Verses 1-2 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: 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Most of the events in this chapter have already happened.
The Greek word translated as “wonder” is “semeion” and it means a sign, a mark, an unusual occurrence transcending the common course of nature, or signs related to remarkable events soon to happen. This sign was a woman, the sun, the moon, and stars. Once again the Old Testament needs to be consulted as to what these objects represent. A return to the dream of Joseph in the book of Genesis reveals that in his dream the sun represented his father, Jacob, the moon represented his mother, Rachel, and the twelve stars represented his brothers, all of whom became the Hebrew nation of Israel. This woman was to bring forth a child and the physical nation of Israel is where the LORD Jesus Christ was born and raised, the promised Messiah. Since the physical Hebrew nation of Israel is no longer, the vision above can also be referring to Spiritual Israel. And who is Spiritual Israel today? The Christian believers who make up the true Church of the LORD Jesus Christ is the Israel of today. Galatians 3:7 states, “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” The physical children of Abraham became the physical nation of Israel. The believers that are in Christ through faith make up the spiritual nation of Israel.
The Greek word translated as “woman” is “gune” and it means a woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow. It can also mean a betrothed woman. It does not refer to a harlot which is a prostitute or a promiscuous woman. In Scripture, the harlot often refers to and is metaphor for false religions. This woman that the Apostle John saw in his vision represents both the system of worship God put in place for the Hebrew people when they came out of Egypt and were dwelling in the desert and were under the Old Covenant, and she represents the Church which is under the New Covenant.
Verses 3-4 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. 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.
The dragon is a name for Satan. Red is the color representing sin or unrighteousness. Heads represent power, prominence, or anything supreme. Horns are representative of strength. The Greek word translated as “crowns” is “diadema” which means a diadem (a jeweled crown or headband worn as a symbol of sovereignty). This is a picture of the earthly religious and political systems. The third part of the stars of heaven are the fallen angels that were cast out of Heaven and onto the Earth.
Application: As pointed out previously in the study of other Bible books, Satan has tried to destroy both the Hebrew people of the nation Israel, and the baby Jesus. Then he tried to destroy the LORD Jesus Christ via the crucifixion. Why? Because he knows Scripture and the prophecies contained therein. His goal is to be God and so his effort to stop God’s divine plan of salvation is apparent when studying the history of the Hebrew people and the story of the birth of the LORD Jesus Christ.
Verses 5-6 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. 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.
Physical Israel was the nation through which Jesus came to bring salvation. Jesus is the “man child” in the verses above. Jesus fulfilled the prophesies and the law. He was the only person to keep the Old Covenant which is now decayed and gone. He kept the Old Covenant and His ministry functioned under the religious system set up by Moses. Over and over again Jesus instructed individuals He healed to go and offer their sacrifice to the Temple priests as per the law of Moses. After Jesus’ resurrection He ascended up into Heaven, established the Church and the New Covenant, and now continues to rule and reign over the affairs of mankind. The physical nation of Israel was scattered throughout the world and, because the Temple records were destroyed during the siege and fall of Jerusalem to the Roman army in 70AD, no person today can trace their genealogy to the original Hebrew patriarchs. Spiritual Israel or the Church was also scattered because of persecution throughout the entire world. The wilderness represents the world that is without the truth of the Gospel. The length of days in the verses above represent the 3 1/2 years of Jesus’ earthly ministry and that ministry, through spiritual Israel, will continue until time is no more.
Application: The woman, physical Israel’s Old Covenant religious system, exists on every continent and in every country as people claiming to be “Jews” or physical descendants of Abraham practice their rituals and feasts as they believe was done under the Mosaic law. The woman, spiritual Israel (the church), is located on every continent and in every country. The wilderness or the unsaved world still exists today and the purpose of Christian evangelism is to spread the truth of the Gospel to those that need to hear it, including the Jews, so that all people have the opportunity to become believers and citizens of the spiritual Kingdom of God.
Application: Under the Old Covenant, commandments and laws were written down, first by God on the tablets of stone, and then by His prophet, Moses. Blood was required to be shed and millions of sheep, goats, cattle, and birds were slaughtered down through the centuries as payment for the sins of the people. However, the Old Covenant did not work because people did not work. A covenant is merely an agreement between two parties. God basically said to the Hebrew people, “If you do this, I will do that.” The people rebelled over and over and did not keep their part of the Covenant. So a New Covenant was needed and Jesus provided that through His shed blood. He was/is called the Lamb of God and His death and shed blood was/is the last sacrifice for sin. So God’s commandments and laws do not have to written down anymore, as they are in each and every person that repents, that is baptized, and then filled with the Holy Ghost/Spirit. The Holy Ghost/Spirit tells believers what is right and what is wrong, what to do, where to go, and how to function in this wicked world. Those people who think they can get to Heaven by keeping the Old Covenant need to understand that it does not exist any more and their efforts will be no more successful than those of the Hebrew people in the old nation of Israel.
“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: Hebrews 8:10
Verses 7-9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 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.
There has always been war between the angels of the LORD and the fallen angels who follow after Satan. Because it is happening in the Heavens and involves spirits, people cannot see what is going on. But the same war has been and is happening on Earth between those that are followers of Jesus and those that are serving their father, the Devil. The battle between Moses and Pharaoh recorded in the book of Exodus is just one example of this battle. Those believers who are spiritually in tune to Jesus often report feeling oppression or great sadness not connected to their physical life or activities. They are sensing this battle. Daniel chapter 10 records an encounter the prophet Daniel had with an angel who was sent to him for the purpose of revealing events in the future. The angel reported, “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days:” Daniel 10:13-14
There are denominations that teach that Satan is still able to access God’s throne in Heaven to accuse the believers like he did of Job as recorded in that Old Testament book. But verse 9 above clearly reports that he was cast out into the Earth.
