Unless otherwise stated, all citations are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).
Chapter 12 continues to explain the prophecy of the “little book” that John received and digested earlier (Rev. 10:2, 9). The bowls do not pick back up until Revelation 14. Hitchcock calls this the most symbolic chapter in the most symbolic book of the Bible. He titles the chapter, “The War of the Ages.”
(12:1) “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”
“A great sign appeared in heaven.” John uses the word “sign” (semeion) to refer to the miracles of Jesus in his Gospel. In each case, we have a literal miracle of Jesus that also contains deeper spiritual meaning. Here, the “sign” is a vision of a “woman.” She is symbolic for Israel, which is a literal people.
(Rev. 12:1) Who is the woman: Israel, Mary, or the Church? This woman refers to the nation of Israel. This is the fulfillment of many OT prophecies about Israel giving birth to the Messiah. Joseph said, “I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me” (Gen. 37:9). Osborne writes, “In Jewish literature ‘twelve stars’ often refers to the twelve patriarchs or the twelve tribes.”[1] For instance, in one extrabiblical text, we read, “I saw in a vision that the sun and the moon were standing still on the Mount of Olives… Levi laid hold of the sun, and Judah outstripped the others and seized the moon, and they were both of them lifted up with them. And when Levi became as a sun, a certain young man gave to him twelve branches of palm; and Judah was bright as the moon, and under his feet were twelve rays” (Testament of Naphtali, 5.5). We shouldn’t press this evidence too far. This extrabiblical text simply shows that images of the sun, moon, and stars were being used to refer to Israel at the time.
(12:2) “And she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.”
If this woman is Israel personified, then the vision describes how Israel brought forth the Messiah through a long history of turmoil. This imagery of Israel giving birth appears often in the OT as well (Isa. 26:17-18; 66:7-8; Mic. 4:10; 5:3). Israel faced two millennia of slavery, persecution, and attacks from all sides in order to fulfill her mission to bring about the Messiah. The imagery of being in “labor” and in “pain” describes how much the nation suffered to play this role. Indeed, the word “pain” (basanizō) is an extremely intense term that can be rendered “torture.”[2]
(12:3) “Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.”
The chapter opened with a “sign” (semeion) that was symbolic (v.1). Likewise, this “sign” of a “great red dragon” is also symbolic. As we will see below, this refers to Satan (Rev. 12:9; 20:2).
“Seven heads and ten horns.” Later, we see an identical description of the “beast” (Rev. 13:1; 17:3). This strongly implies that the Beast (or Antichrist) is made in the image of Satan. Elsewhere, Scripture identifies this symbol with the revived Roman Empire (Rev. 13:1; Dan. 7:7-8, 20, 24).
(12:4) “And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.”
“He might devour her child.” Satan attempted to stop the Messiah through both overt and covert means:[3]
- Cain’s murder of Abel (Gen. 4:8). Originally, God promised to bring the Messiah through the “seed of the woman” (Gen. 3:15), and so, Satan may have influenced the first murder to thwart God’s prediction. After all, Jesus said, “[Satan] was a murderer from the beginning” (Jn. 8:44). John elsewhere writes, “We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother” (1 Jn. 3:12 ESV).
- Demons impregnated women (Gen. 6). Satan’s fallen angels perverted a portion of humanity to the point where the entire existence of the race was at stake (Gen. 6:1-2; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). This would’ve stopped the coming of the future Messiah in Genesis 3:15.
- Abraham giving Sarah to pagan kings twice. The attempted marriage (or rape?) of Sarah would have corrupted the Jewish line (Gen. 12:10-20; 20:1-18). At this point, she was the only Jewish woman who could bring the blessing of the Messiah through the line of Abraham.
- Isaac giving Rebekah to the men of Gerar. If one of the men impregnated Rebekah, this would’ve corrupted the Jewish line as well (Gen. 26:1-18).
