God set a great cosmic clock in the heavens through the stars. This is different from astrology, where one attempts to gain direction from the stars. But, the stars define the time of God, as clearly detailed in this chapter. So great is the foresight of God, that He knew the exact time that His Son would die. He coordinated everything, so that at just the right time, they crucified Him. Had they known all this, they would not have crucified the King of Glory.
This chapter is the beginning of the “Second Prophecy”, and so is a short regress into events that have already taken place, from a different perspective.
Revelation 12:1-2
(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; and (2) she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
- This is an astronomical conjunction, speaking of the constellation Virgo. She was clothed with the sun with the moon at her feet, with twelve stars at her head.
- This also speaks of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her birth of Jesus. Even the stars testified of Jesus’ birth. The popular study on the Star of Bethlehem brings out these details in great detail, which need not be fully repeated here. Enough to say that the details in the Gospels of the Star of Bethlehem match the timing of this conjunction in the years 3-2 BC, the time of the conception and birth of Christ.
Revelation 12:3-4
(1) 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. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. (2) And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.
- Speaks of the devil.
- This refers to the enemy’s attempt, through Herod the Great, to kill Jesus by destroying all the children in Bethlehem.
Revelation 12:5-6
(1) And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and (2) her child was caught up to God and to His throne. (3) Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that (4) there she would be nourished (5) for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
- Herod’s attempts failed, and she gave birth to Jesus.
- Jesus was caught up to God’s throne, as Ephesians 1:19-20 says, and is seated with Him.
- Now, as apostate Israel is about to be judged in the years leading to 70 AD, the woman, the believing church, flees to Pella, the place in the wilderness that had been prepared.
- God had prepared for her provision there, and warned them through Christ to flee when the saw Cestius’ army around Jerusalem.
- The length of the siege, the great tribulation.
Revelation 12:7-8
(1) And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. (2) The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.
- Michael fought back, in accordance with Daniel 12. This is a regress again, again giving perspective on what is about to unfold in the following chapters.
- The dragon was unable to overcome God’s plans, and the dragon could no longer operate in heaven. The devil was defeated and disarmed at the cross, and could no longer operate the way he had. In Matthew 28:18, Jesus had been given all authority and power.
Revelation 12:8-9
(1) And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; (2) he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
- Having been defeated, the dragon could no longer operate the way he did before. It no longer had the authority and dominion to oppress as it did before.
- He and his angels were cast down together, to the earth. They were still active, but had lost their position. They still operate, as the rest of the text express, and are not to be considered eliminated, but, rather, impotent to the believer with faith.
Revelation 12:10-11
(1) 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. (2) 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.
- The voice from heaven announces that the accuser has been cast down, and that the salvation, power, and Kingdom of God has come. While the Kingdom came at Pentecost for the Apostles, the full release of it did not come until the Seventh trumpet at the destruction of Jerusalem with the end of the old order.
- Through the endurance of the saints in their three-fold victory, they overcame: The blood of Jesus, the word of their testimony, and not being afraid to die.
Revelation 12:12
(1) 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. (2) And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.
- The defeat of the enemy was cause for great joy in heaven, but distress upon the Earth, because of what the dragon would yet do before his imprisonment. Even with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and the fullness of the Kingdom as it had come, there would still be trials upon the Earth, in fact, greater trials.
- In this, began the greater persecutions against the church, believing Israel who had birthed Jesus.
Revelation 12:14-17
(1) 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. (2) 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. (3) 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. (4) 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.
- Again, the flight to Pella is described, for the duration of the tribulation in Jerusalem leading up to 70 AD.
- The dragon attempted to persecute the church.
- But, she is provided for, and helped.
- The dragon will continue to persecute the church everywhere, not just those fleeing Jerusalem, until he is put into the pit.