Turn your Bible’s open to Revelation 12. Two weeks ago we began our study on the seventh trumpet and this morning we are going to continue our study in verses 1-6 which say this: “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.”
I titled this: The Woman, The Son, & The Dragon. Just to give you an idea of what is going on here on a larger scale, from Revelation 12 to Revelation 14, John records the great conflict between Christ and the Devil. This morning, in verses 1-6, we are going to begin studying that conflict.
These verses, as you will soon see, explain Satan’s attempts throughout history to stop God’s plan to redeem humanity, which is at the center of this great conflict. What I am going to do is work our way through this and help you understand what’s there, because there is a lot of imagery here, and much of this has sparked debate among scholars. Then, in the end I’ll tell you why these six verses matter.
We begin with John saying that “a great sign appeared in heaven…”
The fact that John writes “a great sign appeared” tells us that this is no insignificant sign. When John says it’s “a great sign”, he is implying that what he is witnessing is immense, it’s big, it’s considerable, and very significant in importance. And John does not just record one sign, he witnesses two. So, the question becomes – what great sign has appeared in heaven?
In verse 1 John witnesses “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”
So who is this woman? Why does she appear this way? What is the significance of her being clothed with the sun, the moon, and a crown with twelve stars?
Through the years there has been some great debate over who this woman is. According to Dr. David Jeremiah, “The founder of the Christian Science religion, Mary Baker Glover Patterson Eddy, said the woman represented her…The Roman Catholic Church has taught that the woman represents the Virgin Mary who is in heaven in bodily form following her Assumption.” Some are even under the impression that this woman represents the church.
But I do not hold to any of those views. In my studies I am convinced this woman represents the nation of Israel. The reason I believe that is because of Genesis 37. In Genesis 37 there was a man whose name was Joseph. He was a dreamer. He had a mom and a dad whose names were Jacob and Rachel. He also had eleven other brothers, some of which came from Jacob’s other wife Leah.
In Genesis 37 Joseph had two dreams. Both dreams indicated that Joseph would one day rise to power and that many, including his own family, would be subject to him. In fact, the second dream Joseph had involved “the sun, the moon, and eleven stars…bowing down” to him. Which is the same sign we see here in Revelation. In Genesis 37:10 we are told that Joseph’s family rightly interrupted this dream to be about them.
But what you need to understand here is that Joseph and his eleven brothers, who are the twelve stars represented here, eventually become the nation of Israel. And that is how we know this “woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” is in fact the nation of Israel. The sun represents Joseph’s dad – Jacob, the moon represents Joseph’s mom – Rachel, and the twelve stars represent Joseph and his eleven brothers who would become the twelve tribes of Israel, which God would use to create the nation of Israel.
Then, in verse 2, John gives us another detail about this woman – she’s pregnant.
John says, “She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.” If the pregnant woman is Israel, I wonder who she is pregnant with? The Christian Science religion says the child represents their religion of Christian Science. Some believe the offspring is the 144,000 Jews who represent the 12 tribes of Israel. That certainly could be, but I disagree. I believe this offspring is Jesus.
I believe verses 1 and 2 are about God having chosen Israel to bring into the world the Messiah, whose name is Jesus. By the way, that is what the entire Old Testament is about: the Old Testament – from Genesis to Malachi – is about God choosing Israel, beginning with Abraham, and separating Israel for His purpose, and that purpose was to bring forth a child, whose name is Jesus, who would one day be and is the Savior of the world. So in essence, these first two verses are the Old Testament summed up.
Then, in verse 3, John records that another sign appeared saying, “And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.
Upon reading that several questions come to mind here. My first question is this: who or what is this “great red dragon”? In short, the great red dragon is none other than Satan himself. How do we know this is the devil? We know because John, in verse 9 says it is – “the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world…”
If the red dragon is Satan, why does John record that Satan has seven heads? Why does he record that Satan has ten horns? Why does he record that Satan has seven diadems (a crown adorned with jewels) on each one of his seven heads? What is the significance of all this?
First of all, understand we are not to take this literal – Satan does not have seven heads. This is symbolic. The reason he has seven heads with ten horns and seven diadems is to represent that he will have great power and authority over the kingdoms of the world. As it is, Satan already has power and authority over the kingdoms of the world. Paul tells us that even now Satan is “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). But notice that Satan is merely a prince, not a king. Which means Satan, while he may have some authority, he is far from being in control.
