The Great Rebellion and the Cherubim Strategy – Rv 12:3-4

Introduction

In this article, we will explore “The Great Rebellion and the Cherub Strategy – Revelation 12:3-4“, a study that reveals the cosmic events involving the confrontation between the forces of good and evil. By analyzing the biblical text, we will seek to understand the role of the cherubim, a central figure in this conflict, and the tactics he used to challenge divine authority. We will also investigate how the passage in Revelation 12:3-4 presents a prophetic and symbolic vision of this spiritual battle and its impact on the history of the universe and on human life. Throughout this study, we will examine not only the immediate context of the revelation, but also the implications of this rebellion in Scripture and in the Christian understanding of evil, heavenly power, and God’s ultimate victory.

Continuation…

Attention: This study is a continuation of the following study:

I suggest reading the previous study beforehand to better understand the present study, as well as the cited references.

The Allies in the Rebellion

As we saw earlier, other angels followed this cherub’s rebellion in heaven. But why did they follow him? How did this cherub manage to gain “allies” in his rebellion? Let us read some verses from the same context:

Revelation 12:3-4 – “And another wonder appeared in heaven: and, behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads were seven diadems. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth“

Note that in the vision of the prophet John, the “great red dragon” used his “tail” to draw after him a “third of the stars in heaven“. As we saw earlier, in prophetic language, ‘stars’ represent “angels” (Revelation 1:20). Therefore, the meaning of this vision tells us that this cherub used his “tail” to lead “a third” of the angels of heaven into his rebellion. His “tail” was the instrument he used to gain about a third of the angels as his allies in this great battle! But what does this symbol mean in biblical prophecy?

What Does the “Tail”. Represent?

When searching throughout the Bible for the term “tail“, we find the following verse in the book of the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 9:15 – “The elder and the man of honor is the head; and the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail“

According to inspiration, the “respectable man” would be considered the head, but the “prophet” (messenger) who taught “falsehood” would be considered the “tail“.

Man of respect → Head
False prophet → Tail.

Therefore, the expression “tail” represents a messenger who teaches falsehood and lies! And it was precisely this weapon that the cherub (Satan) used to lead other angels to stand by his side in this rebellion in heaven. He used deception, falsehood, and lies to gain allies in this great spiritual battle.

The Father of Lies

Regarding this behavior, Jesus stated the following when speaking to those who persecuted him while he was on earth:

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 standeth 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“

According to the words of Christ, the “devil” was a “murderer from the beginning” and “did not stand in the truth“. He utters “lies” and only speaks of what “is his own“. He is considered the “father of lies“. Christ’s words simply confirm everything we have seen so far. The cherub was created perfect by God, but unfortunately “did not stand in the truth“, as Christ himself mentioned. Only those who have lived in the truth do not falter in it! But there was a time when the heart of this cherub became corrupt, and he desired to occupy the throne of God. To do so, he used deception and lies to achieve his goal. He was the first being in the history of the universe to commit the first “lie” and “mistake“. That’s why he is called the “father of lies“.

What Does the “Head”. Represent?

But now, what we need to discover is what this cherub lied about in heaven to deceive a third of the angels. Still focusing on the expression “tail“, we find another verse in the book of Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 28:13 – “And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will be above only and not beneath, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today, to be careful and to do them“

The Lord God told Moses that the people of Israel would be in a position of “head, not tail” when they “obeyed the commandments of the Lord your God“. That is, they would be considered as “tail” if they did not meet this requirement! They would be considered as “tail” if they lived in disobedience to God’s commandments:

Head -> Obedience to God’s Commandments.

Tail -> Disobedience to God’s Commandments.

By looking at this pattern of obedience and disobedience, we can conclude that the cherub used lies and deception to convince the angels to disobey God’s commands and rebel against His divine order. It was through these lies that he persuaded a third of the angels to follow him in his rebellion, enticing them with promises of power, autonomy, and authority.

