What is Satan's Plan for Israel? Revelation 12:13-17 Explained

There is nothing more dangerous than a powerful enemy who knows he has already lost.

In the economy of the kingdom of darkness, Satan is currently a defeated foe, but he is not yet a sidelined one. As we sat in the sanctuary listening to Pastor Daniel Batarseh walk through the closing verses of Revelation 12, the atmosphere changed. We weren't just looking at ancient symbols or confusing imagery; we were looking at a strategic map of a coming war.

Most people read Revelation 12:12 and feel a sense of relief—Satan is cast out of heaven! No more accusing the brethren! But as Pastor Daniel Batarseh pointed out, what is a victory in the heavens becomes a "woe" for those on the earth. When the dragon realizes his eviction from the celestial courts is permanent, he doesn't go into hiding. He goes on the hunt.

What follows in Revelation 12:13-17 is a description of a three-wave satanic assault of historic proportions. If you’ve ever wondered why the nation of Israel remains at the white-hot center of global conflict, or why the church faces such persistent opposition, these five verses provide the spiritual blueprint.

The Woman and the Dragon: Identifying the Target

To understand the assault, you have to identify the target. For centuries, theologians have debated the identity of the "woman" in Revelation 12. Is she the church? Is she Mary? Pastor Daniel Batarseh cut through the noise by letting the text interpret itself.

In Revelation 12:17, a clear distinction is made between the "woman" and the "rest of her offspring," who are identified as those who hold to the testimony of Jesus. As Pastor Daniel Batarseh explained to the congregation: "If this woman is supposed to be apparently the church, then why is there a difference being made between her and the object of Satan’s new focus... followers of Jesus Christ?"

The woman is ethnic Israel. She is the entity through whom the Messiah—the male child—entered the world. This isn't just a matter of semantics; it’s the key to understanding why Satan is so obsessed with her destruction.

Pastor Daniel Batarseh highlighted two reasons for this targeted hatred:

• Israel’s History: She was the vehicle for God’s redemptive plan. As John 4:22 says, "Salvation comes from the Jews." Satan despises the womb that brought forth his Conqueror.
• Israel’s Future: This is the insight that made the room lean forward. Satan knows the Bible. He knows that Jesus’ return is tied to a specific response from the Jewish people.

Matthew 23:39 contains a chillingly beautiful prophecy. Jesus tells the leadership in Jerusalem, "You will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’"

As Pastor Daniel Batarseh put it: "Satan is aware that there is a future for this people to be saved by this Messiah. But if he can destroy this people, then there’s no one left to say 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Satan’s goal in the Tribulation is a final, total Holocaust. If he can delete the Jewish race, he believes he can prove God a liar and prevent the return of the King.

Assault #1: The Flight and the Eagle’s Wings

When the Antichrist commits the "abomination of desolation" in the temple, the dragon’s first wave begins. It is a pursuit. The Jewish people will be forced to flee into the wilderness.

But here, the text takes a turn into the supernatural. Revelation 12:14 says the woman was given "the two wings of the great eagle."

While some modern interpreters try to turn these wings into a fleet of Israeli F-15s or a specific air force, Pastor Daniel Batarseh took us back to the Exodus. In Exodus 19:4, God tells Israel, "You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself."

This is a "New Exodus." The same God who carried a nation of slaves out of Egypt will supernaturally preserve a remnant in the end times. He will nourish them in the wilderness just as He provided manna and water from the rock. Watch Pastor Daniel Batarseh describe this divine intervention.

Assault #2: The Flood and the Swallowing Earth

When pursuit fails, Satan pivots. Revelation 12:15 describes a "flood" pouring out of the dragon’s mouth to sweep the woman away.

In the Hebrew mind, a "flood" is often a metaphor for an invading army. Pastor Daniel Batarseh connected this to Isaiah 8:7-8 and Jeremiah 46:8, where the advance of the Assyrians and Egyptians is described as rising river waters. This is likely a coordinated military effort by the Antichrist’s global empire to flush the Jewish refugees out of their hiding place.

But once again, the dragon is thwarted. The earth opens its mouth and swallows the river. Just as the Red Sea swallowed Pharaoh’s chariots (Exodus 15:12), the very creation will rise up to protect God’s people. Satan is 0-for-2, and his fury is reaching a breaking point.

