Revelation Chapter 12: A Great Sign Appears

At the end of chapter 11, John once more envisions God’s temple in heaven, where He dwells in glory. John has already seen the temple in the vision and has observed its spender, God on His throne, the praying souls of the saints, and the 24 elders praising God, but now the presence of the Ark of the Covenant in the temple in heaven is revealed to him.

The Ark of the Covenant in the Jerusalem Temple was the symbol of God’s presence, enabling the atonement for sin, as well as a reminder of God’s covenant with His people. This most holy place in the Temple in Jerusalem represented the forgiveness of sins for the Israelites; the Temple in heaven, which John sees in his vision, represents God’s new covenant and His having offered salvation to all mankind. The ark on earth was only a picture or representation of the ark in heaven.

Described in his vision in chapters 12-14 are events that will come before the final bowl judgments, which begin in chapter 15. Chapter 12 briefly describes the persecution of God's people, using the symbolism of the dragon (Satan), who wages war. Chapter 13 continues the same theme by describing the persecution of the Christians by beasts who serve the dragon. Then chapter 14 ends with a prophecy of the redeemed 144,000 on Mount Zion, who have triumphed over the beast and of the final judgment of those who worshipped the beast.

While no signs appear in chapters 1-11, John sees seven signs in chapters 12-19, three in heaven (12:1, 3; 15:1) and four on earth (13:13-14; 16:14; 19:20). Only one sign is positive (12:1), while the other six are omens of evil or judgment from God.

In chapters 12-14, John describes the main characters of the tribulation his vision reveals. We are introduced to three main figures in chapter 12: (1) the woman, (2) the child, and (3) the dragon or beast, in three scenes—the birth of the child (vv.1-6), the expulsion of the dragon (vv.7-12), and the dragon's attack on the woman and her children (vv.13-17).

An illustration of the woman of the Apocalypse, a redrawing
of an illustration dated c. 1167 in Hortus Deliciarum (Garden of Delights),
depicting various events from the narrative in Revelation 12 in a single image.

The woman (v. 1) represents Israel; the dragon (v. 3) is Satan; the child (v. 4) is Jesus. The archangel Michael is the head of the angelic army or angelic host. The woman’s many offspring represent Gentiles who come to faith during the tribulation. The beast of the sea (13:1) is the antichrist, and the beast of the earth (13:11) is the false prophet, who praises the antichrist. John also sees a woman clothed with the sun. These are signs that these beings will literally appear on the earth.

The first sign John sees, which he calls “…a great sign…” (literally a “mega-sign”), is found in the opening verses of chapter 12 (vv. 1-6):

¹ A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. ² She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. ³ Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. ⁴ Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. ⁵ She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. ⁶ The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

In the book of Revelation, the woman in a vision generally represents a religious idea or system. For example, Jezebel in Revelation 2:20, represents a teacher of evil or falsehood in the letter to the church in Thyatira:

“Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.”

In another example is the “…great prostitute…” in 17:1-2, which represents a false religion:

“¹One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. ² With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.’”

Another example is the “…bride…” in 19:7-8, who stands for the church:

“⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. ⁸ Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”

In Revelation 12, the “…woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head…” (v. 1) has been identified in various ways. Roman Catholics see her as Mary. Roman Catholic art sometimes depicts her standing on a crescent moon with 12 stars above her head, an artistic interpretation of Mary as Queen of Heaven.

But I agree with most protestant evangelical commentators that the woman of vv.1-2 is Israel, as represented in various Old Testament passages. For example, Ezekiel chapter 16, we find the lengthy metaphor of His people, Israel is depicted as a woman or bride whom He had dressed in honor and splendor but who had been unfaithful.

Other Old Testament passages also show a woman representing Israel.

Isaiah 54:1-3 employs the metaphor of His promise to return to errant Israel:

“¹Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the LORD. “²Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. ³For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.”

Jeremiah 3:20 uses the metaphor to stress the unfaithfulness of the Israelites to the Lord:

“But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me, declares the Lord.”

And in Hosea 2:19-20, He promises Israel:

“¹⁹…I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. ²⁰I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.”

John notes in Revelation 12:2 that the woman in the vision is pregnant (some English versions: “with child”) and about to give birth. We will see in v. 5, that the child born of the woman—born of Israel—is Jesus, hence the view by the Catholic Church that the woman is literally Mary.

The woman in the vision cries out in pain as the time to give birth nears. I believe her pain is illustrative 0f the pain suffered by the Israelites for many generations under domination by foreign nations, specifically the Roman occupation in the first century A.D. Alternatively, her pain may reflect the painful conditions in the world during the second half of the tribulation as Jesus’ next advent nears, when He comes with His church to rule

John describes in vv. 3-4 the sign of the appearance of a frightening red dragon, with seven heads and 10 horns and seven crowns:

³ Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. ⁴ Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.

