Revelation Chapter 12

Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

The woman. Described in celestial images. This will be the first of seven signs that John will relate; this particular one is a great sign (mega semeion). Women often represent religious systems in Revelation: Jezebel (2:20) of false teaching; the Great Harlot (17:2) of false religion; the Bride (19:7-8) of the church; the Woman (12:1) of Israel. Roman Catholics claim this woman is Mary (as the "Queen of Heaven"); Mary Baker Eddy said she was this woman. It is common in Roman Catholic art to represent Mary as standing on a crescent moon with twelve stars around her head. Scripturally, she can be identified with Israel, according to Joseph's dream (Genesis 37:9-11). In that dream, sun is representative of Jacob, the moon represents Joseph's mother Rachel, and the eleven stars are the tribes of Israel which bow down to Joseph. Israel (or Zion or Jerusalem) is often represented as a woman (Isaiah 54:1-6; Jeremiah 3:20; Ezekiel 16:8-14; Hosea 2:19-20).

Rev 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

The woman gives birth. Later, we will see that this child born of Israel is Jesus; the pain described refers to the travail of Israel at the time of Jesus' birth (under Roman occupation and oppression).

Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

The dragon. Specifically, this dragon is Satan (as stated in 12:9). His description "symbolically suggests his fierce power and murderous nature . . . a picture of the fullness of evil in all its hideous strength." The crowns represent his presumptive claims of royal authority against the true King - he wants to be considered a king.

Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

The dragon looks to the earth. Many believe this describes one-third of the angelic host in league with Satan (his angels of verse 9); this army of angelic beings in league with Satan make up the world of demonic beings. The attempt to devour her Child was initially fulfilled by Herod's attempts to kill Jesus as a child   (Matthew 2:16-18); then throughout Jesus' life as He was attacked by Satan  (John 8:58; Mark 4:35-41).

Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne.

The child. Jesus' ministry is described by its earthly beginning and its earthly end (birth and ascension). He rules the world with a rod of iron (Psalm 2; Revelation 19:15). By stating the "bookends" of Jesus' earthly work, John alludes to all that stands in between. The male Child is obviously Jesus; this means that the woman of verse one cannot be the church, because Jesus "gives birth" to the church, not the other way around. The woman must therefore either be Mary or Israel, the only two "women" who could have "given birth" to Jesus. Future verses will demonstrate that this woman is Israel, not Mary.

The break between verses 5 and 6. Between the ascension of Jesus and the 1,260 day period described in verse six lie hundreds of years (our current period). This obvious time lapse is typical of prophecy; Daniel's seventy week prophecy has such a break (Daniel 9:24-27).

Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days.

The woman in the wilderness. Persecuted by the dragon, the woman is protected by God in a prepared place for three and one-half years (the second three and one-half years of the final seven years of the Daniel 9 prophecy). Prepared is the same as I go to prepare a place for you (John 14:2-3); this demonstrates that God's careful planning works for his people on earth as well as in heaven! Some believe this place in the wilderness is the rock city of Petra, south of the Dead Sea. Christian businessmen have stocked the place with food and evangelistic tracts written in Hebrew. This verse also helps us to understand with certainty that the woman is Israel and not Mary; how could Mary possibly flee into the wilderness in this way?

Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

Conflict in heaven. War between Michael and Satan. We should notice that this is truly a battle between equals; Satan is not the counterpart of God - God has no counterpart. If anything, Satan is the counterpart of Michael, who seems to be the chief angel opposite this chief of fallen angels. Is Satan on the offensive or the defensive here? Either way, he loses. When does this happen? Some say at the cross or ascension; others, at the beginning of the seven year period; the majority think this battle occurs at the mid-point of the seven year period.

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Satan and his angels are cast out of heaven. Note the titles and descriptions: dragon, serpent of old, the Devil, Satan, who deceives the whole world; he is vicious, an adversary, an accuser and a deceiver. The four falls of Satan. From glorified to profane (Ezekiel 28:14-16). From having access to heaven (Job 1:12; 1 Kings 22:21; Zechariah 3:1) to restriction to the earth (Revelation 12). From the earth to bondage in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years (Revelation 20). From the pit to the lake of fire (Revelation 20). Jesus' words in Luke 10:18 either refer to the first fall, or it is a prophetic look ahead to the second fall at the mid-point of the seven year tribulation period.

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, [ye] heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

A joyful declaration in heaven. Satan's work of accusing only ends here, when he is cast out from his access to heaven. Today, we have (and need) an intercessor and advocate (Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1). Verse 11 provides three keys to the saint's victory over Satan. The blood overcomes Satan's accusations - those accusations mean nothing against us because the price has already been paid by Jesus Christ. We may be even worse than Satan accuses us of being, but we are still are made righteous by the work of Jesus on the cross (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:14)

Although, we do not regard the blood of Jesus in a superstitious way; it is not a magical potion, nor is it the literal blood of Jesus, literally applied that saves or cleanses us (if that were so, then His Roman executioners, splattered with His blood, would have been automatically saved, and the extent of salvation would be limited by the number of molecules of Jesus' literal blood). The blood speaks to us of the real, physical death of Jesus Christ in our place, on our behalf, before God. That literal death in our place, and the literal judgment He bore on our behalf, is what saves us.

 

The word of their testimony overcomes Satan's deceptions; they need not be deceived because they have known and remembered the work that God has done in their lives. As faithful witnesses, they have a testimony to bear - and because they know what they have seen and heard and experienced from God, they cannot be deceived by Satan's lies telling them it isn't true (as the testimony of the man born blind, John 9:25). Loving not their lives overcomes Satan's violence; if they do not cling to their own earthly lives, then there really is not threat Satan can bring against them. If they believe to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21), then how can Satan's violence against them be effective?

Heaven rejoices at the eviction of Satan; but heaven's gain is the earth's loss: Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and sea! Satan's power is real and terrifying, but not because he is triumphant, but because he knows he is beaten and has a short time left - like a wounded, cornered animal, he can fight with great ferociousness. Why doesn't he just give up? Don't forget that Satan is utterly depraved, and probably "insane" - he may have deceived even himself into thinking that he has a chance. A better question is, "why don't we give up?" Our rebellion against God makes even less sense than Satan's.

Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child].
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

Satan attacks the woman; God protects her. Some have taught that the woman is a symbol that represents all the people of God, including faithful Israel and the church; they use this to advance the idea that the church is here during the tribulation period. But if the woman represents all the people of God (the church and faithful Israel), then who are the rest of her offspring? It is better to see her as Israel in general, or Messianic Jews in particular. The fury poured out against Israel after the abomination of desolation (marking the half-way point of the final seven years of man's rule of earth) was spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24:15-22, and spoken of in distinctly Jewish terms (housetop . . . pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath); this passage in Revelation is the fury that Jesus told them to flee.

Eagle's Wings are an emblem from the Exodus deliverance (Exodus 19:4), another way of connecting this people who are delivered with Israel. Some have wondered if the reference to the two wings of a great eagle do not in fact describe a great military transport plane used to evacuate people in an emergency situation.

Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The wrath of the dragon is focused against God's people. This may be a reference to Israel (or specifically, believing Jews?) and Gentiles (the rest of her offspring). This either begins or continues the fierce persecution of all those who would not submit to and worship this great Satanic dictator; the martyrs of this period were shown to us in Revelation 6:9-11 and 7:9-17. "It is precisely when Satan has lost the battle for the souls of saints in heaven that he begins the fruitless persecution of their bodies".