This chapter of Revelation is referred to as a “great” chapter, for we find many "great" things that are written about. In verse 1, we find a “great wonder”; in verse 3, we see a “great dragon”; a “great wrath” in verse 12; and a “great eagle” in verse 14.
But that is not all we find. We also find a great help because we will find a great spiritual insight that will help us know more about and understand our great enemy.
In VERSES 1-2, we read,
“A great sign appeared in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet. She had a crown of 12 stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony to give birth.”
There are many thoughts as to who this woman is. Suggestions range from Mary giving birth to Jesus to the church giving birth to a worldly life, but scripture can easily dispute ever one of these claims.
I believe the woman is a representation of Israel. What would Israel be giving birth to? The answer to that is Jesus Christ. When we get to verse 4, we will explain further.
VERSE 3:
“Then, another sign appeared in the heaven; there was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and 10 horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.”
In the Bible, Satan is always referred to as a dragon. Since the beginning of time, the mention of a dragon has produced absolute fear in man’s heart. That also embodies the spirit of Satan – something to fear! This reference to Satan as a dragon is repeated throughout Bible, as seen in –
ISAIAH 27:1
“On that day the Lord, with His harsh, great, and strong sword will bring judgment on the Leviathan, the serpent. He will slay the dragon that is in the sea.”
In REVELATION 12:3, the seven heads refer to the one world government, which is ruled by Rome. It has biblically been referred to as the “City of 7 Hills” because Rome has always been a seat of government and is surrounded by seven large hills.
The 7 heads refers to a specific location, the 10 horns refer to the 10 different areas (or regions) that are put in place around the world that will serve Rome. The diadems (or crowns) refer to the heads of states in these 10 areas. They will serve Rome and the Antichrist.
VERSE 4:
“His tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth, he might devour her child.”
When this verse refers to “stars”, it is referring to the biblical reference of angels. Lucifer was the chief of all created beings when he was in heaven. When he launched his rebellion against God, he was cast out of heaven along with a third of all the angels. These angels were the ones who aligned themselves with Lucifer to come against God. They were all thrown out of heaven and hurled to the earth.
The word “hurled” implies a great force was used to catapult them away from God. It was not a “soft” pitch, but a very forceful throwing; such as one would see when done in great anger! The dragon, as said earlier, is a reference to Satan. This verse says the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth. Why would this be written this way by John?
In verse 2, I said I thought this woman represented Israel. Here is why I believe that: Throughout the bible, Satan’s chief objective is to annihilate and override Israel. Whether it was through Cain killing Able, or Hitler killing the Jews, or even through today’s Islamic nations wanting to erase Israel from the face of the earth, we see that Satan has always tried to keep Israel from belonging to God.
I believe the dragon (Satan) is determined to devour the child the woman will give birth to so that the child cannot accomplish his purpose. Israel is the woman, who will give birth to Jesus Christ, the child. See, if Satan could somehow kill Jesus Christ when he was born, there would be no Christianity for him to worry about, and Satan would then win. That is why Satan stood in front of the woman, ready to devour the child.
VERSE 5:
“But she gave birth to a Son – a male child – who is going to shepherd all nations with an iron scepter; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.”
The dragon was not able to devour the baby. The baby, of course, is Jesus Christ. And Jesus was swept up to heaven with His Father and to His own throne.
VERSE 6:
“The woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place already prepared for her by God, to be fed there for 1260 days.”
Let me explain the difference between the “Tribulation” and the “Great Tribulation.” It all starts with the Rapture. We believe the Rapture will occur just before the Tribulation begins. That is when Jesus Christ comes back to stand in the clouds and calls all true believers up to meet Him.
We have all heard about the last 7 years, or the End Times, that will occur. At the end of this 7-year period, Jesus will return to the earth itself for the 2nd time and that is when He will take possession of it and rule for 1,000 years.
