The GREAT RED DRAGON , The DRAGON . . . & A FINAL WARNING for BELIEVERS

 Revelation 12 * * PART 2 * * The GREAT RED DRAGON , The DRAGON . . . & A FINAL WARNING for BELIEVERS Missed PART 1 ?? . . . Click this link > > > https://www.prophecynewsdesk.com/the-great-red-dragon Cont . VERSE 4 - . . . “ the dragon stood before the woman , which was ready to be delivered ” In its ancient fulfilment , the great red dragon was ‘ Pagan ’ Rome which persecuted the Christian Church ( woman ) of that time. In its end-times fulfilment , the great red dragon is‘ Communist China ’ which - as an ‘ atheist’state - continues to brutally oppress and persecute Christians today. Pagan Rome was a fore-runner to the great red dragon of our day, China. In the days of the Roman Empire , ‘ the woman ’ of Revelation 12 represented Christianity ( ie. the Church ). In the coming LATTER DAY fulfilment , ‘ the woman ’ continues to be Christianity , but in a pseudo-Christian form led by the apostate Roman Catholic Church. In the ancient fulfilment the ‘ woman ’ ( Church ) was “ ready to be delivered ” of a child. This birth of a ‘ man-child ’ prefigured the ascension to power of Emperor Constantine ( enabled by the support of Christians/Church ). This same scenario will soon play out again as ‘ the woman ’ ( Catholic Church ) will preside over the birth of yet another powerful leader in the last days ( in the similitude of Constantine ) . . . an ‘ iron-like ’ potentate that will rule the world. “ for to devour her child as soon as it was born ” As the ‘ Pagan ’ Emperors of the Roman Empire ( led by Galerius ) sought to undermine , defeat and even destroy ‘ a rival ’ ( Emperor Constantine - whose power and authority was derived from the Church ) likewise China , in its own bid for global supremacy will ALSO seek ( unsuccessfully ) to undermine and subvert the ‘ rise to power ’ of a potential rival ( whose power and authority will ALSO be derived from the Church ) in the last days. The Woman of today is the Roman Catholic Church. The ’man-child ’ soon to be delivered of the RomanMother Church to great power and authority will be the Russian ‘ Gog ’. It will quite literally be an end-times re-enactment ( exact in almost every detail ) of the 4 th century events , the Pagan Dragon of ‘the East’ (Galerius/China ) seeking to devour the man-child of ‘the West’ (Constantine/Russia’s Vladimir Putin ). Yet like Constantine - against great odds the emerging power of ‘Gog ’ will prevail. While Russia and China do have similar communist / socialist governments and ideologies , one crucial ( potentially divisive ) difference between them is ‘ religion ’. China is vehemently opposed to any form of religious faiths and openly suppresses and persecutes such groups. It is all-but completely an atheist / secular state as mandated and brutally enforced by its totalitarian ruling party. It’s the perfect latter-day manifestation of the ancient Pagan dragon. Conversely , President Vladimir Putin places enormous importance in the Russian Orthodox Church. Portraying himself as a defender of traditional values and morality ( ie. opposing homosexuality , divorce and supporting the ‘ traditional ’ family ) his use of traditional Christianity has far more to do with political expediency than religious sincerity. It is generally calculated for political effect , to underpin his popularity at home and justify his legislative reforms and societal dictates. Putin also uses religion to great effect to discredit and delegitimise the West’s influence in Eastern Europe and generally advance Russian expansionism. He views religion as an essential part to the restoration of Russian greatness and recently even built a cathedral dedicated solely to Russia’s military forces. Going forward , with Putin’s moves to further tighten his grip on Ukraine and Belarus ; bring former Soviet republics back under Russia’s control , as well as expand Russian influence further into Eastern and Central Europe he will most certainly continue to promote Orthodoxy. As Putin seeks greater influence over these nations , emphasizing traditional religion serves two of his goals. It establishes a common ground between Russia and Eastern Europe, and, more importantly, amplifies the differences that Eastern Europe may have with the West - especially as the Western world increasingly drifts further away from traditional values. While there may be an ‘ appearance ’ of some level of geopolitical and military cooperation between China and Russia ( being allies with similar ideologies / objectives ) nevertheless - as the current political and economic behemoth globally - China has every intention of bringing Russia under its umbrella through its “ Belt and Road Initiative ”. It will NOT happen. In fact , China’s BRI project and broader global ambitions threaten to put it in direct conflict with both its nuclear-armed rivals . . . with the USA , over China’s continuing threat to annex Taiwan and its aggression toward US allies in the AsiaPacific . . . and with Russia , due to China’s increasingly provocative involvement with Turkey and the strategically sensitive Black Sea region. Both situations could easily explode into hostility and even open warfare between these global titans. A REAL-WORLD OBSERVATION : In 2021 there are 3 great powers globally . . . 