Where does the devil come from? - Revelation 12:4

Core text:

With its tail, it dragged a third of the stars from the sky and threw them down to the earth. (Revelation 12:4 CEV)

Our core text in this post must be read in the textual context (pericope) that it is found in. The core text exists in a larger body of texts found in Revelation 12:1-6. I shall attempt to interpret the core text in the larger context that it is found in.

The core text begins with an animal picture: the animal was pulling others with it. Like a heard other animals followed their leader. We know that the leading animal was falling down to Earth so it was kicked out of the place that it was coming from! Presumably it lost whatever war it was fighting. We know that war was not fought on Earth because the animal was thrown down to Earth.

But why was the animal kicked out? Were they fighting a war? There are many answers to this questions but I have found at least three answers that fit the Biblical context:

·         It may be an astronomical picture. The writer may be describing a meteor storm or perhaps the star signs did not make sense at the time.

·         It may refer to Daniel 8:10: It became so strong that it attacked the stars in the sky, which were heaven's army. Then it threw some of them down to the earth and stomped on them. (Daniel 8:10 CEV)

But the contexts from Daniel and that of Revelation do not correspond. The text in Daniel refers to the Jewish hierarchy: The priests, the Levites and perhaps God. This doesn’t include evil forces like in the book of Revelation. Evil is a major theme in the book of Revelation and not in the book of Daniel.

·         It may also refer to the evil forces that came from heaven! We know from Geneses 1 that God created the heavens and the earth, with no evil forces. Now in the book of Revelation we have a glimpse into the divine past were some heavenly creatures opposed God the almighty and the opposing creatures got thrown out of heaven. The chief was Satan, probably portrayed in our core verse as the animal or dragon. When he was kicked out of heaven he brought his followers with him, about a third of heaven.

Which one do you think is the best answer?

Till next time!!