The devil’s desire is always the destruction of man. He will do this by showing forth his might and deceiving man to do his bidding so that they will sin against God. Revelation 12:13-17 clearly demonstrates this when “the dragon” (Rev 12:13, another description of the devil, signifying his power and wrath) sets out to destroy the believers of God in this world during the latter half of the Great Tribulation. However, God will thwart the devil’s plan, thus demonstrating His Omnipotent power and His absolute control over all the things on earth and in heaven, including the devil himself.

The destruction of Israel will always be the target of the devil. He will use his might to persecute and destroy this nation whom God had chosen (Rev 12:13). Despite persecution by the devil, the 144,000 children of Israel (12,000 from each tribe, whom God had chosen) will remain faithful and true to God. God will protect this chosen group of people, provide for them and keep them safe from the destructive power of the dragon (Rev 12:14).

Knowing that God is protecting these 144,000 children of Israel, “the serpent” (Rev 12:14, 15, another description of the devil, signifying his cunningness) then deceives the unbelievers on this earth into doing his bidding. They will form armies, and like “water as a flood” (Rev 12:15) sets out to destroy the children of Israel. The Almighty God will once again thwart the serpent’s plan by opening up the ground (i.e. earthquake) and swallowing up the armies that are out to destroy the children of Israel (Rev 12:16), thus keeping the children of Israel safe from destruction. This will further incur the wrath of the devil, and he will make war against the believers, scattered around the earth, who will stay faithful to God and who will not bow to the devil during the Great Tribulation period (Rev 12:17).

The devil is cunning, powerful and “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet 5:8). As believers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must always check and make sure of our salvation. We must be stedfast in our faith to God, and we must not let tribulations, afflictions and sufferings (that we may be facing in our lives) to cause us to stumble and fall. We are to live our lives as a holy testimony for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, obey God’s Word and not let the devil deceive us into loving this world. We must study God’s Word diligently and fill our minds with the things of God. When we fall, we must immediately confess, and repent of, our sins and seek God’s forgiveness.