Chapter 12

The Woman in the Wilderness

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and Woman clothed with the sun the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars; and she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

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. 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.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.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 three-score days.

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 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.

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. 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.

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. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

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. 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.

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. 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."

(Rev. Chapter 12)

As we pointed out in our pervious study, chapter 11 marks the end of a cycle of revelation which takes us from the time of the First Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ right up to the glory of His Second Advent when the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.

So we now come to this all-important 12th chapter of this wonderful Revelation. As previously suggested, it forms a parenthesis, or introduction to the remainder of the Book which deals almost exclusively from this point on with the destruction of the entire Babylonian system as that which has been used by Satan down through the ages as the means by which he intended to destroy Gods Israel people, and thus thwart the Divine Plans and Purposes of Almighty God. From here on we are dealing not so much with the history of nations, as with the history of the political, economic and ecclesiastical systems which arose either concurrent with, or as a result of, the various nations which formed the kingdoms of this world with which Satan tried to tempt our Lord. Here we are introduced not only to kingdoms, but to the King. A failure to recognise this fact will have a detrimental effect on our understanding of the remainder of the Book of the Revelation. From this point on, we notice that the attacks of the enemy are directed not only against the people of God as a nation, but specifically against God Himself together with His saints. This is now not just an account of physical warfare and opposition, but rather of warfare and opposition on the higher spiritual level, the concentrated effort to destroy the very special relationship between Jehovah/Jesus and His Kingdom people over whom He will reign as His Kingdom here on earth.

Israel jumping off into the wilderness via the Oregon Trail

Thus we should not be surprised that this 12th chapter concentrates primarily on the birth and preservation of the King, together with the preservation of the people who gave birth to that King.

The very first thing we notice when we commence our study of this 12th chapter is that there are two wonders mentioned. The word simply means a sign. The first of these signs or wonders is found in the very first verse, and is identified as a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. The second sign or wonder is referred to in verse three as a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. To understand what the Lord is revealing to us, we must correctly identify these two wonders. So we will commence with that of the woman.

The first thing we discover is that there are TWO women mentioned in the Book of the Revelation. There is this one in the 12th chapter, and there is another one in the 17th chapter. Whilst the difference is obvious, it nevertheless should be recognised. The second woman is clearly stated to be the great whore, and represents Babylon. The woman we are studying in the 12th chapter however is an entirely different one, and in fact is the prime target of the second woman. Here we have the perfect example of the old adage, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." And in its application to this second woman youd better believe it.

So who is this "woman" of Revelation 12? She is quoted as having several marks of identification;

She is clothed with the sun.
She has a moon under her feet.
She has a crown of twelve stars upon her head.
She is giving birth to a man child.

Now before we proceed, let us realise that this woman does NOT represent the Virgin Mary as the Church of Rome would like us to believe. They have gone to no end of trouble to try to confuse this issue, even to portraying Mary as an idol having a ring of twelve stars round her head. Their perpetuation of this theme is clearly recognised in the design of the new European Community flag, which is a plain blue flag containing a circle of twelve white stars. One wonders at the very possible connection between this and the latest suggested design for a new Australian flag which is a plain blue flag with five white stars on it, supposedly to represent the Southern Cross. Like a leading politician once said; Nothing in politics ever happens by chance. If it happens, you can be sure that someone planned it that way.

EU Flag Be that as it may, the one thing that is noticeable is the absence of the colour red on the EU flag, signifying the redemptive blood of Christ.

No! The description of this woman reveals her to be symbolic of Israel. Israel is the only answer that fits all the identification marks. The very mention of the sun, moon, and stars immediately takes us back to the dream of Joseph where he saw the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down to his star, thus portraying that his descendants would be the leaders of the future Israel nations, a prophesy which has been amply fulfilled in Ephraim/Britain and Manasseh/U.S.A. Then we have the very promise of Jehovah Himself in Jeremiah chapters 31 and 33 where He based the certainty of the fulfilment of these promises on the everlasting continuance of these very same sun, moon and stars. If any further proof of this identification is required, then the establishment of the identity of the man-child which was born to her should settle the matter. The only description given as to His identity is that "He was to rule all nations with a rod of iron." Only one person can possibly fit this description, and that is our Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 2:9 informs us regarding Gods Son that

"Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potters vessel."

