Rev 12:1-17.
  Satan's Losing Battle.

American Journal of Biblical Theology
Copyright © 2007, J.W. Carter     Scripture quotes from KJV

Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. ⁸But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹The 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.

The fourth personage is identified here. Michael was the patron angel of Israel and so of the true Israel. (see Dan 10:13, 21, 12:1). There were two traditions about satan: one that he had been hurled from heaven at the beginning as Lucifer (Enoth 29:4-5), the other that he had his place in heaven in historic times (Job 1:6-7). This latter view presupposes God’s ability to communicate with satan while on earth, and leads to the belief that satan's overthrow from heaven is the first of the last great struggles between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of satan. The fact that he has been cast down from heaven (vs. 9) identifies that evil is already defeated; the most important and first stage in satan's conquest as been already achieved (Lk 18:18, John 12:31).

Note that the conflict is described as taking place between angels. This fuels the Frank Paretti novels that describe angels and demons in mortal combat (a bit inconsistent with their immortal properties. Also Paretti’s angels are empowered by the prayers of the people rather than the power of God.) If satan had been taking on God Himself, there would have been no conflict since satan is powerless to defeat God. Satan can be defeated in the life of a Christian simply by a Spirit-led rebuke. Satan is powerless when confronted with the Holy Spirit. He only has power over people when they give it to him. When they do, they are led astray of God’s purpose.

We see that satan and his angels (or demons) are cast out of heaven where they now exercise their schemes in the world, the cosmos. Though the English word, earth, is used here, it could just as accurately translated as the created universe, the cosmos. If humans were to get in a spaceship and produce a colony on another planet, the same conflict and need for redemption would be found there. (Consider the thesis of M. Night Shyamalan’s film, “The Village.”)