1) United States 2) China & 3) Russia ( arguably ). Each have ‘ comparable ’ military capabilities . . . all of which are fearsome. However , in terms of ‘ economic might ’ ( and therefore geo-political influence ) Russia is dwarfed by BOTH China and America. In fact Russia has only the 11th largest economy world-wide compared to USA #1 & China #2. Yet from scripture we know - with absolute certainty - at the “ time of the end ” the Russian Gog will - for a brief period - ‘ reign supreme ’ without any peer or challenger on the planet.. This would suggest within a relatively short period ( between 2021 and Gog’s victory ) there is a truly seismic shift in the fortunes of these powers. The two pre-eminent ‘ global super-powers ’ ( USA & China ) it would seem will be dramatically reduced in economic / military might and influence - allowing Russia to ascend to an ‘ all-powerful ’ global posture. What event/s could possibly enfeeble - not one - but TWO mighty ‘ global super-powers ’ at one time ?? WHATEVER this event/s may be that befall China and America , this scenario is entirely consistent with a clear transition found within the narrative of REVELATION 12 . . . from the end-times GREAT RED DRAGON ( China ) - to - the DRAGON ( Russia ) Once again , the historical fulfilment is a template for the modern-day fulfilment. With the political birth of Constantine described in Revelation 12 , the change in the form of the dragon symbolised the demise of Paganism ( Great Red Dragon ). Similarly , just as Constantine’s enthronement signalled the end of one ruling power , the rise of the latter-day man-child ( Putin ) heralds the emergence of a ‘ new dragon ’ ( Russia ) . . . indicating China will surely fail in its bid for global domination. This transition is later confirmed in the opening verse of the next chapter ( Rev 13 ) by the emergence of another creature . It is described there as a “ beast ” ( distinguishing it from the red dragon ). Just like its dragon-predecessor , this “ beast ” also has 7 Heads and 10 Horns - but most significantly it now has ‘ 10 Crowns ’ upon his heads ( not 7 ) - and upon his heads the name of “ blasphemy ”. These details are highly important and very revealing. It confirms an end-times transition from the Great Red Dragon ( CHINA) - to - the new global order of the Dragon ( Putin’s RUSSIA ) and the Beast ( Catholic EUROPE ). This new “ beast ” which now has 10 Horns/ 10 Crowns is symbolic of the 10 nations of Catholic Europe (10 Toes of Daniel 2 ) which will soon be allied with Russia’s Gog in the last days. Upon its heads the name of “ blasphemy ”, further underlines its connection with the Mother of Harlots , the blasphemous apostate church of Rome whose seat and power resides in Europe as signified by the “ crown of twelve stars ” ( 12v1 ) as seen in the Euro flag to this day. VERSE 5 - And she brought forth a man child , who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron : and her child was caught up unto God , and to his throne. “ she brought forth a man child ” - the ascension to power of Emperor Constantine & the church’s order of men ( Pope’s ) to follow. “ who was to rule the nations with a rod of iron ” - one ‘ iron-rule ‘ that united all elements of the Roman Empire “ her child was caught up unto God ; and to His throne ” - Constantine ascended into the political & ecclesiastical heavens (figurative) she brought forth a man child , who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will be that man-child - brought forth of ‘ the woman ’ - to be the modern day equivalent of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Having recently cemented Russia’s presence in the Middle East , Russia’s Gog will soon harness the power of Catholic states to confederate an unprecedented alliance of nations that will dominate the global landscape. As the Imperial Head of this coalition he will be the unrivalled ‘ ruler of the world ’ just as Constantine before him. It is certainly no co-incidence , the name ‘ Vladimir ’ actually means “ ruler of the world ”. In fact , his full name of birth is Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin with a curious double emphasis on the “ ruler of the world ” element. Who does this ?? Having also in 2021 legislated to ensure ‘ his right ’ to remain as President until 2036 ( making him potentially the longest serving Russian ruler in history ) can there be any doubt , this is the divinely appointed destiny for this long-prophesied king of the north ? “ Art thou he . . . of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel . . . ? ” ( Ezek 38v17 ) The reference to “ with a rod of iron ” (v.5) being an ‘ iron-like ’ ruling sceptre or staff, was a metaphor reflecting the absolute power and totality of Constantine’s reign. For the latter-day Russian Gog , this metaphor of a “ rod of iron ” speaks to the ‘ instrument/s’ that will enable Vladimir Putin to “ rule all nations ”. In fact , it has a ‘ two-fold ’ application and significance. The first allusion is to the Roman Catholic Church . . . this being the sole remaining vestige and remnant of the ‘ Iron-Age ’ Roman Empire , the support of which ( Papacy / Church ) will be a key component to Putin’s rise to global dominion. The second application is as an illustrative metaphor , one that provides an unmistakable vision of the ‘ actual weapons ’ Russia’s Gog will mercilessly use to subjugate the nations - they are Vladimir Putin’s ‘ signature ’ weapons . . . ‘ missiles ’. These “ rods of iron ” are consistently depicted throughout scripture by their own ancient archetypes , in terms such as : ‘ RODS of wickedness ’ / ‘ glittering ’ spears / ‘ bright ’ swords / arrows / bows ‘ of steel ’ / ‘ iron ’ weapons / ‘ flying ’ rolls  [ For more information on this important topic ( Click Link ) : THE BUYER & THE SELLER . . . THE ‘ ROD OF WICKEDNESS ’ REVEALED ] Repeatedly described in God’s Word as “ wicked devices ”, “ mischievous devices ”, “ instruments of death ” and “ ( wicked ) imaginations ” these weapons of mass destruction will be the principle tool this end-times global dictator Vladimir Putin will most assuredly use to conquer the nations and impose his world-wide rule.  [ To see the extensive bible evidence on this topic ( Click Link ) : DIVINE JUDGMENT . . . THRO’ MAN’S ‘ WICKED DEVICES ’ ] and her child was ‘ caught up unto God ’ and to his throne. This is a ‘ figurative ’ statement not meant to be taken literally. Related to events in the days of Rome , it signified the final ascension of Constantine not just to absolute power over the Roman Empire, but also to his claim he had the ‘ divine right ’ to rule , even to preside over and adjudicate matters of church doctrine and ecclesiastical practise. With this presumption , along with his elevation of the Church to the status of ‘ state religion ’ , Constantine himself laid the foundation for the institutional succession of men ( Catholic Popes ) who claim to be ‘ God on Earth ’. In the latter-day fulfilment , Vladimir Putin in his rise to supreme global power will also ascend into the ‘ ecclesiastical heavens ’ as he will personally engineer and oversee the ‘ great unification ’ of the Church - the Roman Catholic (West) and Russian / Greek Orthdoxy (East) - in the same manner as Constantine forged together the Roman Empire. As a matter of prophetic requirement , we know the end-times Russian Gog will be the final aggregate manifestation and fulfilment of ‘ ALL ’ the preceding beasts / kingdoms of men ( Daniel 2 & 7 ). This final end-time Emperor will exceed the exploits of all his predecessors and surpass them in his arrogance. It is therefore not at all improbable he will assert extraordinary control over the newly-unified Western Catholic / Eastern Orthdox Church ( with the help of a complicit Vatican ). Just as many militant political figures down through history who have reigned supreme ( ie. Constantine … and later even Napoleon ) exerted significant power and influence over the state church / religions of their day , similarly Russia’s Gog will do likewise , utilising and even exploiting it for his own political and strategic purposes. Back in verse 2 , the woman “ being with child . . . cried , travailing in birth . . . pained to be delivered ” depicts the traumatic process of child birth. The birth pangs( which begin apx.10 days prior) were a symbol of the 10 year ‘persecution of Christians ’. Just as the ‘ persecution of Christians ’ which began 10 years before ( under Diocletian in AD 303 ) was a direct catalyst to Constantine’s ascension to power a decade later(AD313) these ‘ exact pre-conditions’ will also thrust VladimirPutin to power. It is therefore no co-incidence that - since the 2011 Arab Spring uprising - the ‘ persecution of Christians ’ and their exodus from the Middle