There was war in heaven; Michael and his angels had to fight against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were not strong enough, and eventually there was no longer a place for them in heaven. The great dragon, the ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world, was cast down to the earth, along with his angels.
And I heard a loud voice saying: “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ has come, because the accuser of our brothers has been cast down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life to the point of death. For this reason rejoice heavens and those who dwell in them; woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you having great anger; knowing he has little time.” Revelation 12: 7-12
This scripture passage is an interlude. It’s placed between Jesus’ ascension to heaven (Rev. 12: 5) and the accounts of the dragon’s later persecutions against the church. Its purpose provides background insight into what lead to the devil’s rage against the woman and her seed.
This war, more than likely, was not physical but verbal. We know from the fifth and sixth trumpets that Satan’s demons fight with their mouths and tails, both being weapons of deception. It was by the dragon’s tail, that he was able to deceive and sweep away a third of the angels. Furthermore, the above passage makes it appear that the devil’s opposition was in a verbal form – “accusing the brothers day and night.”
However, his arguments weren’t strong enough against the rebuttals and charges of Michael and his angels. As a result, Satan and his ilk were cast out of heaven for good. I say “for good” because up to this point, Satan accessed heaven on a regular basis. We have episodes proving Satan’s presence in heaven. For instance, before God’s throne, he makes an accusation against Joshua the high priest (Zechariah 3: 1). And most tellingly, we know that he was among the assembly of the sons of God before the Lord in the heavenly place (Job 1: 6, 7).
From this last point, we know that Satan was a part of the heavenly assembly because he was earth’s representative. That he was “cast out” can have the same meaning as “excommunicated” (see John 9: 34). That Satan was “cast down” from heaven suggests that Satan no longer had access to heaven, for he was excommunicated from the heavenly council.
The scripture’s passage also tells us when this happened. It wasn’t the time when he was first found to have sin and was thrown out of heaven (Isaiah 14: 12-15; Ezekiel 28: 14-17), bringing sin to Adam and Eve. The passage tells us “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ has come.” Satan’s permanent ouster from heaven came after Jesus’ victory on the cross.
That was the turning point that won the war for Michael and his angels. At the cross, all heavenly beings saw the true nature and character of God and of Satan. And with Jesus’ ascension and enthronement at the right hand of God, Satan at that time could no be longer be earth’s representative.
Objectively, Christ is now this earth’s rightful ruler. However, subjectively, Satan still has an authoritative, supplanting, major influence over our world that still must be fought. Here’s an illustration. Sometimes in a football game with little time left, a play is made that everyone knows has decided the outcome of the game. But the victor and loser still must continue to play to the final second. The decisive play in this cosmic war between good and evil was the cross. Though Christ is already the victor and Satan already the defeated foe, the war must continue to the appointed last second. At that moment, at the close of the Millennium, the war is over. The final score can then be flashed: Satan and all other authorities have been brought and put under Jesus’ feet.
In the meantime, Satan plays with a great intensity. He’s enraged that Earth’s rule has been transferred to Jesus. Adding fuel to his anger is the fact that he’s been ejected from heaven. And on top of that, he recognizes that his defeat extends to earth. Satan knows that Jesus’ true followers will have victory over him because of Jesus’ blood, plus their willingness to be faithful and loyal witnesses to the gospel, even to the point of death.
Because he couldn’t overthrow Jesus in heaven and is barred from there, Satan’s rage is now focused on destroying those made in the image of God – earth’s inhabitants, and in particular, Jesus’ followers. Knowing he has lost, he is intent on taking as many with him as he commits his own murder/suicide. That’s what fuels the intensity of his hatred as he plays through the short time he has left.