[See notes on 12:8 for discussion of the “ fall” of Satan] 3. And the great dragon was cast out . . . which deceiveth the whole world . . . he was cast out into the earth-- 12:9. The dragon and his evil agents “ prevailed not” against Michael’ s protection of the woman, which he accomplished by the diversion of the emperor’ s diplomacy to employ his armies to quell the revolutions in many parts of the imperial world. The context of this section was a diversion from the main scene due to the side effects of the involvement of the Roman rulers in the revolutions in their far-flung tributaries. So the statement neither was their place found any more in heaven was a reference to the final outcome, and is not chronological, or in the order of sequence here. The dragon prevailed not--the cause of the woman (the church) which Michael represented triumphed, in the war with heathenism which the dragon represented, and he eventually “ prevailed not” but lost his own place in heaven --that is, in the governments which had been used to persecute the church. And, he was cast down to the earth--that is, Satan was cast out of his sphere of influence through the government authorities against the church. He was cast down to the earth--the place of the inhabitants of the nations as distinguished from the children of the woman, the church. The woman had appeared in the same sphere with the dragon in the war in heaven, as antagonists and was represented by Michael against the dragon. In the final outcome of this struggle the dragon lost his place of power and influence--hence, cast down from his high position in which he had been able to deceive the world. Dethroned from his dominion he went in search of other prey, as mentioned in 1 Peter 5:8 --"the devil as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” The dragon in the end was seen as having lost “ the war in heaven” against the woman. Jesus anticipated this defeat of Satan in John 12:31 : “ Now is the judgment of the world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” This judgment was pronounced upon the dragon in the war against the woman. He lost his place of dominion, but continued to deceive the world, as declared by Paul in Ephesians 2:2 : “ According to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” The phrase “ prince of the power of the air” denotes a sphere of influence only. Satan has no longer a dominion of power. He is only an influent being who exerts a deceptive influence, an infiltration insensibily affecting the mind and conscience --an inflow of evil. In Revelation the term earth, as previously stated, designated the place of nations, distinguished from the realm of the church. And air refers to the sphere of life and influence. Thus having lost his power of dominion, he is now prince of the power of the air--that is, having only an exercise of influence which only operates through “ the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” Jesus Christ through the gospel destroyed Satan’ s power --he holds no power of dominion over any one. He can operate only through the sphere of influence. The one who serves Satan is a willing servant “ through the spirit of disobedience.” God has the power to destroy both soul and body of one who refuses to serve him (Matthew 10:28), but Satan has no power over any one (Hebrews 2:14); if one does not choose to follow Satan, he can do nothing; he has no power to conscript, and no power to punish. And the great dragon was cast out into the earth. Satan “ prevailed not” against the woman, the church, and was “ cast out into the earth,” the place of the nations, where he would again in a broader effort seek to deceive the whole world, as distinguished from the church. And his angels were cast out with him. These Satanic angels included all of the combined forces of heathenism which he had employed against the church, and as “ prince of the power of the air,” he continued to operate in the sphere of life and influence through the spirit of disobedience.