This 7-year period is divided into two equal parts. The dividing line in the middle is when the antichrist goes into the Temple and will declare that he is God and mandate everybody on earth either worship him or be put to death.
The first 3½ years 7-year period is the “Tribulation”. It will be a time of false peace and prosperity. But the Antichrist will use that time to grow in influence and power. He will play “Mr. Nice Guy” until that time. Starting at this time, he will put the hammer down and turn vicious towards God and all that love Jesus.
That is the beginning of the “Great Tribulation.” This will be the worst time in the history of the world, and Jesus commented on it by saying that if God did not end it, none would survive. God tells the Israelites to “flee” and hide for 1260 days (3½ years.)
When the Antichrist slithers into the Temple, as Jesus predicted in Matthew 24:15, the Great Tribulation will begin. At that time, Israel will be severely persecuted. In that verse, Jesus gives Israel a dire warning!
“So when you see the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, then those in Judea must flee to the mountains!”
There are a couple things in this verse we should pay close attention to: By using the word “abomination”, Jesus is exclaiming loudly and clearly that the Antichrist is totally against God. He is also referring back to the prophecies of Daniel, showing that these are to be listened to instead of being glossed over as if they meant nothing.
He is also saying that when the Antichrist steps into the Temple as if it were his own, the people of Israel must flee to the mountains. You will notice that most versions of the Bible have an exclamation point at the end of this verse. This shows a powerful and dire warning to get out and hide from that awful day of persecution.
ISAIAH 16:1~4 shows us exactly where their hiding place will be.
“Send lambs to the ruler of the land, from Sela in the desert to the mountain of Daughter Zion. 2 Like a bird fleeing, forced from the nest, the daughters of Moab will be at the fords of the Arnon. 3 Give us counsel and make a decision. Shelter us at noonday with shade that is as dark as night. Hide the refugee; do not betray the one who flees. 4 Let My refugees stay with you; be a refuge for Moab from the aggressor. When the oppressor has gone, destruction has ended, and marauders have vanished from the land.”
“Sela” means “rock”, or the literal word translation is “Petra.” (Petra is also a city built into the rocks of the cliffs.) It is a truly amazing city. Located in Moab, or present-day Jordan, this city is carved of pure stone and has stood unbothered for centuries, preserved largely because the only entrance into the city is a passageway between the cliffs that is only 12-feet wide at its widest point. Surely, no enemy could survive trying to invade this city while trying to come in through such a narrow road.
It is always reassuring to know that God has always had it all figured out and He has always been in control. We see how He has already made plans to protect His people, Israel, from the Antichrist. And we must remember that, as He watches out and protects Israel, He also watches out and protects us Gentiles who are adopted into His family by the blood of Jesus.
VERSE 7~9:
And then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, 8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was thrown out – the ancient serpent, who is called the “Devil” and “Satan.” He is the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.
Halfway through the Great Tribulation, Satan and his demonic angels come up against God another time and they cannot win this time, either. After they were defeated, God said there was no place for them in heaven any more. So He cast them down to the earth.
You are probably thinking that Satan has already been cast out of heaven before this. You are right, but as we see, he still had access to heaven, where he would stand and continually accuse believers of their sins, trying to persuade God not give them any rewards.
Getting back to verses 7~9; our society sometimes has a tendency to “whitewash” or “downplay” the evil of Satan. Here are some very accurate words that describe Satan that we should all make sure we know and remember:
The word “Devil” means “accuser”, “liar”, “adversary”, or “enemy”. The most apt description of him is “one who hides it the shadows, ready to devour the unsuspecting.” We must always remember the despicable hatred and evil that awaits us if we are not focused on God at all times and are just going through life not expecting anything to happen to us. That is when we will be our most vulnerable!
VERSE 10:
“Then, I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: ‘The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah have now come because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out: The one who accuses them before our God, day and night.”
