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Revelation 12 part I
November 26th 2017
Meat
Okay, we left off with the last verse of chapter 11 and I said that I believed that it should have been the first verse of chapter 12.
We also said that at the last verse of 11 we enter into a new phase of the Revelation – a new series of visions that are different from the first 11 chapters.
And then I suggested that these visions will last through chapter 19.
So let’s talk a bit about what lies ahead.
The book of Revelation is also known as the Apocalypse – as we mentioned that in the Roman Catholic church this is what the book is actually called.
We get this title from the Greek in Revelation 1:1 where it says that this book is the “apokalupsis of Jesus.”
We remember that the Greek word “apokalupsis” means “unveiling” hence the translation, the Revelation.
I believe that when Jesus was asked questions of the apostles that some of the information was not made known to Him. But then I also believe that this is the place where the revealing takes place of all things coming – in the future.
SO while Revelation chapter 1 verse three says that the was of things that were “about to happen” this may not be the only things that the book reveals or unveils.
There is a tremendous amount of information that tends to relate not necessarily to things about to happen but to spiritual and or heavenly events.
These revelations of heavenly things unveil to the reader the invisible realm of the spirit through signs and symbols.
This being said it seems that Revelation chapter 12 is unveiling not things to come but things that had occurred in the past to the Seven Churches.
This is an important distinction because we often maintain that all of Revelation was speaking to events that were about to happen just prior to AD 70. And while this is generally true, I think we may have an exception here in chapter 12.
The vision in Revelation 12 goes back to the resurrection of Jesus (around AD 30). So let’s read the chapter together. It really says so much.
Revelation 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 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.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12 ¶ Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And 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.
So back to the first five verses together and see what we can discover.
1. Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.
2. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
3. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.
4. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
5. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.
Back to verse one:
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.
I am going to speak to these verses – and even this chapter generally before we knock out the specifics of each verse.
To get us going let’s look to the first line, “Now a “great sign” appears in heaven.”
Now, we were told in the first chapter that Revelation was a book of signs. So what is important about this line is the use of the term, a Great sign.
To me this differentiates this sign from all the other signs in the book – with this one perhaps being the sign over all signs. If this is the case, then we might assume that we must pay particular attention to whatever it is.
At in this chapter we are presented with with three main characters; the woman, the male Child and the dragon.
We are also presented with three scenes;
the birth of the Child (vv. 1-6)
the casting of the dragon out of heaven (vv. 7-12), and
the dragon making war with the woman and the rest of her children (vv. 13-17).
Revelation 19:15 tells us that the male Child who is to “rule all the nations with a rod of iron” is Jesus, the Messiah.
The reference to the Messiah ruling over the nations is taken from the second Psalm 7-9 which says, in the Sepuagint version of the Old Testament:
“ . . declaring the ordinance of the Lord: the Lord said to me, Thou art my Son, to-day have I begotten thee.
Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces as a potter’s vessel. (Septuagint)
Where God (the Father) says, “today I have begotten Thee” (Psalm 2:7) He is talking about when He raised Jesus from the dead, the resurrection and not his birth.
This idea is supported by Acts 13:33-34. There Paul was in the synagogue where we read some really, really revelatory. Listen to what he says:
33. that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘YOU ARE MY SON; TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.’ (So there he taps into the second Psalm) And as for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no more to return to decay, He has spoken this way; ‘I WILL GIVE YOU THE HOLY AND SURE BLESSING OF DAVID.’
In Revelation 12 we are being shown this “birthing” of the Messiah. Then the “male Child,” after being born, is caught up to God’s throne.
Once again what is being shown here is not Jesus being born on earth, but His being “born” when God the Father raised Him from the dead (this reference to Acts 13:33).
Therefore, as soon as the male Child is “delivered” He is caught up to God’s throne.
In verse 9 of this chapter the dragon (who is Satan according to Revelation 12:9) was expecting to “devour” the male Child.
Perhaps Satan thought he would be destroying Jesus at the cross but instead the Child is caught up to the throne of God where Jesus was exalted to the right hand of God the Father at His resurrection (Acts 2:31-36).
Or perhaps this speaks to Satan filling the heart of Herod who sought to kill all the male children at the time of the birth of the Lord. We will discuss this.
But one thing we do know is instead of devouring the Child as he had planned, Satan ends up being cast out of heaven (which is what Revelation. 12:9).
After the birth of the male Child other children are born. These other children, those “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17) are those who had been made spiritually alive to God by way of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
In Romans chapter 8:29 we are told how Jesus was “the first-born among many brethren.”
Revelation chapter 12 is unveiling this truth to us in picture form, showing us the first-born (Revelation 12:5), and then the many brethren (Revelation 12:17)
In Ephesians Paul talks of how we as Christians have been made alive together with Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-5 says:
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
This verse speaks to the rest of the woman’s children who have been made spiritually alive to God by way of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
The woman represents heavenly Jerusalem which is a symbol for “the mother” of God’s “New Covenant people.”
