LESSON ELEVEN. CHAPTER 12

As John continues to re-address the events of the open scroll, he now sees a scene that views the work of God's faithful witnesses in the context of the heaven-based opposition of Satan. We track with John the opposition of Satan to believing Israel's testimony of Christ. We understand God's allegorical use of the laboring woman as a picture of believing Israel laboring to bring unbelieving Israel to faith. The event of giving birth is the successful delivery of the testimony, the unification of all Israel in Christ. This successful testimony (giving birth) is preceded by the death of many saints (stars of heaven thrown to earth), and then followed by Satan's expulsion from heaven and the three and one-half years of the tribulation. During this time the saints are protected by God (12:6, 14) (as seen in the previous vision of the two witnesses (11:1-7)).

Overall, this scene of the "woman" and the "dragon" is meant to explain that (1) Satan will be cast out of heaven when all Israel believes, (2) Satan has historically tried to prevent all Israel from believing, (3) Satan's attack against many saints in the end-time to gain a strategic advantage against Israel fails, (4) believing Israel successfully delivers the gospel to her brethren, and (5) the persecution of all saints during the great tribulation is accounted for by Satan's expulsion to earth.

The portrayal of how a person is clothed is important to our understanding of many passages. The two witnesses of chapter 11 are clothed in sackcloth which is consistent with their message of repentance. The woman of chapter 17 is clothed with the earthly riches that she has earned from her harlotry. In chapter 19 the triumphant Lord is clothed in a vesture dipped in blood which communicates the loss of life for victory. It appears that the clothing in each scene is appropriate to the activity of the one clothed. Inasmuch as this woman is in labor to deliver the Lord ("who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron" 12:5), her apparel is appropriately the sun, symbolic of light and glory. Notice that the sun is first presented in the Bible as "the greater light to govern the day" (Gen. 1:16). The one clothed in light struggles to bring forth the King who will "govern the day."

Throughout the Bible a dominated enemy is portrayed under the feet of the dominant victor (cf. Rom. 16:20, 1 Cor. 15:25, Eph. 1:22, Heb. 2:8). Thus since the moon is under the woman’s feet, the woman is shown in a position of dominance over the moon. But the moon obviously symbolizes something other than the moon. Since the sun is presented metaphorically as clothing, perhaps Genesis offers the solution for the reference to the moon here. Whereas the sun is the light that rules the day, the moon is "the lesser light to govern the night" (Gen. 1:16). Thus the woman is shown as dominant over the ruler of darkness. This is consistent with the picture presented in the rest of the chapter, and God's original pronouncement of judgment against the serpent in the garden as coming through the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15).

Whereas a thing under one's feet is that which is dominated, the thing upon one's head is that which defines one's source of authority. The sense of this common Semitic understanding is apparent from Paul's discussion of head coverings with the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 11:1-16). The woman is dominant over evil because there is a crown of twelve stars upon her head. The word here used for crown sometimes designates the victory wreath, but often also is meant to portray authority. Note the use of this word to describe the crown of thorns woven and placed upon the head of the Lord Jesus. That crown was meant to mock the regal authority claimed by the Lord. The crown here is of twelve stars. The use of the number twelve in Revelation appears to speak of God's governing authority.¹²² Thus the woman derives her position and authority from God. God's authority is upon her head, Satan's authority is under her feet and her appearance is thus radiant as the sun.

This is not a picture of Mary struggling to bring Jesus into the world at His birth in Bethlehem. The picture here is consistent instead with the Old Testament prophets' portrayal of believing Israel struggling in the last days to present her king to her unbelieving brethren as the King of all Israel. The messages of the prophets Micah and Zechariah contribute to this understanding of the woman giving birth (Micah 4-5, Zech. 12-14).

Micah (chap. 4), after speaking about the glorious conditions awaiting Israel in the last days when the Lord reigns as king (vv. 1-8), then portrays Israel's condition of being without a king (v. 9), and gives details of the last days' scenario that results in the One from Bethlehem becoming the king in all Israel (4:10-5:5). Note the language of Micah 4:9:

”Now why do you cry out loudly? Is there no king among you, Or has your counselor perished, That agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth?”

The picture given by Micah is of Israel in the last days. Indeed, she does not have a king because her counselor was rejected by the majority of Israel in times past and put to death. But she, believing Israel, is laboring, like a woman in childbirth, to present her king as the king of all Israel.

Micah writes further:

”Therefore, He will give them until the time when she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren will return to the sons of Israel.” (Micah 5:2-3)

Notice that the remainder of His brethren return when she who is in labor has borne a child. The laboring woman to whom the "remainder returns" is "...the sons of Israel." Micah leaves no doubt that the woman is believing Israel, and that her labor involves the unity of all Israel under the One who "...arise[s] and shepherd[s]..." (5:4).

Zechariah presents a similar theme. In his prophecy we are notified of a split between "Israel" and "Judah" due to Israel's rejection of the Messiah (Zech. 11:14).¹²³ Then in chapter 12 he presents a picture of "Judah" (believing Israel), fighting in unity with "Israel" (unbelieving Israel), against a common enemy. The Lord's intervention in this battle results in "Israel's" belief (Zech. 12:10; 13:1).¹²⁴ Judah is distinguished from "Israel" throughout the passage. "Israel," not "Judah," is described as "the house of David and...inhabitants of Jerusalem" (Zech. 12:7). "Judah" is for some reason not resident in Jerusalem. And, for God's own stated purpose, Judah is "saved first" (Zech. 12:7) from the enemy that "Judah" and "Israel" have in common.

