And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
After losing the war in heaven against Michael and His angels and being cast down to the earth, the dragon persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child, carrying his warfare to dethrone Christ from heaven to earth in the battle between righteousness and sin. The dragon is Satan, the instigator of the great rebellion against heaven, primarily, and pagan Rome secondarily, who moved Herod to try to kill Jesus at His birth and then in the first centuries of the Christian era used pagan Rome as his chief agent in making war on Christ and His people. The dragon's persecution of the woman and her child is Satan's attack on Christ and His people, with the dragon as a symbol of persecuting power and of earthly powers engaged in trampling on God's law and persecuting His people.
The woman and her children are God's people, who are greatly outnumbered and survive in the last days as a remnant. The verse belongs to the account of apocalyptic powers that arise from the union of church and state, a union that produces persecuting powers which crush those who oppose them. The reference to the dragon explains the prophecy's description of the two-horned beast speaking like a dragon, indicating that the United States will develop into a persecuting power.
The verse is part of the prophecy of the 1,260 prophetic years of persecution identified with the Dark Ages from 538 to 1798, which did not continue with equal intensity throughout but was shortened as the earth helped the woman by providing refuge for the oppressed and as the Reformation encouraged toleration among rulers. The verse belongs to the portrayal of the last great conflict between the obedient and the disobedient, showing the earth divided into only two parties, those who stand under the bloodstained banner of Jesus Christ and bear the sign of obedience and those who stand under the black banner of rebellion. The verse belongs to the prophecies of Revelation 12 to 18 that are being fulfilled now as part of the last message of warning that all must hear, moving toward the very last call to the churches in chapter 18 now to be given.
The fulfillment moves next to the time when the beast and the false prophet are taken and cast into the lake of fire, then to the binding of the dragon in the bottomless pit for a thousand years, then to the resurrection of the wicked and the final destruction of Satan and all the wicked in the final triumph and reign of Christ on this earth. While holy angels minister to advance the cause of God, every child of God must be wide-awake and take a decided position to fight on the Lord's side, with confidence that Satan will not prevail.
After losing the war in heaven against Michael and His angels and being cast down to the earth, the dragon persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child, carrying his warfare to dethrone Christ from heaven to earth in the battle between righteousness and sin. The dragon is Satan, the instigator of the great rebellion against heaven, primarily, and pagan Rome secondarily, who moved Herod to try to kill Jesus at His birth and then in the first centuries of the Christian era used pagan Rome as his chief agent in making war on Christ and His people. The dragon's persecution of the woman and her child is Satan's attack on Christ and His people, with the dragon as a symbol of persecuting power and of earthly powers engaged in trampling on God's law and persecuting His people.
The woman and her children are God's people, who are greatly outnumbered and survive in the last days as a remnant. The verse belongs to the account of apocalyptic powers that arise from the union of church and state, a union that produces persecuting powers which crush those who oppose them. The reference to the dragon explains the prophecy's description of the two-horned beast speaking like a dragon, indicating that the United States will develop into a persecuting power.
The verse is part of the prophecy of the 1,260 prophetic years of persecution identified with the Dark Ages from 538 to 1798, which did not continue with equal intensity throughout but was shortened as the earth helped the woman by providing refuge for the oppressed and as the Reformation encouraged toleration among rulers. The verse belongs to the portrayal of the last great conflict between the obedient and the disobedient, showing the earth divided into only two parties, those who stand under the bloodstained banner of Jesus Christ and bear the sign of obedience and those who stand under the black banner of rebellion. The verse belongs to the prophecies of Revelation 12 to 18 that are being fulfilled now as part of the last message of warning that all must hear, moving toward the very last call to the churches in chapter 18 now to be given.
The fulfillment moves next to the time when the beast and the false prophet are taken and cast into the lake of fire, then to the binding of the dragon in the bottomless pit for a thousand years, then to the resurrection of the wicked and the final destruction of Satan and all the wicked in the final triumph and reign of Christ on this earth. While holy angels minister to advance the cause of God, every child of God must be wide-awake and take a decided position to fight on the Lord's side, with confidence that Satan will not prevail.