East has risen exponentially. In the aftermath of the brutal 2014 - 2016 persecution and genocide of Christians in the MiddleEast (carried out by ISIS/ISIL) Russia has purposefully cultivated and established for itself a reputation as a vanguard and protector of Christians. Asrecently as November2019, it was announced [notably by ‘the Vatican News ’ 1 ] that Russia and Hungary - having met with Middle Eastern church leaders in Budapest - they formally agreed to cooperate together to “protect persecuted Christians ”. In his pressstatement : “Putin . . . stressed that supporting Christians in conflict areas is now ‘ a top priority ’ for Russia ”. Now in 2021, with the sudden withdrawal of US / Western forces from Afghanistan in recent days, the Islamic Taliban terror group has threatened to exterminate all ‘ Christians’ there, whilst Turkey conducts bombing raids on ‘ Christian villages ’ in Iraq and Syria. The dark spectre of widespread Christian persecution and atrocities could well become a ‘ convenient’ pre-tense for the King of the North to launch his own ‘religious crusades’ in the last days. 1 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2019-11/russia-hungary-protect-persecuted-christians-middle-east.html VERSE 6 - And ‘ the woman ’ fled into the wilderness , where she hath a place prepared of God , that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. “ woman fled into the wilderness ” remnant ( Donatists ) fled to remote areas of Empire to escape persecut’n of Constantine & church “ where she hath a place prepared of God ” - escaped to areas away from general habitations ‘ of man ’. ie. North African regions “ they should feed her there a thousand, three score and sixty days - 1260 year separation btwn Donatists & Catholics from 312 AD And the woman fled ‘ into the wilderness ’ , where she hath a place ‘ prepared of God ’, 3 In this instance , the ‘ woman ’ represents the true believers in the 4th century who fled to escape the persecution of Constantine and the newly formed state church , Catholicism. However , this passage is not simply a recounting of events during Roman times , it is also a prophetic projection of events soon to come for the ‘ true believers in Christ ’ living in the last days. Multiple bible passages make absolutely clear that a ‘ remnant of the Jews ’ will flee into the wilderness from the face of ‘ the spoiler ’ ( Gogian invader) who comes from the north country ( Isaiah 16v1-4 , 21v13-15 / Jeremiah 31v1-2 / Son 2v17,4v6 ) and Zechariah 14v5. The last of these bible verses contains a ‘ doctrinalmisconception’ which for generations has created false expectations amongst the faithful. We invite you to consider this ‘ deeply misconstrued passage ’ below : For many years , it has been widely claimed the phrase “ and the LORD my God shall come , and all the saints with thee ” is ‘ proof ’ the newly-glorified saints ( in readiness to accompany him into battle against the Gogian host at Armageddon ) will be gathered together with the Lord Jesus Christ ( “ thee ” ) at this moment as he ‘ stands upon ’ the Mount of Olives. This is false. If we look at the preceding context ( on the most elementary level ) the party being spoken to is the fleeing remnant of Israel. No less than three times in the foregoing words they are addressed as “ ye ” ( with historical context ) to underline it is they who are the subject of this verse , and to whom these words are directed. Therefore , when the text then speaks of the “ thee ” it most definitely is NOT the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the ‘ fleeing Jews’ with whom the saints will be gathered. Zech 14v5 : And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains ; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal : yea, ye shall flee , like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and the LORD my God shall come , and all the saints with thee ” So while still in our mortal bodies , we ( the living & the resurrected ) will be gathered into the wilderness for protection with the fleeing Jews. This is entirely consistent and in accordance with the timing and circumstances of Daniel 12v1-2 : Dan 12v1 And AT THAT TIME shall Michael ‘ stand up ’, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble , such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time : and AT THAT TIME thy people shall be delivered , every one that shall be found written in the book. v2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake , some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. At the precise moment the Lord Jesus Christ ‘ stands upon ’ the Mt. of Olives ready to go to battle against Gog’s forces , the living and the dead in Christ will