It is common in the Bible for people to "rise up," and it would be easy to pass over the phrase as simply describing a physical action. But in fact it represents an elevation in spiritual state, moving to a more internal frame of mind closer to the Lord. Often it has to do with understanding a new or important idea; we "rise up" to a state of greater perception and enlightenment. Obviously context is crucial to the exact meaning of the phrase in a given passage -- it matters greatly who it is that is rising up, and why.

767. Verse 17. And the dragon was angry against the woman, signifies the hatred of those who are meant by "the dragon" against the church that is the New Jerusalem, enkindled by a perception that it is favored by many. This is evident from the signification of "anger," as being, in reference to the dragon, hatred (of which above, n. 754, 758), therefore "to be angry" means to hate; that this is a grievous hatred enkindled by a perception that the church is favored by many, follows as a consequence from what precedes and from what follows; from what precedes, namely, that "the earth opened her mouth and helped the woman, and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth," which signifies that the church, in which there are also dragons, rendered assistance, and did not accept their keen reasonings respecting faith alone; and from what follows namely, that "the dragon went away to make war with the remnant of her seed," which signifies an ardent effort from that hatred to assault the truths of doctrine of that church. So "the anger of the dragon" here signifies such hatred enkindled by a perception that it is favored by many; for, as has been said above, "the woman fled into the wilderness into a place prepared by God" signifies that the church which is the New Jerusalem was among a few, while provision was making for it among many, and for its growing to fullness.