These three verses describe a conflict in heaven: the dragon, identified as Satan in 12:9, attacks Michael and his angels. The battle goes against Satan and he is thrown down to the earth along with his angels.
As with Revelation 12:4, the problem of “when” comes up again. Does this refer to the fall of Satan? Does John have some event in his own lifetime in mind? Or is this a future event in the last says before the return of Christ? Similar to the problem with verse 4, this war in heaven is sometimes is thought to refer to the fall of Satan, but there is no other reference to Satan making war against Michael in the distant past.
Between the cross and the second coming Satan is active in the world (1 Peter 5:8, for example). But Revelation has already described an increase in demonic activity in the fifth and sixth trumpets.
Who is Michael? Michael is mentioned by name in Daniel (10:13, 21; 12:1) and twice in the New Testament (Jude 9 and Revelation 12:7). The name means ‘who is like God?’ and is synonymous with Micaiah and Micah in the Old Testament. In Daniel Michael is “one of the chief princes” (10:13) who assists the great angel who delivers Daniel’s final vision to overcome the prince of Greece and the prince of Persia. In Daniel 10:21 he is called “your prince” and in 12:1 he is “the great prince.”
Second Temple Literature develops the idea of Michael as a mighty angel who protects Israel. He is mentioned often in 1 Enoch. Although he is one of the chief angels, he is not called an archangel in the book. 2 Enoch 22 calls him “the archangel Michael” although the title “archistratig” (“top general? Cf. Gk. Apoc. Ezra 4.24) is used more often, highlighted Michael’s military role. By 3 Enoch, he is “Michael, the Great Prince, is in charge of the seventh heaven, the highest.” IN 3 Enoch Michael begins to blend with Metatron, a semi-divine angelic being. “At some point, however, the connection between Meṭaṭron and Michael was obscured, and a new, independent archangel with many of Michael’s powers came into being (P. Alexander, OTP 1:244).
In the Book of the Watchers, Michael interceded on behalf of humanity when they were oppressed by the giants (1 Enoch 10:11). In 1 Enoch 20:5 he is one of the “holy angels who watch.”
1 Enoch 20:1-8 And these are names of the holy angels who watch: 2 Suruʾel, one of the holy angels—for (he is) of eternity and of trembling. 3 Raphael, one of the holy angels, for (he is) of the spirits of man. 4 Raguel, one of the holy angels who take vengeance for the world and for the luminaries. 5 Michael, one of the holy angels, for (he is) obedient in his benevolence over the people and the nations. 6 Saraqaʾel, one of the holy angels who are (set) over the spirits of mankind who sin in the spirit. 7 Gabriel, one of the holy angels who oversee the garden of Eden, and the serpents, and the cherubim.
In 1 Enoch 40:9 Michael is one of the four “faces” who never slumber but always watch God and praise him. He is called “the merciful and forbearing Michael.” Along with Raphael, Gabriel, and Phanuel, Michael seize the armies of Azazʾel, on the great day of judgment and casts them “into the furnace (of fire) that is burning” (1 Enoch 54:5). In 1 Enoch 60 Michael explains Enoch’s disturbing vision (similar to the mighty angel in Daniel 10, cf., 1 Enoch 71:3).
In the War Scroll (1QM), Michael leads an army into battle:
1Q33 Col. xvii:7-8 (God) sends everlasting aid to the lot of his [co]venant by the power of the majestic angel for the sway of Michael in everlasting light,7 to illuminate with joy the covenant of Israel, peace and blessing to God’s lot, to exalt the sway of Michael above all the gods, and the dominion of 8 Israel over all flesh.
If Melchizedek is Michael in 11QMelch (Vermes, Dead Sea Scrolls, 300), then this angelic figure will “carry out the vengeance of Go[d’s] judgments, [and on that day he will fr]e[e them from the hand of] Belial and from the hand of all the sp[irits of his lot]” (11Q13 Col. ii:13). The text is fragmentary, but there is certainly a war between the angelic Melchizedek and the demonic Belial prior to the day of peace predicted by Isaiah 52:7 (line 15) and a coming anointed prince anticipated in Daniel 9:25 (line 18). In fact, line 25 says “Melchizedek, who will fr]e[e them from the ha]nd of Belial.”
The war in heaven results in the dragon being thrown down to the earth (Rev 12:7-9) and immediately John hears a loud voice in heaven announcing, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come” (12:10). Like the seventh trumpet, Revelation 12:10 announces the arrival of God’s kingdom.
For some reason what stood out to me most was the quote from 1 Enoch 20:1-8 which mentioned Gabriel’s role as an angel. In that passage it mentioned that Gabriel was the angel over the Garden of Eden, the serpents, and the Cherubim. If this were the case that would be very interesting. The Garden of Eden, the serpent, and the Cherubim all have a strong connection to the the fall of man since man sinned for the first time in the Garden after being tempted by the serpent, and then they were separated from God, and were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. The Cherubim guarded the path back to the garden. If this was in fact Gabriel’s role, then he would have been a part of that whole scene in the begging in which mans relationship with God was broken and severed. What intrigued me the most was the realization that it was also Gabriel who got to announce the coming of a savior (Jesus) to Zacharia and Mary. This announcement was just the begging of God’s plan to bring restoration to his people as it unfolded through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
I find it interesting that this time of war in heaven is seen as the same time as the fall of Satan. When we look into this idea of Michael not the archangel but simply the mighty angel who protects Israel, we see him interceding on behalf of the humans. All throughout Revelation this is definitely seen as a theme of his divine protection. I have always been curious about almost the “reasoning behind” those angels and the roles they are given to protect, serve and to carry out God’s judgment. Is Satan really this demon or this Dragon that is thrown down and battles with Michael? Altogether, looking into the idea of a true battle or conflict in what we see as “perfect, no wrong entering, heaven” and seeing that there is that war and conflict, is an interesting mindset shift.
