Revelation 12 is parenthetic, giving us in symbolical language a rapid history of the Jews from the birth of Christ to the great tribulation. It ignores, except by implication, the Christian era.
It is a question of the Jew in relation to Christ.
First a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars, is seen. In symbolic language Israel is here presented.
But she is looked at, not as in her actual condition, for at the time of the birth of Christ she was tributary to Rome, a poor broken conquered country. But here she is seen as God intends her to be, and as she will be in a future day.
The sun speaks of supreme authority—Israel will be head of the nations, and not the tail; the moon under her feet tells of complete delegated authority, for all authority in this world is delegated; finally she wears a crown of seven stars, speaking of full administrative power, the twelve possibly referring to the twelve apostles, who in the future day will judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Though this is so, the Spirit of God views Israel here in connection with the great event in her history, and apart from which she would have had no divinely recorded history, namely, the birth of Christ.
Next, we read, the woman with child cries, travailing in birth and pained to be delivered. Here we have presented in symbolic language the birth of Christ. It was the fulfillment of that grand prophecy, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given” (Isa. 9:6). And when Jesus was born we read that all Jerusalem was troubled.
Next a sinister figure comes before our notice. A great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns upon his heads is presented. His tail draws the third part of the stars of heaven and casts them to the earth. The dragon stands before the woman in order to devour her son as soon as he should be born.
We are left in no doubt as to who the dragon is, for verse 9 speaks of him as “ the great dragon... that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan.” The fact that his color is “ red,” shows how Satan is ready to shed the blood of God's saints.
His having seven heads and ten horns identifies his power in this connection with the Roman Empire, for in the next chapter, Revelation 13, we read of the beast rising out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns. We shall see, when we examine that chapter, how this represents the Roman Empire.
And further, the dragon drawing the third part (the third part representing the Roman Empire) of the stars of heaven, and casting them to the earth, shows that Satan's chief power in the attempted frustration of God's purposes lies in his corrupting and controlling the Roman power.
It will be at once remembered that Palestine was tributary to the Roman power when Christ was born. The terrible evil condition of that pagan power, Rome, only brings out clearly the extent of Satan's influence.
Then the vain attempts of Herod to encompass Christ's death, as witness his slaying all the children in Bethlehem and its coasts from two years old and under, as well as Satan's opposition to Christ throughout His earthly life, are described in symbolic language in this Scripture.
Another point is worthy of notice. The crown (stephanos, Gr.) on the head of the woman is the word used for the crown gained as a prize in competition, as in the Olympic games. But the crowns (diadema, Gr.) on the heads of the dragon are those of a monarch. As a matter of fact Satan in this respect is a usurper, and his power but short-lived. Further, the crowns are on the heads of the dragon, whilst in the case of the beast (ch. 13:1) they are on his horns. The exactitude of Scripture is striking.
The crowns being on the head, and not on the horns, of the dragon, shows that he has real power, but it is not outwardly displayed. When he brings the beast upon the scene he will confer displayed power upon him, the crowns will be upon his horns.
The Man Child is born who is to rule the nations, reminding us again of Isaiah's glowing prophecy, “The government shall be upon His shoulder” (how one Scripture throws light upon, and answers to, other Scriptures).
No account is given here of the life of Jesus, or even of His death, for the reason that this view of Israel is given in reference to Satan's opposition to God's people because of Christ, and does not go so far as Christ being received as Messiah, but ends with Satan's attempt in the great tribulation to wreak his vengeance. It gives us Satan's deadly enmity against Christ in reference to Israel.
So we read simply, “Her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne,” referring to the ascension of Christ to God's right hand. The Christian era is purposely taken no account of, but the narrative goes on to describe the woman fleeing into the wilderness, and being nourished for 1260 days, that is, for three and a half years. Matthew 24, which describes the outburst of the great tribulation, gives instructions for the godly remnant to flee into the mountains. Fleeing into the wilderness does not necessarily mean a literal wilderness, but the passage evidently symbolizes God's protecting care in a place of no human resources.
We read of conflict in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fighting against the angelic hosts. The dragon is defeated and cast out of heaven.
We believe this refers in an indirect way to the rapture of the saints.
Our reason for so saying is this. The Church is looked at in Ephesians as in the heavenlies. As long as the Church is the object of Christ's interest in this world, so long is it the special object of Satan's malevolence.
The Jew in this dispensation is set aside religiously until “the fullness of the Gentiles” is complete, or, in other words, until the Church history on the earth is complete. Once the Church is caught up, she is no longer morally in the heavenlies, but actually in heaven.
There the Church, like her Lord, is beyond the reach of Satan's power and hate. But once the Church is caught up, God's interest in the earth begins actively again with the Jew. Hence Satan's malevolence against God's ancient people.
With the casting out of Satan and his angels to the earth a great voice in heaven is heard saying, “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (vs. 10). Then we gather there is joy as the martyred of all ages and all in heaven rejoice, whilst the inhabitants of the earth (symbolizing the ordered state of society) and of the sea (symbolizing the uncontrolled masses) are warned that woe lies before them alike, because the devil knows that his time is short, that his days are numbered, and his wrath is correspondingly great.
The dragon persecutes the woman which brought forth the man child, Jesus, “God over all blessed forever,” Jesus, the Root and Offspring of David, David's Lord and David's Son, the Alpha and Omega, will be the Conqueror over Satan. He knows it. In his dark malevolence he pursues with relentless fury all that is Christ's. Because Israel gave birth to Christ, according to the flesh, Israel, now the object of God's interests and dealings, must be persecuted.
But two wings of a great eagle are given to the woman that she may fly into the wilderness, and there be nourished for a time, times, and half a time, that is for three and a half years. In symbolic language we learn that divine help is given to Israel at this time to help her to avoid to a certain extent Satan's persecution.
But the serpent casts water out of his mouth as a flood in order to sweep away the woman. On his side he makes tremendous efforts to accomplish his fell purpose. But the earth helps the woman, and opens her mouth, and swallows up the flood of water. That is to say, ordered government steps in, and defeats in measure this wild unreasoning rage.
Then the last verse gives us in one graphic sentence, simple in language, terrible in meaning, the story of the great tribulation, “The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
There the chapter, and this special view of Israel, end.