Rev 12:6 "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days."         

Obviously the covenant of redemption did not flee into the wilderness, but rather the people represented by her, which, of course, is the elect of God.  In the book of Acts the children of Israel are called, "the church in the wilderness," in their wilderness journeying: Acts 7:38 "This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us." 

While the use of the term church in the quoted verse is not to be confused with the New Testament church, it does give us a point of reference.  The wilderness is used in the scriptures as a type of the world: Is 14:17 "That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?"  A wilderness is barren of necessities for the human body.  Likewise this world has no food or necessities for the spiritual inner man.  The wilderness journeying of the children of Israel teach us many things about the relationship between the church and the world.  After the children of Israel had gone to the waters of Marah, they came to a place called Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees.  This was an oasis in the desert.  It provided water and a resting place for the children of Israel.  When Christ established the church he chose out twelve apostles and seventy other preachers to be witnesses of the kingdom of God.  While the world can provide no spiritual food or drink to the children of God, the church is an oasis from the world as she provides spiritual water and spiritual food to God's hungering and thirsting people.  For forty years the children of Israel drank of the Rock that followed them and ate of the manna that God provided them in the wilderness.  Today, God's people draw water out of the wells of salvation and eat of the spiritual manna of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the church. 

The church is not the institution of men as some proclaim, but rather Jesus said, "Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Thus the church is that which the Lord built and not man.  He built her on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone.  According to the scriptures she is thoroughly furnished unto every good work.  She lacks nothing as her provider is Jesus Christ.  The church is that place prepared of God in the wilderness that the children of the covenant may come and be find spiritual food and drink and rest in their wilderness journeying.  Just as God commanded the ravens to feed Elijah the prophet during the three years and six months of drought on the earth, so today, God commands his gospel ministers to feed the church throughout the gospel age in which we are living.

Rev 12:7, 8  "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 "And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven." 

We will first identify who Michael is.  In Dan. 10:3 Michael is identified as one of the chief princes.  A prince is the representative of the people.  In Israel there were twelve tribes and a representative for each tribe, thus twelve princes.  In Dan. 10:21 Michael is identified as your prince.  This makes his representation personal.  To each one he represented he was their personal representative.  We read in Dan. 12:1 "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people."  Thus Michael was a great prince that stood for the children of Israel.  He was THE representative of the children of Israel.  As such he represented them in judgment.  In Jude 1:9 Michael is identified as the archangel.  The term, archangel, means the chief angel.  In other words, he is the angel over all the angels.  The word angel means messenger.  Hebrews chapter 1 identifies Jesus Christ as the messenger above all messengers.  Thus Jesus Christ is the archangel or Michael.  It is he that is the representative of God's elect in judgment.  It was he who came to save his people from their sins.  In order to accomplish the saving of his people he came to fight and win a battle that only he could accomplish.  He came to get the victory over sin, death, hell, the grave, and Satan.  This war that was to be fought was under the Old Testament covenant.  He said that he came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill the law.  He kept the law to a jot and a tittle.  He was the one that the Old Testament prophets (angels=messengers) pointed to.  He was the one who fulfilled all the types and shadows of the ceremonial law.  He was the one who fulfilled all the prophecies of the Old Testament.  He was the only one who was born into this world without sin and lived a sinless life all the days he was upon earth. 

Jesus task of sinless perfection under the law was made with great opposition.  The dragon and his angels were out in force to do battle.  First the dragon sought to destroy Jesus as a child as he moved Herod to destroy the young children in an attempt to destroy him who was born King of the Jews.  Next, Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness and after fasting forty days and nights he was tempted of the devil three times.  Next, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, the lawyers, and the rulers of the people continually tried to catch Jesus in his words that they might accuse him.  They accused him of many sins, of which he was never guilty.  They accused him of casting out devils thru the prince of the devils.  Finally, they sought to destroy him, thinking if they destroyed him they would have the victory.  They brought false witnesses and changed the charges against him several times.  In desperation they turned him over to the Roman governor and cried out crucify him, crucify him.  Thru all this they were not able to take his life, but rather he gave his life and suffered the wrathful judgment of God on the cross to deliver his people from their sins as their Prince or representative.  He accomplished His task and saved them from their sins and at the same time destroyed him who had the power of death by means of death and subsequent resurrection.  He had destroyed the devil with his own sword. 

Satan's place in the old law covenant was based on no one ever keeping the law to perfection.  He was there to constantly accuse the children of God of sin.  He was there to keep them sinning.  Once they were perfected by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, he lost his place in the old law covenant (first heaven).

Rev 12:9  "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." 

Four different names are used to describe Satan in the above verse.  Each of the words has a meaning and describe part of the character of Satan.  The word, dragon, has reference to a sea monster and as such is a devourer.  As such he seeks to devour God's people: 1 Pet. 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."  The second name is "that old serpent" and has reference to the serpent in the garden of Eden.  The serpent used the technique of deception to deceive Eve and ultimately to get at Adam.  Thus the serpent is a deceiver: 1 Tim. 2:14 "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression."  The serpent is also an enticer as he enticed the woman to sin through the fruit of the tree of knowledge and evil and the concept that by eating thereof she would become as God: James 1:14 "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."  The name devil refers to Satan as a possessor: Matt. 9:32 "As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil."  This is the same as the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.  It is that spirit that possesses and leads them prior to the new birth.  The name Satan means accuser.  He is the accuser of God's people.  For instance he said of Job, "Doth Job fear God for nought."   

Under the old law covenant (first heaven) Satan accused the children of God of sin according to the law.  As long as that law was not fulfilled and the redemption priced paid Satan would continue to accuse the Lord's people before God.  However, we find in Rom. 8: 33 "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."  Because Michael (Christ) represented us and paid the redemption price (his blood), he won the war and now Satan can no longer accuse us before God.  There is no charge that can be made against God's elect.  Not even the devil can now make a charge.  Thus Satan has no more place under the fulfilled law covenant.  He has been cast out.  All he is capable of doing now is dealing misery to the elect people of God.  To do this he must attack their flesh nature (earth) for he has no power to attack us in the inner man.