Revelation 12:7-9 7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
This passage describes the defeat of the dragon. We also find out the identity of the dragon as an image for Satan. “Devil” means lier and deceiver. “Satan” means adversary. Satan fights the people of God in his (or its) rebellion against God. There is a concept in apocalyptic thought like Revelation that the wars on earth are shadows of wars in heaven. This passage describes a cosmic, heavenly war as the dragon rebells against God and seeks the destruction of the woman and her child. There is no clear time frame for when this battle takes place. The emphasis is more on the results. The devil here is called the ancient serpent. This could be a reflection of the serpent in the Garden of Eden which tempted Adam and Eve and deceived them into sin.
This passage, like many in Revelation, raises many questions, some of which cannot be answered. The point of the defeat of Satan is important. It confirms what John writes in 1 John 4:4: “greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” Those who identify with the Lamb of God are on the winning side. It may not look like this sometimes, especially with the deceit of the world inspired by the great Deceiver. We can be easily fooled by this world. Our hope in Christ can assure victory with all of its benefits in this world.
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