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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadMatthew Poole Commentary - Revelation 12:4 - 12:4
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The tail of the red dragon signifies his followers, his civil and military officers, whosoever were by him employed to execute his commands. By the stars, here, are either meant the ministers of the Christian church, or the professors of it.
And did cast them to the earth; turning them out of their places and stations, making them as useless as he could.
And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born; that is, before the church that was ready to propagate itself, watching upon her increase to devour them. I take this to be a much more probable sense than theirs who understand it of Constantine; for I know not, with reference to him, who should be understood by the red dragon. Mr. Mede hath ingeniously observed, that Pharaoh was a type of this red dragon. He is resembled by a dragon, Psa_74:13,14 Isa 51:9 Eze_29:3, and watched upon God’s ancient church to destroy it, as the pagan emperors did upon the Christian church.