsed upon the Egyptians (Exodus 14:21Exodus 14:21 commentary, 27-2827-28 commentary). Also, when Korah and his followers rebelled against Moses, “the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them” (Numbers 16:32Numbers 16:32 commentary). In that Old Testament account, the rebellious group was consumed, and the faithful were spared.
Similarly, here in Revelation, the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river, thwarting the enemy’s weapon. It could be that God uses the forces of nature against the armies hostile to the Lord and His people (Revelation 19:19Revelation 19:19 commentary).
Such divine deliverance points again to God’s sovereignty over final events. Moreover, this reinforces that the time of great tribulation is not simply an onslaught of evil without restraint. These chapters remind us how each wave of tribulation emerged from the scroll (Revelation 5Revelation 5 commentary) with God’s authorization.
So even as the serpent assaults Israel, God’s cosmic design includes unstoppable deliverance. Satan’s fury may escalate, but it can never surpass the plan documented from Genesis through Revelation: that God will accomplish all He intends for Israel and the nations, culminating in Christ’s reign and the subsequent new heaven and new earth.
Finally, the passage concludes: 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 (v. 17).
Having failed to destroy Israel, Satan the dragon was enraged with the woman, who is Israel. So, Satan’s rage turns toward the rest of her children. The rest of her children likely refers to believers outside of Israel who follow Christ—both Jews and Gentiles who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
It is interesting to note that, during these last days, there does not appear to be a divide between believers who are faithful witnesses and believers who are not faithful witnesses. Perhaps the choice has become so stark there are only two categories: 1) those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus, and 2) enemies of Jesus.
This further highlights the call for God’s servants on either side of the great tribulation to read, hear, and do the things in this book, and to be faithful witnesses who do not fear rejection, loss, or death. It is they who will receive a promised special blessing (Revelation 1:3Revelation 1:3 commentary).
The Greek word translated as testimony in the phrase who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus is “martyria.” To hold to the testimony of Jesus is to live with the attitude of Revelation 12:11Revelation 12:11 commentary:
“And they overcame him [Satan] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony [“martyria”], and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”
(Revelation 12:11Revelation 12:11 commentary)
To live as a good testimony (“martyria”) for Jesus is how believers “overcome.” To overcome is to win the victory of life. As Jesus said, His people win life by laying down their lives (Luke 9:23-24Luke 9:23-24 commentary).
We will see in Revelation 20:4Revelation 20:4 commentary a special promise to “those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus” that they will come to life and reign with Christ “for a thousand years.” It seems consistent with other passages that those who overcome as Jesus overcame will also reign during this thousand-year reign on the current earth (Revelation 3:21Revelation 3:21 commentary).
We know for sure that those who lose their lives as witnesses for Jesus during the time of great tribulation will reign with Him during the thousand years of Revelation 20Revelation 20 commentary (Revelation 20:4Revelation 20:4 commentary). As we will see, after the thousand years, Satan will be released for a time and the nations will rebel once again (Revelation 20:7-10Revelation 20:7-10 commentary). After this rebellion is destroyed once and for all, there will be a new heaven and earth in which righteousness reigns, and those who overcome will inherit these things (Revelation 20:1Revelation 20:1 commentary, 77 commentary).
While Israel stands uniquely as a target in the crosshairs of the dragon—who is also the serpent, the devil (accuser), and Satan (adversary)—all those who follow Jesus the Messiah share in his persecution (2 Timothy 3:122 Timothy 3:12 commentary). This is because Satan opposes all that is of God.
God chose humans to have dominion over the earth. Humans are “infants and nursing babes” (as compared to the angelic beings) who are “lower than the angels” that God appointed to reign in order to silence Satan, God’s adversary (Psalm 8:2Psalm 8:2 commentary, commentary Hebrews 2:7Hebrews 2:7 commentary). It seems God assigned humans to reign over the earth to demonstrate that inferior creatures who reign by serving will do a better job than a superior (angelic) creature ruling as a tyrant.
This could be why Satan hates humans so much, and why he hates Israel (the woman) and the deliverer (Jesus) who comes through her (Israel). Jesus has restored to humanity the “glory and honor” of having the right to reign through the “suffering of death,” displacing Satan (Hebrews 2:9-10Hebrews 2:9-10 commentary).
In Matthew 24:9Matthew 24:9 commentary, commentary Jesus warns His followers that “they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name” during these last days. This is echoed by Revelation 12:11Revelation 12:11 commentary; there will be many who overcome as Jesus overcame by losing their lives for their testimony. We will see in Revelation 20:4Revelation 20:4 commentary that many of the martyrs will be “beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus.”
Of course, God’s people have endured times of persecution throughout history. In fact, such opposition is transpiring to various degrees in many parts of the world even today (as of this writing). According to one source, roughly five thousand followers of Jesus were killed for their faith during 2023.
Jesus’s encouragement to endure “to the end” (Matthew 24:13Matthew 24:13 commentary) is relevant to the thought of what it means to keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Jesus urged His disciples not to be disheartened by the ferocity of Satan’s opposition. Jesus stated that the world will get so lawless that many believers will have their love grow cold (Matthew 24:12Matthew 24:12 commentary). But those who endure until the end will avoid having their love grow cold.
To persist in love in the face of hate is part of what is required to endure as faithful witnesses. We saw in the letter to the Ephesian church that God will remove a witness if they forget love (Revelation 2:4-5Revelation 2:4-5 commentary). We also saw that Jesus endured in love until the end, asking His Father to forgive those who crucified Him (Luke 23:24Luke 23:24 commentary).
Believers can look forward in hope to Christ’s ultimate victory—“the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ” (Revelation 12:10Revelation 12:10 commentary). One of the primary themes of Revelation is that God promises He will make it more than worthwhile to those who overcome as He overcame (Revelation 3:21Revelation 3:21 commentary). Jesus desires His people to overcome the fear of rejection, loss, and death, to leave all that is of the world and follow Him.
The phrase keep the commandments of God, referring to the faithful witnesses, also emphasizes the need to persist in love. The two greatest commands are to love God with all our being and to love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39Matthew 22:37-39 commentary). As the Apostle John said in his first epistle, “We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:191 John 4:19 commentary).
Jesus said that we cannot be His disciple unless we bear His cross (Luke 14:27Luke 14:27 commentary). To keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus requires that we follow Jesus’s admonition in Matthew 7:13-14Matthew 7:13-14 commentary, commentary to choose to live a life that has a narrow gate and difficult path. But we take that path because of Jesus’s promise that the difficult path through the narrow gate leads to life.
This is the same promise Moses made to Israel when he restated to Israel the commandments of God in Deuteronomy. He told them the same thing Jesus stated in His Sermon on the Mount, that there is a fundamental choice between walking in the commandments of God—which is the way of love, life, and prosperity—or walking in the ways of the world with its pagan ethic of the strong exploiting the weak, ways that lead to death and destruction:
“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity”
(Deuteronomy 30:15Deuteronomy 30:15 commentary).
Even as Satan went off to make war with the rest of her children because they follow God’s commands and hold to the testimony of Jesus, he cannot thwart God’s endgame: the eventual defeat of evil, culminating in Jesus’ return to establish the Messianic Era on earth.