12:1 ¶ 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.
There are a couple of different
ways to take chapter 12. One, is as a future event. The other is as historical
background, a sort flashback in the events unfolding.
One take is that verse one could
refer to Israel who will give birth to Christ.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put
enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Here is an interesting cross
reference having to do with Joseph.
Genesis 37:9 And he dreamed yet
another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a
dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made
obeisance to me.
Read the prophet Hosea for Israel
as an unfaithful wife.
Some historical commentators
viewed the woman as the church itself while some American writers regarded the
man-child as the United States, but this has been mentioned previously and is
so wrong it need not be mentioned again.
Israel suffered greatly for her
apostasy and Christ came into Israel as a Jew when the Roman Empire ruled them
and they had lost all their former glory under David and Solomon. Not long
after His resurrection, about forty years, Herod’s version of the Temple was
destroyed by the Romans as the result of an insurrection against them by the
Jews. Israel struggled and labored spiritually, politically, and physically
before giving birth, in a manner of speaking, to Christ.
Is this coming up the Time of
Jacob’s Trouble referenced in prophecy in Jeremiah, chapter 30?
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.
This is clearly Satan, who is also
known as Lucifer. He is, possibly, described in part physically in Job 41 as
the description there is of a dragon,
what we since the 1800’s have called a dinosaur.
The last verse in the chapter is revealing.
[Note that leviathan references simply a large creature, just as the word whale does, and is not referring to a
specific species or other taxonomic classification, which were invented after
this Bible was translated and cannot be read back into it honestly.
Genesis 1:21 And God created
great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought
forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and
God saw that it was good.
Psalm 104:26 There go the ships:
there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.]
Job 41:1 ¶ Canst thou draw out
leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?
2 Canst thou put an hook into his nose?
or bore his jaw through with a thorn? 3
Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto
thee? 4 Will he make a covenant with
thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever? 5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or
wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? 6
Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among
the merchants? 7 Canst thou fill his
skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears? 8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle,
do no more. 9 Behold, the hope of him is
in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? 10 None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who
then is able to stand before me?
11 ¶ Who hath prevented me, that I should repay
him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. 12 I will not conceal his parts, nor his power,
nor his comely proportion. 13 Who can
discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double
bridle? 14 Who can open the doors of his
face? his teeth are terrible round about. 15
His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. 16 One is so near to another, that no air can
come between them. 17 They are joined
one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered. 18 By his neesings a light doth shine, and his
eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 19
Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. 20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a
seething pot or caldron. 21 His breath
kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. 22 In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is
turned into joy before him. 23 The
flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they
cannot be moved. 24 His heart is as firm
as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone. 25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are
afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves. 26 The sword of him that layeth at him cannot
hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. 27 He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as
rotten wood. 28 The arrow cannot make
him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble. 29 Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at
the shaking of a spear. 30 Sharp stones
are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire. 31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he
maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. 32
He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be
hoary. 33 Upon earth there is not his
like, who is made without fear. 34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king
over all the children of pride.
Notice another cross-reference in
Isaiah.
Isaiah 27:1 ¶ In that day the
LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the
piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the
dragon that is in the sea.
We have his color, red, and this symbology, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven
crowns upon his heads.
This, most likely, is a reference
to his nature and ten specific kingdoms over which he exerts control. As for Red, remember the red horse of the
second seal?
Revelation 6:4 And there went
out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to
take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was
given unto him a great sword.
The crimson stain of our sin?
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us
reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be
as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Red is a very significant color.
It was the color of baby Esau.
Genesis 25:25 And the first came
out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
And, among other things, it was in
the name of the sea through which God safely led the Hebrews, like the passage
He makes for Christians through death and destruction.
What about the seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns
upon his heads?
Revelation 17:3 So he carried me
away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet
coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
This woman, whom we will discuss
later, possesses these seven heads and ten horns. Let’s not jump ahead as there
are many things to review before we get to those explanations, which like
chapters 11 and 12, maybe take us out of the linear exposition of events and
give us background and an overview.
12:4 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. 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.
Satan led the third part of the stars of heaven, which we have
established as angels, and they were cast to earth. This is perhaps history and
whether or not it is worthy of discussion. Evidence shows us that Satan’s
rebellion began a long time ago.
As the Holy Ghost gave inspiration
to the writers of the Old Testament they wove a description of Satan into their
descriptions of human kings and even beasts. Here, Ezekiel starts out and ends
up talking about the king of Tyre, who was the very powerful ruler of that city
and Phoenicia, whose merchant navy traveled the world, including rounding
Africa, working tin mines in Cornwall in England, and perhaps even reaching
what are today called the Americas. But, in the description a key is given that
could only apply to Satan.