In Revelation 12:7-9, this isn’t the first time Michael and Satan go at it. They’ve had a history of disputing one another in Jude 1:9. One of the first principles that comes to mind when reading this article, is how humble the archangel Michael is. Though he is a powerful archangel and has God on his side, he doesn’t judge or slander Satan because that’s God’s job. In Jude 1:9 we see him fighting with Satan over the bones of Moses, but instead of slandering Satan, he simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (ESV). Even though we consider Satan more powerful than any creature in the world, Michael is able to defeat him and throw him down to earth. An important message is conveyed to us through gathering these passages, which is, when God is for us, then who could be against us? Romans 8:31 comes to mind. We should be encouraged that God’s character stays the same, and He stands with all of His creatures who fear Him, even the angels. Sometimes I wonder how much the angels know about God and His character. They were with God before us, and before the beginning of the world, as it says in Job 38:4-7 so they knew about God’s power and some of His other attributes. I believe that through the human race, the angels are being taught how great God is, and especially they are being taught how great His love is for His creatures because He came down from His glory to become one of us, in order to save us and restore all of His creation. I love knowing about the cosmic narrative of scripture because it truly makes one awe in the presence of God. His plan goes beyond our world and reaches all of His creation, even in the invisible realms.
Revelation 12:7-9 deal with “Michael and his angels”(ESV) as they are fighting with Satan and his angels in heaven and there is a Great War that is going on and then Satan is cast down to earth.” we do not know too much about Michael from the biblical text, there references to Michael in Dan 10:13, 21, 12:1 also in the new testament in Jude 9 and here in Rev 12:7). there is a lot spoken on angelogy and on Michael within apocrypha Jewish texts and other near eastern texts such as the book of 1 Enoch the book of watchers. Jews believed Michael to be guardian protecter against forces of evil for Israel. Interesting in 1 Enoch it is Michael not God himself that casts Satan into fire, contrasted to how in the New Testament Jesus is the one who conquers Satan. Following verse rev 12;7-9 John hears a very great loud voice from heaven saying how “now the salvation and the power and thinghood our God and the authority of his Christ has come” (ESV, Rev 12:9). The Kingdom of God has come with its soon fulfillment when Christ will create a new heaven and a new earth in rev 21.
Revelation 12:7-9 and the conflict in heaven. I think looking at the role of Michael and the dragon (Satan), raises intriguing questions about the timing and nature of this battle. I thought that one aspect that stands out is the use of symbolic language and imagery in describing spiritual realities. The depiction of Michael as a warrior angel leading an army against the forces of evil adds a lot of depth to the warfare found throughout apocalyptic literature. There is a lot of imagery in Revelation and I think that John wanted it that way so that we can somewhat comprehend it. When we look at the identity of Michael and his role in these various ancient texts, such as Daniel and 1 Enoch, it sheds light on the many controversial perspectives within the Jewish and Christian traditions regarding angelic beings and their involvement in human affairs. I think that Revelation points out some of the roles that may only come until the judgment period. Also, another thing that I thought was interesting was the connection between the war in heaven and the announcement of God’s kingdom in Revelation 12:10. I think when you read Revelation and look at just the timing of the tribulation and its events it shows how it all lines up perfectly. Even though there are units of time that we don’t understand you can still see how God designs everything and that no matter what happens he ends in victory.
Revelation 12:7-9. The verses mentioned describe a celestial battle between the archangel Michael and his angels against the dragon (identifiedor know as the devil or Satan) and his angels. That dragon and some angels are fight and cast out of heaven to the earth. Michael is called one of the chief princes, which means that some angels are under other angels. We don’t even know that all the angels fought with Micheal. Some could have just supported him. In Revelation 9, the locusts and troops cause immense suffering, but their time is limited, and their destruction is assured. Similarly, in Revelation 12:7-9, the dragon and his angels are cast out of heaven, symbolizing the ultimate defeat of evil. These passages collectively underscore the Book of Revelation’s broader message about the triumph of good over evil and the divine judgment that awaits those who choose to align with the forces of evil.
I chose to respond to this blog post just because the title sounded very interesting to me. Coming to grace I have learned more in the last two years about Christianity, the Bible, and God himself, than I have in my entire life. Learning about things such as the war in Heaven that I had not known about before, is always very interesting to me as I just had no idea about it. P.Long does a great job explaining who and what was involved in the war, Explaining who Michael and the Dragon were. Revelations 12:7-8 states that “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven”. This passage really helped me to identify the war and what was going on in it. Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon and his Angels in Heaven. Which ultimately leads to Revelation 12:9 which states, “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”. This passage now explains the end of the war and what the outcome was of this war. In which P.Long’s blog states that John heard’s loud voices from the Heavens announcing the arrival of God’s kingdom.
The War in heaven and the topic of Angels is very interesting to me. The fact there is such a thing as Archangels is really cool to me. Michael is mentioned as an Archangel in the bible but the bible also talks about many different ranks of angels. In the bible it talks about how angels are messengers but they will also fight for us which gives me a feeling of comfort knowing that angels are watching over us and have our backs. A verse that really stands out to me when thinking about this is Ephesians 6:12 that says “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”The story of Satan as the dragon in revelations being defeated by the archangel Michael is one of the more popular stories out of the entire book of revelations. The story ends with the dragon being thrown down to earth and the arrival of God’s kingdom. The book of revelation to me has always been hard to understand what’s going on all the time because it’s been told and seen from a vision God gives to John and it’s from his perspective and what he sees we know this because John is describing events in great detail that have not yet happened.