4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born.
We pick up the story in verse four, where we get more information about the motive of the dragon that appeared in verse three, which was red in color and described as having, "seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads."
Many of the commentaries I read on these verses said these features described kingdoms of the earth at various times in history. All the writers I read agreed that the figure this passage is describing is Satan, or the Devil. In the first part of this verse we are told the dragon swept a third of the stars from heaven. This could refer to the angels that joined Satan in his rebellion against God that the Bible talks about elsewhere; when God created hell and threw Satan into the pit, he also cast all of the rebellious angels down into hell with him.
This article at lifehopeandtruth.com gives a good overview on the three characters in the first few verses of Revelation 12; this is one of the writers that believes that the woman giving birth symbolizes Israel, God's chosen people. Some of the authors of the commentaries felt that this character is Mary the mother of Jesus, and some felt it was a symbol for both; most of the writers seem to agree that the woman is giving birth to Jesus Christ. This verse makes it clear that Satan is poised to consume the child at the moment of His birth. This seems to suggest that Satan has been trying in one form or another to destroy Christianity from its very inception. It is clear that Satan is poised to challenge Christ for lordship over the Earth; though he has been far from successful at this point in time.
A Prayer for Salvation from Christ:
Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer.
A more detailed step by step process:
https://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Jesus-Into-Your-Life