Then, in verse 4 John tells us, “His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth.”
John is referring to an event that happened in heaven ages ago which is recorded for us in Isaiah 14. Ages ago, sometime before Genesis 3, just after God had created the world, Satan and a third of heaven’s angels became full of pride and attempted to take over the throne of God. When that happened, Satan and those angels who followed him were cast out of heaven unto the earth. That’s when Satan gained some power and authority over the kingdoms of the world. And since his casting out of heaven, Satan and his demonic angels have been making war on mankind to keep us separated from God by tempting us to sin.
You may be wondering how something like that could happen in heaven? That’s because, like man, angels have free will; and with their free will, a third of the angels, including one named Lucifer, who is now referred to as Satan, became full of pride and tried a hostile takeover of God’s throne. This is why Jesus spoke so much about humility and challenges his followers to be as humble as a child. It’s because Satan’s kingdom is based on pride, Jesus’ kingdom is based on humility – total opposites. This is also why The more pride a man has the more like Satan he is, the more humility a man has the more like Jesus he is. As Christians, we must strive for humility.
John also writes in verse 4, “And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.”
What John is talking about here is Satan’s desire to destroy Israel and therefore, Israel’s offspring – Jesus. Ever since the fall of Satan and those angels who followed him, Satan has had one goal – the destruction of humanity, because we are created in the image of God and for the glory of God. Since then Satan has “specifically targeted the Nation of Israel because he knew that the promised Messiah was destined to end (his) evil dominion and save the very people he was trying to destroy.”
We can see Satan’s attempt to destroy Israel all throughout the Scrtipures beginning with the temptation of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3), to Cain’s murder of Abel (Genesis 4:8), to the corruption of Seth’s line (Gen. 6:1–12), to Pharoah’s edict to kill all the male children in Egypt (Ex. 1:15–22), to Haman’s attempt to slaughter the Jews (Esther 3-9).” None of that was by happenstance. All of those events were Satan’s attempt to destroy Israel and keep Jesus, the Messiah, from being born.
Again, the reason Satan was attempting to destroy Israel was so that he could prevent the birth of Jesus. The reason he wanted to prevent the birth of Jesus was ultimately to destroy humanity; that is his main agenda. God’s agenda is to save humanity, which is why God sent Jesus. If Satan could destroy Jesus, he could stop God’s plan. So, verse 4 is a record of a third of the angels being cast out of heaven and a record of Satan attempting to kill the Savior of the world in order to destroy humanity.
Next, John tells us in verse 5 that the woman “gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne.”
When John writes that the woman “gave birth to a male child”, he is referencing the virgin birth of Jesus. This is significant, because this is the very thing Satan has been attempting to stop since his fall from heaven. Remember, his main goal since being cast out of heaven is the destruction of humanity, which he could do, if he could stop the birth of Christ, which he failed to do.
But Satan’s attempt to destroy Jesus didn’t stop when Jesus was born. It’s no mistake that John, in verse 4, said that the dragon was standing over the woman, “so that when she bore her child he might devour it.” That is actually a reference to Herod’s desire to kill Jesus when Jesus was a baby in Matthew 2. If you recall, some wise men had come into Jerusalem approaching from the east asking where the king of the Jews is – referring to Jesus. When Herod heard of this, he assembled his chief priests to inquire what they were talking about and discovered they were referring to the fulfilled prophecy of Micah 5:2, that proclaimed that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem.
Then, Herod sent the wise men away, commissioning them to tell Harod where the child was when they found him, which they did not do. Therefore, Herod sent troops into Bethlehem to kill every child two years and younger, in an attempt to murder this newly born king.
Many read Matthew 2 and believe Herod was just acting out of jealousy and insecurity. People think Herod heard a king had been born and he was trying to secure his reign as king by killing the king of the Jews. John is telling us that Herod’s desire to kill Jesus was actually instigated by Satan. That Satan was using Herod to attempt to get rid of the offspring of Israel, who is the Son of God, for the ultimate destruction of humanity. But again, as you know, Satan failed again.
Then refers to Jesus’ reign – “one who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron”. In other words, Jesus is the rightful heir to the throne of Israel. He is the rightful King of this world. He is the sovereign ruler of all people and all nations. Which is another reason why Satan has been trying to destroy Jesus. Satan wishes to rule all the nations. Satan wishes to be King of this world. Satan wishes to be the ruler of this world. Satan wishes to be God. Satan wishes to sit on the throne of God. And if Satan could destroy Jesus, then he could achieve all that. But, as you know, Satan failed.
