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Adult Class

 March-June 2006

Revelation 12

Lesson 7

            Before we continue with Revelation, it is important that we look backward at another Bible book written partially in similar language. In the book of Daniel, we read of visions that seem to narrow in focus and give more detail.

• Daniel 2:36-45-a vision of four kingdoms: Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman, and then God's kingdom that triumphs over them all.
• Daniel 7:2-7, 13-14, 17-18-another vision of four kingdoms superceded by God's people.
• Daniel 8:20-22, 26-a vision of two kingdoms, the Medo-Persian and Greek.
• Daniel 10:1-12:4 (especially 10:20-11:1)-a vision of events in the time of the Greek rulers.

            This pattern of repetition with more information is followed in Revelation. Chapters 12-22 recapitulate much of the imagery of the earlier chapters and they add important and comforting details. Chapters 4-11 show us that God is powerful and glorious. He inflicted disasters on the Roman Empire in an attempt to lead it to repentance. When that program failed to bring about repentance, the Roman Empire was destroyed finally. Beginning in chapter 12, that story is to be retold, with additional information.

            There are three primary characters in Revelation 12. Each of them must be examined and identified from the information given to us. In order to accomplish this, we must first read through the entire chapter, then come back to identify the characters based on the revelation itself.

The Child-Revelation 12:1-5

            The scene opens with a woman about to give birth to a child. She is in perilous circumstances, but the child is delivered. There are several things that reveal his identity to us:

• He is a king that is to rule all nations (v. 5).
• He will rule with an iron scepter (v.5-and compare 2:27; 19:15).
• The devil tried to kill him soon after birth (v. 4).
• He ascends to the throne of God (v. 5).
• He is a male child (v. 13) very specifically identified as such.

             All these features suggest that this child is none other than Jesus, Himself. It is especially noteworthy that He will rule all nations with an iron scepter, symbolizing unbreakable authority.

The Dragon-Revelation 12:6-12

            Immediately after the appearance of the woman, the next character introduced by John is a great dragon. He is very strong and intent on violence and destruction. Again, we have a clear identification. (It should be remembered that we already identified the dragon in lesson 2, but this will give us more detail.)

            The dragon has several features:

• He is red in color and immense in size.
• He possesses seven heads, ten horns and seven crowns (diadems).
• His tail swept a third of the stars to the earth.
• He tried to kill the child-and suffered his first defeat.
• He fought against Michael and the angels of heaven-and suffered his second defeat. From this moment, four things are announced as secure: God's salvation, God's power, God's kingdom, and Christ's authority.
  The dragon can no longer accuse the brethren. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.
• He pursued the woman to kill her-and suffered his third defeat.
• He turned his attention to the rest of those who "obey God and hold to the testimony of Jesus" (12:17).
• He is specifically identified as the devil and Satan, "the accuser of our brothers."

The Woman-Revelation 12:13-17

            The woman is a central figure in this vision and is a very important part of God's plan. The question is: Who is she? The answer must be found in the vision itself.

• She is glorious, surrounded by the sun, moon and stars.
• She produces Jesus upon the earth.
• She flies to the desert and is protected for 1260 days (compare 12:6, 14).
• She is the third target of the devil's anger.
• She is protected from his attacks.
• She is the mother of those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

            Who does this suggest? It cannot be Mary, the mother of Jesus. She did not flee to the desert and can't be the mother of all followers of Christ. In fact, there is nothing to lead us to conclude that this is an actual woman, but rather symbolic and figurative.

            The imagery of the glorious woman seems best to fit as a metaphor of God's plan, carried out by the Israelite nation, to bring forth the Messiah. She is the spiritual mother of all believers through time-both the Israelites (those who obey God's commandments) and the Christians (who hold to the testimony of Jesus). The devil tried to thwart the plan by killing the Messiah, attacking the plan and persecuting Christ's followers.

            When the devil was thwarted in his design to destroy the redemptive plan of God in Christ Jesus, he turned his violent attention against the other followers of God-the Christians. This chapter is the opening of another set of visions that describes the persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire and the destruction of that Empire as a judgment from God.

            This chapter answers the question of the suffering Christians: Why is all this happening to us?

            The answer: It is a spiritual war being fought out on earth.