The Woman of Revelation 12
Last Updated:
01/09/2012 03:40
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Introducing:
Israel
Revelation 12:1-5
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: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be
delivered. 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.
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. 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.
A woman clothed with the sun,
and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars
with child [singular]
Genesis 37:9-11
And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and
said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the
moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his
father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto
him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother
and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
According to how Jacob himself
interpreted this:
- Sun = Jacob (Israel)
[woman: clothed with the sun,
identified by her clothing which is Israel]
- Moon = Rachel (mom) [woman: standing upon]
- 11 stars = 11
brothers [woman: crowned with the 12
tribes of Israel (their father). We see the 12 tribes identified with
the doorways in and out of New Jerusalem as well. (Revelation
21:12)]
A great wonder (sign) in heaven a woman:
- Clothed with the sun - The
12 tribes of Israel were borne through Jacob, their father. Being clothed
with him is like an identity for the woman. When you see the woman,
clothed with her father, Jacob, it represents all of his literal seed, the
Jews, what we call the nation of Israel.
- Moon under her feet -
Genesis 3:15 prophesies of the coming Messiah through the
seed of the woman. (It is the man who has the seed) The lineage of Christ
actually came through the woman, Mary, and in the symbology of this woman
in Revelation 12:2, being Israel, shows that Christ came from the
nation of Israel. Revelation 12:2-5 Christ, the man-child was born of a virgin
through the nation of Israel, the tribe of Judah. He was bruised by
Lucifer (the cross for our sins) and Christ will crush Lucifer’s head (his
ultimate defeat in the end). I believe the woman standing on the moon
demonstrates this relationship of the woman as being the foundation of the
nation of Israel and the fulfillment of this prophecy.
- Crown of 12 stars on her
head - The 12 tribes of Israel are also represented as the 12
pearl gates into New Jerusalem. I believe this is because salvation came
through the Jews, and so we must pass through their gates to enter the
city. Proverbs 4:7-9 speaks of a crown of glory and an ornament of
grace. Psalm
103:1-5 speaks of crowning with loving-kindness and tender
mercies. Also, in Genesis 49 is Jacob telling the 12 sons “that which
shall befall you in the last days.” Genesis 49:22-26 specifies
Joseph’s prophecy of the blessings of Jacob being on the head of Joseph,
the crown of the head. The crown (stephanos
G4735) symbolizes a badge of royalty. So it would seem that the 12
tribes of Israel are the glory of Israel and rightly so since they are her
beginnings.
- She brought forth a man child,
who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron
Psalms
2:9
Thou shalt break them
with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
Revelation 19:15
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he
should smite the nations: and he
shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Revelation 2:27
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the
vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of
my Father.
- The Meshiach Nagid was
prophesied to come from the lineage of Israel along with other prophecies
that place Christ being born of a virgin and of Jewish lineage. Indeed, all
of our scriptures are Jewish and
Romans 11 is quite clear on how important Israel still is to Him.
He is also the “seed of the woman” not having had the seed of man to be
conceived.
Genesis 3:13-15
And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done?
And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD
God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed
above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt
thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will
put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her
seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Now this all fits perfectly and we see more clearly using all of the
scripture and spanning all of scripture, from beginning to end, that the
Meshiach Nagid would be Jewish. The prophecy of Revelation 12 clothes the woman
with the symbol for Israel as seen in a vision by Joseph and recognized as
symbolizing himself, his wife and 11 sons by Jacob. I didn’t have to interpret
anything with my own conclusions, the Bible did it all. That is a more sure
foundation on what these symbols mean.
Woman in the Wilderness
Revelation 12:6
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.
To be honest, I’m not sure what to make of this part. Timing-wise,
this would be just after Christ’s ascension that Israel would be in the
wilderness, but I’m not yet sure how this fits in. I heard a theory that
this is one of the proofs for a 360-day year because in this case, we
are given an exact number of days, 1260. Then in verse 14, it’s
described as 3 ½ years, or a time, and times, and half a time. This
would give us an exact number of days value for 3 ½ years which shows
that prophetic years in scripture are exactly 360, not the 365.2 we have
now.
However, there is one thing that I should point out that is different between
the two. In this case, the woman flees into the wilderness. In verse 14, she is
taken into the wilderness on two wings of a great eagle. the majority of cases
where the symbol of the eagle is used, it is to denote swiftness. More study is
needed before I feel comfortable.
Have an answer or better explanation?
Flight to Egypt?
There is another theory that this is after Christ’s birth,
when Mary, Joseph, and Jesus fled to Egypt.