Ezekiel 28:13 Thou hast been in
Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius,
topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the
emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy
pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth;
and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast
walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day
that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
In addition, Satan, the adversary,
also known as Lucifer, had his motivations exposed early on. In speaking to the
king of Babylon, Isaiah gives us this;
Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen
from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will
exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north: 14
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most
High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down
to hell, to the sides of the pit.
One would think that the reference in Isaiah
can be linked to these verses in Revelation 12 and that at least some of these
verses by virtue of Christ’s statement in Luke 10:18 are historical events of
Christ’s time and the ascension of the Roman Empire around Christ’s birth.
The evidence we have in the Bible
shows the sons of God, whose visible representatives are called angels, like
any visible representative of God, man on earth, or even a church, is called an
angel, which we have already discussed as having in part succumbed to Satan’s
pride and temptation.
The question is, do these verses
following have to do with this mention in Revelation, chapter 12? Or is 12
referring to a future event?
Genesis 6:1 ¶ And it came to
pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were
born unto them, 2 That the sons of God
saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all
which they chose.
3 ¶ And the LORD said, My spirit
shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall
be an hundred and twenty years.
4 ¶ There were giants in the
earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the
daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men
which were of old, men of renown. 5 And
GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every
imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Jude 1:6 And the angels which
kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in
everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
In any event, Satan knew Christ
was coming, and wanted to kill Him, but did not know when.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put
enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Jeremiah 31:22 How long wilt
thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new
thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.
This gives us a spiritual reason
why Israel was so deceived and spiritually buffeted about as Satan did
everything in his power to destroy them both physically and spiritually. We
must remember, though, that Satan could go no further than God allowed. We have
that certainty from reading the book of Job. It also explains why he tested and
tempted Christ to try to have Him seek a crown before a cross, thus trying to
overthrow God’s plan.
Luke 4:1 ¶ And Jesus being full
of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness, 2 Being forty days tempted
of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended,
he afterward hungered. 3 And the devil
said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made
bread. 4 And Jesus answered him, saying,
It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of
God. 5 And the devil, taking him up into
an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of
time. 6 And the devil said unto him, All
this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto
me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7
If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get
thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and him only shalt thou serve. 9 And he
brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said
unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10 For it is written, He shall give his angels
charge over thee, to keep thee: 11 And
in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot
against a stone. 12 And Jesus answering
said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13 And when the devil had ended all the
temptation, he departed from him for a season.
Ruling the nations with a rod of iron will occur in the millennial
reign of Christ. See this in a great chapter on the rising up of the kings of
the earth as spelled out later in Revelation at the end of the millennium,
Psalm 2.
Psalm 2:1 ¶ Why do the heathen
rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel
together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast
away their cords from us. 4 He that
sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his
wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 ¶ I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said
unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen
for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou
shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a
potter’s vessel.
10 ¶ Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be
instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish
from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that
put their trust in him.
This promise is given in chapter 2
of Revelation, as well, to those who reign with Christ.
Revelation 2:26 And he that
overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over
the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter
shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star.
Of course, Christ is the morning
star (not Satan, as the NIV states in
Isaiah 14:12 parroting noted 19th century Satanist Madame Blavatsky
in her book The Secret Doctrine).
Revelation 22:16 I Jesus have
sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root
and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
After His ascension to Heaven Jesus is said to be seated next to God the
Father, as a symbol of His authority and place, with God, as God.
Psalm 110:1 « A Psalm of David. »
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine
enemies thy footstool.
Matthew 26:64 Jesus saith unto
him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the
Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of
heaven.
Mark 16:19 So then after the
Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right
hand of God.
Luke 22:69 Hereafter shall the
Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
12:6 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.
If Israel is the woman then during
the 3 ½ years of 360 days each as per the ancient calculation, which is 1260
days, the Jews will have to flee the most intense persecution of their entire
existence. If those surviving Jews have to hide in the remote vastness of, for
instance, Edom, during the Great Tribulation then who are those people living
in Jerusalem? Muslims?
Matthew 24:21 For then shall be
great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this
time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And
except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for
the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
12:7 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.
Michael was introduced in Daniel
as the specific angel representing Israel.
Daniel 10:13 But the prince of
the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one
of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of
Persia. …21 But I will shew thee that
which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with
me in these things, but Michael your prince.
Daniel 12:1 And at that time
shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy
people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was
a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be
delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. [Keep in mind
that Daniel doesn’t see or, perhaps, understand the church age.]
Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the
archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses,
durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke
thee.
So, when was the devil cast out?
