Revelation 12
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We have come to a noticeable break in the book of Revelation. Up through chapter 11 we have seen the destruction of Jerusalem pictured. We noted in chapter 11 that the holy city is to be trampled upon by the nations, just as Jesus had spoken in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. We are now given a set of new images that will develop in the book. Some say that this section of the book is a simple rerun of the events we have just seen in chapters 4-11. This does not carry much logic. I think it good to mindful about the nature of Old Testament prophecy. In those books, the destruction of the nation of Israel is pictured, but then the destruction of the nations that caused the persecution and destruction of the nation of Israel is also depicted. This pattern can be seen in many of the Old Testament prophecies, and I think this is helpful to keep in mind. But instead of making speculations, let us continue our method of study that we have had thus far: let the scriptures speak for themselves and look to prophecy to answer the symbols and images that we are reading.
A Great Sign in Heaven (12:1-2)
In chapter 12 we have a new appearance of signs beginning to unfold to John and his readers. This helps us remember that what we are reading are signs and should be interpreted symbolically. The sign John sees is a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. What does the symbol mean? The woman has been given an exalted position and we are seeing the greatness and importance of this woman. We have seen throughout Old Testament prophecy and in Revelation that the falling of the sun, moon, and stars symbolizes judgment. So when we see the opposite, that this woman being clothed with these elements, this should symbolize power and life.
Then we must ask the next question: who is the woman? The Roman Catholic church says that this is Mary, the mother of Jesus. But this understanding leads to some impossible interpretations when trying to understand what it would mean that the woman was persecuted by the dragon (vs. 13). So we must look for a more reasonable answer.
When we look to Old Testament prophecy it becomes easier for us to understand who is the woman. First, read Micah 4:10,
“Writhe and groan, O daughter Zion, like a woman in labor; for now you shall go forth from the city and camp in the open country; you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be rescued, there the LORD will redeem you from the hands of your enemies.”
Also read Micah 5:2-3,
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands in Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, whose going forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel.”
We see in these two passages the same image of a woman in labor pains. Who is the woman in these passages? Verses 7-8 tell us that she is the remnant of Jacob. It is the remnant of the nation of Israel that is being referred to. Again we see this same language in Isaiah 66:5-24. Notably in verses 7-9 where we read about the the woman in labor and travail. Who is the woman in these verses? Same answer that we have seen in Micah. Isaiah 66:20 describes the her as the remnant of Israel.
Now some commentators want to narrow down this description even more. Some say that the woman refers strictly the physical Jewish nation. But this cannot be for when we read Revelation 12:17 we see that the woman and her offspring are those “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.” The physical nation of Israel was certainly not that, because it was destroyed by God for its wickedness, as we have seen in the previous chapters of Revelation. Other commentators say that the woman is referring to the church. But this is also problematic because we must as the question how the church gave birth to Christ? Christ gave birth to the church, not the other way around. So we cannot narrow down the picture anymore than what the Old Testament prophets have told us. The woman is an image of the spiritual remnant, God’s spiritual Israel. It was through God’s true people, His true Israel that Christ came, and it is His true followers today that are the spiritual remnant which is the church. The woman represent the spiritual remnant of God under the Old and New Covenants.
Great, Fiery, Red Dragon (12:3-4)
Next we are given a picture of something terrifying: a great, fiery, red dragon. This dragon has seven heads, ten horns, and seven diadems. If you have taking the book literally up to this point then one must be consistent and take this image literally as well. However, the scriptures tell us that these things are written in symbols (Revelation 1:1), therefore we must understand that this dragon is a symbol of something else. It is of interest to note that the word “diadems” can only be found in Revelation and in no other book in the New Testament. It is a different than the word “crowns” which we read the woman having in verse 1. The general assumption that is made as to why there is a distinction between the word “crown” and “diadem” is that the crown represents a permanent victory, where as diadem represent a ruling authority and power. Therefore we see that this dragon has great authority and great power because of the number of heads, horns, and diadems. We also see this great power in verse 4 where the dragon sweeps away a third of the stars. This dragon has power over authorities, kings, and nations. But the dragon does not have complete power because the dragon is only able to sweep a third of the stars away. The dragon has great power but not a complete, unstoppable power.
So what does the dragon represent? Verse 9 tells us clearly who the dragon represents. The dragon is the ancient serpent, the Devil, Satan, the one who deceives the world. This great and terrifying image represents Satan and thus we see the great power Satan has. Satan has power in this world and is called “prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2. The dragon is pictured as waiting to devour the child. He is waiting for the woman to give birth so he can devour the child. We will expand upon this in a moment. Before we do, we must see who the child represents.
The Child (12:5-6)
We are given a very clear description of this child. The child is a male who will rule all the nations with an iron rod. So we need to determine some things using rational logic. If the woman is the spiritual remnant, as we have noted, then who is the Son which rules all the nations with an iron rod that would be brought forth by God’s spiritual remnant? The purpose of God’s people and his remnant was to bring about the Messiah, Jesus. Thus, the child in this picture is Jesus Christ. Let us notice some scriptures to prove our assertion.
