Revelation 12

The Woman and the Dragon

1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.

Revelations 12 begins with the statement: “A great sign appeared in heaven”. The word “sign” comes from the Greek word semeion, meaning ; a sign, mark or token… an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature.

The first great sign is a vision of a woman who was pregnant with a child. The woman cried out in pain for she was about to give birth. The woman is described as being “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars.”
The woman represents the “Old Testament” Israel. In the Old Testament, God referred to His people as a woman whom He had dressed in honor and splendor (Ezekiel 16).

The “crown with 12 stars” may be symbolic of the “12 tribes of Israel” (Genesis 37:9-10)
In the “New Testament”,God’s Church is symbolized as a woman, and its members are likened virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). The New Testament Church is called “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16) and likened to “Jerusalem above”, which is called “the mother of us all” (Galatians 4:21-31). Members of the church are described as “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own special possession” (1 Peter 2:9)

“Clothed with the sun” is a symbol of the glory of the gospel of Christ, and with “the moon under her feet”, is the reflected glory of Christ!(John 8:12)
The bible tells us that when Christ returns to earth, He is going to marry the Church, which is called “His bride/His wife”.
It is interesting to note that through the bible, a “pure woman” is a symbol of God’s true church, while a “harlot” represents a corrupt church.

3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.

Then the second sign that appears in heaven and is a vision of an enormous red dragon,( some translations call it a fiery red dragon ), with seven heads, each head having a crown upon its head and ten horns. It’s tail was so large that it swept a third of all the stars out of the sky and flung them to earth. The dragon was poised in front of the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her baby!
As we will soon read in the next few verses, the red dragon is clearly identified as “satan”.(V9) As for the dragon “sweeping out a third of the stars of sky”, this references satan leading a third of the angels in a rebellion against God. Angels are often referred to as stars.(Rev. 1:20)
The “seven heads and ten horns with seven crowns” represents the nations or governments which satan has used to persecute God’s people.(Dan. 7:7-, Rev. 13)

5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

The woman (God’s chosen nation of Israel) is described as giving birth to a male child who “will rule all nations with an iron scepter or rod”. (Psalms 2:9). An iron scepter or iron rod , is what rulers carry and is symbolic of great power and sovereignty. The verse continues, “And her child was snatched or caught up to God and to His throne.” The language here makes it clear that Jesus is the “Child.”

Jesus is the One who is prophesied to “rule the nations”, and He Himself will rule them with an “iron scepter”” (Revelation 19:15). He is also the One who, after His resurrection, was taken up in a cloud to heaven (Acts 1:9-11). In addition to the dragons efforts to destroy the child ”Christ”, satan goes after the woman, satan has a long history of persecuting God’s people,(The Church). God allowed the woman to flee into the wilderness, to a place prepared by God, where God will take care of them and feed them for 1,260 days.

This verse indicates that the true Church was protected by God for 1,260 days. It is unclear the true meaning of this time frame, however its very important to note that during this time, the “church” was protected from it’s enemies, including all who came against it and even false Christianity. God always provides for His chosen peoples!

7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Then “war broke out in heaven” between satan and his angels and Michael and his angels. As a result of this war, John, in this vision, saw that a place for satan and his angels was not found for them in heaven any longer, they had “lost their place in heaven” (V7) and were cast down to earth.
Notice this battle is different from satan’s original rebellion, which is described in verse 4, which occurred long before the birth of Christ. This battle takes place after the birth of the baby “Christ”, that is why in Luke 10:18 Jesus says “I saw satan fall to earth like lightning from heaven”.
As we will soon read, the setting for this battle, and its significance is then announced by a loud voice in heaven. (V10-12)
This battle is an indicator that “the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Messiah” has come!

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
11
They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
12
Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.”
Realizing the significance of this event, Satan now has “great wrath (filled with fury), because he knows that he has a short time” (V12) before Christ returns to establish the Kingdom of God on earth.
He then directs his rage toward God’s people, the ones who are the continuation of the woman who gave birth to the male Child (v 13).
13 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

So the dragon who has been hurled down to earth, filled with great fury, pursues the woman (the Church), with the intent to destroy them all! Satan literally declares war on the rest of the woman’s offspring, the ones who keep God’s commands and holds to the testimony about Jesus.
God, however, will not allow satan to destroy His people. Jesus had promised that the “gates of Hades (the grave)” would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). To protect His people, the woman is “given two wings of a great eagle,” meaning she is safely taken into “her place,” where she will be protected for “a time, times and half a time” [apparently 3½ years], from the presence of the serpent” (V14).
Even though satan will spew “from his mouth spewed water like a river,” to try to get at the woman, he will not be successful (vv15-16). In these verses, the concept of a “flood” likely represents armies from satan (Jeremiah 46:7-8).

Those not in the place of protection will need to prove their allegiance to God the Father and Christ in the face of satan’s intense persecution.
Whether we realize it or not, satan also hates us and will do everything possible to keep us from loving and obeying our Creator. His anger is not just against Jesus and the Church. Why is he angry at you? Apparently, because he realizes that humans were created by God, with the potential to be higher than he was (Hebrews 2:6-8).