Remember, this is a sign and not a literal “…enormous red dragon…,” a creature or entity of great power and evil nature. The figure of the enormous red dragon represents the evil nature and character of Satan. In the Old Testament, the idea of the dragon is used to depict enemies of God and enemies of Israel (see Psalm 74:14; Isaiah 27:1; and Ezekiel 29:3).

The “…enormous red dragon…” vision of v. 3 presents a frightening picture of the extent and strength of the evil that will exist in the tribulation world. The dragon of the vision is Satan (see v. 9), and the dragon’s seven heads metaphorically represent extensive or universal knowledge or great intellect. There is a parallel to the first century condition of the nation of Israel, comparing Roman rulership of the Mediterranean world at the time of Jesus’ first advent and Satan’s domination of the world in the latter part of the tribulation.

The 10 horns are representative of the revived Roman Empire during the tribulation period. The seven crowns signify Satan’s claim of ruling authority over the world.

Dealing with the biblical record of dreams and visions is complicated for modern Bible scholars, however, and I advocate the view of evangelical scholars. There are a few conflicting interpretations about meaning of the seven heads and the seven crowns by commentators, but we will all see clearly eventually when we are with Christ in heaven, and the mysteries of the prophetic visions in scripture are revealed for all who have been saved.

We note that vv. 1-2 are a vision similar to Daniel’s vision recorded in Daniel in 7:7-8:

“⁷ …in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. ⁸ “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.”

The little horn of Danial 7:8 is one who becomes the world ruler, reigning over this revived Roman Empire and having destroyed the political entities of the world, in order to gain dominance during the tribulation period.

Daniel’s vision progressed as follows:

• Daniel first sees three beasts (lion, bear, and leopard) rising from the sea (Daniel 7:1-6).
• He then sees a fourth beast, different from the others, which has ten horns (Daniel 7:7).
• Out from the ten horns, Daniel saw a “…another one, a little horn…” who uttered great boasts (Daniel 7:8).
• Then God will appear with intent to judge (Daniel 7:9, 10), and this fourth beast will be killed (Daniel 7:11).
• The other three beasts will have their lives extended at an appointed time (Daniel 7:12).
• Christ will return to establish His kingdom on earth (Daniel 7:13, 14). In Revelation 12:4, the dragon turns its attention to the earth:

⁴ Its (the dragon’s) tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.

The vision of the sweeping of stars from the sky is symbolic of the dragon's power over the saints of God. The dragon (Satan) is before the woman, anticipating certain victory over the messianic child and countering the will and purposes of God.

The most prominent interpretation is that this is a portion of the angelic host who joined Satan in his rebellion and who were ejected from the presence of God along with him, as depicted in Revelation 12:9: “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”

God created the angels to serve Him and His creation. A portion of the angels, led by Satan, chose evil over holiness. The dragon in John’s vision (Satan) will oppose and attempt to eradicate the power and influence of Christ during the latter part of the tribulation. Just as he sought to kill the child Jesus through Herod’s murder of Israelite children two years of age and under born in Bethlehem because one of them, Jesus, who was destined to be the king of the Jews.

As we look at vv. 5-6, keep in mind that what John sees is a vision prophesying events through vivid symbolism:

⁵ She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. ⁶ The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

The vision depicts the birth of a male child who is to rule all nations with an iron scepter, meaning absolute authority and referring to Christ, the Messiah. He rules now as the Savior and Lord for every Christian. He will rule the world with all authority at His return at the end of the tribulation, at the judgment after His 1,000-year reign, and in the world from the New Jerusalem after the judgment. Revelation 19:14-16:

¹⁴ The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵ Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.

Note that John’s vision in chapter 12, while prophesying about the coming of the Lord at the end of the tribulation, seems in a way to parallel Jesus’ first advent, in that He is opposed by Satan, who attempts to kill Him. But in His second advent, He rules all nations with an iron scepter (rod of iron).

One commentator writes: “After a conflict with the prince of this world, who came and tried Him, but found nothing in Him, the Son of the woman was taken up to heaven and sat on the right hand of God. Words can hardly be (more complain) than these” (Alford's Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary, Revelation 12).

Roman Catholics see this vision as Mary giving birth to the church, but it is obvious that the child is Christ and is not the church. Jesus gave birth to the church, not the other way around. The woman in the vision could therefore either be either Mary or Israel (often depicted in the Old Testament as God’s bride and His betrothed), the only two women who could have given birth to Jesus. Protestant commentators mostly hold to the interpretation of this vision that the woman is Israel. We will see that this view is demonstrated in the remainder of this chapter.

