Albert Barnes Commentary Revelation 12:7

"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels [going forth] to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels;" — Revelation 12:7 (ASV)

And there was war in heaven. This describes a state of affairs concerning the woman and the child—the church in the condition it would then be—which would be well represented by a war in heaven; that is, by a conflict between the powers of good and evil, of light and darkness.

Of course, it is not necessary to understand this literally, any more than the other symbolical representations in the book. All that is meant is that a vision passed before John’s mind as if there was a conflict between the angels in heaven and Satan regarding the church.

There is a vision of the persecuted church—of the woman fleeing into the desert. The course of the narrative is interrupted here by going back (Revelation 12:7–13) to describe the conflict that led to this result, and the fact that Satan, as it were, cast out of heaven and unable to achieve a victory there, was allowed to vent his malice against the church on earth.

The seat of this warfare is said to be heaven. This language sometimes refers to heaven as it appears to us—the sky, the upper regions of the atmosphere—and some have supposed that was the place of the contest. But the language in Revelation 11:19 and Revelation 12:1 (see the commentary on Revelation 11:19 and Revelation 12:1) would rather lead us to refer it to heaven considered as lying beyond the sky.

This also accords with other representations in the Bible, where Satan is described as appearing before God and among the sons of God. Of course, this is not to be understood as a real transaction but as a symbolical representation of the contest between good and evil—as if there was a war waged in heaven between Satan and the leader of the heavenly hosts.

Michael. There have been widely varying opinions as to who Michael is. Many Protestant interpreters have supposed that Christ is meant. The reasons usually alleged for this opinion, many of which are very fanciful, may be seen in Hengstenberg (Die Offenbarung des heiligen Johannes, i. 611-622).

The reference to Michael here is probably derived from Daniel 10:13 and Daniel 12:1. In those passages, he is represented as the guardian angel of the people of God, and it is in this sense, I understand, that the passage is to be understood here.

There is no evidence in the name itself, or in the circumstances referred to, that Christ is intended. If he had been, it is inconceivable why he was not referred to by his own name, or by some of the usual appellations John gives him. Michael, the archangel, is here represented as the guardian of the church, contending against Satan for its protection. (Compare with the commentary on Daniel 10:13).

This representation accords with the usual statements in the Bible concerning the intervention of angels on behalf of the church (see the commentary on Hebrews 1:14) and is one that cannot be proved to be unfounded. All the analogies that shed any light on the subject, as well as the uniform statements of the Bible, lead us to suppose that good beings from other worlds feel an interest in the welfare of the redeemed church below.

And his angels. These are the angels under him. Michael is represented as the archangel, and all the statements in the Bible suppose that the heavenly hosts are distributed into different ranks and orders. (See the commentary on Jude 1:9 and Ephesians 1:21).

If Satan is permitted to make war against the church, there is no improbability in supposing that, in those higher regions where the war is carried on, and in those aspects of it that lie beyond human power and knowledge, good angels would be employed to defeat his plans.

Fought. (See the commentary on Jude 1:9).

Against the dragon. Against Satan. (See the commentary on Revelation 12:3).

And the dragon fought and his angels. That is, the master-spirit—Satan—and those under him. (See the commentary on Matthew 4:1).

Nothing is definitively stated about the nature of this warfare. Its whole sphere lies beyond mortal vision and is carried on in a manner of which we can have little conception. What weapons Satan may use to destroy the church, and in what way his efforts may be counteracted by holy angels, are points on which we can have little knowledge. It is sufficient to know that the fact of such a struggle is not improbable, and that Satan is successfully resisted by the leader of the heavenly host.