The Greek word translated as “dragon” is “drakon” and this is another descriptor or name for Satan. The Greek word translated as “serpent” is “ophis” and it is also a descriptor or name for Satan. The Greek word translated as “Devil” is “diabolos” and the Greek word translated as “Satan” is “Satanas”. All these words are titles, names, and descriptors of the Devil. The King James Bible capitalizes Devil in these verses to differentiate Satan from lower level devils or fallen angels. In other verses, devil is not capitalized so it is sometimes difficult to know if Satan or one of his angels is the devil being written about.
When was Satan cast out of Heaven? This is an ongoing debate, but this writer thinks it occurred before the crucifixion of the LORD Jesus Christ. Jesus said as recorded in Luke 10:18, “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” As such, Satan was then confined to Earth. Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Mark 1:13) and he entered into Judas Iscariot (Luke 22:3) just before Jesus’ arrest by the Jewish religious leaders. The prophet Isaiah recorded in chapter 14, verse 6, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations.” This writer was taught that these verses refer to Satan and his fall. The problem here is that the name “Lucifer” only occurs this one time in all of Scripture, and in these verses it appears to be referring to the king of Babylon. The Christian church has long taught that this passage in Isaiah is describing Satan’s desire to be like God and to rule as God, but this passage can also fit any number of Earthly rulers from the past up to and including the present day, rulers who believed/believe they were/are divine and had/have the right to lord it over the peoples of the nations. Read the whole 14th chapter in Isaiah and see what conclusions you come to. So, this writer does not know when Satan was cast out. Do the research and see what you can find.
Verses 10-11 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 them before our God day and night. 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.
Verse 10 above appears to support this writer’s statement that Satan was cast out from Heaven and from the presence of God before the crucifixion of Jesus as it states that the Kingdom of God is come, present tense. Why is the kingdom come? Because the accuser of the brethren, Satan, is cast down. Jesus came to establish His kingdom which He said was not of this world. Apparently, part of His plan was to ban Satan from Heaven and confine him on the Earth before establishing His spiritual Kingdom. “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” John 18:36 Part of the establishing of Jesus’ Kingdom concerns the presence and the activity of the Holy Ghost/Spirit. Jesus’ Spirit became the promised Comforter when His fleshly body died on the cross and His Spirit left His body and was called the Holy Ghost. A ghost is a spirit that has inhabited a human body. The names Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit are used interchangeably both in the New Testament Scripture and in this web site.
Application: Many Christian churches teach that the Romans were responsible for the killing of Jesus. The above words spoken by Jesus as recorded in John 18:36 and multiple New Testament passages clearly show that it was the Jews, and only the Jews, who persecuted Jesus, conspired to murder Him, and then held an unlawful trial in the middle of the night with false witnesses to render a verdict of guilty of blasphemy. It was the Jews who took Jesus to Pilot to get a Roman political verdict and execution. It was the Jews who murdered their own Messiah. History can be rewritten, but the truth remains and churches that teach otherwise need to be viewed with suspicion as the truth is what sets people free. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32
Verses 12-14 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. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14 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.
The angels of God rejoice that Satan is no longer granted free passage into the throne room of God. And the saints that are living in Heaven rejoice also. But those living on the Earth have to deal with an angry Satan. His aspirations to rule and reign from Heaven have been destroyed and his goal now is to destroy as much of God’s creation as he can before his time is up. Pollution, earthquakes, weather disasters, disease, illness and infirmity, government corruption, cruelty, persecutions, assassinations, murders, false flags, whatever is negative and harmful to both people and critters is a result of his activities and those of the fallen angels doing his bidding. This is not to imply that mankind is innocent of these negative things and it is all the devils’ fault. Those people serving Satan are in his kingdom, have made an agreement with Hell, and are carrying out his wishes.
Application: According to verse 13 above, both the Jewish people and the people of the true Church of Jesus Christ, the Christians, are receiving the brunt of Satan’s anger. That is why as long as time continues and the Devil and his angels are active on the Earth, persecution will continue. The Jewish people were scattered throughout the nations as were the early Christians, and there they continue to be until the LORD Jesus Christ returns one time to this Earth to gather the unrighteous to eternal punishment and the righteous to eternal reward. But the situation is not hopeless as verse 11 above shows that believers are over comers because of the shed blood of Jesus and because of the Word and their testimony.
Verses 15-17 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. 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. 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. (Revelation 12)
The Greek word translated as “water” is “hudor” and it means water in rivers, fountains and pools, a deluge, or waves of the sea. But it is used as metaphor to mean many peoples. Notice that over the last few hundred years, many people have risen up with false religions, false bibles, false preaching and false teachings regarding God. Along with this has come a rise in social misbehavior, a rise in crime, and a rise in negative speech and actions towards the things of God. Persecution of the Christian Church is at an all time high. If living in a Western country, this may not seem to be the case, but an investigation into Christian persecution will show that it is relentless. China has persecuted and executed Christians for decades. Christians can no longer preach on street corners, but prostitutes can solicit and anti God speech is accepted. Christians who have handed out tracts have been arrested and accused of “hate” crimes. Christians cannot pray in many schools and students have been prevented from praying or sharing their faith both in the classroom or in the locker room. Pastors have had to leave countries such as Denmark because they face arrest for not complying with government sanctioned religion. So Satan has raised up people, organizations, and governments to try to destroy the true Church of Jesus, but a way has always been provided and the people of God are still here, still working for the Kingdom of God, still living by faith, and still influencing the world for good in a wicked and perverse environment.