Isaiah 9:6-7 gives us the certain identification of both the woman and the man-child or son.

"For unto us (Israel) a child is born, unto us a son is given. And the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called wonderful counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform it."

But there is one added piece of information that is contained in verse one. Whilst the moon is part of the identification marks of Israel when mentioned in conjunction with the sun and stars, it can also have a separate meaning in its own right. It will be noted that the moon mentioned in the account is placed under the feet of the woman. This position is usually delegated to that of anyone who is defeated. The victor is usually represented as having his feet upon the vanquished. Is it just coincidental that the insignia and symbol of Islam is the crescent moon? Has the Lord hidden away in this account a further little gem for the encouragement of those with eyes to see and ears to hear? I have to admit that this is not an original thought on my part. Only recently I was reading a book by the late Pascoe Goard written in 1916. It was a study in the Book of the Revelation, and in a list of identification marks he states; "The moon under her feet - the emblem of Mohammed, the false prophet."

To this we should add the fact that in the scriptures Israel is often portrayed as a woman. Firstly, of course, she was Jehovahs wife. Hosea chapter 2 is full of such references. And if we turn to Isaiah 54:4-7 we are left in no doubt as to the identification of Israel as the woman.

"Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed. Neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame. For thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of Hosts is His name; and thy re-deemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called. For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee."

Thus we have clearly identified for us the first wonder, the WOMAN. She represents the nation of Israel.

But what of the second sign or wonder? In verse 3, it is referred to as a great red dragon. The dragons identity, as distinct from its activities, poses no problem. In verse 9 we are clearly informed;

"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world."

Thus it is revealed that the principle participants of this chapter are;

Israel, referred to as The Woman giving birth to a son.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, referred to as the man child born of the woman, and
Satan, referred to as the great dragon, the head and leader of the forces that are determined to eliminate both the King and the Kingdom Israel as represented by the man child and the woman.

The enemys plan is clearly stated in the final verse of the chapter;

"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."

However, as we continue our study we will perceive that God also has a plan. We will see how that the Lord provided the necessary means of protection for His people in strict conformity with His everlasting promises and covenants that He made with them so many centuries before. And as we proceed into further chapters we will find and understand the intensity of the all-consuming attack that Satan and his agents have been making against us. The forces behind our present national position will be revealed in all their fulness and all their fury.

But more importantly, we will understand the end of the whole matter, even the final victory of our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, as He unfolds before our eyes His plans which will finally and for ever defeat not only the plans of the enemy, but will bring final and everlasting destruction to the enemy himself.

The plan is very clearly defined:

a). Israel was to bring forth a Son whose destiny was to ultimately rule all nations. We read in Psalm 2:7-9;

"I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession.

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a pot-ters vessel."

The Prophet Isaiah records in Isaiah 9:6-7;

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Again, in Revelation 12:5, and 19:15 we read these statements;

"And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron."

"And out of His (The Word - Jesus) mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations. And He shall rule them with a rod of iron."

b) The enemy, Satan, was determined to destroy both the Child and the woman, and by so doing, intended to utterly destroy the plans and purposes of Almighty God for the ultimate peace and blessing of all the families and nations of the earth through the people Israel, whom He had appointed and chosen and commissioned for this very purpose.

