Paragraph 12:7–9

12:7a

Then a war broke out in heaven: The Greek clause is literally “And war was in heaven.” The Greek does not say when this war occurred. Scholars have many opinions about when it occurred. If possible, refer only generally to war in heaven, as the Greek and Berean Standard Bible do.

Then: Here the conjunction Then introduces another event. It does not make explicit when this other event took place.

war: This word refers to fighting by organized groups. Michael and his angels fought in an organized manner. The dragon and his angels also fought in an organized manner. This war was fought with the supernatural weapons of angels. It was not fought with earthly weapons such as guns.

In some languages it is not possible to talk of war without saying who was fighting. See the General Comment at the end of 12:7a–c.

12:7b

Michael: This name refers to one of God’s leading angels. He watches over Israel (Daniel 12:1, Jude 9).

and his angels: Michael and these angels followed God. During the war they followed Michael’s command.

fought: The Greek word refers to fighting a war. For example:

had to fight a war (God’s Word)
-or-
battled (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

12:7c

the dragon and his angels: Satan (the dragon) was the leader of a group of angels. These angels are usually referred to as “demons” or “evil spirits” in the New Testament. If the word you use for angels only refers to good spirit beings, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

the dragon and his ⌊evil⌋ angels
-or-
the dragon and the angels that follow him

• Use the word “demons.” For example:

the dragon and his demons

You may then want a footnote to explain the meaning of demons here. For example:

Literally: “angels.” Demons are the same kind of being as angels, but demons follow Satan and oppress people.

General Comment on 12:7a–c

In some languages it is necessary to say who was fighting. It is not possible to simply say “there was war.” For example:

7a And in heaven 7b Michael and his angels were fighting against the dragon. 7c The dragon and his angels fought back.

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