Three Symbols: The Child, the Women and the Dragon.
What we are about to study in the next three chapters has never been more relevant than what it is today in our current environmental, social and political climate. While I am not a prophet, I am a keen, long term student of Bible prophecy. The signs are gathering like storm clouds. The winds are shifting and the end time scenario is like a piece of fully assembled piece of machinery waiting for someone to turn the key so that it can burst into life.
A series of prophetic scenes occur in Revelation 12 to 14 that are not necessarily in the chronological order that they are presented in. The first is of a woman and child, the second describes a wilderness experience. The third describes a war in heaven and takes us back before creation and then beyond the cross. Then comes a huge worldwide deception, which includes a counterfeit of the Trinity. Finally, in Revelation 14 the deception is countered, and the curtain is drawn.
There are many chiasms in Revelation. There is a chiasm from Chapter 12 to 1.5 If you are interested in the detail of this chiasm you can view the entire dissertation by Dr William Shea here: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2599&context=auss
“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 she was pregnant, and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.” – Rev12:1,2. NASB.
One of the important principles in understanding Bible prophecy is that God repeats and enlarges. We have seen the seven churches, seven seals, the scroll unsealed, seven trumpets, and the temple in heaven opened and, most importantly the ark of the covenant – the most sacred of all components of the ancient sanctuary – revealed! These all cover the time from the time of Christ to the second coming. However, from Chapter 12 the Lord will zero in on the closing events, identifying all the players in the struggle just before He comes and sets up His kingdom.
You will notice from the chiasm above that the focus is the dragons war and persecution of God’s people and the Lamb’s victory and the deliverance of God’s people (called in scripture saints – you and me if we are in Christ.)
The last section of Revelation actually begins in Rev11: 19 with Johns virtual tour of the Heavenly Temple/Sanctuary. Don’t forget the conceptual language of Revelation. If there are a hundred thousand million angels around the throne, what is this place? It is talking of a literal place in a way that our limited finite minds can understand. We have been systematically exposed to the Glory of God and the Lamb, and seen sin repelled and ultimately destroyed by this awesome revelation.
The woman is dressed in the sun, moon, and stars. This woman represents Israel, in part because her crown has twelve stars. In the Old Testament, God is often thought of in terms of Israel’s husband. “For your Maker is your husband–the LORD Almighty is his name–the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. . .” (Isa54:5, NIV.)
A woman in the Bible is often used as a symbol for God’s people (e.g. 2Cor.11:2): a chaste woman stands for faithful believers, while a harlot or unfaithful women stands for unfaithful Christians. The women in Rev.12:1-5 first symbolises Israel, to whom the Messiah came; in v13-17 she stands for the true church that gives birth to the final group of earth’s history through her son, who is Jesus.
While the woman represents the people of God on earth, she is depicted as being in heavenly places. Our identity as people of God is not determined by where we are on earth; it is determined by our relationship with heaven. It is helpful, therefore, to build into our life’s reminders of our higher relationship.
The woman is portrayed as clothed with the sun and with the moon under her feet. The sun represents the glory of Christ’s character, His righteousness (Mal.4:2). He is the light of the world (John 8:12) and His people are to reflect that light. The moon is the lesser light (Gen.1:16) and points to the Old Testament promises foreshadowing the work of Christ in the Gospel era.
Remember this is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. TBC