- Pharaoh ordered all Hebrew boys to be killed. The murder of male boys in Egypt would’ve ended the Jewish line (Ex. 1:15-22).
- David had many attempts on his life. The attempted murders of David are too numerous to count. At least one of these attempts on David’s life was inspired by “an evil spirit” (1 Sam. 16:14). If this was successful, it would’ve ended the Jewish line through David (1 Sam. 18:10-11), who would later become a “type” or foreshadowing of the Messiah (2 Sam. 7:11-14).
- Queen Athaliah killed everyone in the “house of Judah” (2 Chron. 22:10). However, the king’s daughter helped Joash to escape, prolonging the line of David (2 Chron. 22:11).
- Haman tried to perform genocide on the Jews in Persia. He attempted to kill all the Jews (Esther 3-9), but this resolutely backfired (Esther 10).
- Herod killed the children of Bethlehem (Mt. 2:16). Once the birthplace of the Messiah was located, Herod enacted “overkill” to eliminate the Messiah.
- Satan tempted Jesus to worship him, forfeiting the Cross (Mt. 4:9). He also tried to tempt Christ to forfeit the Cross by tempting him through one of his friends, Peter (Mt. 16:22-23).
- Satan entered Judas to betray Jesus (Jn. 13:2, 27; Lk. 22:3). While this plot succeeded in killing Jesus, it failed to stop God’s victory at the Cross (Col. 2:14-15).
How many of these are explicit examples of Satan trying to stop the birth of the Messiah? We’re unsure. Some are just conjecture, but others are clearly connected with Satan’s persecution of the Jewish people. There is enough biblical evidence to think that Satan was trying to thwart God’s plan of bringing his Messiah through the Jewish people throughout their entire history. The biblical data above seem to confirm this.
“Third of the stars of heaven.” These “stars” (1/3 of them) move location from heaven to earth, but who or what are these “stars”? Some interpreters hold that these “stars” are human believers (based on Dan. 10:20-21; 12:1, 3). However, Osborne argues, “It is generally agreed that Dan. 8:10 pictures the attack on Israel as a war against the heavenly host, it is also generally held that the ‘stars’ in Dan. 8:10 are primarily angels rather than the people of God… While Dan. 12:3 says the faithful ‘will shine … like the stars forever and ever,’ it does not say they are stars. Also, in the Apocalypse, whenever asteres (stars) refers to beings, they are always angels (1:16, 20; 2:1; 3:1; 9:1; 22:16 [Christ as ‘the Morning Star’]). There is no instance when the people of God are called ‘stars.’”[4] Consequently, we hold that these “stars” are symbolic of angels, as the immediate and greater context of Revelation makes clear.
(Rev. 12:4, 9) When did Satan sweep a third of the angels away to the Earth? When was Satan cast out of heaven? This is a complicated question. In our view, verses 4 and 9 are referring to two separate events. The sweeping of the third of the angels in verse 4 is separate from the casting out of Satan in verse 9. Verse 4 refers to the fall of Satan in the past, while verse 9 refers to the casting out of Satan in the future. Thus, we hold that John is explaining both the origin of Satan’s fall (v.4) and the future expulsion of Satan (v.9). He is explaining the beginning of Satan’s rebellion, as well as its end. Thus, verses 4 and 9 are describing two different events. Verse 4 does not say that Satan was thrown out of heaven; it says that his angels were thrown down. While Satan “threw” (ballo) a third of the angels to the Earth (v.4), he himself will be “thrown down [ballo]… and his angels with him” (v.9) in the future. This view makes sense of the expulsion of Satan from heaven in the future because Satan told God that he was “roaming about on the earth and walking around on it” (Job 1:7; cf. 2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Jn. 5:19). Satan had been thrown out of heaven, but he could still return to make accusations. At this point in the future (v.9), Satan will no longer have this luxury.