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit repeatedly refers to Israel as the God’s bride, His betrothed, and her child was “…snatched up to God and to his throne.” There are parallels, such as Christ’s ascension and the child Jesus taken to Egypt for protection at the command of God (Matthew 2:13-15). In John’s vision of God’s throne, the Son, the Lamb, the Lion of Judah is present at the throne (chapter 5).

The woman (Israel) is persecuted by the dragon (Satan) and flees to the wilderness, a place prepared for her by God. She remains there for 1,260 days, or 3-1/2 years, representing the remainder of the tribulation period in the vision.

While the symbolism in John’s vision is complicated, conservative commentators see v. 6 as the protection of the Messianic Jews during the time prophesied by Daniel in Daniel 9, as we see in Daniel 9:24-27:

²⁴ “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. ²⁵ Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. ²⁶ After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. ²⁷ He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”

Israel flees “…into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days” (v. 6). Some commentators identify the place prepared by God at the rock city of Petra. There have been rumors since the late 1940s that Christians in Israel and Jordan have hidden caches of food and supplies hidden in caves around Petra.

Other commentators see it as the caves in the mountains of Israel. Christians also have hidden provisions and Bibles in caves throughout Israel, including a friend from my time in seminary, Dr. Harold L. Willmington, who placed cases of Bibles in caves throughout Israel during his extensive travels there, to help provide a dwelling place and sustenance during the terrible events of the second half of the tribulation.

Vv. 7-9 tell of a terrible war:

⁷ Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. ⁸ But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

In the vision, John sees Michael and his angels fight with the dragon and prevail. At the mid-point of the tribulation, God will turn the tide against Satan, first in heaven and then on earth. A battle will take place that will deny Satan access to heaven. Michael and his angels fight with the dragon. This is a dramatic scene of battle between “good” angels and “bad” angels. (Guzik, Study Guide to Revelation 12 at blueletterbible.org).

This is a battle between equals. The dragon, Satan, is a counterpart of Michael, who seems to be the chief angel opposite Satan, the chief of fallen angels.

The triumph of the archangel results in the dragon and his angels being ejected from heaven to earth. It seems apparent that Satan had access to heaven. The battle is the sign of Satan’s last desperate attempt for power before the kingdom of Christ comes (see v.12); “…that ancient serpent,,,” (Satan) had tempted Eve and, in addition, is the one “…who leads the whole world astray."

Michael the archangel appears in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

For example, Daniel 12:1-2:

¹ At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. ² Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Compare this description in Daniel with 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:

¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

In his vision of a time long into the future, Daniel reveals a role for Michael, the archangel in a future resurrection of the dead. The resurrection Daniel refers to seems to be a resurrection that takes place during the tribulation, those who die during the tribulation, both believers and unbelievers. From the passages in Daniel and 1 Thessalonians, we can infer that Michael may be the archangel accompanying Christ when He returns in the clouds for His church.

In Revelation 12, the battle between Satan and his demons and Michael leading the heavenly angels occurs at the mid-point of the tribulation. It is a physical, material battle to be fought in a way we can only imagine. Until this battle (at the mid-point of Daniel’s 70th week), Satan has access to heaven, but in the battle, he is hurled to earth, as described in v. 9:

The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Notice the descriptions of Satan in v. 9: dragon, serpent, devil, Satan, and the one “…who leads the whole world astray.” Satan is vicious, an accuser, an adversary, and a deceiver. John Walvoord states about the Devil: “The title ‘Devil’ is from the Greek diabolos, from the verb diaballo, which has the meaning of ‘defaming’ or ‘slandering.’ He is the master accuser of the brethren” (from Guzik).

Ezekiel 28:14-16 provides a brief history of Satan’s fall from an anointed angel into wickedness and sin:

¹⁴ You were anointed as a guardian cherub,

    for so I ordained you.

You were on the holy mount of God;

    you walked among the fiery stones.

¹⁵ You were blameless in your ways

    from the day you were created

    till wickedness was found in you.

¹⁶ Through your widespread trade

    you were filled with violence,

    and you sinned.

We find an interesting detail about Satan’s fall in Luke 10:18, when Jesus said: “…I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven…”  What Jesus spoke of either refers to the first fall of Satan (from righteousness into sin, in the Ezekiel 28 passage cited above), or He is providing a prophetic look ahead to the Satan’s fall in Revelation 12:9: “… He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”

In John’s vision, the stars that are swept from the sky to earth in v. 4 are Satan’s angels. The vision is picturing the same event in vv. 4 and 9. From the text, we can see that Satan prompted 1/3 of the angels to follow him, meaning that 2/3 of the angels remain faithful to God.

