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Who are the Woman, the Great Red Dragon and the Man Child of Revelation 12?

The Woman, The Great Red Dragon and The Man Child

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Understanding Revelation Chapter 12

Israel, Satan and Jesus Christ

January 24, 2009

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"... but the wise shall understand" (Daniel 12:10 KJV)

    Revelation chapter 12 covers much of the history of the Christian Church and the Nation of Israel.  The events discussed in this chapter from Revelation spans from the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to the fleeing of Israel to the city of Petra and Bozrah in Jordan during the Tribulation Period.  The events are mainly covered from a Heavenly perspective.

   Much of the language of Revelation is symbolic, requiring an enlightened view of all Scripture and the knowledge of Jesus Christ as God's Chosen Messiah; a knowledge only revealed to and available to a believer (2nd Corinthians 4:3-4).  Therefore, the Book of Revelation, also known as The Apocalypse or Revelation of Jesus Christ, is a perpetual mystery to unbelievers.  For this reason, early Christians could copy and repeat the mysteries found in Revelation without fear of the Roman government realizing it was Gospel literature.

Revelation Chapter 12:1-17 (KJV)

Revelation 12:1-2 the Woman is Israel ... she is clothed with the Sun and the Moon and has a crown of Twelve stars ... read the story of Joseph's dream and his father Jacob's (a.k.a. Israel's) answer to him (Genesis 37:1-10) ... The Woman was in pain to be delivered ... i.e., awaiting the promised Messiah of God to deliver her ... Israel is the chosen nation from which the Messiah is to be born and Israel has been expecting Him (Isaiah 26:17-18):

1 And there appeared a great wonder in Heaven; a Woman clothed with the Sun, and the Moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of Twelve stars:
2
And she being with Child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

Revelation 12:3 we see a description of Satan ... which clearly shows that the Dragon will also be the unearthly power behind the latter days "false messiah" temporary kingdom of the Antichrist (Daniel 7:20-24, Revelation 13:1-2, 11-18, 17:12):

3 And there appeared another wonder in Heaven; and behold a Great Red Dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

Revelation 12:4 Satan leads 1/3 of Heaven's angels in his rebellion, rebellious angels are now called demons, but retain their supernatural powers now for evil, no longer for good ... by their rebellion, they are cast out of Heaven to dwell in, on and above the Earth for a short period of time ... Satan knew the Jewish Messiah would save much of the (believing) world of mankind from the eternal penalty of his rebellion, therefore, he inspired Herod to kill Jesus as a baby, slaughtering all infants under 2 years old in Israel, but missing Jesus because God forewarned Jesus' adopted father Joseph (Herod tried, but failed ... oops!):

4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of Heaven, and did cast them to the Earth: and the Dragon stood before the Woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her Child as soon as it was born.

Revelation 12:5 Jesus is born ... the Greek reads "and she brought forth a son, a male" ... when Jesus returns at His Second Coming, He will rule all nations with a Rod of Iron ... but first, Jesus is Ascended into Heaven after His Resurrection, in clear view of the Disciples ... Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father, awaiting God the Father's permission to return to Earth and establish His Eternal Kingdom (after the Battle of Armageddon that is):

5 And she brought forth a Man Child, Who was to rule all nations with a Rod of Iron: and her Child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.

Revelation 12:6 During the last half of the 7-year Tribulation Period, Israel flees the Antichrist after he sets up the idol to himself in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem ... she (Israel) heads for Petra (Bozrah) in Jordan to hide from the Antichrist's armies for the last 1/2 of the 7-year tribulation (1,260 days):

6 And the Woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Revelation 12:7-9 Michael the Archangel and the "good guys" (angels) arise to protect Israel and cause significant trouble for Satan and the "bad guys" (demons) ... Satan is finally kicked completely out of Heaven, no access to the throne of God the Father at all anymore (see the Book of Job):

7 And there was war in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the Dragon; and the Dragon fought and his angels,
8
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in Heaven.
9
And the Great Dragon was cast out, that Old Serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the Earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:10 When He was Crucified, Jesus said "It is Finished!" ... He saw Satan fall like lightning ... For God has redeemed that which was lost ... by the Sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah ... Despite this eternal fact, Satan constantly accuses the brethren in Christ on a daily basis just like he did in the Book of Job (until he is thrown completely out of Heaven in Revelation 12:9):

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven, Now is come Salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accuses them before our God day and night.

Revelation 12:11 Christian Church martyrs, the Disciples and others down through history ... maintain their testimonies of Christ, even unto their own deaths (ouch!) ... knowing and testifying that Jesus Christ was the Incarnate Son of the Living God in human flesh (1st John 5:1-5):

11 And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Revelation 12:12 Believers should be happy ... unbelievers should be unhappy (actually, be converted to the Gospel, please!!!) ... the Devil is going to make a lot of trouble on Earth because he is violently enraged and knows that the clock is ticking:

12 Therefore rejoice, ye Heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the Earth and of the sea! for the Devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Revelation 12:13 Satan persecutes Israel from the time of Jesus' Finished Work on the Cross until the present ... any good history student has proof of the sufferings of the Jews for 2,000 years ... Jesus said unto Israel after rejecting Him as Messiah ... "behold your house is left unto you desolate" ... beginning more specifically in 70 A.D. when Jerusalem is destroyed by Titus Vespasian, Israel is scattered to the nations of the World ... after the war between Michael's angels and the Dragon's demons, the Dragon is cast down:

13 And when the Dragon saw that he was cast unto the Earth, he persecuted the Woman which brought forth the Man Child.

Revelation 12:14 a reiteration of Revelation 12:6, during the last half of the Tribulation Period, Israel flees the Antichrist's armies and resides in Petra (Bozrah) in Jordan for the last 1/2 of the 7-year tribulation (1,260 days a.k.a. time (1 year), times (2 years) and half a time (1/2 year)):

14 And to the Woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the Serpent.

Revelation 12:15 Satan declares war on Israel ... a war that has continued on the Jew for 2,000 years.  However, this war culminates with the Antichrist's armies in their "Final Solution" during the Tribulation, as they attempt to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth:

15 And the Serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the Woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

Revelation 12:16 The Antichrist's armies suffer a terrible defeat at the Supernatural Hand of God (perhaps an earthquake?) as they attempt to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth:

16 And the Earth helped the Woman, and the Earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the Dragon cast out of his mouth.

Revelation 12:17 Satan declares war on Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians whose eyes have been opened to the Gospel.  These are Believers in Jesus Christ who have been made righteous by the Sacrificial Atonement of Jesus Christ, the Seed of the Woman (see the reference to the division between the Serpent and the Woman in Genesis 3:15):

17 And the Dragon was wroth with the Woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

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Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
Click here to visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.

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