The Dragon
Summary:
The Dragon of Revelation 12 is Satan. What does the passage have to say about his fate?
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born (Revelation 12:3-4 NKJV).
The Dragon is Satan, who works through earthly instruments to achieve his aims. The stars of heaven that the Dragon threw to the earth are the angels that followed Satan into the great war against heaven. They are the demons that now operate on our earth.
The Dragon has 10 horns, just like the fourth beast of Daniel 7 that represents Rome. Satan worked through pagan Rome to destroy Jesus. It was a Roman official that condemned Jesus to die, Roman soldiers that crucified Him and guarded his grave, and a Roman seal that secured His grave.
The Dragon tried to devour Christ, the Child, by killing Him as soon as He was born (Matthew 2:1‐20). When that didn't work, the Dragon tried again at the cross— and thought he succeeded. But instead of defeating Christ, killing Him produced the greatest victory the universe had ever witnessed. Christ, the sinless One, defeated death and rose from the grave. No Roman seal could hold Him and Satan lost the battle.
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” (Revelation 12:10 NIV).
Satan’s apparent victory at the cross became his greatest defeat. Realizing that his own fate had been sealed forever, Satan turned towards the Church, determined to destroy all those who believed in the risen Saviour:“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child” (Revelation 12:13).
He relentlessly persecuted God’s Church using first pagan Rome and then papal Rome. But even then Satan could not win, because the Church “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” (Revelation 12:11 NIV).
Satan’s aim is to destroy all those who want to follow Jesus, his Conqueror.
Ahead to The Story of Revelation Plays Out, which dives deeper into Satan’s war plans involving papal Rome.
Back to The Great Controversy.
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This article is adapted from Truth Matters by Professor Walter J. Veith, an international speaker who has studied Biblical issues in-depth in his quest for truth. His popular series Genesis Conflict brings the debate between Creation and evolution to a new climax as he dissects the arguments with a scientific eye. His highly-acclaimed series Total Onslaught sheds light on the state of the world today as we move to a one-world government and an anticipated apocalypse.
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Disclaimer:
The contents of this article and website are not intended to accuse individuals. There are many priests and faithful believers in Roman Catholicism who serve God to the best of their ability and are seen by God as His children. The information contained herein is directed only towards the Roman Catholic religio-political system that has reigned in varying degrees of power for nearly two millennia. Under the influence of its successive popes, bishops, and cardinals, this system has established an increasing number of doctrines and statements that clearly go against Scripture.
It is our sincere desire to lay the clear Word of God before you, the truth-seeking reader, so you may decide for yourself what is truth and what is error. If you find herein anything contrary to the Word of God, you need not accept it. But if you desire to seek for Truth as for hidden treasure, and find herein something of that quality, we encourage you to make all haste to accept that Truth which is revealed to you by the Holy Spirit.
It is our sincere desire to lay the clear Word of God before you, the truth-seeking reader, so you may decide for yourself what is truth and what is error. If you find herein anything contrary to the Word of God, you need not accept it. But if you desire to seek for Truth as for hidden treasure, and find herein something of that quality, we encourage you to make all haste to accept that Truth which is revealed to you by the Holy Spirit.
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The Impending Conflict
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