1Et stort tegn kom til syne på himlen. Det var en kvinde, der strålede som solen og stod med fødderne på månen. På hovedet havde hun en sejrskrans med 12 stjerner på.2Hun var gravid og var allerede begyndt at føde. Hun skreg af smerte under fødselsveerne.3Så kom der et andet tegn på himlen. Det var en stor, ildrød drage. Den havde ti horn og syv hoveder med en lille krone på hvert hoved.4Dens hale fejede en tredjedel af himlens stjerner ned på jorden. Dragen stillede sig foran kvinden, som var ved at føde sit barn, parat til at sluge barnet, så snart det var født.5Hun fødte en søn, som skal herske over alle folkeslagene med et jernscepter. Barnet blev taget op til Gud og hans trone,6mens kvinden flygtede ud i ørkenen hen imod et sted, som Gud havde gjort parat til hende, hvor hun kunne overleve i 1260 dage.7Der blev krig i himmelrummet. Mikael og hans engle gik til angreb på dragen. Dragen og dens onde ånder gjorde modstand,8men de var ikke stærke nok, så de måtte forlade himmelrummet.9Så blev den store Drage, den gamle Slange, som kaldes Djævelen og Satan, han, som bedrager hele verden, kastet ned på jorden. Det samme skete med alle hans onde ånder.10Så hørte jeg en høj stemme i Himlen råbe: „Nu er vores Guds herredømme brudt igennem med kraft og frelse, og nu har hans Messias fået magten. For han, der dag og nat anklagede vores medkristne over for Gud, er blevet styrtet.11De sejrede over ham på grund af Lammets forsoningsdød, og fordi de ikke fornægtede deres tro på ham. De havde ikke deres liv for kært til at gå i døden.12Derfor: Glæd jer, I som opholder jer i Himlen, men ve jer, der er på landjorden og på havet, for Djævelen er kommet ned til jer, og han er rasende. Han er nemlig klar over, at hans tid er kort.”13Da dragen indså, at den var kastet ned på jorden, forfulgte den kvinden, der havde født drengen.14Kvinden fik to mægtige ørnevinger og fløj længere ud i ørkenen til det sted, hvor hun kunne være i sikkerhed for dragen, og hvor der ville blive sørget for hende i tre et halvt år.15Dragen spyede en flod af vand efter kvinden for at skylle hende bort.16Men jorden hjalp hende, for den åbnede sin mund og slugte floden.17Optændt af raseri mod kvinden gjorde dragen sig parat til at angribe hendes andre børn, dem, der holder Guds bud og holder fast ved deres tro på Jesus.18Derefter stillede den sig op på strandbredden.
1And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (Salm 104,2; Høj 6,10)2She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. (Es 66,7; Mika 4,10)3And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. (Es 27,1; Dan 7,7; Åb 13,1; Åb 17,3; Åb 17,9; Åb 17,12; Åb 19,12)4His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. (Dan 8,10; Matt 2,16; Åb 8,7)5She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule[1] all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, (Matt 2,6; 2.Kor 12,2; Åb 2,27)6and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. (Åb 11,2; Åb 13,5)
Satan Thrown Down to Earth
7Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, (Matt 25,41; Judas 1,9)8but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.9And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (1.Mos 3,1; Luk 10,18; Joh 8,44; Joh 12,31; Åb 9,1; Åb 13,14; Åb 20,2; Åb 20,3; Åb 20,10)10And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers[2] has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. (Job 1,9; Job 2,5; Zak 3,1; Åb 7,10; Åb 19,1)11And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Luk 14,26; Joh 12,25; Joh 16,33; Rom 16,20; Åb 2,10; Åb 15,2)12Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” (Salm 96,11; Es 44,23; Es 49,13; Matt 8,29; Åb 8,13; Åb 10,6; Åb 18,20)13And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. (Åb 12,5)14But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. (2.Mos 19,4; Dan 7,25; Dan 12,7; Åb 12,6)15The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. (Es 59,19)16But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.17Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood[3] on the sand of the sea. (1.Mos 3,15; 1.Joh 2,3; Åb 1,2; Åb 6,9; Åb 11,7; Åb 13,7; Åb 14,12; Åb 19,10)