We saw that the Old Testament spoke often about demons, but it’s hard to think that all this demonic activity at the time of Jesus is just a continuation of life as usual from before.
This is my tentative explanation:
Start here
Revelation 12 (NASB95) 1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2 and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. 7 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. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12 “For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” 13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14 But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 And 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. 16 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. 17 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.
Revelation is a difficult book to understand. Are the visions in chronological order, meaning, the things depicted by them?
I don’t think so.
Cf. Revelation 4, where John is taken up to heaven, and he sees the throne of God and the 24 thrones of the elders. There is a book there that is sealed, and there is nobody to open the book. Until finally the lamb appears to open the book.
The Lamb is Jesus, but why wasn’t He seated at the right hand of God at the beginning of the vision.
Because it was a vision and not literal historical fact. The vision was of the past. The Lamb was not yet seated at the Father’s right hand.
So in Revelation 12, a woman gave birth to a male son who is about to shepherd all the nations with a rod of iron. Who else is this but Jesus? This would be Jesus’ incarnation, His birth into our world.
And then there is a war in heaven. And the dragon, Satan, is cast out and thrown to the earth.
Revelation 12:10 (NASB95) 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.
Remember how in Job and Zechariah, Satan had access to the throne of God, and he was able to accuse Job and Joshua the High Priest before God.
But Paul says now: Romans 8:33–35 (NASB95) 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
How can Paul say this, and why did Paul say this, if
Satan still was able to accuse us before God?
Consider these passages from the gospels:
John 12:31 (NASB95) 31 “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
Cast out of where? Where else but heaven?
Luke 10:17–19 (NASB95) 17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.
If this happened thousands of years ago, Jesus would have said, I saw, not, I was watching.
Revelation 12:9 (NASB95) 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.
These other angels who were thrown down with Satan would account for the abundance of demonic activity at the time of Jesus.
Revelation 12:12 (NASB95) 12 “. . . Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”
Revelation 12:17 (NASB95) 17 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.
This all seems related to Peter’s words:
1 Peter 5:8 (NASB95) 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
I don’t pretend that this will answer all the questions. I still have some. But I think it answers a lot of them.
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