In his visions, John saw three evil beasts. One came down from the heavens. Another came out of the sea. The other came out of the earth. These beasts are referred to as the Dragon, the Beast, and the False prophet. As we learn about these three beasts, we will need to consider some other signs as well.
We don't need to make an exhaustive study of every detail of every vision John describes. But we will follow the main story woven through the visions. This will give you plenty of food for thought and, I hope, a foundation to build upon in your further study of Revelation.
The Woman and Her Child
There is another sign in John's visions that portrays the antithesis (opposite or contrasting idea) to what we have been discussing.
This is the sign of a splendid woman who is in birth pains (Rev 12:1-2). This woman portrays God's grace. God purposed that, to conquer sin and death, his only Son should be born to be slain. The woman's travail (birth pain) portrays the agony of God in the crucifixion of Christ, when "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son"(Jhn 3:16).
Just as the signs of the Abyss and the Lake of fire, remind us of Paul's words in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death...", so now the signs of the Woman giving birth, portray the other half of that verse, "...the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord."
The Dragon
Now we are ready to meet one of the beasts: the Dragon. His description begins at Revelation 12:3. Before he is cast down to earth and locked in the Abyss, this dragon stands before the woman who is in birth pains. The Dragon waits to devour her son the moment he is born. This gruesome image represents the opposition of Satan to God's eternal purpose and grace.
The Dragon's Three Frustrations
Satan of course is powerless to escape God's wrath, and powerless to thwart God's grace. Rather, God's grace frustrates him. This is symbolised in three ways:
Firstly, after the woman’s travail, her child is caught up to God's throne as the Dragon attempts to devour him (Rev 12:3-5, Acts 2:23-24). Christ was chosen before the foundation of the world to shed his blood as the slain Lamb. (1Pe 1:19-21 Rev 13:8). At the cross, God's purpose, not Satan's, was accomplished. God's grace was not without its terrible pains, but it was nevertheless victorious. God then raised up his Son to sit at his right hand and to intercede in God's presence for us. He is our Priest on the throne of God today.
Secondly the woman is enabled to find refuge when the Dragon pursues her (Rev 12:6,14). We should not, however, take the Dragon too lightly. The Dragon threatened the woman and her child in the most horrific ways. Then he turned to make war on her children. This is no child's idle game, and we must take up the whole armour of God (Eph 6:13).
Thirdly the Dragon is locked in the Abyss for 1000 years while those who took part in "the first resurrection" reigned with Christ (Rev 20:3-6). We might feel secure that this 1000 years represents a restraint so complete that we have nothing to fear. However, the visions also tell of "a little season" during which the Dragon himself is loosed and on the rampage. We will come to that in a moment.
The Martyrs Beheaded: Regarding Revelation 20:4, it should be pointed out that one does not have to be actually beheaded in order to take part in the first resurrection and thousand year reign. The vision represents a commitment so solid that one stands ready to be killed rather than give up the testimony of Jesus by yielding to Satan. This commitment is taken on in baptism, where one dies with Christ, is buried with him, and is raised to walk in newness of life (Rom 6:3-10). Not every Christian is a martyr in reality, but every Christian must be a martyr at heart.
The Little Season
The little season of Revelation 20:3 ties in with the earlier visions in chapter 12. The Dragon threatened the woman and made war with her other offspring, that is to say everyone saved by God's grace because they obeyed God's commandments and held to the testimony of Jesus (Rev 12:17). The Dragon did this for "a time, times, and half a time". That is a very short while compared to a whole 1000 years. This reminds us that what we suffer as Christians is not worthy to be compared with the joy and glory we have in store (Rev 1:6,9, Rom 8:18, 1Pe 5:8-11).
There are aspects in the life of every Christian which are pictured by the little season in which the Dragon arises from the Abyss. Satan stalks like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1Pe 5:8). Christians are a threatened people. Some are even actually slain because of their testimony of Jesus. It is through much tribulation that we enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).
But there is good news: God will never allow us to be tested beyond the limit of our endurance (1Co 10:13) and there are "seasons of refreshing" the joy of which is like a thousand years when compared to the sorrow we endure which is like a little season (Acts 3:19, Rev 20:2-4).
Was, Is Not, and Will Come
In Revelation 17 there is another vision of the Dragon, and John is told, "The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction"(Rev 17:8).
A Parody
The description "once was, now is not, and will come up: is a parody on the title of Jesus Christ, "who is, who was, and who is to come"(Rev 1:8). Satan "was" that serpent of old. He "now is not" while in the Abyss --in other words he "is not" the king even now. He "will come up" at times to seek our ruin, but he, not we, shall be destroyed.