be gathered together ( completely debunking the doctrine of the saints’ removal 10 years before Armageddon ). This is in perfect agreement with the words of the prophet Job (19v25-27) of the time to come when he will personally witness these events ( while still in his mortal body ) as the Lord Jesus Christ ‘stands up ’ upon the earth : Job 19v25 For I know that my redeemer ( Christ ) liveth, and that he shall ‘ stand ’ at the latter day upon the earth : v26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet IN MY FLESH shall I see God : v27 Whom I shall see for myself , and mine eyes shall behold and not another ; though my reins be consumed within me. ( ie. weakness of ‘ mortal ’ state ) If “ AT THAT TIME ” we (& Job ) are still mortal , clearly this indicates OUR judgment and immortalisation will come at a time ‘ after ’ the Lord stands on the Mt of Olives . . . and ‘ after ’ the ensuing battle of Armageddon involving the Lord and his mighty angels. There is simply no doubt concerning ‘ who ’ are the Lord’s fellow combatants at Armageddon. Significantly , its in his most consequential parable ( Sower/Wheat&Tares) he states with the utmost clarity : “The angels are the reapers ”.  FOR MORE INFORMATION - Click on the following link : THE END OF THE WORLD . . . Parable Of The Wheat & Tares As Christ and his heavenly angels go forth to fight against the Russian Confederacy , the remnant of the Jews and the saints (living&resurrected ) are gathered together into the wilderness (ie. Sinai) to await the judgmentseat . . . after Armageddon. The saints and the fleeing Jews ( “ woman ” ) will be gathered together in a place “ prepared of God ” ( in the wilderness ) protected and fed , away from the horrors of Armageddon. This is the same pattern of events seen in ancient times. After the ten plagues , just as the Israelites were miraculously delivered out of bondage (sin ) and from the land of Egypt ( world ) they were then removed to spend time in the wilderness . . . prior to their entrance into the Promised Land (God’s Kingdom ) So it will be for us. So . . . How long will we spend in the wilderness ?? that they should feed her there . . . a thousand two hundred and threescore days. Here defined is the ‘ precise span of time ’ the saints and the Jews will remain in the wilderness. It’s later repeated again ( symbolically ) in verse 14 “ into the wilderness , into her place , where she is nourished for a time , and times and half a time ” Interestingly , this exact interval is also used in Revelation 11 to foretell a final period of occupation of the Holy City : Revelation 11 v2 and the holy city ( Jerusalem ) shall they tread under foot forty and two months ( 42 mths / 1,260 dys ) v3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses , and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days ( 1,260 days / 42 months ) , clothed in sackcloth. All these various time spans ( being of the same length - ie. 1,260 days = 42 months = 3½ years ) are repeatedly mentioned throughout the books of Daniel and Revelation. Used to signify (in years) the intervals between significant historical events in the development of the Apostasy ( ie. day for a year = 1,260 years) it also makes ‘ perfect sense ’ that in reality these ‘symbolic ’ measures of time - all point to - one final end-times fulfilment in their actual ‘ LITERAL ’ measure ( ie. 3½ years / 42months/1,260days). That is 1,260 ‘ YEARS ’ of the persecution / down-treading of the saints under the apostate church prefigure the 1,260 ‘ literal DAYS ’ of the persecution / down-treading of Jerusalem in the final epoch of man’s corrupt reign. Without exception , in every instance where these peculiar time periods are referred to ( whether in Daniel -or- Revelation ) there are always direct references and clear language connecting these symbolic periods specifically to “ end-time ” events. They point to a ‘ parallel timeline ’ of future events for God’s two witnesses . On one-side 1. the nation of Israel ( Isaiah 43v10 - “ Ye are my witnesses ” ) and on the other-side 2. the true Gentile Believers ( Acts 5v31-32 - “ We are his witnesses ” ). Firstly , their coming period of affliction and endurance of tribulation ( 1. Daniel 12v7 2. Daniel 7v25 , Rev 11v2-3 ) THEN the extraordinary deliverance of both the fleeing Jews and the saints ( Zech 14v5 , Daniel 12v1 ) out of the time of trouble ( great tribulation ) into a place of refuge in the wilderness for a time. For ‘ the woman ’ these two periods ( … of affliction and of sanctuary ) are both 1,260 days/ 42 months/ 3½ years or “ a time , times and a half ” ( Revelation 12v6, 14 ; 11v9, 11) The first period is preliminary to ( …the second contemporaneous