Revelation 12:4; The Dragon’s Tail

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. 

The tail represents the most dangerous part of a dragon. As a lying prophet is likened to a tail by Isaiah – Isaiah 9:15 The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. 

Satan’s malignant power and influence as a liar and a deceiver are similarly described. With power and wisdom combined, Satan will bring about the utter moral ruin of a third part of the stars of heaven, which can mean eminent rulers in places of authority. There may be in John’s words a veiled reference to all this angels who rebelled with Satan before creation.

As a dog on a leash, the devil is permitted certain operations. He can only produce moral collapse at this time among those in the third part, identified by some writers as the western part of the Roman Empire. His dragging down of the stars with his tail (v4), lashed back and forth in his fury, implies Satan’s eagerness to cause apostasy.

The terrible spectacle of the dragon standing before the woman, waiting to devour her newborn child, is easily interpreted. It was not the women but her child whom the monster was bent on destroying, just as Pharaoh tried to murder all the male children of Israel (Exodus 1:15-22).

Exodus 1:15-22 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one wasShiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see themupon the stools; if it bea son, then ye shall kill him: but if it bea daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women arenot as the Egyptian women; for they arelively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive. 

What a fascinating study it is to trace Satan’s effort to destroy Israel, the royal seed that was to produce Christ, and then to destroy Christ Himself! As soon as Jesus was born, there was a satanic effort to destroy Him during the slaughter of the innocent (Matthew 2:16).

Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. 

[Herbert Lockyer, All About the Second Coming, Hendrickson, 2007, 99]