The Christmas Story In Revelation 12.
“Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth. Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born. She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne.” – Revelation12:1-5.
This passage tells us of two events that have “great significance” One takes us back before this world’s time, the other is God’s answer to sin and rebellion. Cast your mind back to Jesus’ inauguration into equality with the Father in Revelation 5 – the ‘slain lamb’ who is worshiped by the entire creation. How significant that Jesus was born in a feed box amongst sacrificial animals. Significant! An ignominious insignificant beginning to what we call the incarnation – God taking on human form.
The child in this verse is clearly a representation of Jesus Christ. So, in the middle of an apocalyptic vision, we get a glimpse of something familiar, the Christmas story. The birth and ascension (return to heaven) of Jesus Christ is clearly on display here.
Although we are familiar with the stories of the Christmas season, it is still hard to imagine Jesus as a child. It is moving to realize that God took the enormous risk of inserting His Son into a world He could not control, an environment in which He was relatively helpless, facing the wrath of the dragon in full force.
The measure of God’s sacrifice is also the measure of His love for us. From the top of glory to the bottom of humiliation, from a Son to a Servant! “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” Phil.2:6-8. NLT.
The infinite God upon whose shoulders the universe hangs became so helpless as to hang at the breast of a woman. To be a man was something, but to be a man of sorrows was far, far more. But to bleed, to suffer and die; THIS WAS MUCH FOR HE WHO WAS THE SON OF GOD, but to suffer a death of such unparalleled agony; this is the depth of condescending love that the most inspired mind must utterly fail to fathom.
Revelation 12 portrays the history and experience of the church from the birth of Christ to the final crisis of earth’s history (V:17) As such it sets the stage for Revelations primary focus on end-time events from chapter 13 on. Remember, as with the head, so with the body. The body of Christ will be treated no different than its founder.
In Chapters 12-14 we will be introduced to 7 mystical figures. The dragon, the women, the first and second wild beasts, the image to the 1st beast, an eagle and a serpent.