Let’s begin to understand the mystery of the woman who gave birth to a child and was persecuted by the dragon.
The Woman
Revelation 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:
At first glance, this appears to be speaking of Israel and Mary, but as we shall see by the end of the chapter, it has a deeper meaning, because there are others who are included as children of this woman who is in heaven. This is our mother, New Jerusalem (Revelation 12:2, 9-12). Israel is both a mother who gave birth to Jesus (Micah 4:10; 5:3; Song of Solomon 6:10), and a Bride (Isaiah 54:5; 61:10; 62:5).
Revelation 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
The Jewish church gave birth to the Savior and His Bride the Christian Church.
Revelation 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 is symbolic of the evil one.
Revelation 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.
This is commonly understood as describing a third of the angels turning bad and becoming demons.
Revelation 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.
This is obviously Jesus.
Revelation 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.
1260 days equals 42 months and 3 1/2 years.
Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
The timing of this appears to be around the birth of Christ and seems to refer to the spiritual battle that necessitated Christ’s parents fleeing to Egypt for a time. However, it also seems to be looking back at a previous time in distant antiquity when the devil was cast out of heaven (Luke 10:18). It also pictures the spiritual battle faced by the church.
Revelation 12:8-9 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 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.
This is how they ended up in the abyss or prison (2 Peter 2:4) often translated as hell, but is the only scripture where a word loaned from Greek mythology, tartaroo is used, picturing an abyss or dungeon of torment.
Revelation 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 [accuses] them before our God day and night.
The word “accused” is “accuses” in Greek, revealing an ongoing false accusation from the devil. Michael the archangel did not return accusation for accusation against the devil, but instead said, “The Lord rebuke you.” (Jude 9). King David was inspired to write Psalm 109 as a prayer against his accusers.
Revelation 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.
How do we overcome the devil? All accusations, true and false, are covered by faith in the blood of the Lamb. If our testimony is to be true, it must be based on the Word of God (John 17:17). Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.” (John 8:31) The paradox of Christianity is that if we love our lives, we are in danger of losing them (John 12:25). Not every Christian will become a martyr, as many still are in countries where persecution exists, but are we willing to live self-sacrificially (Romans 12:1)?
Revelation 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.
This is literally “woe to the earth and the sea.” This describes the suffering of everything that exists on planet earth and its primary cause, the devil.
Revelation 12:13-14 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 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.
Two wings of an eagle are used in the Exodus (Exodus 19:4). David and Elijah fled into the wilderness to escape persecution (1 Samuel 23:14-15; 1 Kings 19:4). Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt (Matthew 2:13–23). Persecutions against the New Testament church have been many and varied, from the earliest persecutions by Jews and Romans, then Persian and Islamic persecutions, then Christian to Christian persecutions, Nazi and Communist persecutions, and contemporary persecution across North Africa and Asia. 1260 days adds up to 42 months and three and a half years, a time, times and half a time.
Revelation 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.
The flood can symbolize an invading army (Jeremiah 46:7-8; Jeremiah 47:2; Isaiah 8:7-8), ungodliness (2 Samuel 22:5, Psalm 18:4), and a flood of wickedness and evil things (1 Peter 4:4; Proverbs 15:28).
Revelation 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.
This occurred where Moses’ persecutors Korah, Dathan and Abiram, were swallowed up by the earth (Numbers 16:30-32). The earth is perhaps also symbolic of an earthly power which may be quite corrupt in other ways but helps the church, such as Constantine legalizing the southern European church, various civil rulers protecting the Waldensians in the European Alps, and Frederick the Wise protecting Luther.
Revelation 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.
Here we see that others are also children of this woman. They are those who keep God’s commandments and have the testimony of Christ, obviously referring to the church, mother Zion (Isaiah 66:5-11) and Jerusalem above (Galatians 4:26).
For Christians, keeping God’s commandments is in the spirit and not the letter as Jesus explained in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and Paul taught (2 Corinthians 3:6) and as Jesus testified, the spiritual keeping of God’s commandments is summarized by the word love (Matthew 22:36-40). The testimony of Jesus is central to Christianity, trumping the twin heresies of traditionalist legalism and modernist liberalism.