So at this stage, let us examine more closely the identity and actions of the enemy, as so wonderfully and carefully portrayed in the symbolic references of this chapter. Never forget, that this wonderful Book of the Revelation was given to us in "signs and symbols". Teachers of the "futurist" school of prophecy insist that this book is to be taken literally. I have letters from some such ministers quite categorically stating this fact. On this basis, the enemy, Satan, would be a truly awesome sight, to say nothing of the fearful sights yet to be seen by mankind. We are told in verse three that Satan has seven heads with a crown on each head, together with ten horns. Verse four tells that his tail is going to be so large and powerful that it will scoop up a third of the total stars of heaven and cast them to the earth, a real clever trick in view of the fact that many of these stars are many times the size of our earth in the first place. Logical reason would lead any thinking person to conclude that when and if this happened, the entire earth would be destroyed there and then, and anything further that the Revelation had to say about the future of this planet would be entirely superfluous.

Now I've got a fairly good sense of humour, and a pretty good imagination, but this sort of thing really leaves me rather speechless. No, my friends. Enough of this totally misleading nonsense. This book was given to us in terms of "signs and symbols", and it can only be properly understood as we study to ascertain the full and proper meaning and application of these same signs and symbols. Let me repeat what has been so often stated in our studies thus far. The only Scriptures available to John at the time of writing was what we now term "The Old Testament." The New Testament refers to them as "The Scriptures." John had absolutely no other source of information and learning from which he could possibly gain any understanding of what the Lord was revealing to him other than "The Scriptures." And if we wish to understand the meaning of these various "signs and symbols", then we too must go back to the Old Testament. Generally speaking, this Book of the Revelation is not a difficult book to understand if we apply this very simple principle. There is a very fundamental rule that we do well to remember. The Bible explains itself. We dont need theological excuses and arguments to make it mean something other than what God clearly intends it to portray.

So when we go back to history and the Book of the prophet Daniel, we find out exactly the real identity of the forces of Satan as referred to here.

The first feature of which we are informed is that he had seven heads with crowns on them. Now in prophetic terms, heads usually signify empires, whilst crowns refer to the authority exercised by the heads in these empires. Horns also represent kingdoms. So in turning to Daniel chapter seven we find reference to four beasts, representing four world powers which were to rise. Daniels vision represented four world empires. The first was described as being a lion with eagles wings, standing on its feet like a man, and having a mans heart. This represented the Babylonian Empire over which Nebuchadnezzar reigned at the time of Daniels vision. The second beast was likened unto a bear which devoured much flesh, and represented the Medo-Persian Empire which followed the fall of the Babylonian Empire. The third beast was likened to a leopard with four wings upon its back, having four heads. This represented the next empire which followed the Medo-Persian Empire, that of Greece. Then followed the description of the fourth and most terrible of all the beasts, so terrible in fact that it was not even given a name. The description is found in Daniel 7:7;

"I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth. It devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it. And it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns."

This beast represented the Imperial Roman Empire, the fourth in the succession of Empires represented by Nebuchadnezzars image. The seven heads and crowns represented seven forms of government over this Empire.

They were:

Kings;
Consuls;
Dictators;
Decimvers;
Military Tribunals;
Emperors; and
Despotic Military Rulers.

The ten horns" represented ten kingdoms which developed from this fourth Empire.

Thus we see, that whilst it was Satan personally who waited before the woman to devour the Child as soon as it was born, as distinct from the Roman Empire or the Holy Roman Empire which followed it, it was Imperial and Papal Rome which became the agencies and kingdoms through and by which Satan planned to destroy the Lord Jesus Christ and His true Israel people. The means by which Satan was to achieve this are clearly stated in the account. We read in verses 4, 13, 15, and 17;

"And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to de-vour her child as soon as it was born."

"And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child."

"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."

"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."

This war against the woman and her seed has continued right down through the centuries until the present day, and will continue so until the Lord returns to destroy this enemy with the breath of His mouth.