”The Lord also will save the tents of Judah first in order that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be magnified above Judah. “(Zech. 12:7)

The great red dragon is identified as Satan in verse 9. The same figure, an animal with seven heads and ten horns, appears again in chapter 13 and in chapter 17. Here the emphasis is upon the fact that Satan, throughout mankind's history ("seven heads" cf. 17:9-10), stands ready to destroy believing Israel's imminent testimony to her King. Such testimony by Israel following upon the historic crucifixion of the Lord Jesus will result in Satan's defeat and expulsion from heaven (cf. 12:7-11, especially v. 11). Therefore, to prevent this "birth," the dragon's tail sweeps a third of the stars in heaven and casts them to the earth. This sweeping/casting activity of the dragon's tail is like the aggressive use of the reptile-tail seen in nature. The activity described here, throwing a third of the stars to earth, is part of a hostile strategy against the woman. This action immediately precedes (and perhaps facilitates) a new strategic position the dragon takes, standing "...before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child" (12:4). The scene depicting the dragon positioned in relation to the woman so that he might "devour her child" appears to dramatically depict Satan's attempt to stop the testimony of believing Israel.

The dragon casting stars to earth appears strikingly similar to Daniel's prophecy (Dan. 8:9ff.) wherein the "little-horn" "...grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth...." When Daniel sought the angel's explanation for his vision, he learned that it was a picture of the end-time king destroying "...mighty men and the holy people..." (Dan. 8:24). Obviously both John's and Daniel's visions are allegorical of the activities of the Abomination of Desolation referred to by the Lord Jesus (Matt. 24:15), which signals the beginning of the great tribulation. We witnessed this very scene earlier in chapters 6 and 7 when, at the second seal, saints were slaughtered, followed by the sealing of the 144,000 of the tribes of Israel before the trumpet judgments began.

Some commentators have suggested that the stars cast to the earth are angels, and that this scene depicts some original rebellion of Satan in heaven before man was created. The historical misinterpretation of this particular verse (12:4) has spawned an entire mythology about Satan and fallen angels. To propose that Satan's tail sweeping/casting stars from heaven to earth is equal to Satan leading angels in rebellion against God, violates both the language and context of this passage. The movement of Satan's tail is an aggressive action, the stars of heaven are the victims. The stars of heaven were certainly saints and victims, not angels, in Daniel's parallel vision (8:10 cf. 8:24); the stars of heaven are saints and victims, not angels, here also. The further context of chapter 12 demonstrates that the rebellion myth is impossible, in view of the fact that Satan and his angels are all thrown down from heaven to earth by Michael and his angels after the woman gives birth (12:5-9).

The act of giving birth is represented later in the passage as giving testimony (cf. 12:11 "the word of their testimony"). Her testimony is to the regal authority of the Lamb. He is specifically the One who will "rule all the nations with a rod of iron," and is appropriately the One who "was caught up to God and to His throne." The testimony of believing Israel concerns the kingship; the true King, Jesus, is elevated to the throne while the rebel king, Satan, is thrown down.

Believing Israel now flees from Satan into the wilderness where she is nourished by God¹²⁷ for the 1260 days of the great tribulation.

The spiritual consequences for Satan due to Israel's testimony are now in view. Michael and his angels wage war with the devil and his angels. Satan and his angels are "thrown down to the earth". They are defeated by Michael and his angels "because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony" (v. 11).

Those whose testimony is effective in the defeat of Satan are the "brethren," verse ten, who were accused day and night by Satan. They are further those who "...did not love their life even unto death...." We saw Michael and his angels waging war against Satan and his angels, but the ammunition for the battle was supplied by the testimony of saints who were willing to die.¹²⁸

Satan's expulsion from heaven is the basis of celebration there, but the source of "woe to the earth and the sea" (v.12).

It should be noted here that Satan and his angels could not have been cast out of heaven at any time before the cross, or before the successful testimony of believing Israel. Michael and his angels are successful at expelling Satan and his angels because of the cross and the unified testimony of Israel.¹²⁹

Our view now returns to the woman and the picture introduced in verse six. Satan, now confined to the earth, persecutes the woman for "time and times and half a time", the 1260 days (3 1/2 years) seen in verse 6.¹³⁰ The woman flies into the wilderness on "the two wings of the great eagle" to escape the wrathful Satan. This description immediately calls to our attention another occasion of Israel's miraculous deliverance by God. In Exodus (19:4) Israel is described as being borne "on eagles wings" when God delivered Israel from the Egyptians, parting the Red Sea for their escape. There is a striking similarity between Israel's deliverance from Egypt and the present scene that develops even further. Our attention is drawn to the fact that as the woman flees, the serpent pours "water like a river out of his mouth after the woman" and that "the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river". Whether the water here is to be viewed literally or interpreted as a symbol, the fact that the water is swallowed by the earth is quite similar to the Red Sea engulfing pharaoh's army (Exodus 14:26-27).

It should be apparent from this verse that the woman does not symbolize the entire believing community at the time of the great tribulation. When Satan is frustrated by God's deliverance of believing Israel, his focus then changes to other believers who "keep the commandments of God and hold to a testimony of Jesus". Some have suggested that the phrase "keep the commandments of God" distinguishes this group as Jews. This position surely has no validity in light of the fact that, according to John, all true believers who abide in Christ are described as the ones "who keep his commandments" (1 John 5:13). On the contrary, the group in view is the same one first identified in Rev. 7:9-17. There we saw believing Israel (7:4-8) marked out by God in a special way ("sealed"), and believers from the nations who would come out of the great tribulation (but not sealed like believing Israel).

It also appears obvious that there can be no validity in the position that interprets the woman simply as a symbol of the church, since all those described in verse 17 would also be embraced under such a symbol. In fact, both groups described in this chapter belong to that community properly identified as the church, but they are distinct in their roles during the great tribulation.