Assault #3: The War on the Offspring

Frustrated by Israel’s divine protection, the dragon turns his attention to the "rest of her offspring"—the believers.

This is where the sermon touched on a difficult tension. Why does God provide a supernatural canopy of protection over "unbelieving" ethnic Israel while allowing Satan to "make war" on and kill the saints?

Pastor Daniel Batarseh offered a perspective that shifted the way many of us think about martyrdom. He asked: "Is there any difference between an unbeliever facing death and a believer dying? Death for the unbeliever... is the seal of their condemnation. Death for the believer, however, is a doorway to their eternal rest and reward." Hear this powerful explanation.

God is not playing favorites; He is managing a timeline. He protects Israel because their national conversion is the trigger for the Kingdom. He allows the saints to face the dragon’s wrath because their blood is the final testimony that completes the "number of the brethren" who must be slain before the end.

The Persistent Foe and the Eagle’s Wings Today

As the teaching drew to a close, Pastor Daniel Batarseh moved from the global stage of the Tribulation to the private stage of our own hearts. While we may not be living in the days of Revelation 12 yet, the character of the dragon hasn't changed.

"The enemy of your soul and mine is a persistent foe," he warned. "He dangles promises before you while he holds a knife behind him."

Satan is a strategist. If he can't get you to abandon your faith through a direct assault, he will try a "flood" of lies, or a season of quiet discouragement, or a persistent whisper of guilt from your past. He is stubborn. He doesn't care if you've been a Christian for forty years; he still wants to pollute your legacy.

But the promise of the "Eagle’s Wings" isn't just for a future Jewish remnant. It is a present reality for anyone who waits on the Lord.

Pastor Daniel Batarseh linked the wings of Revelation to the famous promise in Isaiah 40:31: "They who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles."

What does that look like in 2024?

• It is the supernatural speed to escape a temptation before it takes root (1 Corinthians 10:13).
• It is the ability to soar above a "flood" of anxiety and see your circumstances from a heavenly perspective.
• It is the strength to "run and not be weary" when the enemy is pursuing your peace of mind.

We serve a God who makes the earth itself a friend to His children and provides manna in the middle of a desert. The dragon is fierce, yes. His wrath is great, certainly. But his time is short, and our God is greater.

What to Remember

• The Woman is Israel: The "woman" in Revelation 12 represents ethnic Israel, through whom the Messiah came and to whom God has made specific, unbreakable promises regarding the end times.
• Satan’s Motivation is Strategic: The dragon pursues Israel not just out of spite, but to prevent the Second Coming by destroying the people who must welcome the King back.
• God Uses Creation to Protect His Own: From "eagle’s wings" to the earth swallowing a flood, God uses the natural world in supernatural ways to preserve those He has called.
• Martyrdom is Not Defeat: In the Tribulation, the death of the saints is not a sign of God’s weakness, but the completion of a divine count that leads to the final victory.
• Eagle’s Wings are for the Needy: Divine strength is only available to those who realize they are "needy" and wait upon the Lord. Humility is the prerequisite for soaring.

Questions to Sit With

• If Satan is so persistent in his attacks on God’s plan, why are we often so casual in our pursuit of God’s presence?
• Pastor Daniel Batarseh mentioned that Satan "dangles promises while holding a knife." What "promises" is the enemy currently dangling in front of you to distract you from your calling?
• How does understanding that Jesus’ return is tied to the Jewish people saying "Blessed is He" change the way you pray for the peace of Jerusalem?
• Are you trying to outrun your problems on your own feet, or are you waiting on the Lord for "eagle’s wings"?
• How would your daily perspective change if you truly viewed death not as a tragedy to be avoided at all costs, but as a "doorway to eternal rest"?

*

Scripture Referenced

• Revelation 12:13-17
• Romans 9:3-5
• John 4:22
• Revelation 12:12
• Matthew 23:37-39
• Matthew 24
• Exodus 19:4
• Isaiah 8:7-8
• Jeremiah 46:8
• Exodus 15:11-12
• Isaiah 40:31
• 1 Corinthians 10:13

---

This article is drawn from the sermon "Satan's Wrath on Earth | Revelation 12:13-17 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh" by Pastor Daniel Batarseh at Maranatha Bible Church Chicago. Watch the full sermon →