Revelation 12:1-2 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
Who is this woman? She is a symbolic picture of Israel. The OT pictures Israel often as the wife of God. Isaiah 54 tells us this:
5 For your Maker is your husband,
The LORD of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called the God of the whole earth.
6 For the LORD has called you
Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Like a youthful wife when you were refused,” Says your God. 7 “ For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you. 8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”
Says the LORD, your Redeemer.
There are three other symbolic women that appear in the book of Revelation. These are worth noting here.
1. Jezebel representing paganism 2. the scarlet woman representing the apostate church and 3. the wife of the Lamb representing the true church.
This woman is clothed with the sun perhaps because Israel is the chosen of God. (Genesis 37:9-11) The moon under her feet according to John MacArthur could describe Israel's covenant relationship with God (1 Chronicles 23:31) and the twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel.
Israel is often pictured as a mother in travail. She has waited long for the promised Messiah and has suffered much.
Revelation 12:3-6 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.
This woman's enemy is Satan. Red speaks to bloodshed and the seven heads and ten horns and seven diadems represent his domination and rule over the seven past kingdoms and the ten future kingdoms of the earth. (Read Daniel Chapter 7)
Revelation 12:4-5 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.
The great fiery red dragon that stands before the woman ready to devour her Child is Satan. He is the mortal enemy of the woman. Satan's original fall from grace brought 1/3 of the angelic host into his camp...You can read about this in Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28 and Luke 18. Satan rules the world until the sound of the seventh trumpet.
Revelation 11:15-18 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power oand reigned.The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
God's plan from before the foundation of the world was for Jesus to die on the cross taking on our sin and paying the price for them. He was to be the sacrificial lamb slain on the 14th day of Nisan at the hour when the Passover lambs were slain. Jesus' resurrection assures us of God's approval and our salvation is secured when we trust Him for our salvation. Sin, death and Satan were all conquered at the cross. We live the life we live in the here and now through Jesus always from victory.
Satan's first goal was to keep Jesus from ever being born and thus thwarting God's plan. One of the major themes of the Old Testament is God's supernatural protection of the royal line of Judah through which the Messiah would come. There is also evidence of this in the genealogy of Christ through the line of Joseph and the line of Mary in the New Testament. (See Coniah's curse) It is also helpful to read the book of Esther, specifically Esther 3:6-15. Haman was used by Satan to target the entire Jewish race for annihilation and thwart God's plan for redemption. Destruction fell instead on Haman and the gallows he constructed for Mordecai were used by the King Ahaseurus for Haman's demise.
When that didn't work Satan's next plan was the destruction of the Son of God. Remember Herod's plan to kill the babies? Or how about the tempting of Jesus in the desert to skip the cross and take a shortcut to glory? If he could destroy Jesus, than he could destroy mankind. None of these plans worked and as this fifth verse in Revelation says Jesus was caught up to God and His throne upon His ascension into heaven...securing our salvation!
Revelation 12:6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
Israel will be supernaturally protected by God during the last half of the time of the tribulation in a place specifically prepared for her by God. 1,260 days = 42 months = 3.5 years. At the midpoint of the tribulation the AntiChrist breaks his covenant with Israel and sets up the abomination of desolation. (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15. Jerusalem will be devastated at this time and many Jews will flee for their lives.
Revelation 12:7-And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them[a] in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
There is a spiritual battle and it has been going on since the fall of Satan. (See Daniel 10:13 and Jude 9) The battle in heaven is intensifying perhaps reflecting the chaos and tribulation occurring below in the earthly realm. Job 1:6 and 2:1 tell us that although Satan was cast down from heaven, he still has access to it. His access will be denied here in Revelation 12 forevermore. All days in heaven are good ones but maybe this will be a paricularly good day.
Satan is not our friend...He is called the accuser of the brethren. He may appear as an angel of light but his desire is for the destruction of mankind. Satan has been described biblically as the serpent, the adversary, the devil, the prince of demons, the unclean spirit, the evil one, the author of all evil, a murderer and the father of all lies, the prince of this world, a demon, the god of this world, Belial, the prince of the power of the air, the angel of the abyss, the great red dragon, the accuser of the brethren and the dragon, the serpent of old. Whew!!!
Fortunately, we have an advocate, Jesus Christ, who ceaselessly intercedes for us before the throne of God.
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.--Hebrews 7:25
and from Romans 8...
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.--Romans 8:33-34
Praising Jesus for His unchangeable priesthood and looking forward to the time when Satan is cast down forever and quelled permanently!!
Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
If you are in heaven, rejoice! And a big Uh oh for those on the earth...watch out. Satan efforts will intensify during this final period.
Revelation 12:13-17 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
Verses 13 and 14 speak to Satan increasing the intensity of his persecution especially toward Israel and of the woman's (Israel) supernatural protection by God. She will be given the wings of eagles. Time and times and a half speak to the 3.5 years remaining in the tribulation. I think of Psalm 91:4 here and Isaiah 40.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
If you have the time don't stop reading Psalm 91 hear...read it in its entirety. God's providential protection at its best!
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
NOTHING...NOTHING happens to us that is outside of our God's sovereign control. Isaiah 54:16-17 says this:
16 “ Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an instrument for his work;
And I have created the spoiler to destroy.
17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the LORD.
Revelation 12:16-17 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Again a picture of God's supernatural protection of His chosen people, Israel. No weapon formed against them would prosper. Satan is enraged at being thwarted and goes against the rest of the woman's offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Believers are marked by their obedience to the word of God and their testimony to the truth of God's word.
Note: A big thanks to John MacArthur's study notes on Revelation 12. Much was gleaned here from his diligence to rightly divide the word of truth.