Matthew 2:13-23
And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to
Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother,
and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod
will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young
child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until
the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord
by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when
he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent
forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the
coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he
had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was
spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard,
lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her
children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel
of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take
the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are
dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young
child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard
that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was
afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he
turned aside into the parts of Galilee: And he came and dwelt in a city
called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the
prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
Bible Exposition - This site advocates
Revelation 12:6 pointing to Mary, Joseph, & Yeshua’s trip to Egypt.
Spirit & Truth.org
Israel and the Great Tribulation (time of Jacob’s
trouble)
Revelation 12:7-13
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon;
and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their
place found any more in heaven. 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. 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. 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. 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.
Seeing who the woman is reveals the connection to the great
tribulation Christ spoke of in Matthew 24:15-22 and Mark 13:14-20 in which He referred to the Old Testament prophecies in
Jeremiah 30:1-7 and Daniel 12:1. We see here that Lucifer is cast out of heaven and
knowing he has a short time (about 3½ years Revelation 13:4,5), he goes after the woman who brought forth the
man-child. A more detailed study on the
great tribulation, what it means and who its for as well as how long it
lasts according to the Bible.
Taken into the wilderness
Revelation 12:14-16
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. 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. 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.
It is key to see here that the woman [Israel]
is protected from the dragon [Lucifer] who
is the one that went after the woman [Israel]
after he was cast out of heaven Revelation 12:13 and gave power to the beast. Revelation 13:2-5
Why is this key? If the great tribulation started at the
abomination of desolation, when the dragon gave power to the beast that would
last 42 months and went after Israel, then when the dragon can no longer get
Israel, the great tribulation would be over.
- Daniel 12:11 - 1290
days from abomination of desolation
- Revelation 12:14 - 1260
days protected from dragon in wilderness
1290 days - 1260 days = 30 days
After the Great Tribulation is Over
Revelation 12:17
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.
Now we see the dragon is really ticked because he’s still
got 1230 days before he’s done (Revelation
13:5 | Revelation 19:20) and he can’t get Israel any more because as God
promised, He will refine them through fire Zechariah 13:8,9 after taking them into the wilderness and protecting
her from the dragon.
So what does Lucifer do after only 30 days to get Israel? He
goes after everyone else of Jewish descent and that believe in Christ for his
final 1230 days, the time when the
wrath of God is also being poured out on the children of disobedience. For
those in Christ now, the harpazo will come before God’s wrath, because we aren’t appointed
to God’s wrath.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-5
Revelation 12:17 is the time after the harpazo, where those
who didn’t have oil in their
lamps in Matthew 25:1-13 are left behind and the door is shut before the
marriage of the Lamb. Matthew 7:13-23 There is still salvation through Christ, but there won’t
be any added to the bride of Christ after
the harpazo.
Feel
guilty about the harpazo?
Is the church the
woman of Revelation 12?
Someone brought up the following saying
the church the woman because we’re grafted in:
“Paul told the Roman that they have to be grafted into the House. The
woman/church is Israel Physically or spiritually.”
Romans 11:17-25
And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild
olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root
and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou
boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The
branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of
unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded,
but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also
spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them
which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his
goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide
not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in
again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature,
and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more
shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive
tree? For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery,
lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is
happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of
God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also
to the Greek.
Romans 2:9
Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of
the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
Romans 2:10
But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew
first, and also to the Gentile:
My response:
The association doesn’t work with reality and God usually uses images of
reality for us to associate what we cannot see with. So in reality, can a
woman give birth to herself? The woman is associated with the sun, moon, and
12 stars we see in Joseph’s dream that is interpreted for us by Jacob himself.
We know that Christ was born of the Jews and that He will rule with a rod of
iron. So we have directly defined for us that:
- Woman = Israel
- Man-child = Christ
Where does the church fit in? Can we possibly be
the woman? No, because the Gentile church didn’t exist until Christ brought
salvation to the Gentiles. So how could the church be the woman?
Also,
the church is the bride of Christ. Would a
woman marry her son? We are espoused to Christ, the man-child. The only
alternative is that the church is separate from the woman of Revelation 12,
but espoused to marry the man-child born of that woman, the Jews.
As far as being grafted onto the root, which is Christ, there is no difference
between Jew or Gentile except that the Jew is always a natural branch
grafted on and Gentiles are always wild branches grafted on. This doesn’t
mean that we are both the same. In fact the distinction of natural and wild
clearly delineates the two groups, yet in Christ they are the same. This
doesn’t mean that prophetic symbols for history and the future always connect
Israel and the church as being the same.
The church is promised to be kept from God’s wrath.
Israel is promised to be refined through it.
Zechariah 13:8,9 This
is just one of many differences that still exist between the two groups
because we are stuck in space-time unlike God, who knows the end from the
beginning. In the end, the only difference will be that some will be the bride
of Christ and others will not. They will all be in heaven though. However,
there are still prophetic events tied to one group or the other that must be
fulfilled first.
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