This verse begins by telling us that the day of the Lord’s reign is here! And it also tells us that Satan has been ousted from heaven. This verse also calls Satan an “accuser.” But Satan didn’t just make accusations to God against us; he also whispers in our ears every day, reminding us that we “aren’t good enough” to be children of God, or that we aren’t saved because of some of the bad things we have done in our lives. Once an accuser – always an accuser! We just have to keep in mind that once we were forgiven; those sins simply disappeared so there is nothing left for Satan to accuse us of committing.
Let me tell you right now what the difference is between Satan accusing you of your sins, and a Christian telling you of your sins. Satan accuses; the Christian convicts. Let me explain.
When you are accused of your sin, it is done in a manner of hatred and disgust. It offers you no way to overcome what you are being accused of, except pure punishment. This is about keeping you tied down to the sin in your life, never being able to get past them.
When you are convicted of your sin, it is done with a heart of love. God uses conviction as a way to offer you the chance to shed the guilt of your sins through another act of love – an act of loving Jesus Christ. This is about your getting on with your life and not being held back.
One hinders and one helps. One pushes you further away from God and one brings you closer to God. One urges you to go further and one demands you stop and stay where you are, never moving forward. One tells you that you just don’t measure up, and one tells you that with God, you measure up just fine!
VERSES 11~12:
“They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives in the face of death. 12 Therefore, rejoice O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, for the Devil has come down to you with great fur, because he knows he has a short time only.”
Satan was finally overpowered in heaven, through the authority of Jesus Christ and the testimony of the angels who supported Jesus. But as much as heaven can now rejoice, earth cannot, for Satan is now on the surface of the earth looking for new ways to devour new people. Satan is working extra hard to keep us from going to heaven because he knows his time is very short. We must remember that, as Satan was overcome in heaven, we have the same tools here on earth to overcome him. Those tools are the blood of Jesus and the power of God’s spoken Word.
One very important thing we should always keep in mind is that Satan hates God and everything that God made. God made us in His image, and Satan’s desire is to keep us from choosing to follow to God. Satan would rather spend eternity with us in hell than see any of us spend eternity with God in heaven. That is the depth and depravity of his hatred.
VERSE 13:
“When the dragon saw (or realized) that he had been thrown to earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.”
Unable to continue persecuting believers in heaven, Satan now concentrates all of his hatred into persecuting God’s people, the Jews, hoping this will keep Jesus from fulfilling the prophecy of His coming reign.
VERSE 14:
“The woman was given two wings of a great eagle so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was fed for a time, times, and a half time.”
What are these two wings? Some have said it is the symbol of America and our military power which would help the Jews during this time. After all, America has been the only nation who consistently stood behind Israel since they came back into their land in 1948. All we know for sure is that God will keep His promise and prophecies. He will protect His children.
And as far as the two wings…. we do not know what they actually are, but we do know that God has used this terminology before. (Read Exodus 19:4 and Deuteronomy 32:9-12) Safety is promised to His people.
We do know that whatever the wings are, they will make sure Israel gets away from the persecution of Satan and into a place of relative safety. They will be taken care of here for “a time, times, and a half time.” This is an expression that is also found in Deuteronomy 7:15, and it means a period of time that is 3½ in length.
(For those of you who want a deeper explanation, a short commentary explaining the “time, times, and a half times” is attached to the end of this study.)
VERSE 15~16:
“And from the serpent’s mouth, he spewed water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away in a flooding torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman; the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the water that the serpent had spewed from his mouth.”
This flood will be an attack of propaganda against the Jews. Anti-Semitic accusations, slanders, slurs will be broadcast world wide, yet God says in
ISAIAH 59-19 –
“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.”
Satan has always hated God and Jesus ever since he tried to take their place on the Heavenly Throne during his rebellion. They defeated him and cast him out of heaven. He has been riled up since, doing everything he can to take as many people to hell with him as possible, and to destroy the Jewish people so that Jesus cannot come back and reign in Jerusalem.
