Michael vs Satan

[Michael37]

Rev 12:7-9  And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,  (8)  but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.  (9)  So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Have you ever pondered this event?

We have the scene before us of Michael and his angels fighting against Satan and his angels. 

This battle takes place in the second heaven, the celestial sphere we call outer space. This is a cosmographical location. 

The first heaven is the atmosphere that surrounds our planet, our sky. This is a geographical location.

The third heaven is the dwelling place of God and His heavenly host. This is a theographical location.

Paul mentions the third heaven:

2Co 12:1-4  It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord:  (2)  I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.  (3)  And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—  (4)  how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

In Revelation 12 Satan is depicted as a seven-headed dragon with seven crowns and ten horns. In theology this is an extremely meaningful representation of Satan's quest to control, rule, and enforce in opposition to God.

The cause of the showdown between Michael and his angels and Satan and his angels is given in this report:

Rev 12:3-4  And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.  (4)  His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.

In natural physical terms if a third of the stars were to fall to earth the result would be its destruction, so what is in view is the efforts of Satan to darken the minds of all people on earth by removing their illumination, but he is only able to do this in part, and as we know, his infanticide of the Messiah which Israel gives birth to is unsuccessful. 

Satan already had access to earth and its atmosphere but after losing the battle with Michael and his angels he and his angels are denied further access to the higher realms.

(Time for lunch)

[Marathoner]

I share this understanding with you, @Michael37. There is scriptural precedent for referring to an order of angels as "stars." From the book of Job:

Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (verses 6-7 KJV)

Possibilities for Rev. 12:4:

This might be a reference to the principalities (princes), those powers of wickedness, which we face in battle. It might also be a reference to Satan's angels as a whole but seeing as how "sons of God" has been used to refer to angelic beings in the Hebrew scriptures, I am leaning toward star = principality.

 

Edited September 14, 2020 by Marathoner

[Marathoner]

Another example of "star" being used to refer to a particular order of angel from Isaiah 14,

“How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!
“But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
(verses 12-14 NASB)

From Revelation 1:20, the seven stars represented the seven angels of the seven churches.  

Edited September 14, 2020 by Marathoner

[Michael37]

Yes @Marathoner Thanks for your input. The reference to the dragon drawing away one third of the stars does lend itself to the discussion of stars as angels for the reasons you have explained, but also raises the question of why Satan would cast any angels down to earth in the manner described.

When the scope is broadened to the stars representing various means of enlightenment for humanity one obvious example comes to mind, that of the star which guided the magi who came to worship Him born King of the Jews, which they spoke of as "His star".

Mat 2:1-2  Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,  (2)  saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

[Marathoner]

The passage from Isaiah 14 explains why Satan cast a third of the stars in the second heaven down to the earth: the evil one sought to weaken the nations. This ties into the enlightenment which you're driving at rather well, I think. Looking at the language of Rev. 12:4 we see that Satan drew a third of the stars with his tail; this connotes gathering them to him. These stars joined the evil one. 

I've touched upon this elsewhere but it's deserving of another mention here: Daniel 10:13 describes how the prince of the kingdom of Persia delayed the angel sent to Daniel for 21 days. Michael's intervention (he's referred to as one of the chief princes) was necessary to liberate the angel from the principality so he could reach Daniel. 

Seeing as how Michael is also referred to as the prince of Daniel's people (the Jews) in the book of Daniel, then it seems to me that "His star" (the Lord's star) is a reference to Michael. Few angels are named in the scriptures but Michael by far is the most prominent.   

Edited September 14, 2020 by Marathoner

[Michael37]

2 hours ago, Marathoner said:

The passage from Isaiah 14 explains why Satan cast a third of the stars in the second heaven down to the earth: the evil one sought to weaken the nations. This ties into the enlightenment which you're driving at rather well, I think. Looking at the language of Rev. 12:4 we see that Satan drew a third of the stars with his tail; this connotes gathering them to him. These stars joined the evil one. 