This is a picture taken from the book of Isaiah 66:7-10 which says:
7. Before she was in labor, she gave birth; Before her pain came, she delivered a male child.
8. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children.
9. “Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the LORD. “Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God.
10. Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you who love her; Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her;
Here Isaiah sees Jerusalem pictured as a woman giving birth to a male child.
Just as in Revelation 12 there is first the birth of a male child and then a number of other children.
In terms of these other children Isaiah asks the rhetorical question,
“Shall a nation be born at once?” The answer is Yes! Again, the other children represent those who were born again to God as a result of Jesus’ victory on the cross.
This concept of a “holy nation” is used by Peter in referring to those who have come to faith in Jesus. Remember 1st Peter 2:9 where Peter writes?
9. But you are a CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Isaiah speaks of most of Jerusalem’s pain or travail coming after the birth of the male child. This may correspond to Satan being thrown out of heaven and then going off to persecute the woman and her offspring (as Revelation 12:17 says:
And 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.
Now listen – the trials and travail of God’s people would be worse after Jesus’ resurrection (the birth of the male Child)) because Satan would be cast down to the earth.
This is why Revelation 12:12 says:
“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.”
The writer of Hebrews uses the Jerusalem motif in referring to believers.
In Hebrews chapter 12 the writer refers to the heavenly Jerusalem, relating it to the New Covenant – it’s a favorite of mine as it says to believers of the New Covenant:
22. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,
23. to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are registered in heaven, to
God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24. to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel.
In Galatians 4:24-26, Paul writes about the heavenly Jerusalem saying that she represents the New Covenant and that she is the “mother” of all believers.
Paul, talking about Abraham having a child by a slave woman (Hagar) and a child by a free woman (Sarah), says the following:
24. (these) things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar-
25. for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children-
26. but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
So, again, the woman represents heavenly Jerusalem pictured as the “mother” of the New Covenant people.
The male Child represents the Messiah as the first born of this Covenant. The rest of the children represent those who had been born again by way of the New Covenant.
That the woman is both the mother of the Messiah (the Child who is to rule the nations with a rod of iron v. 5) and believers in Jesus (those who have the testimony of Jesus v. 17) speaks of the continuity of God’s Covenant.
Those who are believers in Jesus have been grafted into the tree of Israel. Romans 11 makes this clear.
We are Abraham’s offspring (as Galatians 3:7 and then 29 make clear).
The true Jew is therefore the one who has been circumcised in his heart by the Spirit of God (according to Romans 2:28-29).
All the way back in the Gospel of Luke, describing the birth of Jesus, a man named Simeon comes forward and speaks of the blessed child Jesus and he prophesies, saying
“Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel” (Luke 2:34).
What does this mean? I suggest that the fall would involve those Jews who rejected Jesus and the rise would involve those Gentiles who believed on Him thereafter and as a result.
The woman being associated with the sun, moon and 12 stars alludes back to Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37. These symbols stood for Joseph’s family who was to become the nation of Israel.
The sun representing Jacob (Joseph’s father), the moon representing Rachel (Joseph’s mother). The 11 stars represented Joseph’s brothers.
They, together with Joseph, would become the 12 tribes of Israel.
Once again the fact that the woman is clothed with symbols that represent Israel shows the continuity of the New Covenant with the Old Covenant.
Those under the New Covenant have become part of the true Israel, “the Israel of God’ as Galatians 6:16 so strangely mentions saying:
Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
In the age where there is no difference between male and female, bond and free, Greek and Jew, the Israel of God has been defined as those who received His Son by faith.
At verse 9 of Revelation 12 we are told that that the great red dragon is “that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan”.
Calling Satan “that serpent of old” here alludes back to the Garden of Eden. In the Garden, God had told the serpent about the struggle that would happen between he and the woman when God says at Genesis 3:15.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed;
He shall crush your head, and you shall bruise His heel.
This prophecy, known as “the protevangelium “(the first proclamation of the Gospel) was looking ahead to Christ’s death on the cross.
Physically the cross was a serious bruising for Jesus. Ultimately, however, it was not catastrophic as Jesus was resurrected from the dead. For the serpent, however, the cross was a deathblow (a crushing blow to the head).
He was completely defeated at Calvary as directly indicated in Matthew 28:18 when Jesus said
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
In Revelation 12 we see the woman, the serpent, the seed and the enmity between them!
Then we read that the dragon sweeps away a third of the stars which away probably represent a third of the angels that had rebelled with Satan against God.
This is what verse 9 says – that that Satan’s angels are thrown down with him, which concurs with Revelation 1:20 where “stars” are used to represent angels (remember where it says, “the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches”).
We will get to the dragon with seven heads and ten horns in the future but for the time being it seems that Satan was working through the Roman Empire in his war with the woman and her children – which is what we have been saying Revelation is all about.
Then we read at verse 6:
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.
The woman and the rest of her children (Rev. 12:17) flee into the wilderness where they are protected for 1260 days. Using a 360 day year, 1260 days equals 3½ years.
