Heavenly War: Satan's Great Fall

December 25th, 2024
by Dr. D. Lance Waldie

Revelation 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 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.

When the Tribulation begins at the signing of the peace treaty (Dan. 9:27) between Israel and the man who will later be known as the beast (Rev. 13), the man of lawlessness (2 Thess. 2:3-4), and Antichrist (1 John 2:18), seven years will ensue. Near the end of that seven-year Tribulation, Daniel writes, “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” (Dan. 12:1; cf. 10:21). Whereas Daniel speaks of Michael arising at the end of the Tribulation, John appears to refer to Michael’s actions at the beginning of the Tribulation. Simply put, it appears that at the commencement of the Tribulation, the horrors that unfold on the earth will be the result of the war that has transpired in the heavens.

Verse 9 calls the dragon “the serpent of old,” a reference to him in Eden in Genesis 3. He is also called “the devil” (Gr. diabolos), a term that means “to slander,” for the devil is he who slanders God and His people. In addition, the dragon is called “Satan,” a Hebrew term that means “adversary”—used 14 times in the book of Job as Job’s adversary (cf. 1 Chron. 21:1; Ps. 109:6; Zech. 3:1-2). Truly, the dragon is the great deceiver, the master counterfeiter who appears now as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14) striving daily to deceive all who pay him attention.

The question is, Where exactly is this “war in heaven” spoken of in 12:7 and Daniel 12:1? Is it in the third heaven where God dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16; cf. 2 Cor. 12:1-4), or is it fought in the starry heavens—above the earth’s atmosphere? Though it is odd to think of a spiritual war occurring in the presence of God “in heaven,” it is known that Satan has direct access to the very presence of God, for he came directly to God to accuse Job (1:6-12; 2:1-7). He is thus known as “the accuser of our brethren” (Rev. 12:10). But just because Satan has access to God does not mean that his angels fight with God’s angels in God’s presence. As the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), the “war in heaven” depicted in 12:7 is likely fought in the starry heavens above and in the earth’s atmosphere. Sadly for Satan, 12:8-9 says that when that war is fought with Michael, Satan and his angels are defeated “and thrown down to the earth.”

So beginning at this point in Revelation, likely at the outset of the Tribulation itself, Satan and his demonic horde will no longer have access to God in the third heaven and will also be banned from the starry heavens, thrown to the earth to wreak the havoc Revelation describes. This may explain the horrors that will occur on the earth, for all that God allowed Satan to do to Job (1:12-19; 2:7), he will do that and so much more to the entire earth during the Tribulation.

Food for Thought

Clearly there is more going on in the heavens than we can see. Walvoord says, “Satan, described as deceiving the whole world, that is, the inhabited earth is now limited in the sphere of his operation. A major step is taken in his ultimate defeat. The saint of this present dispensation, who is now the object of satanic attack and misrepresentation, can rest assured of the ultimate downfall of Satan and the cessation of his ability to afflict the saints of God. Though the events of this chapter deal in general with the end of the age, it is clear that they do not come chronologically after the seventh trumpet. Rather, the fall of Satan may be predated to the time of the seals in chapter 6, or even before the first seal. His fall begins the great tribulation.”