So we continue with the chapter 12 today.
Until now we looked at the 1st section. I’ve been telling in other videos that the Book of Revelation can be dissected to 3 sections and the 1st section is from the chapter 6 to ch11 and in that 1st section we saw that from the time of John’s writing of this book, right after that time, the Catholic arose and the Catholic is the 1st seal. And then it continued through Jesus’ return and then it ended with God’s judgment, the 7 trumpet judgments in chapter 11. And then in that chapter all things are finished with God’s judgment, and then we see here in the chapter 12, a new story is beginning. So by that we can see that another section is starting.
So in chapter 12 we see the story about the woman and the dragon.
Chapter 12:1, “Now a great sign appeared in heaven. Woman clothed with the Sun with the Moon under her feet and on her head a garland of 12 stars.”
The basic understanding of the Book of Revelation
Now the basic understanding about the book of Revelation I have is that the apostle John was called up to heaven to vision and I believe that he literally saw this woman in the sky in that vision. And he knew it was a some kind of sign because the woman was in the sky. And then she had crown of 12 stars and things like that. So he knew that this woman symbolized something. So he said a great sign appeared in heaven which was the woman he saw in the sky.
So he saw this woman appearing in the sky. And then verse 2, “She cried out in labor in pain to give birth and another sign appeared in heaven. Behold a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns.”
So he was seeing this woman appearing and a great red dragon appearing in the sky and he knew that those were some kind of signs.
The woman
Now as to what this woman symbolizes, there are a lot of opinions. Some say it’s Virgin Mary or some say the woman is the church. But I believe the woman is the nation of Israel.
Because it says the woman was clothed with the Sun and she was the Moon under her feet and on her head was a garland of 12 stars, so this Sun and the Moon and the 12 stars, we see in another story in the Book of Genesis.
In the book of Genesis, Joseph had a dream – a sun and a moon and 11 stars bowed down to him. And we know that the Sun was his father, Jacob, so those sun and the moon and the stars symbolize Israel, Jacob and his sons, 12 tribes.
So by that we know that this woman symbolizes Israel.
Also this woman, it says, gives birth to a child who will rule the world with an iron scepter. That child is Jesus so we know that Jesus was born as a descendant of Israel, so Israel bearing child which is Jesus makes sense. But if you interpret it as the church bearing child then it doesn’t really make sense because the church is from Jesus, not the other way around.
And also to interpret it as Virgin Mary, it doesn’t really make sense because later on this woman flees to the wilderness for 3 and a half years which is the duration of the Great Tribulation and the Virgin Mary fleeing to the wilderness for 3 and a half years, those things never happened to Virgin Mary, so it’s not really reasonable to think of this woman as Virgin Mary.
So I believe this woman symbolizes the nation of Israel.
The red dragon
So we continue with the verse 3, “and another sign appeared in heaven. Behold, a great fiery red dragon. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns.”
Ten horns usually mean ten nations, ten kings, and later on these ten kings will idolize the Antichrist but I don’t think this red dragon is the antichrist because it says here, “the red dragon drew a third of the stars of heaven threw them to the earth.” Now the antichrist, although he’s powerful, he’s not powerful enough to throw the stars, fallen angels. He doesn’t have power to throw a third of the angels down to the earth. So it can only be Satan.
So this fiery red dragon, I believe, is Satan.
The dragon throwing down a third of the stars
And then verse 4, “His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.”
Now what’s interesting about this is, I believe that, it says here on verse 4 it goes on to say, “and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth.”
So this Satan threw down a third of the angels to the earth just before Israel gave birth to Jesus. So I believe that just before Jesus was born, Satan threw a third of the angels down to the earth. So we see that when Jesus was on the earth, there were so many people possessed by demons. But if you read the Old Testament there’s hardly any story about people possessed by demons. But at the time of Jesus there were so many people possessed by demons.
So I believe, just before Jesus was born, all these demons, the fallen angels came down to the earth.
New Testament time and being born again
And another thing about that is that, now in New Testament times, unless you’re born again to have the power of Jesus, no one can overcome the temptations of demons. So they cannot live holy.
But in the Old Testament times, there was no such thing as being born again. So I believe that in the Old Testament times, from Genesis through the time of Noah’s flood and the Old Testament times, the people were capable of living holy if they decided to live holy. And God gave them the laws and if they wished they could live holy without being born again. Because there were no demons on the earth harassing them and giving temptations. But in the New Testament times, there are fallen angels, demons attacking people spiritually, so no one can live holy unless they’re born again, receiving Jesus as the Lord of their lives. I explained about that in another video called, “How to be born again”.
The child – Jesus
But, we continue here. So verse 5, “She bore a male child who was to rule all the nations with a rod of iron.”
This is Jesus.
Jesus’ ascension
“and her child was caught up to God and his throne.”
Now this is talking about Jesus’ ascension.
The woman fleeing to the wilderness
“then the woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.”
So after Jesus’ ascension, it’s talking about Israel fleeing to the wilderness for one thousand two hundred sixty days which is 3 and a half years. It’s taking about the Great Tribulation.
The time of gentile ignored by Bible Prophecy
So now you see that the bible is written in such a way that as if Jesus’ return happens right after Jesus’ ascension. And Jesus taught as if he would return very soon after his ascension and he said the Great Tribulation will begin right away and then he will return.
And it says here, after Jesus’ ascension, Israel flees to the wilderness. So a part of the reason why Jesus said that was because Jesus did now his disciples to slack off and he wanted them to have this urgency about the end time so Jesus prophesied as if Jesus’ return and the destruction of Jerusalem were the same events, but now we know that it was double prophecy. So Jesus did that for the reason I just told you.
