REVELATION CHAPTER 12 REVELATION 12:1,2 A woman clothed with the sun travaileth, REVELATION 12:3,4 A great red dragon standeth ready to devottr her child, REVELATION 12:5,6 She is delivered, and fleeth into the wilderness, REVELATION 12:7 Michael and his angels fight with the dragon, who is cast out... [ Continue Reading ]
BEING WITH CHILD; not with Christ considered personally, who was long before brought forth by the virgin Mary, but with the truth, and gospel of Christ, or with Christ mystical. CRIED; desiring to bring many children to the kingdom of Christ; or to bring forth Christ in the souls of others: of this... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THERE APPEARED ANOTHER WONDER IN HEAVEN; there appeared to John, being yet in his vision, another amazing sight, which was a sign or type of something differing from what it appeared like. AND BEHOLD A GREAT RED DRAGON: see REVELATION 12:7,9,17. Most judicious interpreters, by the _great red dra... [ Continue Reading ]
The TAIL of the RED DRAGON signifies his followers, his civil and military officers, whosoever were by him employed to execute his commands. By THE STARS, here, are either meant the ministers of the Christian church, or the professors of it. AND DID CAST THEM TO THE EARTH; turning them out of their... [ Continue Reading ]
By this MAN-CHILD some understand Constantine the Great; others understand Christ mystical, or many children brought forth unto God. As the Jews multiplied, do Pharaoh what he could to destroy them, so the church increased, notwithstanding all the malice and rage of her enemies. Interpreters accordi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE WOMAN FLED INTO THE WILDERNESS: as the Israelites, when they fled from Pharaoh, went into the wilderness; and Joseph, watched upon by Herod, fled into Egypt; so the church did hide herself during the antichristian persecutions, every one shifting for themselves as well as they could. WHERE S... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THERE WAS WAR IN HEAVEN: by _heaven, _ in this place, doubtless is meant the church of God; and supposing that the pagan emperors are to be understood by the _dragon, _ (which is pretty generally agreed), there can be no great doubt, but by this _war in heaven, _ is to be understood those persec... [ Continue Reading ]
The pagans were at length routed in this battle; the Christians overcame them by the preaching of the gospel, and by their faith and patience; and paganism found no place within the same territories where the church was. This was fulfilled in the time of Constantine the Great, who altered the face o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE GREAT DRAGON WAS CAST OUT; the dragon mentioned REVELATION 12:3, which typified the pagan emperors. In casting them out, THE DEVIL who influenced them, was cast out, who is here called the OLD SERPENT, with reference to the form in which he seduced Eve, as well as his malignity to man. THE D... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I HEARD A LOUD VOICE SAYING IN HEAVEN: John undoubtedly heard this voice as in the third heaven, whither he was caught; but it is not only expressive of the joy and satisfaction which the glorious angels and glorified saints had, upon their knowledge of what was done upon the earth, but propheti... [ Continue Reading ]
OLBGrk; AND THEY OVERCAME HIM; Michael and his angels, mentioned REVELATION 12:7, overcame the dragon and his angels: the Christians overcame the pagans. BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB: some translate dia here, _propter, _ because of, as denoting the meritorious cause, which is true; for Christ's blood wa... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE REJOICE, YE HEAVENS, AND YE THAT DWELL IN THEM: he calls to the angels and saints again to rejoice; some think, to the church also: these tell us, that THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH, AND OF THE SEA, in St. John's writings, always signify the enemies of the church, earthly, carnal men. FOR T... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THE DRAGON SAW THAT HE WAS CAST UNTO THE EARTH; when the devil saw that he could not uphold his kingdom by paganism, nor further execute his malice by pagan emperors, but was wholly routed and overcome, as to that power. HE PERSECUTED THE WOMAN WHICH BROUGHT FORTH THE MAN-CHILD; to let us k... [ Continue Reading ]
AND TO THE WOMAN; to the sincerer part of Christians, represented by _the woman,_ REVELATION 12:1, and by _the temple, and altar, and them that worship therein, _ viz. in the oracle where the altar stood, REVELATION 11:1. WERE GIVEN TWO WINGS OF A GREAT EAGLE: the eagle being the ensign of the Roman... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE SERPENT; the devil, the old serpent, mentioned REVELATION 12:9, being able no longer to execute his malice as a dragon, by the civil power of the heathen emperors, tearing Christians in pieces, but discerning the church secured by the special providence of God, went to work another way. CAST... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE EARTH HELPED THE WOMAN: there are divers notions here of _the earth; _ to me theirs seemeth most probable, who understand by _the earth_ the Goths and Vandals, &c., who, Anno 410, invaded the Roman empire, and gave it continual trouble, till they had put an end to the western empire, Anno 48... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE DRAGON WAS WROTH WITH THE WOMAN: the devil hath been defeated in two designs against the whole church; he could not wholly root it out by the ten persecutions under the Roman emperors, nor by the water thrown out of his mouth, pestilent doctrines which he influenced some to broach; but he wa... [ Continue Reading ]