In a sense, John is conflating the fall of Satan with the expulsion of Satan. As believers are being ravished in the Tribulation, they will no doubt ask: How did the persecution get this bad? John is answering that question by revisiting the fall of Satan and describing his casting out. No matter how we interpret this passage, it is clear that John is giving a full panorama to place the Tribulation in its historical context in God’s overall plan.
(12:5) “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.”
The “child” is no doubt Jesus. After all, he is destined to “rule all the nations with a rod of iron.” This is an allusion to Psalm 2:9, which is a messianic psalm. Moreover, Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9), as this passage teaches (“caught up to God”).
(12:6) “Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.”
“The woman fled into the wilderness.” If this is understood chronologically, then this must be after the birth, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. As a result, this would place Israel’s escape in the future. Preterists, of course, see the fulfillment of this with the Church escaping to Pella in AD 66 before the Jewish War. However, the text doesn’t tell us when this will be fulfilled or even if it has been fulfilled yet. In our view, this is still future to our own day.
“One thousand two hundred and sixty days.” The woman is in the wilderness for 3.5 years. This iteration of 3.5 years is mentioned five times throughout this section of Revelation. It is described as 42 months (Rev. 11:2; 13:5), 1,260 days (Rev. 11:3; 12:6), or “time and times and half a time” (Rev. 12:14; 13:5). This three-and-a-half years aligns with half of Daniel’s seventieth “week” or seven years (Dan. 9:27).
Hitchcock speculates that the Jewish people might flee to Petra based on Isaiah 63:1-4. In that prediction, the Messiah comes up from Petra (Edom) after judging the enemies of Israel.
Alternate interpretations
Morris[5] links the time-period of 1,260 days with the earlier mention in Revelation 11:3. Because he interprets the two witnesses as referring to the witnessing Church, he sees the “woman” as the Church here as well—the “true Israel” of God. The protection in the wilderness refers to God protecting believers so that they can fulfill their mission of evangelism to the world. All of this, therefore, transpires during the Church Age.
Mounce’s view is difficult to understand. He alludes to a Preterist perspective, when he states that this “may in part reflect the escape of the Palestinian church to Pella at the outbreak of the Jewish war in AD 66.”[6] Yet, he thinks this refers to spiritual sustenance—not physical protection.
(12:7-8) “And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.”
This describes some sort of spiritual battle in Heaven, where Michael and his army of angels kick out Satan and his angels. Yet, this language doesn’t require us to understand this “war” as some sort of military engagement between angels. After all, Paul uses the language of military warfare to describe spiritual war: “The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:4-5). Indeed, it would seem odd for angels to be fighting with swords and shields, as we see depicted in Renaissance painting. Instead, we agree with Mounce who writes, “Although John depicts the battle between Michael and Satan in military terms, it is essentially a legal battle between opposing counsel in which the loser is disbarred.”[7]
This could be a flashback to the removal of the “stars” from heaven in verse 4. If so, this would support the view that the fall of angels occurred in ancient history. Though, we are uncertain.
(12:9) “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
We don’t need to guess who the great dragon represents. John interprets this symbol for us as “Satan.” He and his angels are ejected from Heaven, and they take over the Earth.
Interlude
(12:10) “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.’”
Who is speaking with this “loud voice”? We aren’t told. But the speaker uses the plural “our,” and even refers to “our brethren.” This could be one of the 24-elders speaking, though we’re unsure. We are sure that his message is resolute: The Messiah has authority over Satan. This is “one more step in the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth.”[8]
Satan has been thrown down by Christ, but he still (present tense) continues to accuse believers before God. How do believers stand up to this deceiver and accuser? The next verse explains…
(12:11) “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”
Jesus uses the term “overcome” (nikaō) frequently in his letters to the Seven Churches (cf. Rev. 2-3 “To him who overcomes, I will…”). How do these believers overcome Satan?
- “The blood of the Lamb.” Instead of standing against this “accuser” based on their own righteousness, they disarm and refute Satan’s accusations based on God’s righteousness (cf. Eph. 6:10-18).