Satan lies have lead many away from the Lord. We can see that by how many people today are disobeying God, denying Him, and persecuting anyone who does love God. He will also wreak havoc over the Jewish nation in the Great Tribulation. Many Jews will be killed. How many? According to Zechariah 13:9, about two-thirds of the Jews will be killed. But the good news is, the third that is left will come to acknowledge the Lord our God.
VERSES 17:
“So the dragon was furious with the woman, and he left to wage war against the rest of her offspring (those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony about Jesus). He stood on the sand of the sea.”
Again, we see that Satan unleashes his hatred toward God’s people and actually wages war against them. Will he win? No, he will be defeated again. The moral to this chapter is this:
Satan (the dragon) comes against the woman (Israel) so he can stop the child she is about to give birth to (Jesus.) The dragon is so enraged; he comes against Michael and the other angels and is defeated and cast out of heaven. After he has been cast down to the earth, he then takes his great hatred out against Israel, trying to destroy the Jews. But he does not win against them.
As we read through and discuss the book of Revelation, we must understand that this is not a book of gloom and doom or of destruction and hate. It is a book of hope that was given to God’s people and the message to them was, “keep the faith and persevere, for you will become victorious and you will spend eternity with the One you worship”.
That message rings loud and clear for us today. Jesus will soon return to fulfill His promises, and to rule and reign as King. May God bless you richly as you read and study this book of Revelation.
* COMMENTARY *
By Douglas E. Cox
(this can be seen in more detail at: http://www.sentex.net~tcc/Daniels_Time.html)
The "time, times, and a half" is usually understood as representing three and a half years. The phrase occurs in Revelation 12:14, and similar periods of 42 months, and 1,260 days, are mentioned by John elsewhere in Revelation.
Note that 1,260 days are not the exact equivalent of three and one half years; in modern calendars a period of three and a half years is approximately 1,278 days. The calendar used by the Hebrews and Babylonians was a solar-lunar one, in which some years consisted of 13 months. There were 12 years with 12 months, and 7 years with 13 months in 19 years. This may seem a bit confusing to us today, but to the Babylonians, it was as simple to them as ours is today to us. The 19-year cycle was known to the Babylonians in the time of Daniel.
Using appropriate combinations of 12 and 13-month years, the mysterious numbers mentioned in Daniel 12:11-12 can be shown to be equivalent to "time, times, and a half", where each section has different units, some years being 12 months, and others being 13 months. Daniel refers to 1,290 days and 1,335 days.
The first line of the table below shows 1 year of 13 months, 2 years of 12 months, plus a half year of 12 months, for a total of 1,290 days. Similarly the second line shows 1 year of 12 months, 2 years of 13 months, and a half year of 13 months, for a total of 1,335 days. The extra months can be added in other combinations, besides the ones shown here.
13 x 30 = 390 2 x 12 x 30 = 720 12 x 30 / 2 = 180 Total: 1,290 days
12 x 30 = 360 2 x 13 x 30 = 780 13 x 30 / 2 = 195 Total: 1,335 days
Since Daniel provides two different numbers for the duration of the "time, times, and a half", it cannot be a literal three and a half years.
The 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel 9 is related to the "time, times, and a half". The 70 weeks are also broken down into 3 sections, consisting of 7 weeks, 62 weeks, and one week, and the final week can be subdivided into 2 half-weeks.
Each of these sections may require different units, just as various units are required in the calculation of the 1,290 days, and the 1,335 days, as shown in the table above.
* NOTE TO READERS: I have studied very long hours over several years to understand the Book of Revelation. I have criss-crossed every reference I had and have come up with an understanding that I truly believe is correct.
This is not a "deep" study, nor was it intended to be. My intention was to create a study that the average individual could understand and that it could help bring them closer to reading this wonderful book on their own. If your understanding differs, I would greatly appreciate your telling me so that we can come up with possibly an even better project ... and one that can also be used to make congregations comfortable with this book.
Thank you for taking the time to read and consider these studies.