But what of the woman? What preventive and protective action did God plan for her in order that she may escape the plans of the evil one. We must keep in mind that at this time, Satan was cast out of heaven to the earth, with all his angels who followed him. In its prophetic sense, the earth represented the Roman world, whilst the heaven represented the lands where Israel dwelt. So just as Rome was the dominant world power at the time, it was obvious that Satan would operate within that Empire at that time. He wasnt going to achieve anything in regard to his immediate plan by worrying the daylights out of the people in South America for instance. So it was necessary that the woman, Israel, should be taken out of that environment as soon as possible in order to escape the plans which Satan was devising against her. Thus, verses 6 and 14 give us a clear description of what God did. He transferred the Israel people into another land, just as He had said He would many centuries before to His servant David. You see, God does not make idle promises. Everything that He has promised has already happened, or will yet happen, just as He said it would. This is our strength in knowing that we have such a faithful covenant-keeping God.

In II Samuel 7:10 we read this promise;

"Moreover, I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as before-time."

Let us keep in mind as we read this, that Israel was already in Palestine when the promise was made, so the appointed place must have been some place other than Palestine. So it is that we read in verses 6 and 14;

"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 three-score days."

(verse 6).

"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."

(verse 14).

Now where was this wilderness to which the woman, Israel, was carried and nourished? The opponents of what I am about to say can rave and rant all they like. It will not alter the proven historical fact that these people of Israel, the whole twelve tribes, journeyed westward across Europe after their respective captivities, and over a great period of time, until they finally reached the coasts and isles of the west, just as stated by the prophet Isaiah. They eventually came into a place which was to a large degree uninhabited, leaving small pockets of their fellow Israelites all along their route who had decided for one reason or another to settle along the way in such places as Greece, Northern Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Holland, and Scandinavia. They eventually reached the isles of the sea, now known as the British Isles, and centuries later, some of them went even further westward to what we now call the United States of America and Canada. We should note that the word wilderness as used here does not mean just a stony empty place where sustenance is very difficult if not impossible. It literally means in the Greek "a solitary place", whilst the word used in the Hebrew in most references means "a pasture or field where cattle are driven." And this is exactly what the Israel people found at the end of their long journey. Here, in the isles of the sea, in the appointed place, they found rest and nourishment. Neither Imperial or Papal Rome would ever again persecute them to the degree that they had suffered whilst they were in Palestine and even in parts of Europe during their journeyings. So the dragon, Satan, knowing that his time was now determined by God, used everything in his power to persecute the woman, Israel, and to destroy her relationship with her God. How very close he has come to succeeding in this is now obvious to those who follow and understand the prophetic Word of God. But every attempt he made against Gods people failed. He poured forth a flood of deceit and deception, but it was absorbed within the other people of the earth to the extent that it didnt have the desired destructive effect that Satan had originally planned and intended. We read in verse 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."

When this attempt didnt fully work, Satan then got to work on the faithful within the people, those who kept the commandments of God, and their testimony of Jesus Christ. No stone was left unturned in order to bring about the ultimate destruction of these people whom God had formed for His own praise. Little wonder that Satan is enjoying the present situation so much when he sees those who claim to be servants and followers of God deny His faithfulness by promulgating the God-dishonouring teaching that He couldnt carry out His original plans to the literal nation of Israel, and now has had to change His mind and give all the good promises to the church. (All the bad promises of course, go to the Jews). So much for the promise;

"I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are NOT consumed."

However, Jehovah/Jesus victory over His arch-rival Satan is absolutely certain, as is ours who faithfully follow Him.

"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 (or anointed). For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 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..

Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them."

Thus we are left with two certainties. Firstly, the time during which Satan is going to be allowed by God to be active in persecuting us has been foreordained and limited by God. Secondly, through the blood of the Lamb, our precious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, we are going to be absolutely victorious.

God hasn't failed to date, and He's not about to start doing so now. The night is now far spent. The dawning of that Great Day is close at hand. Let us not be found wanting when the trumpet sounds for the gathering to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb of those who will be called to rule and reign with Him in His Kingdom here on earth.