Psalm 2:7-9, “I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Revelation 2:26-28 tells us that Christ is the one as well. “To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end, I will give authority over the nations; to rule them with an iron rod, as when clay pots are shattered–even as I also received authority from my Father. To the one who conquers I will also give the morning star.”
Christ is the one who rules with a rod of iron and is the one who rules the nations. So what is happening in the image? The dragon, who is the devil, is waiting for the child to come, Christ, so that the dragon can devour the child. We see in the scriptures the many attempts of Satan to destroy Christ. When Jesus was born, Herod tried to kill Jesus, causing Joseph and Mary to flee with Jesus to Egypt. Satan tried to destroy Jesus in the wilderness with temptations so that Jesus could not fulfill his work. We know Satan tried to destroy Christ by crucifying him. Satan is repeatedly trying to destroy Christ. These events fulfill the prophecy in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Satan would bruise the heel of Christ in these attempts to destroy Christ.
But notice what happens. The child was caught up to God and to his throne. Satan kills Christ, but Christ is not destroyed. Three days later Christ raises from the dead and days later ascends into heaven to receive the kingdom. So we are seeing a picture of Christ’s resurrection and ascension. This event was prophesied by Daniel in Daniel 7:13-14, “As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.” In this prophecy we see the ascension of Christ where He receives the kingdom and power. Ephesians 1:20-23 tells us the same thing. “God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” The devil is foiled in his attempt to destroy Christ.
Meanwhile the woman flees into the wilderness. Fleeing to the wilderness is symbolic of receiving protection and refuge by God. We understand this from the Old Testament where Moses fled Pharaoh into the wilderness and Elijah fled Ahab and Jezebel by dwelling in the wilderness. God’s people, the spiritual remnant of God, goes to refuge. We will see the reason why later in the book.
War in Heaven (12:7-10)
Michael and the angels of God fight the dragon, who is Satan. But the dragon does not prevail and he is thrown out of heaven and thrown to the earth. Now, when did this casting out of Satan take place? Premillennialism says that this event has not taken place yet and they are looking forward to this war. Others say that this happened at the beginning of the world, where Satan fell from heaven for his rebellion.
What do the scriptures teach? But notice verse 10. John hears a loud voice in heaven saying, “Now.” The very first word is now. Now is the time of these things. “Now” for John was in the first century. Continue reading in verse 10: “Now salvation, and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah have now come, because the accuser of our brethren has been thrown out; the one who accuses them before out God day and night.”
The war will take place when salvation, power, the kingdom of God, and the authority of Christ came. We read salvation coming in Acts 2:21, as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2: “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” When did the power come? Notice Mark 9:1, “And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” Now read Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Power would come when the Holy Spirit came. In Acts 2:4 we read that the Holy Spirit came, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The power came in Acts 2, the same time the kingdom of God came. Mark 9:1 says that the kingdom of God would come with power. When the people saw the power of God, they would know that the kingdom of God came. These things occurred in Acts 2:1-4.
When did the authority of Christ come? Ephesians 1:20-23 tells us that he received authority when he ascended to heaven and sat down at the right hand of God, far above all rulers, powers, and authorities. The authority of Christ came in Acts 1:9 when Christ ascended back to heaven.
Peter summarizes these very points in 1 Peter 3:21-22. Here Peter speaks about the salvation, power, kingdom, and authority of Christ has present realities. These things were not in the future nor were they things that were before the foundations of the world. All of these things occurred in the first century in Acts 1 and 2. Jesus also put these two events together when talking to the crowds. John 12:29-33 says, “Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to Him.’ Jesus answered and said, ‘This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.’ Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. ‘And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.’ This He said, signifying by what death He would die.” The ruler of this world, Satan, would be cast out when Christ was crucified and resurrected.
The point of all of these things is to show that Christ has conquered. Satan tried to win the battles but has lost. Satan tried to devour Christ and failed. Satan tried to win the war, but lost and is cast out of heaven. Christ has conquered and we are conquerors through the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and by not loving their lives to the death (Revelation 12:11). The saints of God are victorious. Now Satan knows that his time is short for he has lost.
Dragon and the Woman (12:13-17)
Now the dragon is persecuting the woman. Satan is persecuting God’s chosen people. This is the reason why the woman is taking refuge in the wilderness, protected by God during the times of tribulation. In verses 14-16 the dragon is also pictured as the serpent, as we see Satan in this form in Genesis 3. Satan sends his tribulations and troubles against God’s people, but they are protected. In verse 14 we see that this tribulation would take place for a time, times, and half a time. This reminds us of Revelation 11:2-3 and Daniel 12:7 where a time, times, and half a time refers to the shattering of the holy people. Thus, Satan attempts to destroy the true spiritual Israel of God by destroying the holy city, but fails again. God’s true people are protected from the attacks of Satan.
Satan is now enraged due to his repeated failures and begins to wage war with the rest of the offspring of the woman, all those who keeps the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus. Satan tried to destroy Christ and failed. Satan waged war in heaven and failed. Satan tried to destroy God’s people through tribulations and troubles and through the destruction of Jerusalem that occurred for a time, times, and half a time. But Satan failed in all this attempts. Christ and his people are victorious, but Satan is not done. We will see in the next chapters what else Satan is going to do to thwart the plan of God.