The vision in vv. 10-12 shows us a joyful declaration in heaven. Satan’s work as the accuser of Christians ends here, when he is cast out from, and denied access to access to, heaven:

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

“Now have come the salvation and the power

    and the kingdom of our God,

    and the authority of his Messiah.

For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,

    who accuses them before our God day and night,

    has been hurled down.

¹¹ They triumphed over him

    by the blood of the Lamb

    and by the word of their testimony;

they did not love their lives so much

    as to shrink from death.

¹² Therefore rejoice, you heavens

    and you who dwell in them!

But woe to the earth and the sea,

    because the devil has gone down to you!

He is filled with fury,

    because he knows that his time is short.”

Vv. 10-11 interpret the victory over Satan in the battle of vv. 7-9 and announces the martyrs' victory and the final woe to the earth because of the his defeat, and they are shown as victorious “…by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” and their loyalty to Christ even if it leads to death (v. 11). Satan has failed. Because of Satan’s defeat, the Lord says: “…rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them…” (v. 12), but Satan still plans to pursue his futile attempts even knowing his time is short (v. 12; 3-1/2 years, see vv. 6 and 14).

Then vv. 13-17 give us a glimpse of conflict on the earth at the hand of Satan, following his defeat and expulsion from heaven and being hurled to the earth:

¹³ When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴ The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. ¹⁵ Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. ¹⁷ Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

These verses describe Satan’s attack on the woman (v. 13), and God’s protection of her (v. 14). He can no longer move against the male child (who is in heaven) or against believers, so he now attacks the woman, who runs away into the desert.

John most likely chose the word "…pursued…" (v. 13) because it is also the Koine Greek verb meaning "to persecute" (διώκω, diókó, “to put to flight, pursue, by implication to persecute”; see Matthew 5:10: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”).

The reference to “…the two wings of a great eagle…” (v. 14) is the Holy Spirit’s way of connecting the protection and deliverance of the Messianic Jews in the tribulation with the deliverance of their ancestors, the people of Israel, in the exodus from Egypt, as Satan (the dragon of Revelation 12), acting through the Egyptian Pharaoh, pursued them:

³ Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, ‘This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ⁴ ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself (Exodus 19:3-4).

As God protected His people on their journey into the desert, in like manner He will miraculously protect the tribulation saints from destruction by the dragon.

The woman of vv. 13-17 is a representation of the Messianic Jewish people in the midst of the tribulation. Satan attacks the Jewish people, including Messianic Jews, because from the time of Abraham, the Jews have played a critical role in the plan of redemption. Christ, the Redeemer, came from the Jews, the fulfillment of the Father’s plan of redemption, and Jesus promised that the Jewish people would exist and welcome Him when He returns in glory to this world, as He tells us in Matthew 23:37- 39:

³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. ³⁸ Look, your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

For Satan to destroy the Jewish people, God’s eternal plan would not be carried out as prophesied. The late John Walvoord (theologian, pastor, and former president of Dallas Theological Seminary) wrote: “The persecution of Israel is part of the satanic program to thwart and hinder the work of God…Israel is hated by Satan not because of any of its own characteristics but because she is the chosen of God and essential to the overall purpose of God for time and eternity.”

The reference in v. 14 to “…a time and times and half a time…” is the three- and one-half-year period comprising the last half of the tribulation during the 70th week of Daniel (see Daniel 9).

There is the vision of the serpent spewing a flood like river of water out of his mouth to engulf and drown the woman in vv. 15-16:

¹⁵ Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. ¹⁷ Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

The water imagery is a symbol of destruction by an enemy. As the desert earth absorbs the gush of water, so the covenant people will be helped by God and preserved from utter destruction. This vision is assurance to the Messianic Jews, and their converts (all the people of God converted by the witness of the Messianic Jews), of God’s continuing protection and care.

The wrath of the dragon is focused against God’s people in v. 17—Israel (the woman) and Gentiles who come to faith in Jesus during the tribulation (that is, the rest of her offspring). Satan’s war against “…the rest…” of these believers is what will turn out to be his final attempt to destroy them. He has failed to eliminate them so far, so he once more attacks those who “…keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.”

To “…wage war…" is the same term John used to describe the beast's attack on the two witnesses (11:7) and believers (13:7). Satan cannot prevail in his efforts to eliminate Christians, but he can wage war on them.

Next, in chapter 13, we will see John’s vision continue, with the dragon (Satan) and two beasts one arising out of the sea and the other out of the earth continuing their wars against God’s people.