THE FALSE GOD; THE GREAT RED DRAGON, SATAN

The False God: the Great Red Dragon, Satan

RV. Not as the AV but as the RV. "And he stood upon the sand of the sea, and I saw." The "he" is the dragon of chapter 12.

 

 His Identification vs. la
cf. 12:9
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

 

As dragon he is a formidable monster, fiery in brilliance and therefore attractive (Ezek. 28:12).
"Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty."

As serpent he is the one who introduced all the sin and sorrow into the world (Gen. 3:1).
"Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"

As devil he is the slanderer and accuser of the brethren through the centuries (12:10).
"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night."

As Satan he is the opposer and adversary of the Lord and his people (Zech. 3:1).
"And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him."

As deceiver he is the one who was a liar from the beginning and the father of it (John 8:44).
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

His Location vs. 1a

He is located on the sand. This means that he is surveying something with great numbers (20:8). "The number of which is as the sand of the sea."

He is on the the sand of the sea. The sea stands for nations (cf. 17:15) and they are in confusion (Luke 21:25-26). "The waters . . . are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."

His observation vs. la
cf. Luke 21:25-26

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;" "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken."

 

The sea of the nations is restless and agitated.

The nations are in confusion and disorder.
They are in perplexity with no way out of the difficulty. This is precisely what attracts him and provides the opportunity for which he has been looking.