Satan’s Dominion: Ancient and Modern
Satan’s Dominion as of 70 AD (Revelation 12)
Revelation 12:12–17 describes Satan’s war against the ancient church after Christ’s crucifixion.
In verse 12, Satan was filled with wrath as he was cast down and made low by the atonement. He persecuted the woman representing the ancient church in verse 13.
In verse 14, the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, and she flew into the protective wilderness of the Roman Empire for a time, times, and half time—representing the 3½ decades of the apostolic era. The eagle was the Roman standard in John’s day.
In verses 15 and 16, a flood of Roman violence threatened the woman during the First Jewish War and the Abomination of Desolation in 70 AD. This event fulfilled Christ’s prediction in Matthew 24:28, saying:
“Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” (Matt 24:28)
Here, the Jewish nation is compared to a dead body, which the eagles of the Roman Empire devour.
Pella: A Pattern of Deliverance
Despite the Roman violence against Jews and Christians, the earth symbolically helped the woman as members of the ancient church fled to Pella, east of the Jordan River.
They heeded the warning given by the Savior in Mark 13:14, saying:
“When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains.”
This provides a model for church members today.
We all have our Pella moments.
The Dragon’s Final Wrath (70 AD)
Satan was not pleased with the Pella maneuver of the ancient saints.
Revelation 12:17 states that:
“The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed.”
The remnant of her seed represents the faithful few members of the ancient church who survived the Abomination of Desolation in 70 AD.
This ends John’s account of Satan’s war as of 70 AD.
Satan’s Dominion After 70 AD (Revelation 13)
Revelation 13 begins in 70 AD, where chapter 12 left off, and continues to describe the kingdom of Satan for nearly 2,000 years, until the Second Coming.
This includes:
Satan’s universal dominion during the Great Apostasy (Rev 13:1–8)
Satan’s captivity of the saints during the Renaissance and Reformation (Rev 13:9–10)
Satan’s growing dominion in the latter days after the restoration of the gospel in 1830
The Two Beasts of Revelation 13
Revelation 13 symbolically depicts Satan’s evolving kingdom as two beasts.
The First Beast symbolizes Satan’s kingdom in the Roman Empire—both the Imperial Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire—from 70 AD until the restoration in 1830.
When Christ restored His true church in 1830, Satan’s kingdom evolved and re-emerged as the Second Beast.
Revelation 13:11 states:
“I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.”
The Second Beast is Satan’s counterfeit church, which grows in opposition to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Joseph Smith taught:
“The devil always sets up his kingdom at the very same time in opposition to God.”
(Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 365)
The Second Beast looks like a lamb because many counterfeit religions exist today.
It speaks like a dragon because these false religions and secular institutions have no saving power.
They have a form of godliness, but they deny the power of salvation. (JS–H 1:19)
Learn More
Learn more about Satan’s kingdom and his continuing war on the woman—both ancient and modern:
🎧 December 28, 2025 – Listen here
🎧 December 30, 2025 – Listen here
(Also available wherever you get your podcasts)
🎥 From Last Week’s Vlog
John Cassinat
Unveiling Jesus Christ
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