The Meaning of “tail“

The Bible applies the expression “tail” to the messenger who speaks lies and also to the one who does not live in obedience to God’s commandments. These are the only two explanations in the Bible for the term “tail“. Therefore, the deception of this cherub in heaven is certainly related to God’s commandments, that is, the Law of God that was in heaven! His message of deception was certainly contrary to what God had established in heaven for the angels to follow. This analysis also reinforces this idea:

Psalms 119:151 – “You are near, O Lord, and all your commandments are truth“

Psalms 119:142 – “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is truth“

Both the “commandments” of God and His “law” are called “truth” in the Bible. The opposite of “truth” is “lie“! Therefore, “lie” is related to things that are contrary to the “commandments” and the “law” of God! The cherub in heaven spoke a message contrary to the commandments and law of God. He is the “father of lies“, that is, the “father of disobedience” to the divine precepts!

The Law Represents God’s Character

But God’s Law does not only contain commandments. It also has a deeper meaning in the Bible. It is a symbol of God’s character! All the attributes and characteristics mentioned throughout the Bible about the Law and His commandments are also found in other passages that speak about God’s character. See the following table, or access the link below for more information:

And this gives us even more information about the deception that this cherub uttered in heaven. His message was against the Law of God that was in heaven and also the character of God Himself! These were the two things that he attacked in an attempt to overthrow God from His throne! He became a false messenger and began to speak ill of the character of God and His Law!

The Position of the Cherubim

Now, I would like you to consider the following further. Go back to what we have studied so far. What was the position and office that this cherub held in heaven? In the first text we read, he was considered to be the “anointed guardian cherub“. We also saw that, due to the representativeness of the “Ark of the Covenant“, the two cherubim faced the center of the Ark, where God manifested Himself once a year to the people of Israel, and where the Law of God written on tablets of stone was also present inside the Ark. The cherubim occupied the position “of the anointed guard“, for he was the chosen one among all the angelic beings to take care of God’s purposes and even His own Law!

In order for his plan to deceive the other angels to go ahead, he took advantage of his position. Among all the angelic beings in existence, he was the one who was closest to God and was responsible for God’s Law. Certainly, all the other angels trusted him, because he had great privileges in heaven. When this cherub began to deliver his message of deception and lies about the Character of God and His Law, it was not difficult for the angels to believe him, because the one who was delivering this message was precisely someone who had constant contact with these two things! The two deceptions he uttered were precisely associated with the two things he had the most contact with, namely God Himself and His Law!

Through the study of the Bible, we cannot learn what words were spoken in this great deception, but we certainly find the two points in question addressed by him in heaven.

The Serpent’s Deceit

Fortunately, not all the angels gave credit to what this cherub uttered. His lies and deception reached a “third part” of the angels in heaven (Revelation 12:3-4), but it certainly left doubts in the minds and hearts of the other angels. They had to leave heaven because of the conflict they had caused. If they had remained there, they would have completely deceived all the other angels in time. From then on, the cherub came to be called and known as “Satan“, and as we mentioned previously, this word is not a proper name in the Hebrew language but has the meaning of “enemy” and “adversary“.

Even though he did not achieve the dominion and throne he desired in heaven, Satan did not give up on his plan. He had been cast out of heaven, but there were still other created worlds that he could deceive and take with him in this rebellion. The Bible does not mention which other worlds created by God Satan tried to deceive the inhabitants of, but it does tell how our world was affected by this rebellion and deception.

Where were you?

Remember the text from Ezekiel that we read about the “anointed guardian cherub“? At that time, we did not analyze the place where he was, but now we will go into that detail. In the text, we read the following:

Ezekiel 28:12-13 – “Thus says the Lord God: You are the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; you covered yourself with every precious stone…“

Prophetic inspiration mentioned that this cherub “you were in Eden, the garden of God“. The book of Genesis, in chapters 2 and 3, presents the Garden of Eden. God created it during the creation week, at the very beginning of the world. It was the habitat of the first couple that God had created in our world, Adam and Eve. Chapter 3 of Genesis tells the story of the moment when Adam and Eve fell into temptation and disobeyed God. Let us read the story:

Genesis 3:1-8 – “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, ‘ You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?’’ And the woman said to the serpent, ”We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘ You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise. So she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden“

The First Couple in the Garden of Eden

God showed great kindness to the first couple He created. He had created countless trees that produced various fruits for their consumption. Among all the trees created, there were two that were different from the others. The first of them was called the “Tree of Life” and produced fruits that prolonged the life of human beings, allowing them to live eternally. The second was called the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil“, and God forbade the eating of its fruit. God denied only the fruit of this tree to human beings because He would use it as the only means of testing the fidelity of His creatures.

