Revelation 12:4-5 - The first part refers to Satan's rebellion in heaven, where he led a third of the angels in defiance against God, resulting in their expulsion.
Following his fall, the passage shifts directly to his attempt to attack the child, who represents Jesus, while the woman symbolizes Israel
And then the child's ascension to God's throne signifies Jesus' resurrection and exaltation after completing His mission.

📖 Revelation 12:4-5 –"Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child, he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne."

So, let’s take a deeper look at this verse and its meaning.

At first, Satan sought to kill Jesus at birth

📖 Matthew 2:16 –"Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men."

When that failed, his strategy shifted to stopping the Messiah from fulfilling His mission.

📖 Matthew 4:1-11 – Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, offering Him the world if He would bow down to him. If Jesus had sinned, He could not have been the perfect sacrifice for sin.

After that failed, Satan manipulated Judas into betraying Jesus, leading to the crucifixion

📖 Luke 22:3-4 – "Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them."

But instead of defeating Jesus, Satan sealed his own downfall—because through His death and resurrection, Jesus broke Satan’s power forever.

The War in Heaven: Satan Cast Out

Now, when Jesus ascended to heaven, Satan waged war in heaven but was ultimately defeated.

📖 Revelation 12:7-8 – "Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven."

Note that Satan still had access to God’s presence to accuse people, as seen in Job and Zechariah.

📖 Job 1:6-7 – "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, ‘From where have you come?’ Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’”

📖 Zechariah 3:1 – "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him."

This war in Revelation 12 seems to mark the moment when Satan was permanently cast out of heaven, losing his ability to accuse believers before God.

📖 Revelation 12:9-10 – “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. And 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 brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.’”

Satan Lost Hades Too

Not only did Satan lose access to heaven, but he also lost control over Hades (the realm of the dead).

In the Old Testament, Hades (Sheol) was the place where both the righteous and the wicked went, but in separate areas.

📖Hebrews 2:14-15, explains since humanity is made of flesh and blood, Jesus became fully human to share in our experience. His purpose was to defeat the devil, who held the power of death, by dying on the cross and resurrecting. Through His victory, Jesus freed people from the fear of death, which had kept them in spiritual slavery. Now, believers no longer need to fear death because Jesus has secured eternal life for them.

📖Luke 16:22-23, describes what happens after death. The poor man, Lazarus, was carried by angels to Abraham’s side (or bosom), which represents a place of comfort and rest for the righteous. In contrast, the rich man ended up in Hades, a place of torment, where he could see Lazarus in peace but was separated by a great chasm.

After His death on the cross, Jesus went to Hades to proclaim victory over the imprisoned spirits.

📖 1 Peter 3:18-20 – "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water."

📖 Revelation 1:18 – "I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades."

Satan no longer has any power over Hades, as Jesus now holds the keys.

Satan’s Wrath on Earth

Even though Satan lost his position in heaven and his control over Hades, he is still active on earth, seeking to destroy as much as he can before his final judgment.

📖 Revelation 12:12 –"Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"

Since Satan can no longer accuse believers in heaven, his only option is to deceive, attack, and destroy them on earth.

📖 1 Peter 5:8 – "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

📖 Ephesians 6:11-12 – "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

Satan Knows His Final Defeat is Coming

📖 Revelation 20:10 – "And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."

Until then, Satan will fight even harder—but his defeat is already sealed through Jesus’ victory. His time is short, and his downfall is inevitable. Jesus has already triumphed, and those who remain faithful, holding fast to God's commands and the testimony of Jesus, will ultimately overcome.