Revelation 12:4 Revelation 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. By the dragon’ s tail, we may understand his political and his ecclesiastical power. See Revelation 9:10-19. Read the exposition Job 40:15-17 and Isaiah 7:4-6. By the stars of heaven we are to understand some false teachers, and apostate ministers, in those times, which were prophesied of, \ and the apostle Paul did not marvel at it. \ And did cast them to the earth; that is, the dragon drew them from their heavenly state in the true church, and threw them down into the earthly state of a false church; viz. from the pure worship of the only true God, to worship idols of wood and stone. And the dragon stood before the woman, -to devour her child as soon as it was born. By the child we may understand the spiritual seed of the woman; that is, Christ, and all the Christians; so did Herod, \ with Matthew 27:26-37 and Pilate: And so did the Roman pagan Caesars, and their governors endeavour to kill all the Christians, Euseb. Lib. 6 Cap. 4 by their bloody persecutions for the space of three hundred years and more, from Tiberius to Dioclesian.