Revelation 12
The Woman and the Dragon
1Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth. 3Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. 4His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born. 5She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne. 6And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to care for her for 1,260 days.
Revelation 12:1-6
It is now time to get our hands dirty. In the previous Gem I gave you a huge clue to start you off on the right foot.
“Now to give you a massive clue to unravelling the mystery of Revelation, John tells us in our second segment of this block of writing that “There was war in heaven.” It is a flashback, be prepared for flashbacks, looking back in order to be able to move forward with clarity. It goes without saying, but I will say it anyway, you will need to take time to ponder what some of the symbolism in this large portion is referring to and to further complicate things the symbolism may well have multiple applications.” Gem 2291
- John begins 12:1 with the statement: “Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance . . .”
- In Revelation 12:7 he states: “Then there was war in heaven. . .”
These two statements belong together but true to my word, and God to His, we have now been given a huge flashback in order to help us understand where all of this comes from and once we understand, we can unravel the pieces. John has taken us back to the beginning to give us God’s overall perspective. What is the event in heaven of great significance? None other than that described in the beginning chapters of Genesis.
“And I will cause hostility [enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Genesis 3:15
Don’t forget that statement which is hidden behind the names in the Genesis 5 genealogy:
‘Man is appointed mortal sorrow, the Praise of God shall descend, teaching His death shall bring the despairing comfort.’ That prophetic statement sets the tone for the battle of the ages.’ See Gem 773
You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.
Isaiah 14:13-15
Jesus, spoke of this event, saying, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven”
Luke 10:18
There is a also a parallel passage in Ezekiel 28 where the King of Tyre is compared to satan. [I don’t spell satan with a capital letter – he is not worthy of it.] John clearly saw the moment in his vision in heaven when he wrote in Revelation 12:3-6:-
3Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. 4His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born. 5She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne. 6And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to care for her for 1,260 days.”
Revelation 12:3-6
Granted the language is figurative but that is the event being described. John begins right back in Genesis with the enmity between the devil and the woman and Christ child; God’s solution for the sin problem.
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Matthew 2:13-15
Yes, the description is different but this has to be the scenario depicted in Revelation 12:3-6. The period of time is short. 1260 days, 42 months and 3 and 1/2 years is a short time in accord with God shortening the time for the sake of the elect [// Matthew 24:22]. Between Revelation chapters 11-13 those three curiously different yet identical time frames are used five times. Most likely they describe different events all with the purpose of expressing the shortness of the time frame. It is clear what John saw and heard has drawn together these two ancient events, the fall of satan and the subsequent threat on the Christ-child.
Now we are forced to address the symbolism behind ‘the woman’ and ‘the red dragon’ as referenced in my title for this Gem. But I am going to address them in reverse order, like God often does in the Bible. Firstly, the red dragon because it is the easiest. Take careful note of what John himself wrote in our next segment.
This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.
Revelation 12:9
The dragon is none other than the devil, the serpent, satan, the prowling lion and whatever image you like (or the Bible uses) to describe him. John spells that fact out in detail so we don’t miss it. There are two hugely significant events which make clear to us what is happening in this world. God made His plan to deal with human sin clear. The Christ, the child born to save mankind, and the Coming Messiah are one and the same solution! But it must be coming clear to you now, if it hasn’t been clear already, that there is a war in heaven and there are wars on earth. The wars or battle on earth are the result of the battle in heaven; that is John’s point or Christ’s revelation to him. And one other point I have to make: why is the dragon red? The dragon, satan, the devil, the serpent is red with the blood of the saints and the martyrs. There is more coming on this point in the next Gem.
At this point let’s turn our attention to ‘the woman’. Who is the woman and what does she symbolise? Quite simply there are three alternatives on which most commentators and Bible experts agree in some way or permutation:
- The woman is Mary, mother of Jesus. (The Catholic view)
- The woman is the personification of Israel. (Pinchas Shir – Israel Bible Center) plus many others
- The woman is symbolic of the church, the people of God. (Dr Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg – IBC) and many others.
David Pawson was dubious about the link to Mary, but recognised the personification of Israel, while feeling the only one which made the most sense was the broadening of it all to encompass the Church of God worldwide and the inclusion of the people of the Old and New Covenants. Gordon Fee also agrees. That is the conclusion I have made after grappling with the text per se, before I looked at what the experts had to say. No, I have not consulted every one of the fifty plus volumes I have on hand in my library. I will develop this line of thinking more in the next Gem.
I personally think it is clearer than that and I believe that is what John has been shown in the revelations he has received from heaven in vision and voice. The crown of stars is important! Allow me to take us back to the symbolism of 12 patriarchs and 12 disciples or apostles. The unfolding visions have made it clear that the Old Covenant people of God and the New Covenant people of God are combined. The salvation plan of God covers them all. It stands to reason that the woman is symbolic for all the people of God. John himself wrote in his Gospel:
He came into the very world he created [his own things], but the world [inanimate objects] didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people [masculine plural people], and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him. and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
John 1:10-12
I believe I have explained that clearly enough already. I believe like Dr Eli (IBC) both are meant to be seen in ‘the woman’. She is symbolic of all the people of God. That must surely be why John’s prime theme is the salvation of those who hear His voice and are faithful and persevere to the end. There is more to say about that coming in the next Gem. Just look at the way John’s letter in Revelation unfolds. That has to be the over-arching message that we are to pick up. Everything in the letter is leading us to that conclusion both in the content and the way the letter is written and structured.
I make an attempt to limit the length of these Gems but in reality it is impossible, given the layered way Revelation is structured. There is just too much detail in the text to cover simply. Before I bring this Gem to a close I wish to add one more element of symbolism. It is one further aspect which Dr Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg has commented on as well. That concerns a further possible allusion to the constellations in the heavens related to the decans of Virgo (the Virgin). In their new book Hebrew Visions of Revelation Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg and Pinchas Shir, Dr Eli comments in passing on another possible connection. The 12 stars associated with Virgo, depicted in the ancient star cluster are shown as nine stars of Leo with three more in the tail. But what is fascinating are the ten stars in horns of Draco, the dragon (an associated decan). While the crown of Virgo is formed by seven stars in the Corona (Crown) star cluster. Yes, I agree there are further links made between each constellation chosen in the signs of the zodiac (the path) along with the three associated decans with each of the chosen constellations in the Zodiac. All are interrelated, not only among the star signs but symbolically in the links between them. I have only just touched on the intricacies of it all in the last two Nuggets in The Message in the Stars series.
The Big Picture of the Mazzaroth and its Meaning
The Depth and Intricacy of the Motifs and Connections between the Constellations
I totally agree with Dr Eli when he wrote “Much of the imagery John talks about can be tied to physical and observable context.” Page 113 of Hebrew Visions of Revelation. It is all interrelated in ways we could never have imagined. Of course there is more to come, hang on to your hat and make sure you are wearing socks so you can have the experience of having them blown off.
To answer the question posed in the title, the dragon is the devil and the woman in multiple ways represents the people of God.
Ian
It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Bob Dylan
If we are not seeking the Lord, the Devil is seeking us.
Charles Spurgeon
When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy.
Corrie Ten Boom