Again, is this future or past? Remember,
Satan in Eden and had a respected position there, perhaps as God’s priest,
based on what he wore.
Ezekiel 28:13 Thou hast been in
Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius,
topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the
emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy
pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth;
and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast
walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day
that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
He plotted the overthrow of God’s
heavenly order in his mind.
Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen
from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will
exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north: 14
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most
High.
You can see that he wished to be a
god like God and this is the idea he tried to plant in Adam and Eve’s heads.
Genesis 3:5 For God doth know
that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be
as gods, knowing good and evil.
Is the following Godly sarcasm?
Psalm 82:1 ¶ « A Psalm of
Asaph. » God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among
the gods. 2 How long will ye judge
unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. 3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to
the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the
poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. 5 They know not, neither will they understand;
they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
6 ¶ I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are
children of the most High. 7 But ye
shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt
inherit all nations.
And Jesus’ reference to it in a
manner of saying, perhaps, you think you are gods in the flesh and yet you say
I am blaspheming when I say I am the Son of God?
John 10:30 I and my Father are
one. 31 Then the Jews took up stones
again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered
them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those
works do ye stone me? 33 The Jews
answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and
because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in
your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he
called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be
broken; 36 Say ye of him, whom the
Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I
said, I am the Son of God?
And when the seventy Christ sent
out to Israel returned
Luke 10:17 ¶ And the seventy
returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us
through thy name. 18 And he said unto
them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Again, is it future or past? Did
the war in heaven happen during
Christ’s time? Or, is it a future event?
Events in the spiritual world may not be linked to our timeframe, by the way.
Consider that we have a very fuzzy notion of the orderly sequence of events
outside of the physical world.
Here verse 9, by the way, is a
link showing that Satan’s true nature is reptilian in form. See this
cross-reference and then remember Job, chapter 41.
Isaiah 27:1 ¶ In that day the
LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the
piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the
dragon that is in the sea.
12:10 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 accused them before our God day and night. 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.
Here is a hint of when this is
taking place. Satan accused the brethren night and day before God, so, as in
Job, he still had access to God’s throne even after he lost his place of
authority as the anointed cherub that
covereth.
Job 1:6 Now there was a day when
the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also
among them.
And this was not just a one-time
thing.
Job 2:1 Again there was a day
when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came
also among them to present himself before the LORD.
An important point here is that
Christ’s people overcome not by war with guns and bullets but by Christ’s
blood, their witness, and by being willing to die for Christ. One example of
the great conflict between worldly Christianity and the faith of the Bible is
the fictional work from the 1800’s entitled Uncle
Tom’s Cabin. In it, in spite of the racism of the author as proved in her
later relationships with black Americans, the main character dies rather than
violate his submission to Christ in hurting others as it is demanded that he
become a wicked overseer, prompting the salvation of his murderers at his
death. The world vilifies Tom and calling someone an, “Uncle Tom,” is an insult
in the black community as cooperating with whites in their presumed oppression.
However, Tom is the most Christ-like character in fiction. Conservative
Christians will glorify a man who goes to war and kills many people before they
will glorify someone willing to die for Christ so white or black, the worldly
Christian would not be able to face being killed for Christ as many martyrs
have done and are doing now in other parts of the world.
So, when someone says that they
would never take the Mark of the Beast it is almost laughable. A willingness to
die for Christ is not a character trait of most modern day American Christians.
Calling in the Marines, maybe, but not dying for Christ in a triumphant entry
into eternity.
12:12 ¶ 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. 13 And when the dragon saw
that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth
the man child. 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. 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. 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. 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.
At this time, it is better to be
in heaven, the abode of God and the blessed dead, than to live on the earth.
This passage seems to make it clear that Satan’s final casting down will be to
earth during this Great Tribulation.
The woman, in my estimation a
reference to Israel, is given supernatural power to escape as God did for the
Hebrews in the Exodus.
Exodus 19:4 Ye have seen what I
did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you
unto myself.
For three and a half years, a
time, times, and half a time, the remnant of Israel is protected from the wrath
of Satan while the two witnesses torment Satan’s people, some of whom, as we
saw, wind up giving glory to God.
Satan uses water as a flood to try to destroy Israel. This disaster is
prevented by the earth absorbing the water. Is this figurative language
representing something other than that which is literally stated? It doesn’t
appear so considering the literal natural disasters that are listed in
Revelation.
Satan goes to make war with the
Israel’s remnant. Is that the 144,000 Jews of the 12 tribes, 12,000 each, that
God set apart for Himself? They follow the Law given to Moses and trust in
Christ. It is important to note that later the testimony of Christ is said to
be the spirit of prophecy.
Revelation 19:10 And I fell at
his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy
fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship
God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
