Revelation 12:4

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

This verse pulls the curtain back and lets us see just how old this conflict really is.

Before Satan ever showed up in Eden, before Pharaoh ever issued his murderous decree, before Haman plotted, before Herod slaughtered the babies, before Hitler unleashed his hatred, there was already rebellion in heaven. The dragon’s tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. In Scripture, stars can speak of angels, and the picture here is of Lucifer dragging a host of fallen beings with him in his revolt against God.

That is sobering. Evil is not accidental. It is organized rebellion.

Lucifer did not fall alone. He became the leader of a hellish uprising. The one who had once held a place of splendor became the dragon, and a multitude fell with him. So when we look at the darkness in this world, we are not merely seeing bad ideas or broken systems. We are seeing the outworking of an ancient spiritual revolt.

Then John shows us the dragon standing before the woman, waiting for her child to be born so he might devour Him.

There is the whole story in one terrifying image.

Why has there been such relentless hatred against Israel through the centuries? Why has that people been hunted, pressured, scattered, despised, and attacked again and again? Why does anti Semitism keep resurfacing in every age, wearing different clothes but carrying the same venom?

Revelation 12 gives the answer. The dragon hates the woman because through her came the child. Satan’s rage against Israel is not ultimately political, social, or ethnic. It is satanic. He is trying to strike at the line through which Messiah came and the people through whom Messiah will yet fulfill His promises.

That is why the attack has been so fierce and so persistent. If the Jews could be wiped out, if Israel could disappear, if Jerusalem could be erased, then the prophetic promises concerning Messiah’s reign would appear impossible. That has always been the dragon’s fantasy. He cannot defeat God directly, so he tries to destroy the people bound up with God’s covenant purposes.

You can trace that hatred all through history.

Cain rose up against Abel.
Pharaoh tried to drown the Hebrew sons.
Haman schemed to exterminate the Jews.
Herod sought to kill the young child.
And in more modern times, Hitler tried to do what others before him had failed to do.

Different names. Same dragon.

That is why a merely human explanation for anti Semitism never quite satisfies. Political explanations may describe the moment. Cultural explanations may describe the climate. But they do not reach deep enough. The deeper reality is here. The dragon stood before the woman to devour her child.

And yet this verse also reminds us of something else. Satan is vicious, but he is never victorious. He has always been trying to stop what God has spoken, and he has always failed. The child was born. Messiah came. Jesus lived, died, rose, and ascended. And He will return exactly as promised.

I like that. The dragon can rage, scheme, and strike, but he cannot overturn the plan of God.

So when you read this verse, do not just see a strange vision. See the long war behind history. See why Israel matters. See why the Enemy hates so fiercely. And see why the faithfulness of God shines all the brighter. For every attempt to devour the child has only proven that heaven’s purpose cannot be swallowed up by hell’s hatred.

Beloved, the dragon is real, and his hatred is old. But the covenant of God is older still in purpose, and stronger still in power. Satan may stand waiting. He may gather fallen hosts. He may stir rulers and kingdoms. But he cannot consume what God has ordained.

The dragon hates.
The woman labors.
The child comes.

And the plan of God moves forward still.