Revelation 12:1-6

Strauss-' Comments
SECTION 35

Text Revelation 12:1-6

And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars; 2 and she was with child; and she crieth out, travailing in birth, and in pain to be delivered. 3 And there was seen another sign of heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems. 4 And his tail draweth the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon standeth before the woman that is about to be delivered, that when she is delivered he may devour her child. 5 And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Initial Questions Revelation 12:1-6

1.

What was the great sign (semeion - one of the N.T. words for miracle) - Revelation 12:1?

2.

What does the symbolism of Revelation 12:2 imply?

3.

Does the sign of Revelation 12:3 imply supernatural power for the great red dragon?

4.

Who could possibly fulfill the imagery of Revelation 12:5?

5.

Discuss the fact that the two witnesses of chp. 11 prophesied 42 months (or 1260 days) and the fact that the woman was hid away for 1260 days - Revelation 12:6?

The Woman with Child, and the Great Blood Red Dragon

Beginning of Part Two - Chapter s 12-22

Revelation 12:1

The first eleven Chapter s make up the first half of the book of Revelation. Beginning with this chapter (12) we are entering the second half of the book (chp. 12-22). The trials and triumphs of the Church of Christ are the central theme of this section of The Revelation. Dr. McDowell states the basic issue briefly, simply, and succinctly in these words

God's sovereignty over the world in Jesus Christ has been proclaimed. By the series of visions under the breaking of the seals of the scroll, John has shown how that sovereignty stands as an established fact over against the problems of history which seem to deny it. But now it remains to portray the manner in which this rule of God has been projected into history and how its projection precipitates the inevitable conflict with the Caesars. The story of Revelation from this point on is the story of the conflict between the sovereignty of God in Jesus Christ and the pretended sovereignty of Satan expressed through the rulers of Rome. (Edward A. McDowell, The Meaning and Message of The Book of Revelation, Broadman Press, Nashville, 1951, p. 129.

It is generally true that in the first eleven Chapter s the vantage point was the earth. The events of chapter 12 (and following) are seen from the viewpoint of heaven.

In verse one, the first woman to appear in The Revelation is a vital part of the vision. In the Old Testament the Theocratic Kingdom is pictured as a woman in travail (see Isaiah 26:17; Isaiah 66:7; Micah 4:10 - read R. H. Charles on this verse). The metaphor of childbirth is common in the New Testament - John 16:21; Galatians 4:19.

The great sign (first in a series of signs) was a woman having been clothed (with - not in text) the sun with a crown of twelve stars. The imagery as a whole is clear enough, but the details are impossible to identify with certainty. This much is certain that Christ is the masculine child who will conquer Satan - (see Genesis 3:15). (See note on Virgin Birth immediately following chapter 12.)

Revelation 12:2

This verse contains a paraphrase of Micah 4:10, where the daughter of Zion, the earthly Jerusalem that foreshadows the heavenly Jerusalem, is in travial before the Lord.

Revelation 12:3

The second in this series of signs is observed in heaven. The second sign was a great red dragon who was the adversary of God. The dragon is identified as Satan in Revelation 12:9 (see Daniel 7:7; Daniel 8:10).

Revelation 12:4

Satan tries to destroy the child (the Christ). Satan's attempts to destroy our Lord from Herod's slaying of the infants, the Temptation, to the Cross, etc. are most certainly involved in this symbolism. John declares that Satan stood before the woman being about to bear, in order that (hina clause - purpose clause) he might devour her child whenever she bears (or delivers).

Revelation 12:5

She bore a masculine son (following Alexander Campbell's Translation) - (hion arsen literally says a male son, but this is redundant. Campbell reasons that the emphasis was on the masculinity or strength of the son.) The great Shepherd of the sheep was seized (hçrpasthç - 1st aor, passive - was seized by someone (God) in a single act) to God and to His throne. This imagery depicts the Ascension of Christ.

Revelation 12:6

The woman fled to a place having been prepared from (apo - God was the source of the preparation) God, in order that there they might nourish her 1260 days. This is the same amount of time God gave His two witnesses to prophecy (see Revelation 11:3).

Review Questions - Chapter 12

See Revelation 12:13-17.