THE RED DRAGON
INTERACTIVE BIBLE STUDY

This prophecy features a dragon, that instigates a great war, played out across the span of this earth's history. The dragon cleverly works, for the most part, behind-the-scenes, launching its attacks through the ruling powers on earth. The object of its wrath is a woman and her offspring. Four major battles between them are outlined, revealing how victory is achieved by the woman's child. As the prophecy progresses, the dragon's demise unfolds: He starts with a perfect life, beautiful and wise, but then becomes proud and self-sufficient. Confident he can have his way on the earth, failure in a pivotal battle suddenly changes everything. He becomes frustrated and desperately violent, ultimately losing everything.

Revelation 12

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The War of the Ages

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"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven" (Rev. 12:7-8).
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This prophecy outlines four of the most critical battles in the war between good and evil. The battles are hard-fought with much pain and trial. The battles are listed below. On the next screens, we will look at the characters involved, and then go into more detail about each battle.

Battle #1:
Place: Heaven
Time: Prior to Adam & Eve's sin
Between: The Dragon and Michael

Battle #2:
Place: Earth
Time: The early Christian era
Between: The Dragon and Jesus Christ

Battle #3:
Place: Earth
Time: Middle Ages
Between: The Dragon and God's followers

Battle #4:
Place: Earth
Time: Last days (after 1798)
Between: The Dragon and the Remnant




The Woman: Clothed in the Sun

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"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars" (Rev. 12:1).
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The Bible often uses the symbol of a woman to represent a church (Is. 51:16, Jer. 6:2). When we see a pure woman, she represents a pure or true church.
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"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints" (Rev. 19:7-8).

"These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7:14).
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Later in Revelation, a women is married to the Lamb and arrayed in clean white linen which represents righteousness. Those arrayed in white robes are white because they wash them in the blood of the Lamb.
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"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb..." (Rev. 12:11).
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The woman in Revelation 12 also overcomes by the blood of the lamb. Being clothed with the sun likely symbolizes the same as being clothed with white linen; being covered by Christ's righteousness and reflecting His character. This provides a clue in identifying God's true church; one which teaches faith in Christ's righteousness as opposed to salvation through points earned or works performed.




The Woman: Moon Under Her Feet

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"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars" (Rev. 12:1).
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The woman is standing on the moon, indicating it gives her stability and illuminates her path.
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"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105).
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God's word through the Bible is a light for our path and gives us direction in the right way.
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"And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also" (Gen. 1:16).

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me" (John 5:39).
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The moon is a great light; however, it is a lesser light than the sun. The Bible, reflects and points us to Jesus, the greatest and brightest light. So, God's true church will be firmly planted in the principles and instructions of God's word, understanding that it is all about Jesus.




The Woman: Crown of Twelve Stars

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"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars" (Rev. 12:1).
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The word translated to "crown" means a prize or symbol or honor. The twelve stars twined about her head indicate something special has been given to her and it is cherished.
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"The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches" (Rev. 1:20).
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Elsewhere in Revelation, stars symbolize angels, and the word translated to angel means "messenger". In Revelation 14, three angels symbolize God's people giving important messages to the entire world.
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"And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach" (Mark 3:14).
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Stars represent those who give God's messages, such as the apostles, pastors and evangelists. Multiples of 12 are used in conjunction with building the church. The number 12 is used to represent those spreading the knowledge of God to the world, such as the 12 tribes of Israel, the 12 apostles and the 144,000. God's true church will have messengers from God and value the blessings of truth they have been given.




The Child: Ruler of All Nations

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"And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered" (Rev. 12:2).
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Just like a woman in labor, God's followers were longing for the anticipated Messiah that was to come through the bloodline of Israel and deliver them.
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"And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne" (Rev. 12:5).
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Later in Revelation, we see Jesus returning to earth with the armies of heaven and it says "he shall rule them with a rod of iron" (Rev. 19:15). The child born to this pure woman is Jesus who would eventually rule all nations.
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"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night" (Rev. 12:10).
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As the gospels tell us in detail, Jesus was born, grew up, completed His ministry, died on the cross, was resurrected and ascended to heaven. His perfect success on earth broke the power of Satan to accuse human sinners who place their faith in Christ's sacrifice. This was the monumental victory of all time, which made winning the war possible.




The Dragon: The Adversary

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"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world" (Rev. 12:9).
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This prophecy quickly reveals the identity of the dragon. It even mentions the various names he is known by so that there can be no doubt that the dragon represents Satan.
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"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8).
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We already know much about Satan from other books of the Bible, which warn of his intent to destroy God's followers.
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"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephes. 6:11-12).
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In fact, Satan is in a war against God. All humanity is a part of the battle, whether a person knows it or not. It is apparent that Satan has intense anger and hatred for God, and therefore also His followers. The four major battles depicted in this prophecy are discussed on the next few screens.

Battle #1: Pre-Fall

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"Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee...Thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground" (Ez. 28:15,17).
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Prior to the existence of sin, Satan (Lucifer) lived in heaven and was a perfect, beautiful cherub. Yet, he somehow became selfish and proud, leading to an open rebellion against God.
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"And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth" (Rev. 12:4).
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A third of the angels joined in Satan's rebellion. They were all cast out of heaven together. Jesus witnessed Satan's expulsion from heaven (Luke 10:18).
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"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And they prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven" (Rev. 12:7-8).

"Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time" (Rev. 12:12).
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Although Satan was cast out of heaven at that time and claimed earth as his domain, he could apparently still roam the universe. In the story of Job we find Satan meeting with other representatives before God. When God asked him where he came from, Satan answers "the earth", indicating he could have been somewhere else. However, in the New Testament (Jude 1:6) we find the angels now in chains. Since Christ's victory at the cross, Satan and his angels are no longer able to leave planet earth and harass other worlds. Notice in verse 12 that those who dwell in the heavens are now rejoicing, but those who inhabit the earth have woe. We have woe because now all of Satan's efforts are concentrated on this earth.