In Revelation 12:14 the same topic is discussed but the time period of 3½ is put a little differently.
There it says that the woman goes into the wilderness where she is nourished for “a time and times and half a time from the presence of the serpent.”
Again this refers to a time period of 3½; “time” equaling one, “times” equaling two, and “half a time” equaling a half. Added together they yield 3½.
The use of “a time and times and half a time” may be to let the reader know that the 1260 days do not refer to a literal 3½ years.
Of course this time period of 3½ alludes back to the 70 weeks of Daniel chapter 9 which is a very difficult section of the book of Daniel.
The Old Testament scholar Edward Young commented that this passage was “one of the most difficult in all the O.T.”
But let’s touch on the topic for a minute now.
In chapter 9 of the book of Daniel is the following discussion of the 70 weeks of Daniel. At verse 24 we read words that, if you just relax and listen to them they are easy to understand relative to that day and that time then. Ready?
“Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.”
The 70 weeks (literally “sevens, seventy”) are usually taken to mean “70 weeks of years “ with each week equaling 7 years the total would be 490 years.
This time period is divided up for Daniel into 7 weeks followed by 62 weeks and then 1 week (7+62+1=70).
In Daniel 9:26-27 we read:
26. And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering, and on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate. Even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.
In Daniel 9:26 it says that the Messiah would be cut off (Jesus being crucified) after the sixty-two weeks.
That happened during the last week of the seventy weeks. After that the people of the prince to come (the Romans) would destroy the city and the sanctuary (Jerusalem and the Temple).
It is generally admitted that Jesus was crucified around AD 30. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple happened in AD 70 by the Romans under Titus.
Daniel 9:27 is a restating of verse 26 in a little different form. It says that he (the Messiah) would confirm or literally “cause to prevail” a covenant with many for one week (which is Daniel’s 70th week).
This would be during the last 7 (or week) of the 70 weeks.
Halfway into this week (3 ½), he (the Messiah) would bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
This happened at the cross when Jesus, (after 3½ years of earthly ministry, half the week) was cut off.
Even though the Jews still offered sacrifices, God no longer recognized them. Jesus, as the ultimate sacrifice, the Lamb of God, had made sacrifice obsolete.
Hang with me now. This left half a week (3½) of the seventy after Jesus’ death on the cross that still needed to be fulfilled.
This is why the book of Revelation is constantly making reference to the numerical value of 3½; “42 months” (=3½ years), “1260 days” (=3½ years), “3½ days”, “a time and times and half a time” (=3½).
In Daniel 9:27 (after the sacrifice is ended in the middle of the week) the next thing spoken of is the coming of the “one who makes desolate.”
He would pour out the consummation of judgment on the desolate. This is the same idea that is talked of in the previous verse (Daniel 9:26), that “the people of the prince to come would destroy the city and sanctuary” (which were left desolate after rejecting the Messiah). These were, again, the Romans.
In Matthew 23:37-38 Jesus spoke of the desolate condition of Jerusalem and the Temple (Jerusalem’s house) after rejecting Him. He said:
37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem who kills the prophets and stone those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
38. Behold your house is being left to you desolate!
This coming of the one who was to pour out judgment on the desolate was accomplished by the general Titus and the Romans in AD 70.
According to this interpretation, the last half of Daniel’s 70th week (3½) was symbolic of the time between the cross, (around AD 30 when sacrifices were no longer valid) and the end of the Jewish age in AD 70, when the consummation was poured out on the desolate (Jerusalem and the temple) by the Romans.
Notice that this interpretation is validated by the fact that Revelation chapter 12 puts the starting point of “a time and times and half a time” (the last half of Daniel’s 70th week) at Jesus’ resurrection (the birth of the male Child, Revelation 12:13-14).
In Daniel 12:7 a glorious man in linen (probably a pre-incarnate Christ) says that the ending point of a time, times and half a time would be when the power of the holy people was shattered.
Listen to what it says:
7. Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.
What the Man clothed in linen was saying was that the last 3½ of Daniel’s 70th week (the “time, times and half a time”) would be completed when the power of the holy people was completely shattered. Again, this happened in AD 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
This sort-of lengthy digression gives some background to the meaning of “1260 days” and “a time and times and half a time” that we find in Revelation 12:6 and 12:14 respectively.
They are alternately used to describe the same period of time that the woman is protected in the wilderness from the serpent after the birth of the male Child.
In summary, this time period of 3½ refers to
the last half of Daniel’s 70th week.
This last half of the 70th week was the only part of Daniel’s 70 weeks that was left to be fulfilled after Jesus’ death and resurrection.
In Revelation chapter 12 it refers to the period of time between Jesus’ resurrection, when the woman gives birth to the male Child (Rev. 12:5), and the end of the Jewish Age in 70 AD, when the power of the holy people (the Jews) was completely shattered (the ending point of time, times and half a time, Daniel 12:7).
I think we should stop here and then continue this sort of walk through chapter 12 next week before we hit the verse by verse of it all to give ourselves some more detail.
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