Revelation 12:9

Context

The Book of Revelation records the visions John received on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:9). Chapter 12 opens with a woman clothed with the sun giving birth to a son. A great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns seeks to devour the child, but the child is caught up to God. In verses 7–8, war breaks out in heaven: Michael and his angels fight against the dragon, and the dragon is defeated.

Verse 9 describes the outcome of this war. The dragon is cast down to the earth, and his identity is revealed through four designations: "that old serpent," "the Devil," "Satan," and the one "which deceiveth the whole world." In verses 10–12, a loud voice in heaven then proclaims that "the accuser of our brethren" has been cast down.

Interpretation

Most interpreters understand "that old serpent" as the serpent that tempted Eve in Genesis 3. For this reason, the verse is often cited as grounds for identifying the serpent of Genesis with the Devil. "His angels" are understood to be fallen angels, and the phrase is also drawn upon in explanations of demons.

Interpreters differ on when the dragon was cast out.

• A primordial rebellion: This reading holds that the passage depicts Satan's rebellion against God and his expulsion from heaven before creation or before the human Fall. Together with Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, the passage has traditionally been cited to explain the origin of the Devil.
• The work of Christ: This reading appeals to the child being caught up in verse 5 and to "the blood of the Lamb" in verse 11. It holds that the passage symbolically portrays Satan's defeat through Christ's cross, resurrection, and ascension. Many commentators in the Reformed tradition are reported to adopt this reading.
• A future event: Futurist interpretations, including dispensationalism, read the scene as an event that will take place during the Great Tribulation at the end of the age.

Debates and Issues

The disagreement over timing is not confined to this one verse. It is bound up with how various denominations and scholars understand the millennium and eschatology. Nevertheless, there is little disagreement among denominations that the dragon is the Devil.

In Korean Bible translation, the New Korean Revised Version changed the Korean Revised Version's rendering "Sadan" to "Satan." The Korean expression kkoeneun ja (rendered in the KJV as "which deceiveth") translates a Greek term meaning "one who deceives," and the phrase translated "the whole world" refers to the entire inhabited world.

Some interpreters map the symbols of chapter 12 directly onto particular modern individuals or groups. Major denominations have criticized such readings as interpretation divorced from context.

In the Korean Church

The verse is commonly cited in sermons on spiritual warfare to explain the identity of the Devil. It is also used to emphasize that the Devil has already been defeated. It is often read together with Ephesians 6:10–18 and James 4:7.

Related Passages

• Genesis 3:1
• Luke 10:18
• John 12:31
• Revelation 20:2