Bible Questions and Answers

What is the meaning of Revelation 12:9? What is the "Old Serpent"?

Revelation 12:9 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.

In context: Revelation 12:1-11 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. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 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. 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. 7 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. 10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Revelation is a prophecy of the events to take place on the earth from the end of the first century AD to the establishment of the kingdom of God on the earth. The events are ‘signified’ which means they are given in a series of ‘signs’. The signs are not to be understood literally.

Thus, the sign in heaven is not in the literal heaven but rather the political heaven of the nations. The sign begins in the political heaven of the Roman Empire. The dragon (Greek ‘drakon’ – a serpent) represents the Pagan Roman authorities which persecuted the early Church. The Church eventually triumphed. Emperor Constantine legalised it and Emperor Theodosius outlawed paganism in Government.

This triumph in the political heavens came about by the preaching of the Gospel. The victory is described thus:

verse 11 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

From this we see that ‘Michael and his angels’ signify, not the angels of heaven, but the Christians who preached the Gospel and were prepared to die for it. The dragon is described as giving its authority to the ‘beast’ (Revelation 13:2). The ‘beast’ is the Roman authority in its apostate Christian form.

The describing of political powers as ‘beasts’ has its origin in Daniel 8 where the ‘beasts’ and the political powers they represented are given (except for the 'great and terrible beast which represents the Roman Empire).

For a brief run-through of Revelation see Thirteen Lectures on the Apocalypse (please click on the title)

I hope this helps.

God bless,
Glenn