with ) the apocalyptic event depicted in the very next verse. VERSE 7 - And there was war in heaven : Michael and his angels fought against the dragon ; and the dragon fought and his angels, “ And there was war in heaven ” - relates the battle for control of the “ political heavens ” in the days of Roman Empire. “ Michael & his angels fought against the dragon ” - symbol of Constantine & his ‘ Christian ’ supporters fight against the Pagan state “ & the dragon fought and his angels ” - the Pagan Emperors ( ie. Diocletian / Galerius / Licinius.) who held political & military power And there was ‘ war in heaven ’ . . . This is a war. It is a battle for control of the ‘ political heavens ’ of the earth. BOTH historically . . . and in the near future. It is a direct and unambiguous depiction of the ‘ battle of ARMAGEDDON ’. While not traditionally understood as such , nevertheless it is absolutely beyond any doubt. A correct understanding of this passage has long been ‘ prevented ’ by a number of erroneous and misleading end-times doctrines ( of men ) , namely : 1. The ‘ SECRET ’ return of Christ 2. The ‘ PRE-tribulation ’ calling away of saints 3. The saints fight with Christ at Armageddon While each of these are ‘appealing ’ notions, NONE of them are supported by God’s Word . . . nor found anywhere therein. IF WE THINK this is too ‘ far-fetched ’ from our traditional beliefs . . . consider the Lord’s own personal disciples , those who were taught at His feet. Even they had a complete and total MIS-CONCEPTION of the impending events He spoke of. Do we believe we are ‘ immune ’ from a similar tunnel-vision ?? The acid test is . . . Which version of events ( in our times ) can ACTUALLY be supported / proven from God’s Word ?? NONE of the three doctrines ( listed above ) can be. Verse 7 of Revelation 12 then proceeds to reveal the true combatants in this metaphorical ‘war in heaven ’ (Armageddon ) : Michael and his angels fought against the dragon : While the name of the arch-angel ‘ Michael ’ is rightly understood to represent Christ , this verse is not merely a reference to those in the 4th century who “ identified with Christ ” ( ie. Constantine and his Christian followers ) as is suggested by some commentaries. This allusion is exceedingly more-powerful and far-reaching than just a historical footnote to the Roman-era. It still has dramatic and consequential ramifications ‘ for the future ’ even in this final age of Gentile dominion. Consider for a moment DANIEL 12v1. Within this monumental passage of prophecy ( which speaks inarguably of the last days) we know the Lord Jesus Christ is depicted as “ Michael ” who stands up to fight against the Russian Gog’s armies at Armageddon. Aside from Daniel 12v1 , the ONLY other occasion in all of scripture where Michael’s name is invoked to directly reference the Lord Jesus Christ is here in Revelation 12v7. This is not merely a matter of co-incidence. Being both deliberate and purposeful, there is an underlying reason why these two unique passages have this same indelible feature . . . They are CONTEMPORANEOUS and PARALLEL records . . . of the same ‘ end-time ’ event. They have the same personage . . . the same events . . . the same outcome. ( Yet we do not recognise this. ) Given this irrefutably is a prophecy concerning the battle of Armageddon , we can be assured that the other accompanying details are also completely accurate. First and foremost , as specifically mentioned it is ‘ the angels ’ ( Gk. G32 ‘ angelos ’ ) who are Christ’s fellow combatants that fight with him ( Matt 13v30,39 / Psa 68v17 / 2Thess 1v7-8 ) against Russia’s confederate forces. It is NOT the saints , who having ‘ faithfully endured ’ through the Time of Trouble / Great Tribulation are now delivered (Dan12v1 ) and at this time are secreted away in the wilderness with the remnant of the Jews( Zec 14v5 ). . . . and the dragon fought and his angels In its many manifestations down through the ages ‘ the dragon ’ has been an enduring symbol of the hostile , oppressing powers that oppose the furtherance of God’s purpose and persecute his people. Having evolved from the original ‘serpent ’ power - and being closely related thereto , the dragon in the 4th century ( and beyond ) represented the military power of Rome. In Revelation 12 we see this ‘shape-shifting ’ metaphorical creature transition from its former Pagan manifestation ( Great Red Dragon ) - to - the Apostate Church of the Holy Roman Empire ( Dragon ) that was re-birthed under Constantine and later ruled by his papal successors. At the time of the end , this ‘ dragon ’ will ultimately manifest itself in the form of the great Assyrian / Babylonian power that will embody all the