Revelation 12

The woman, her offspring, and the dragon

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 And she was pregnant and labored to give birth and cried out in pain.

12:2 Evidently this verse looks back to the birth of Christ two thousand years ago.⚜

3 And another sign appeared in heaven: a great red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns appeared, with seven crowns on his heads. 4 And his tail dragged away a third part of the stars of heaven, and threw them down to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born.

12:4 This seems to look back to the original fall of Satan and the fall of many of God’s angels with him.⚜

5 And she bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught up to God and his throne.

12:1-5 This begins another break in the narrative before the seven bowls of wrath in chapters 15,16. The end of this age comes with the 7th trumpet, but it seems clear that chapters 12–14 look back at events before the 7th trumpet sounds, and give us additional information about those days.⚜

12:5 Jesus was born as a son of Israel of the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5; Rom 1:3; Gal 4:4).⚜

6 And the woman fled into a desolate area, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there for a thousand two hundred and sixty days.

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but did not win. And no longer was a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown out, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, who deceives 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 salvation and strength

and the kingdom of our God,

and the authority of his Christ have come,

for the accuser of our brethren,

who accused them in the presence

of our God day and night,

has been thrown down.

11 And they overcame him by the blood

of the Lamb,

and by the word of their testimony;

and they did not love their lives even to death.

12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens,

and you who live in them.

Woe to the inhabitants of the earth

and the sea!

For the devil has come down to you

with great wrath,

because he knows that he has only

a short time left”.

13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown to the earth, he persecuted the woman who bore the male child.

12:13 Satan will try to destroy Israel.⚜

14 And the woman was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the desolate area, into her place, from the presence of the serpent, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

12:14 We do not know what exact things “two wings of a great eagle” and “desolate area” may mean here. We do know that somehow, somewhere God will enable Israel to escape and will protect her (v 6; Jer 30:7).⚜

15 And the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, for the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed up the flood that the dragon spewed out of his mouth.

12:15-16 For an understanding of the details of this we await the fulfillment. Satan will do all in his power to destroy the people of God, but will be unable to do so.⚜

17,18 And the dragon was angry with the woman and went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.