In Revelation 12, the dragon is cast down from heaven after a war/battle involving Michael. Heaven is told to rejoice. In contrast, the earth is told that this development is bad news.
Even after being cast down, the devil is still able to persecute the "woman" somehow. When that plan fails, he chooses to persecute the woman's other children (i.e., other than Jesus Christ). In Revelation 13, it seems to describe the form that this persecution takes: Namely, the dragon gives power to the Beast from the Sea. Everyone seems to recognize that the Beast from the Sea is a government or set of governments. They get their power from someone who has already been cast down.
Hence, the question arises: What good did it do to cast the devil down, if he still has so much power?
My working theory is that being in heaven signifies that the devil has overt power. In contrast, when he is cast down that means that he is not worshipped out in the open, and has to act more subtly. Hence, the "dragon" may refer to Rome or the pagan empires in general. The Beast from the Sea may refer to a 'Christian' society, or potentially a secular one, which is still manipulated by the devil into opposing God. The fact that the Beast from the Earth looks like a lamb further seems to underscore the 'Christian' nature of this new order.
I find that this is a pattern that many overlook, where they assume that the Beast from the Sea is just yet another pagan, openly God-hating kingdom. If that were the case, it wouldn't be any different from the regular old dragon.
There are also many other references to stars and such being cast down. I am still wondering about those events, too. If anyone has insights, it would be appreciated. I don't get a lot of advice when I post these threads, but I do get some. I'm like House M.D., this is my white board, and you are my doctors. Go.
Even after being cast down, the devil is still able to persecute the "woman" somehow. When that plan fails, he chooses to persecute the woman's other children (i.e., other than Jesus Christ). In Revelation 13, it seems to describe the form that this persecution takes: Namely, the dragon gives power to the Beast from the Sea. Everyone seems to recognize that the Beast from the Sea is a government or set of governments. They get their power from someone who has already been cast down.
Hence, the question arises: What good did it do to cast the devil down, if he still has so much power?
My working theory is that being in heaven signifies that the devil has overt power. In contrast, when he is cast down that means that he is not worshipped out in the open, and has to act more subtly. Hence, the "dragon" may refer to Rome or the pagan empires in general. The Beast from the Sea may refer to a 'Christian' society, or potentially a secular one, which is still manipulated by the devil into opposing God. The fact that the Beast from the Earth looks like a lamb further seems to underscore the 'Christian' nature of this new order.
I find that this is a pattern that many overlook, where they assume that the Beast from the Sea is just yet another pagan, openly God-hating kingdom. If that were the case, it wouldn't be any different from the regular old dragon.
There are also many other references to stars and such being cast down. I am still wondering about those events, too. If anyone has insights, it would be appreciated. I don't get a lot of advice when I post these threads, but I do get some. I'm like House M.D., this is my white board, and you are my doctors. Go.
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