political , military and ecclesiastical power of its predecessors. As the imperial head , the king of the North ( Gog ) will forge together an unprecedented alliance of nations and religions to form his latter-day confederacy ( “ the dragon & his angels ” ) that will fight against Christ and his angels at Armageddon. VERSE 8 - And prevailed not ; neither was their place found any more in heaven. “ And prevailed not ” - in a series of wars , the ruling Pagan military powers of Rome succumbed to Constantine “ neither was their place found anymore in heaven ” - the vanquished Emperors ( & Paganism itself ) removed fr. place of authority Foretold in prophecies of old, the final inevitable outcome of this apocalyptic battle for dominion of the earth (Armageddon ) will be the crushing defeat of the ‘ dragon power ’. Russia and its forces will be destroyed upon the mountains of Israel ( Ezek 38-39 / Dan 11 /Joel 2 ) before the irresistible power and might of the Lord Jesus Christ and his legions of ‘ holy ones’ ( angelic host ). For the vanquished , there is thereafter no more place to be found within the earth’s ‘ political heavens ’ . It is important to note , while the Russian ‘ Gog ’ is himself destroyed upon the mountains of Israel ( Daniel 8v25 , 11v45 / Ezekiel 39v3, 11 ) it is NOT the end of this enduring ‘ dragon power ’ as Revelation 12 makes abundantly clear. VERSE 9 - And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent , called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world : he was cast out into the earth , and his angels were cast out with him. “ And the great dragon was cast out ” - identified with Pagan Rome , dragon is defeated by Constantine ejected fr. political heavens “ that old serpent , called the Devil & Satan ” - related to orig. ‘ serpent ’ ( mind of flesh ) Pagan / Papal Rome is historically ‘diabolos’ “ which deceiveth the whole world ” - forerunner to future manifestations, dragon pagan power that deceived whole Roman Empire “ he was cast out into the earth ” - final defeat of ruling pagan dragon by Constantine at battle of Adrianople at Chrysopolis in AD324 “ and his angels with him ” - ruling pagan emperors , officials and their supporters were ousted from power and authority. Having for a brief period established its global reign and dominion from Jerusalem ( with the Russian autocrat as its king ), the defeated ‘ great dragon ’ after Armageddon is then “ cast out ” from the political heavens ( place of power and authority ) back “ into the earth ” ( ie. no political power ). This fits precisely with the timeline of parallel events involving the Lord Jesus Christ and his angels - who having achieved victory at the battle of Armageddon - issues a world-wide proclamation concerning the establishment of the ‘ Kingdom of God ’ and of the new rulership now in place. In verse 9 , the linking of the “ great dragon ” to its original progenitor the “ old serpent ” ( named the Devil , and Satan ) is key to identifying which remnant of the latter-day Assyrian-Babylonian power will survive and endure beyond Armageddon . Since the Garden of Eden , it’s been the ‘ serpent power ’ ( mind of the flesh ) that has beguiled the world . Great Babylon ( ie. Catholic / Papal Europe ) - being the full embodiment of the ‘ serpent ’ - is that ‘system of deception ’ that will arise yet again ( as the eternal ‘ diabolos / adversary ’ ) in a final climactic battle between ‘ the flesh ’ and ‘ the spirit ’. Led by the Vatican , these Catholic nations will reject the Lord’s call for all nations and peoples to submit to his rule. Together , they will conspire to subvert and overthrow this new righteous ruler. Though the Catholic Papacy will aspire to global dominion , it will never attain the ‘ supreme ’ political / military power as did the Russian ‘ Gog ’ - or - any of his predecessors found in Nebuchadnezzar’s image. THEN REVEALED in the next verse ( Revelation 12v10 ) is a series of ‘ truly momentous ’ and ‘ joyful ’ events to take place immediately following the battle between ‘ Michael ’ and the Dragon (Armageddon)... that will transform the whole world. It is important to note , these ‘ four extraordinary events ’ happen BEFORE the Lord’s final judgments are poured out upon the Harlot system in Rome ( viz. Revelation Ch’s 17 , 18 , 19 ). So WHAT are these ‘ four extraordinary events ’ ?? While a true understanding of them would appear to be ‘ self-evident ’ simply from the text in Revelation 12 , yet oddly this is NOT the case for most believers. The true nature and impact of these four events are examined in the final concluding section of this paper , which we encourage you to read and evaluate. Please read PART 3 of this paper