At a given moment, a “serpent” appeared before the woman, who was walking in the Garden. She allowed herself to be led to the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil“, and the serpent said the following words to her: “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?’” (Genesis 3). Notice that the “serpent” begins a conversation with the woman, questioning the order given by God. She asks if they could not eat from “every tree in the garden“. But that was not the order given by God.

The Divine Order

He had given the following instructions to the couple:

Genesis 2:16,17 – “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die“

There was one exception given! God commanded them not to eat the fruit of this tree. The woman responded with the following words to the “serpent“: “Of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die“. The woman made a huge mistake in her response. She added information that God had not said in His command. God commanded that the fruit could not be eaten, but the woman added in her words that the fruit could not even be touched!

If the couple ate the forbidden fruit, the consequence for disobedience would be the death penalty. By adding the idea that the fruit could not even be touched, the woman opened the door to deception. The biblical text does not mention where the “serpent” was talking to the woman, but describes it as being “cunning“. In this breach committed by the woman, it is not difficult to imagine that the serpent was, in fact, right by the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil“. At that moment of the conversation, he took the opportunity to touch the forbidden fruit, demonstrating that there was no truth in his words. Although this detail is not reported in the biblical verses, the serpent responds to the woman with the following words: “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil“.

The Serpent Contradicts the Divine Order

The “serpent” contradicted the order given by God and even invented a reason why God did not want the couple to eat that fruit. It argued that the eyes of both would be opened, and they would be “like God, knowing good and evil“. In the argument presented by the “serpent“, it led the woman to believe that eating that fruit would be beneficial to her, presenting her with an “evolution” of her state of knowledge. She would acquire new knowledge, similar to God. The “serpent” created a feeling of desire in the woman’s heart, and with that, it managed to lead her to disobey the Creator.

In this argument with the “serpent“, the woman was drawn into “disobedience to God’s commandment“, and not only that, but the Character of God was also portrayed as a liar and an opportunist in the following words: “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God“. The woman ended up giving more credit to the argument of the “serpent” than to the words of God, and with that, she demonstrated that she had lost confidence in her Creator.

Notice the two points raised in this conversation: “disobedience to God’s commandment” and accusation against the “Character of God“. These were the same points used by the cherub in heaven to deceive the angels! The same characteristics in the deception of the serpent are present in the deception of the cherub! What is the relationship between this “serpent” and the cherub angel? This information has also been mentioned (but not analyzed) in the text of Revelation 12:7-9, which says:

Revelation 12:7-9 – “… and the dragon fought and his angels, but they did not prevail, nor was their place found any longer in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world …“

The Ancient Serpent

One of the titles Satan receives is that of the “ancient serpent“, and this title makes perfect sense when we read the account in Genesis 3! The “serpent” present in the story of the Garden of Eden was not an ordinary serpent. It was, in reality, Satan’s work to deceive the woman and involve her in his deception. We do not know if Satan materialized as a serpent, or if he took possession of a serpent to carry out his action, but the fact is that this serpent was Satan’s work behind the scenes!

There are many who consider the story of Genesis 3 to be fictional or allegorical, precisely because of the serpent speaking! But when we gather all the information we’ve collected in this study, it shows us who was really behind the serpent’s speech. Certainly, serpents, like any other animal in the Garden of Eden, did not know how to speak! But by placing the serpent near the fruit of the forbidden tree, and arguing that the fruit would increase the woman’s knowledge, this certainly contributed to the process of deception and the justification of “why” there was a serpent that spoke to the woman, since she “defended” the consumption of this fruit!

Satan not only involved the “third part” of the angels in heaven in his deception, but he also involved our planet in his act of rebellion. He managed to make Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit and disobey the commandment given by God.

