Introduction: I have quoted the whole of chapter 12 but printed it in three colours because I believe that we have three different, although related, thoughts highlighted!
a) Thoughts about a pregnant woman, her adversary and what happened at the time of the male child’s birth. b) War in heaven between Good and Evil forces. Victory won for those on the side of Good because of the ‘Messiah and the Blood of the Lamb’! c) The devil, now earth based acts out his evil character.
Today we will deal that printed in red! If you don’t have a lot of time, only read the red portion!
1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
(7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. 16 But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.)
Comment: on that printed in red! Here we have a number of visionary concepts to name for what they mean. I suggest for your prayerful thoughts
1. The woman dressed in magnificent imagery is Israel, who is God’s chosen as a nation. The twelve stars making up her crown are the 12 sons of Jacob, after whom Israel is called. Jacob was renamed Israel by God.
2. The pregnancy referred to is when she is bearing the Incarnate ‘Son of God’.
3. The third of the stars fallen from the sky represent Satan and those who have chosen to side with the Evil One rather than God.
4. The Cross event is the Devil’s failed attempt to destroy Jesus.
5. Israel has lost her pre-eminent place until the time of the rapture. We have 2 more days to consider the chapter.
Remember that I promised at the beginning to give my thoughts and not to regurgitate others’ thinking. Maybe it is now your time to trust the Holy Spirit of God to lead you through a search into these difficult passages of the Book of Revelation!
Ecclesiastes 12: 13,14 – The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Prayer: I don’t understand it all, Father, but I thank You, that I can trust You to bring everything to a Glorious Ending!