Revelation Now :
Daily Devotional Bible Studies in Revelation
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Michael Versus the Dragon : Day 46 
"The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: 'Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 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." (Revelation 12:6-12)
The Woman Fled
We have already seen (1) that "the woman fled into the desert place" comes from the escape of the Church to Pella on the other side of Jordan before the final destruction of Jerusalem.(2) But in the escape of the woman and in the attack of the dragon, John uses two pictures very familiar to those who knew the Old Testament. With God's help, she escaped into a place which had been prepared for her and where she could be nourished.
There is no doubt that there are many pictures in John's mind. There is the picture of the escape of Elijah to the brook Cherith, where he was fed by the ravens (3); and of his flight into the desert, when he was nourished by the angelic messenger (4). There is also the memory of the flight of Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus into Egypt to escape the murderous intent of Herod (5). But two other more recent incidents are especially in John's mind. In the time of Antiochus Epiphanies, when to keep the law and to worship the true God meant death , many "who sought after justice and judgment went down to the wilderness to dwell there" (6).
Jerusalem Destroyed
Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. The years immediately before that were terrible years of bloodshed and of revolution in which anyone with eyes to see and a mind to understand could forecast what was about to happen. Eusebius, the Christian historian, tells us that, before the final disaster came, the Christians in Jerusalem had been warned by a revelation given to approved men to leave Jerusalem and to cross the Jordan into Perea and to dwell there in a town called Pella. This is actually referred to in the account of Jesus' words to the disciples about the last times. When they saw the last terrors coming they were to flee to the mountains (7). This is exactly what they did.
"The Church had to flee into the wilderness and the wilderness is lonely. For the early Christians, life was lonely; they were isolated in a pagan world." (8) There are times when Christian witness is bound to be a lonely thing, but even in human loneliness there is divine companionship. The one thousand two hundred and sixty days are once again the standard period of distress.
The Accuser
The "devil" (9) means "accuser, slanderer or opponent." "Satan" is a Hebrew term meaning "adversary." The "accuser", which is the meaning of the Hebrew word "Satan", is enraged and goes off , as mad as can be, to try to hurt other members of the woman's family. He continues to accuse Christ's disciples. Although the followers of the Lamb are protected by God's special providence, individual Christian may expect a measure of persecution and suffering.
The Lamb
The critical blow to Satan came from "the Lamb", our Lord Jesus Christ. His victory came through his sacrifice. He was the object of sacrifice, just like a lamb without blemish. The devil is furious and so begins to step up his persecution because he knows that his time is short. We are living in the last days even though we don't know the day nor the hour. There are two results of Satan's defeat. The heavens rejoice, and the earth mourns because Satan will now reek havoc there.
Words to meditate on
What is the best thing you will take across the Great Divide?
Words to pray
Jesus who will never, never fail. And You and Me." (10)
Notes
(1) verse 6 (2) Eusebius: The Ecclesiastical History 3:5 (3) 1 Kings 17:1-7 (4) 1 Kings 19:1-8 (5) Matthew 2:13 (6) 1 Maccabaeus 2:29 (7) Mark 13:14 (8) H. B. Swete (9) "diablos" in Greek (10) Unknown
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place."