Battle #2: Early Church

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"And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads" (Rev. 12:3).
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As discussed in previous studies, beasts represent kingdoms and horns represent powers. The dragon represents Satan, but in a secondary sense it also represents an earthly power, as symbolized by its seven heads and ten horns. Satan works through earthly nations and rulers to launch his attacks. An example of this is in Ezekiel 28, where Satan is represented as the King of Tyrus and also in Isaiah 14 as the King of Babylon. Whenever Satan can control a government so fully that it carries out his plans, that nation is serving as Satan's representative.
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"And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born" (Rev. 12:4)
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In this battle, Satan is revealed as working through Pagan Rome. It was Herod who sought to kill Christ at his birth. Other Roman leaders put apostles to death, destroyed Jerusalem and pagan emperors persecuted Christians for centuries.
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"...Now is come salvation...for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 12:10-11)
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In this battle, Satan is revealed as working through Pagan Rome. It was Herod who sought to kill Christ at his birth. Other Roman leaders put apostles to death, destroyed Jerusalem and pagan emperors persecuted Christians for centuries.




Battle #3: Middle Ages

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"And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days" (Rev. 12:6).

"And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman...And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent" (Rev. 12:13-14).
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The period of time mentioned here coincides with the 1260 years of papal oppression (538 to 1798) foretold in a number of other prophecies (see separate presention on "The Four Beasts"). The woman (true church) flees into the wilderness (uninhabited areas) to escape persecution (Rev. 12:14).
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"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea...and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority" (Rev. 13:1-2).
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In this battle, Satan is revealed to now be working through Papal Rome. In the next study of Revelation 13, more detail on this battle is given, showing the transfer of power from Pagan Rome to Papal Rome. Rome continues, but enters a new phase of its power, going from Pagan opposition to God, to a religious system that kept Pagan practices.
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"I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them...and shall wear out the saints of the most High...and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time" (Dan. 7:21, 25).
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The horn in Daniel 7, which we previously learned also represents Papal Rome, shows how this period of time was such a terrible trial for God's people. Millions of people were tortured and killed for their faith.




Battle #4: End Times

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"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 12:17).
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In failing to extinguish God's people during the Middle Ages, Satan regroups and attacks the "Remnant of her seed" (the last of those in the true church).
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"And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon... and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed" (Rev. 13:11,15).
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In Revelation 13, this same battle is depicted after another beast rises at the end of the Papal Rome's (sea beast/dragon) reign (1798). It is lamblike but ends up speaking like a dragon and enforcing the worship of a revived Papal Roman power (scarlet beast/dragon). A later presentation studies this lamblike beast in depth, revealing it to be a protestant-led nation. It starts out with right principles and religious freedom, but prophecy shows that it eventually becomes a persecuting power, just like Rome. Satan works through these nations to attack God's last day followers.




The Remnant: God's Last Day Church

This prophecy reveals many of the characteristics of the church that will present God's truth in the last days. What is a remnant? It is the last part of something, the very end. This end-times church is the last church that God will have on earth before His second coming. As a "Remnant" of the seed of the woman, the church will certainly have her same traits. This prophecy in Revelation 12 emphasizes several of her characteristics:
Clothed with the sun (v. 1)
It exercises faith in Christ's righteousness. This remnant church rejects the idea of "salvation by works" and instead puts themselves totally in Jesus' hands to convict, convert, justify, sanctify and save them.

Moon under her feet (v. 1)
It is firmly planted in the principles and instructions of the scriptures. The Remnant believes in the authority of the Bible and that any future revelation must not contradict it, otherwise the firm foundation would crumble.

12 Stars in her crown (v. 1)
It is focused on spreading the gospel. The Remnant has a mission; to spread the knowledge of God to the whole world. It has messengers chosen and empowered by God and values and supports them.

Is a remnant (v. 14-17)
It is an end-time church. The Remnant comes onto the scene after the 1260 years of Papal oppression ended in 1798.
Keep the commandments of God (v. 17)
It keeps God's commandments. The Remnant church teaches obedience to all 10 of God's commandments as they were originally written in stone by God Himself. However, they obey them not to earn salvation, but because they love Christ and He writes the law on their hearts (Heb. 8:10).

Have the testimony of Jesus (v. 17)
It has the Gift of Prophecy. Revelation 19:10 says "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." The Remnant manifests the prophetic gift and teaches and uplifts prophecy in a special way.

Persecuted (v. 17)
It is persecuted. God's last day followers enjoy freedom initially (under the lamblike beast in Rev. 13), but are eventually persecuted (when the beast speaks like a dragon).




The End of the Dragon

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"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season" (Rev. 20:1-3).
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Revelation 12 ends the story of the dragon with the fourth battle. However, there is one more final battle to be fought. It is revealed in later chapters of Revelation. After losing the fourth battle which culminates in the second coming of Christ, the dragon finally faces justice and is bound for a thousand years.
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"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations...to gather them together to battle" (Rev. 20:7-8).
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During the thousand years, he cannot deceive anyone, because the wicked are dead (Rev. 19:21, 20:5). But, after the second resurrection at the end of the millenium, the wicked are alive and Satan can deceive them again, thus freeing him to orchestrate the largest battle of all time.
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"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone" (Rev. 20:10).
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But, the righteous are safe within the New Jerusalem and God overpowers him again. This time, the war is ended for good and the dragon is forever destroyed in the lake of fire.




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