- “The word of their testimony.” This seems to refer to our public witness of what Jesus has done for us (Rev. 1:2, 9; 6:9; 11:7). Instead of taking a defensive posture, they continue to move out into the world to reach others (Mt. 16:18).
- “They did not love their life even when faced with death.” It isn’t that the believers were all martyred, but that they were willing to face They “were [not] afraid to die” (NET).
(12:12) “For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”
The message that makes Heaven “rejoice,” also brings “woe” to the Earth. Satan knows that his time ruling the Earth is very short. McCallum compares this to Adolf Hitler who continued to fight until the bitter end—even though he knew that he had lost the war.[9] If Satan is going down, he wants to take as many people as possible with him.
Interlude over
(12:13) “And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.”
Satan missed his opportunity to “devour” Jesus (v.4), so he will turn to Israel instead. Once he knows that he has been thrown down to Earth and that his time is short (v.12), Satan will launch at an all-out attack on the “woman” (i.e. Israel). Thomas comments, “When the dragon saw he could not reach the woman’s Son, he turned to the mother to try to hurt the Son through her.”[10]
(12:14) “But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.”
The “woman” (Israel) flees to the wilderness for 3.5 years. This is a recapitulation of verse 6 (“the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days”). Jesus told us to flee Jerusalem when we see the abomination of desolation (Mt. 24:15).
Somehow, Satan couldn’t reach the “woman” (Israel) while she was in the wilderness (“from the presence of the serpent”). Why can’t Satan terrorize the woman when she is in the wilderness? We’re unsure, but this is what the text says. This must refer to some sort of “undisclosed supernatural means for her deliverance.”[11]
(12:15) “And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood.”
Satan can go after the “woman” (Israel) with something like a flood. This isn’t a literal flood because John uses the language of simile (“like a river… with a flood”). This could refer to military warfare which fills the OT prophecies that speak to this period of time.
Alternate interpretations
Mounce’s view is complicated by the fact that “details of sequence and time should not be pressed in apocalyptic.”[12] Thus, he can state that this “flood” could refer to unknown events in the Jewish War (AD 66-70), which is even before the time of John’s writing (AD 95). This eclectic view of how to interpret Revelation really shows its problems here (see “Different Schools of Interpreting Revelation”).
(12:16) “But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth.”
Somehow the earth protects the “woman” (Israel) from this “flood” or “river.” This could refer to a literal flood. But as we argued earlier, this is likely symbolic for military warfare (Jer. 46:7-8; 47:2-3).
(12:17) “So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
Satan’s failure only enrages him further. He gives up on attacking Israel, and he goes after the “rest of her children.” These are most likely Gentile believers in Jesus. Though, Thomas writes that this refers to “the 144,000 Israelites who were sealed in chapter 7.”[13]
Alternate interpretations
Mounce holds that the “woman” refers to “faithful Israel” or the “Palestinian church” in the first century. The “rest of her children” refer to the new covenant Gentiles.[14]
Conclusions
There is a historical conspiracy as to why the Jewish people have been persecuted for literally thousands of years. This chapter explains why: Satan wants to thwart God’s plan for Israel and God’s promises to Israel.
Questions for Reflection
Read verses 1-6. Justify your answers to these questions:
- Who is the red dragon?
- Who is the child?
- Who is the woman?
What is Satan trying to accomplish in this chapter?
What do we learn about spiritual warfare from this chapter?
Read verse 11. What do we learn about how to overcome Satan from this verse? How do we practically utilize these three approaches in spiritual warfare?
[1] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 456.
[2] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 153.
[3] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1995), 125.
[4] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 461.
[5] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 156.
[6] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 234.
[7] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 238.
[8] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995), 133.
[9] Dennis McCallum, Satan and His Kingdom (Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2009), 13-14.
[10] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995), 138.
[11] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995), 139.
[12] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 236.
[13] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995), 142.
[14] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 242.