The book of Revelation is full of warfare imagery. The main players in this war are God & his people vs. Satan and his demons. Satan is the great enemy of God, and his fight against God has huge effects for God’s people, the Church.

John provides a substantial picture of the enemy as he depicts him in various ways throughout Revelation. First, in Revelation 12:9 Satan is described as a dragon.

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan,the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

 Certainly, John intends to portray the enemy as a fierce and powerful being. Nevertheless, even in the midst of this passage, the finite power of Satan is made apparent as the dragon is thrown down to the earth.

Another important aspect of this imagery is that John connects the dragon and the serpent of Genesis 3. Both seek to undermine and destroy God’s work. This dragon is not a new enemy but, in actuality, is the same enemy who has been fighting against the Lord and his purposes from the beginning. Satan is both powerful and thoroughly committed to destroying God and his people.

The imagery of Satan throughout the book of Revelation provides us with the expectation for a need for church revitalization as well as hope for it’s ultimate accomplishment. Satan is powerful and will attack–even injure–the church, but ultimately, he will be defeated (Revelation 20-21).

Thus, may we not be surprised by the need for revitalization but be encouraged by the sure hope we have.