And as far as God’s prophecy goes, it doesn’t really concern with the time of gentiles and God’s prophecies always revolve around Israel. So the Bible generally just ignores the time of gentiles. So the past 2000 years, it’s not really significant as far as God’s prophecies are concerned.
So the Book of Revelation is written the same way here.
So after Jesus’ ascension, it’s talking about the Great Tribulation and just before the Great Tribulation, Israel will flee to the wilderness to be taken care of.
A place prepared for the woman during the Great Tribulation
And it says here, “she has a place prepared by God.” So I believe that there is a place prepared by God for Israel during the Great Tribulation.
A place prepared for the Church of Philadelphia
Likewise, I believe that God’s remnant, for them there will be a place prepared by God during the Great Tribulation, too. And God promised to the Church of Philadelphia that he will exempt them going through the time of testing which is the Great Tribulation. So I believe that just like for Israel, God has a place prepared for the church. And for the Church of Philadelphia, he has a place prepared for them, and then I believe that in the end time, there will be churches that will carry out the task of the Church of Philadelphia.
War in heaven, when?
So we continue with the verse 7, “and war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon and the dragon his angels fought.” verse 8, “but they did not prevail nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the devil and Satan.”
Oh, it says right here, the dragon is Satan.
“who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him.”
So this war will break out between Michael and Satan. Now as to the timing of this war, some people believe that because Jesus saw Satan coming down like lightning in the Book of Luke, so at the time of Jesus, Satan was hurled down to the earth.
But I believe that this war will break out just before the Great Tribulation. Because it says here, verse 12, “for the devil has come down to you having great wrath because he knows that he has short time.”
So if we assume that this war happened at the time of Jesus then to say he knows that he has short time doesn’t really make sense. So that’s one of the reasons why I believe that this war will break out just before the Great Tribulation.
And also in the Book of Daniel chapter 12, it says here, “at that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that time.”
So it says, “Michael shall stand up and there will be a time of trouble” which means the Great Tribulation. So just before the Great Tribulation, I believe that Michael will stand up and he will fight Satan in a war in heaven and then at that time, Satan will be hurled down to the earth.
So just before the Great Tribulation, I believe this world become more evil and it says in the Book of Revelation, “Satan will persecute the woman” which is Israel. So just before the Great Tribulation, Satan will persecute Israel and eventually he will send the army to Israel. So it’s talking about that here.
Serpent spewing out water after the woman
Verse 13, “Now when the dragon saw that he has been cast to the earth he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the mail child but the woman was given two wings of a great eagle what she might fly into the wilderness to her place where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time.”
So time is one year. Times is two years, and half a time is a half year, so for 3 and a half years Israel will flee from the Great Tribulation.
And verse 15, “So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman that he might cause her carried away by the flood but the earth helped the woman and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon has spewed out of his mouth.”
So just before the Great Tribulation, Satan will send the army to Israel. So it says here, “the serpent spewed out water out his mouth like a flood after the woman” which is Israel so in the Book of Revelation, many waters, usually it symbolizes many people, so what this means is Satan will send many people which is an army, a great army, to Israel.
And it says here, “but the earth helped the woman and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood.”
So just before the Great Tribulation, there will be war and that war is the Luke 21 war and Ezekiel 38 war. Because in Luke 21 Jesus said when you see Jerusalem surrounded by the army then there will be a great tribulation. And how do we know that this war is also Ezekiel 38 war.
Because it says here, “the earth helped the woman and it opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood. So what it means is opening its mouth, that means there will be an earthquake and then the earth will be parted because of the earthquake and the army attacking Israel will be swallowed up by the earthquake.
So we see here in Ezekiel 38:19, “for in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath, I have spoken, surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at my presence. The mountains shall be thrown down.”
So in the Ezekiel 38 war God will cause a great earthquake to happen and it will destroy the army. So just before the Great Tribulation, the war will happen just like Jesus prophesied in Luke 21 and then at that time, a great earthquake will happen to destroy the army.
So in this chapter 12 in the Book of Revelation, that the dragon spewing out water to attack Israel, it’s talking about that war just before the Great Tribulation.
The woman given 2 wings of great eagle
And it says here, “the woman was given two wings of a great eagle.”
So a lot of people believe that this great eagle symbolizes America. Now, in bible prophecy, the animals symbolize all the nations. Usually Russia is symbolized by bear and England is the lion and usually America is great eagle. So now we see that America is a friend of Israel. So America might help Israel to flee from that war.
So maybe this woman being given two wings of great eagle to fly away from the Great Tribulation symbolizes that America will help Israel in that war.
Satan preparing to make war with the saints
So in verse 17, it says here, “and the dragon was enraged with the woman and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
So “after the war Satan is enraged at the woman and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keeps the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ”; this means the church which is her offspring and they have the testimony of Jesus Christ, the gospel of Jesus Christ, so this means the church.
So after that war, Satan will prepare to make war with the saints, the Christians, in the Great Tribulation. So in the chapter 13 we see the Great Tribulation happening.
Chapter 12 Summary
So in the chapter 12 we saw that a new section of the Book of Revelation is starting. So in this chapter 12, we saw that it talks about the time just before the birth of Jesus and through to the Luke 21 war just before the Great Tribulation and then after that war Satan is preparing make war the saints in the Great Tribulation.
And in the chapter 13, we will look at the Great Tribulation.