Yes, a salutary lesson when considering those once shining as luminaries but now fallen and no longer bringing light to the world, and certainly not enlightening God's People.

Php 2:14-16  Do all things without complaining and disputing,  (15)  that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,  (16)  holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

In Joseph's dream he saw eleven stars symbolically bow down to him, and indeed later his eleven brothers did literally bow down to him. 

Gen 37:9-11  Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me."  (10)  So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?"  (11)  And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Gen 43:28  And they answered, "Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.

It is no stretch to match the imagery of the sun, moon, and stars in Joseph's dream where it is his family in view, to that of Revelation 12 where it is Israel and her glory that is symbolised, the twelve stars of course being the twelve tribes.

Rev 12:1  Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.

[Desopixi Seilynam]

The day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty..

And they shall go into the hols of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord,

and for the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake terribly the earth.  Isaiah 2:12,19

 

For the day of the Lord comes, for it is nigh at hand.

The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses...

The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and moon shall be dark, the stars shall withdraw their shining.

And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army.. for the day of the Lord is great.  Joel 2:1-11 describes the Lords army, on horses.

The Lord shall cause fire with His voice: Isaiah 30:30-31. The Messiah is the Lord: Micah 5:2-5, 1 Tim 3:16.

 

 

"the sun shall be darkened, and the moon turned to blood" Matthew 24:29

the sun became black as sackcloth, and the moon became as blood. Revelation 6:12

"and the stars shall fall from the sky" Matthew 24:29

And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth Revelation 6:13

"... then shall the tribes of the earth mourn" Matthew 24:30

And everyone on earth hid themselves in caves and rocks of the mountains. Revelation 6:15

And said fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sits upon the throne...

for the great day of His wrath has come. Revelation 6:17

 

"And He shall send forth His angels with the great sound of a trumpet

and they shall gather His chosen ones from the four winds

from one end of the sky to the other." Matthew 24:31

 

Come from the four winds, Oh breath of life, and breath upon these slain that they may live.

And they stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. Ezekiel 37:9-10

 

The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready... to her was granted to be clothed in fine linen...

The armies in the sky followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen.

The beast and false prophet and the kings of the earth were gathered to fight Christ and His army.

And the beast and false prophet were captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire

and the rest were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded from His mouth

and all the birds were filled with their flesh.  Revelation 19:7-21.

 

"For wheresoever the bodies are, there will the birds be gathered together" Matthew 24:28

 

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Revelation is telling the one same story repeatedly, using intertwining different visions, each giving different details of the same one story, the same one set of events prophesied in other places in scripture. It becomes very clear when we put all the prophecy together.

[Jedi4Yahweh]

Stars and Angelic hosts are synonymous though out scriptures.   Astronomers would have you believe stars are massive suns like our own but in far distant galaxies, but the bible declares God made only two great lights, the Sun and the Moon, not billions and billions of Sun galaxies as we have been taught.  The bible makes it very clear he created one Sun and one Moon and one Earth.  The stars like scriptures declare are Angels, Heavenly Host to provide light for to the earth and for signs and seasons.  The word planet comes from the Greek word 'planeo' which means: to deceive.   Its rather ironic that all the "planets" are named after Greek gods/fallen angels.

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; "and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. [He made] the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that [it was] good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. - Gen 1:14-19 NKJV

 

Edited September 14, 2020 by Jedi4Yahweh

[Michael37]

4 hours ago, Jedi4Yahweh said:

Stars and Angelic hosts are synonymous though out scriptures.

Not always, as previously posted.

[Jedi4Yahweh]

9 minutes ago, Michael37 said:

Not always, as previously posted.

I would assume you're referring to Gen 37 about Joseph's dream.    If so, the Sun, Moon and Stars in his dream were analogy not to be taken literally that is Mother, Father and 11 Brothers are the Sun, Moon, and Stars...hence it was a dream.   Dreams are most often symbolic in the bible.  It symbolized his Mother, Father and his 11 brothers bowing down to him after he had become ruler of Egypt.