Brief Analysis of the History of Humanity

As we analyze the history of God’s people and humanity, we see something obvious: the enemy has always led everyone to transgress God’s commandments! Consider the following examples:

Genesis 6:11 – Violence
Genesis 39:7,9 – Adultery
Numbers 25:1 – Fornication
Ezekiel 22:26 – Sabbath Breaking
Malachi 3:8 – Tithes and Offerings
Jeremiah 1:16 – Worship of false gods
Daniel 3 – Idolatry and false worship
Acts 5:3 – Lie
1 Corinthians 5:1 – Fornication.

In all these cases and many others, Satan has always been influencing the human mind to follow a path contrary to what God had established. The people have always been led to live a life of violence, adultery, fornication, transgression of the Sabbath rest (seventh day of the week), worship of false gods, idolatry, lies, etc. In all these cases, there has always been a breaking of one of the commandments of the eternal Law of God!

Who Rules This World?

The First Representatives

God created Adam and Eve as the representatives of our world. They had control over all the animals under their dominion. They were to reign over and care for our planet. When they were still perfect and sin did not exist, they had dominion over all things. There was order and dominion over all of God’s creation. But this was lost when they disobeyed the Creator. They lost the fullness of God’s glory, just as our world also lost it. The blessings they had received from the Creator ceased to exist. They lost control over the dominion they once had. Because of their disobedience, they handed over the governance of this world to Satan, whom they had trusted through the words of the “snake“.

Since the fall of Adam and Eve, both the human race and our planet have suffered because of sin. Evil has come to reign in the hearts of human beings. Animals have ceased to follow the control and submission of man. The physical nature of man, animals, and plants has undergone changes.

The Ruler of This World

The leader of the rebellion in heaven was unable to establish his throne in heaven (Isaiah 14:12-14), but he became the leader and representative of our world. His reign on our planet has ended. This is evident from Jesus’ words about Satan’s current position:

John 12:31 – “Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out“

John 14:30 – “I will no longer talk much with you, because the prince of this world is coming, and he has nothing in me“

John 16:11 – “And of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged“

Ephesians 2:2 – “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience“

Everything Belongs to Satan

In different situations, Jesus referred to Satan as the “prince of this world“. These were not random words from Christ. He truly understood who the ruler of this world was, and he knew this because he studied the Scriptures. He knew that with the fall of Adam and Eve, they handed over the government into the hands of the enemy. On one occasion, during the temptation in the wilderness, Satan uttered the following words to Christ:

Matthew 4:8-9 – “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, ‘All these things I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’“

In these words, Satan demonstrates that everything in this world is under his control. He has control over all things and offered them to Christ if He would worship him! “I will give you all this“, were the words he spoke to the Son of God! In the Gospel of Luke, we find additional words from this dialogue between Christ and Satan. He also said: “because it was delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish” (Luke 4:6). Who was Satan referring to when he said that “it was given to me“? Certainly, Adam and Eve!

The Ruler of This World Is Not God

Many still do not understand that the world we live in is under the rule of Satan. It is true that God is in control of everything, but the government of this world is not directly in His hands! Satan is the one who reigns by right, because he gained possession of the government at the moment when Adam and Eve gave him more credibility than God. This sad and terrible world we live in is under his control:

1 John 5:19 – “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one“

It is not God nor Christ who reigns here. Jesus Himself spoke the following words:

John 18:36 – “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence“

As we have seen, Satan was unable to establish his throne in heaven (Isaiah 14:12-14), but he was able to become the ruler of this world. He established his throne here on earth. This is what the Bible says:

Revelation 2:13 – “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is …“

We go through many problems and difficulties in this world, and it is not God’s fault! There are many who blame God for the problems we go through, but many of these problems we suffer are related to decisions we make and the direct or indirect consequences of sin, caused by Satan!

Conclusion: The Great Rebellion and the Cherubim Strategy

Even though we have this terrible ruler in our world, the good news is that one day Christ will reestablish His reign on this earth. Our redemption was paid for with the death of Christ on the cross of Calvary. When the Good News has been proclaimed to the whole world, Christ will come to rescue us and reestablish His government, putting an end forever to the history and rebellion that this cherub caused! May you and I serve this great God who will one day send His Only Begotten Son to rescue us! Keep in mind that this earthly government will one day pass away, as will the one who governs it, and one day it will be reestablished under the Supreme Ruler of the Universe-He who has always reigned with Justice and Love!

May God bless us!