Revelation 12:17

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, etc.] The devil was very angry with the church, because he could not destroy her by the Arian persecution he had raised; and because he could not carry her away with the flood, either of errors and heresies, or of the barbarous nations; and because he could not, by any means, come at her, and indeed did not well know where she was, a place being prepared for her of God in the wilderness, where she was taken care of: wherefore he took another method as follows, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed; which refers to the war the beast, to whom he gave his power, seat, and authority, is said to make with the saints; and which was entered into…”

“wroth with--Greek, "at." went--Greek, "went away." the remnant of her seed--distinct in some sense from the woman herself. Satan's first effort was to root out the Christian Church, so that there should be no visible profession of Christianity. Foiled in this, he wars (Rev 11:7; Rev 13:7) against the invisible Church, namely, "those who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus" (A, B, and C omit "Christ"). These are "the remnant," or rest of her seed, as distinguished from her seed, "the man-child" (Rev 12:5), on one hand, and from mere professors on the other. The Church, in her beauty and unity (Israel at the head of Christendom, the whole forming one perfect Church),…”

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman - This wrath had been vented by his persecuting her Revelation 12:13; by his pursuing her; and by his pouring out the flood of water to sweep her away Revelation 12:15; and the same wrath was now vented against her children. As he could not reach and destroy the woman herself, he turned his indignation against all who were allied to her. Stripped of the imagery, the meaning is, that as he could not destroy the church as such, he vented his malice against all who were the friends of the church, and endeavored to destroy them. “The church, as such, he could not destroy; therefore he turned his wrath against individual Christians, to bring as many of them…”

“12:17 The dragon turns his hostility against the woman’s children (believers) who keep God’s commandments and continue in their testimony for Jesus.”

“the dragon: Rev 12:12; Joh 8:44; Pe1 5:8 to make: Rev 11:7, Rev 13:7, Rev 17:6, Rev 17:14, Rev 18:20, Rev 19:19, Rev 20:8, Rev 20:9; Gen 3:15; Dan 7:23-26, Dan 11:36 which: Rev 14:12, Rev 22:14; Mat 28:20; Jo1 5:2 and have: Rev 12:11, Rev 1:2, Rev 1:9, Rev 6:9, Rev 20:4; Co1 2:1; Jo1 5:10 Next: Revelation Chapter 13”