It is imperative that we begin with an understanding of the OT prophetic language and its metaphors. The NT prophesy is in the same style. Without the knowledge of the OT prophetic uses, the NT becomes twisted and misunderstood.
In OT prophesy, the word "heavens" was often used for the ruling places and positions of kings and governors. In Deu. 32:1, Moses began the prophesy of the destruction of Israel for their sins, and relayed the words of the Lord, "Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth."
God was not talking to himself, calling upon His heaven to hear. He was speaking to the ruling classes and to the people under those rulers in Israel. Isaiah did the same as he began the prophesy to the people.
"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me." (Isa. 1:2, KJV)
The heavens were the king and his court, and all of his princes and governors that ruled over his kingdom. The earth were the people of that land in that specific kingdom. In prophetic language, falling to earth, or being thrown down to earth was the same as saying those rulers were being removed from their positions of authority. They lost their status, and their power.
The heavenly places were the kings' palaces and lands where they ruled and held dominion. His kingdom was a type of heaven. Just as God's kingdom and rule is over all the earth, David's kingdom was a subset of God's kingdom that He allowed David to have dominion over a part of the earth. So, David's kingdom was David's heaven of his rule and authority.
We must also consider that the word translated in the English as "angel" is actually "aggelos" in the Greek, and should rightly be translated as messenger. (aggelos) There are heavenly messengers such as Gabriel, and there are human messengers such as the prophets Isaiah, Malachi, Jeremiah and John the Immerser, and the Apostles. A messenger is anyone that is tasked with sending the message and God used both heavenly and human messengers.
People wrongly assume that the messengers of Jude 1:6, and 2 Pet. 2:4 are speaking of heavenly messengers. But, when we read further to 2 Pet. 2:11 there is a distinction between the messengers of vs. 4 and those of vs. 11 who are greater in power. Messengers who are greater in power are the heavenly messengers. 2 Pet. 2:4 and Jude 1:6 are referring to the human messengers who did not keep their assigned places / jobs and who did not do the will of the Father. They were most probably those Levitical priests who led the people astray.
Putting this all into the context of Rev. 12 requires the time elements be observed. Rev. 12 begins with a back flash image where Christ is showing John things which had already happened in the 1st century AD with the killing of the children under Herod and the attempt to kill the Christ child (vs. 4, 5) and then moving forward in time to the collective woman of the church of Christ's saints who would have to flee to the wilderness for 1260 days (vs. 6).
This ties the events to the 1st century AD. The woman was both Mary, the mother of Christ, and the church of His saints. Both were pursued by the dragon, or the devil, which in the Greek means a false accuser. The old serpent from the garden was still active and using the power of the Roman emperors - seven heads and ten horns, vs. 3 - to carry out his war against God and Christ.
The war in heaven of vs. 7 was both spiritual and earthly. The spiritual struggle between God and the old serpent for God's plan of salvation through His Son Yeshua (Jesus) was being waged out on the earth of the Roman empire and the Sanhedrin council in Jerusalem. The heaven where the war took place was not in God's heaven above, but in the heaven of the king's / emperor's earthly dominion where "hasatan" always interfered in the affairs of men.
Michael - the prefigured Christ of the OT - and His messengers - Jesus' disciples and apostles - were battling the full council of the Sanhedrin - the dragon - which was in turn backed by the full power of the heaven of the Roman empire. The dragon lost that battle, and those rulers whom he used were thrown down from their positions of authority.
At the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70, the power of the holy people - the Jews - was shattered (Dan. 12:6-7). They no longer held the authority or power to persecute the saints, and would have no power to prevent the gospel of Christ from spreading throughout the entire earth.
I do believe that the old serpent from the garden was thrown into the lake of fire at that time. Most people want to attribute all the sin in the world to that old serpent. But we don't need to blame him. As all evil comes from within the heart of man (Lev. 18:30; Matt. 15:19-20; Mark 7:21-23) men are fully to blame for all the evil actions they conceive.
That battle of Rev. 12 finished the war between the devil and God for the rule of all the earth and all of mankind. The devil was judged and defeated. God won. Christ won. And, all who have answered the call of the gospel of Christ are the beneficiaries.
