Having failed on earth to stop the promised birth (vv. 1–6), the dragon turns his attention in vv. 7–12 to fight against Messiah in the heavenly realms. The text before us traces a fourfold path. It highlights, first, the dragon’s determination to continue the war against Messiah (vv. 7–8). It offers, second, a description of the dragon (v. 9). It presents, third, a vision of the dragon’s defeat (vv. 10–11). Fourth, it shows the dragon’s desperation to continue the war (v. 12), setting us up for the third vision in the chapter.