Charles Ellicott Commentary Revelation 12:15

"And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water as a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream." — Revelation 12:15 (ASV)

And the serpent . . .—Translate: And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water as a river, that he might make her to be carried away by the river. The foe of the woman was described as a dragon for his cruelty and fierceness—as a serpent for his subtlety.

The first attack on the woman is pictured as persecution by the dragon, from which she escapes by flight. However, the enemy's subtlety devises another plan: the foe (now described as a serpent) pours out water as a river to sweep the woman away.

The emblem is not uncommon in the Bible. Invasion is described as an overflowing flood (Jeremiah 46:7–8; Jeremiah 47:2). The same emblem is used in Psalm 74:2-6 to describe the uprising of a people’s ill-will. The floods, the rivers, the waves of the sea, are employed to express popular movements. The woman who cannot be destroyed by direct persecution may be swept away by hostile public opinion.

It is not the rulers alone who stand up against the Lord and His Church: an infuriated populace may be stirred up against them. The temper of the mob caused as much suffering and as many deaths in early Christian days as did the political authorities. Ill-regulated popular impulses, leading to violence and unwise action, whether nominally for Christianity or against it, have done enough of the devil’s work in the world.