Revelation 12:13-17

We have nothing to fear but fear itself.

We are safe, loved and protected in the mighty name of Jesus. King of kings and Lord over all!

Just as God acted to give His people victory over this enemy in Judges 7, He sent His Son to give us eternal victory over our spiritual enemies. Jesus is victorious over all His enemies, including the devil, sin and death. (Hebrews 2:14-15;  1 Corinthians 15:54-57)

(Colossians 2:15), Paul wrote that, through Jesus' death on the cross, God "disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

Jesus is seated at God's right hand "far  above all rule and authority and power and dominion ... not only in  this age but also in the one to come" (Ephesians 1:21). First5 

Psalm 91

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. 14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”The New King James Version

Revelation 12:13-17

13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.  The New King James Version

The Greek word for “pursue” can also mean “persecute.” Since the woman is given two wings, “pursue” fits the context better. However, verse 17 indicates that he will soon persecute her offspring. 

John again alludes to the imagery of the exodus event to describe the deliverance and protection of God’s people.  These verses describe the futile efforts of Satan to destroy the woman. These two verses should probably be understood as a metaphor for an attempted destruction of God’s people. John’s concern for the persecuted church suggests this is a reference to the Church. They will be attacked by the enemy, but they will be spiritually protected.  Faithlife Study Bible

The woman is somehow brought to her place of protection from the serpent, the wilderness, as if carried on the wings of a great eagle. This is reminiscent of how Israel escaped the Egyptians and came to Mt. Sinai. A time probably equals one year, so the period of protection here is three and a half years, which corresponds to the length of the two witnesses’ testimony. It is also equivalent to the period of the beast’s authority, which includes his ability “to make war with the saints and to overcome them”.  The danger of the flood to the woman is averted when the earth opens up, perhaps as it did to claim the rebellious Korah and his followers in Numbers 16:30–33. There is no way of determining whether this describes an actual flood or figuratively describes the onslaught of Satan against those protected by God.

Enraged by his inability to destroy the woman, Satan, the dragon, resorts to war against a related group. The rest of her offspring are believers in Christ, since they keep the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. It is not clear whether they are Jewish believers (physical offspring of the woman) or Gentile believers (spiritual offspring; see Galatians 3:29). In desperation, Satan opposes every trace of a biblically oriented faith in Christ.  The NKJV Study Bible

The church and all her friends might well be called to praise God for deliverance from pagan persecution, though other troubles awaited her. The wilderness is a desolate place, and full of serpents and scorpions, uncomfortable and destitute of provisions; yet a place of safety, as well as where one might be alone. But being thus retired could not protect the woman. 

The flood of water is explained by many to mean the invasions of barbarians, by which the western empire was overwhelmed; for the heathen encouraged their attacks, in the hope of destroying Christianity. But ungodly men, for their worldly interests, protected the church amidst these tumults, and the overthrow of the empire did not help the cause of idolatry. Or, this may be meant of a flood of error, by which the church of God was in danger of being overwhelmed and carried away. 

The devil, defeated in his designs upon the church, turns his rage against persons and places. Being faithful to God and Christ, in doctrine, worship, and practice, exposes to the rage of Satan; and will do so till the last enemy shall be destroyed.  Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Exodus 19:4 You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.

Deuteronomy 32:11 As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings,

Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Daniel 7:25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.

Daniel 12:7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.