Then John refers to Jesus’ ascension and divinity – “but her child was caught up to God and to his throne.” As you know, according to the will of God, Jesus was sacrificed on the altar of the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. While Jesus’ death was certainly the will of God, it was also the Devil’s attempt to destroy the Son of God. Remember, it was Satan who enticed Judas to betray Jesus and have him crucified. In other words, Satan was using the cross as an instrument for destruction, but God used the cross as an instrument for salvation.
The point here is to show us that Satan failed to destroy Jesus. He failed to defeat him. That’s because not even death could hold Jesus. After Jesus died he was placed in a tomb. Then, after three days Jesus was risen from the dead by the power of God. Then, after 40 days had passed, he ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father’s throne forever and ever. And when that happened, Satan was defeated.
And by sitting at the right hand of the Father’s throne, Jesus accomplished the purpose for which God sent him – the redemption of mankind – and he received the name that is above all names, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11). That includes Satan. One day, Satan and all those demonic angels who followed him, will bow before Jesus and with their tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
This also applies to you. If you have not surrendered and submitted to the Lordship of Jesus, one day you will. If you have not confessed Jesus to be Lord of your life, one day you will. And I urge you to do that now while you have the free will to do so, because one day, if you continue to reject Christ, you’ll be forced to.
Lastly, John says in verse 6, “the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.”
This verse seems to propel us a great distance forward to a time after the ascension of Jesus. John says this to show that ever since Jesus’ ascension, Satan has not ceased to attack the nation of Israel in an continued attempt to overthrow God’s plan. That will not change after the rapture. During the last half of the tribulation, for 1,260 days, those Jews who belong to Christ will face great rage from Satan. They will be persecuted. They will experience great physical harm.
You may wonder why Satan would continue to attempt to do harm to Israel? Why is he still trying to destroy humanity? That’s because the conflict between Satan and Jesus is not over. There is another battle that awaits them. One last great fight. This is called the battle of armageddon. A day where the armies of Satan and the armies of Jesus will have one last final conflict. It will be a final battle versus good and evil. And as it is, Satan, being the prince of this world, is building his army as we speak by tempting people to sin and reject Christ.
But during the tribulation period, when Satan’s attack will be at its greatest, God will prepare a place for those Jews who have put their faith in Him to go to – the wilderness. In the Bible the wilderness represents many things. It represents a place where one finds their identity. A place where you can hear God’s still small voice. A place one can experience the grace of God and the power of God.
In this case, the wilderness represents a place of spiritual refuge and protection for the Jews from Satan’s attacks. It’s a place for which those Jews who have put their faith in God can find nourishment. It’s a place Satan will be unable to harm them.
And God does the same thing for us even today. The devil is always attempting to get at us. He is always attempting to do us harm. He is always attempting to tempt us. But God is always watching over us, God is always protecting us, and God is always keeping us safe.
As we close, you’re probably wondering what is the point of all this?
The point to Revelation 12:1-6 is to show us there is a lot more going on behind the scenes than what we may realize from the Old Testament through the gospels, from Genesis to the Gospel of John, from Genesis 1:1 to the ascension of Christ. They reveal that from the Old Testament through the Gospels, there is real spiritual warfare happening. They show us that from the Old Testament through the gospels, that since the beginning of creation to the ascension of Jesus, there has been great conflict between God and Satan.
They reveal that since Satan’s fall from heaven he has had one agenda – the destruction of humanity through sin. They show that God had a plan to remedy what Satan has attempted to destroy, and that plan was to choose a nation called Israel, and from that nation bring forth a child who would be born of a virgin named Mary, whose name is Jesus, who is the Christ, who is the only Son of God, who has died in our place on the altar of the cross for the atonement of our sin, who has been raised from the dead, and who has ascended to the throne of Almighty God, thus defeating everything Satan has been attempting to do. And they show us that Satan from the Old Testament through the Gospels had attempted many times to stop God’s plan, but ultimately failed; and he failed because no one can stop God from doing what He desires to do, not even the Devil.
Ladies and gentlemen: this is how much God loves you. He loves you enough not to leave you to the destruction of Satan. He loves you enough to send you a Savior, whose name is Jesus, that you might not be destroyed by Satan’s evil plot. And I just want to ask you: Do you know Him?