Vision of Revelation 12

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The Dragon and Faithful, Persecuted Israel

TL;DR

John’s vision introduces the relationship between two central characters in symbolic imagery that sees events on either side of a two thousand year span of time. This imagery echoes other parts of his vision where this Dragon, or Beast, has an antagonistic relationship with the faithful of Israel.

It’s important not to be all-inclusive when we see a people named or symbolized in scripture. As we see from God’s perspective in scripture, throughout the history of Israel those who constantly reject and disobey Him are cut off from the people. They may be genetically tied to Israel by birth, but God’s perspective is eternal and His people are ultimately those who will be with Him forever in celestial bodies unlike those born in corruption.

At one time the Gentile nations were all separate from God’s chosen people, but because of Yeshua’s sacrifice we see that the Messiah born of this heritage of promise, both literally and figuratively, has brought salvation to the Gentiles and Israel. He has brought the faithful and obedient from all people, Hebrew or Gentile, into a relationship with their Creator through His work that we might find rest in Him.

Even so, this part of John’s vision is focused on a part of Israel that the Dragon hates and desires to wipe out. This is in the context of the end times, where we see this Dragon working to place a false messiah in a place to receive worship from all of the world, Hebrew and Gentile. While he hates all mankind, he loves himself more and desires to be worshiped as God.

This is the nature of the Dragon, who has always thought of himself more than he ought, and his attempts through time to prevent the ultimate end he knows is coming. He knew in the beginning of the seed of the woman that would bruise his head, and so he attempted to eliminate that seed at its weakest. That failed and so when he is allowed to establish his own kingdom before Yeshua returns, he makes war with the woman who remains faithful to God, to purify his own kingdom from that which offends him, reminding him that he is not God, though he thinks he is.

The identity of the woman is delivered in several layers, from repetition of symbolism in the Old Testament identifying her, to the literal sun, moon, and stars created from the beginning as signs, to the prophecy of the seed of the woman, tying her identity to that of her Son who is of God and is God, the promised Seed, the Branch, and ultimately the root to which we are grafted in belief.

This part of John’s vision is also a very important foundation for understanding several nuances of Bible prophecy. These multiple layers connecting different aspects of the time of the end come to a head in the timing of events, identifying a much debated restraining force, and shedding light upon the nuance of the great tribulation. These will be covered in the final post on this series examining the visions of Daniel and John, but the importance of this chapter necessitates a careful reading of it as every word contributes to our understanding of the time of the end. It is the finale of what began in the Garden of Eden, the patience of the saints to the end, loving not their lives unto death for the ultimate promise of life everlasting in the presence of God.

Prophetic Scope

The symbolism of the woman giving birth to the Messiah figuratively speaks of the genetic lineage of the seed of the woman, but literally speaks to the birth of Yeshua just before the beginning of the first century AD. Quickly jumping from Yeshua’s birth to His ascension, it leaps again to the time of the end yet future, speaking to the events in the midst of the seventieth week of Daniel and the Dragon’s war on the saints. The Dragon is cast from heaven to earth for three and a half years only to then be cast into the bottomless pit when his kingdom is destroyed by the return of Yeshua to establish His Messianic Kingdom over its ashes.

Prophetic Characters

• Woman
  • Appears as a great wonder in heaven, clothed with the sun, the moon at her feet, and a crown of twelve stars.
  • She is in childbirth, ready to give birth to a man child.
  • She flees to the wilderness after His birth, to a place prepared for her by God. She is fed there one thousand two hundred sixty days.
  • She flies to the wilderness on two wings of a great eagle to her place where she is nourished for a time, times, and half a time from the face of the Dragon.
  • In her escape from the Dragon, a flood is sent after her that is swallowed up by the earth.
• Male Child
  • Born of this woman, he will rule the nations with a rod of iron.
  • He is caught up to God and His throne after His birth.
• Red Dragon
  • Appears as a wonder in heaven, a great red Dragon.
  • He has seven heads with seven crowns and ten horns.
  • His tail draws one third of the stars of heaven and casts them to earth.
  • This Dragon stands before the woman to devour her child as soon as He is born.
  • The Dragon accuses the saints before God day and night until he is cast to earth.
  • The Dragon and his angels fight against the archangel Michael and his angels and are defeated and cast from heaven to the earth.
  • The Dragon is identified as that old Serpent, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.
  • The Dragon has great wrath when he finds himself on earth, knowing he has a short time.
  • His wrath is directed at the woman who bore the child and he persecutes her. She escapes his reach and he sends a flood after her that is swallowed up by the earth to protect the woman.
  • Though he can no longer get the woman, the Dragon is wroth with her and makes war with the remnant of her seed that keep God’s commandments and have the testimony of Yeshua the Messiah.
• Michael
  • The archangel Michael and his angels fight against the Dragon and his angels and defeat them, casting them out of heaven to the earth.
• The Saints
  • Accused by the Devil before God day and night, they overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and didn’t love their lives to death.
  • The Dragon persecutes God’s people when cast to the earth. This begins with the woman, but once the Dragon is no longer able to get her, his war on the saints spreads beyond his initial attack to the remnants of her seed elsewhere.
• The World
  • These are deceived by the Dragon when he is cast down.
  • Woe is declared to the inhabitants of the world because the Dragon has been cast to earth and has great wrath.

The Faithful Woman

It’s surprising sometimes just how much can be wrapped up in so short a depiction. What is seen visually in our night sky year after year also contains symbolic language found elsewhere in scripture together in one place. And the combination of faithful mother and Son speaks to ancient prophecy of the Messiah from the line of David, the root of Jesse. The seed of the woman prophecy from the beginning is played out in this depiction of her destiny in the last days.

Celestial Signs

Revelation 12:1-2,5
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 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.

This can be seen quite literally in the heavens just about every year. And indeed it tends to pop up every so often in prophecy circles as a sign of the end. But what if John’s description of what he sees ties these celestial signs to exactly what it says they’re tied to?

Genesis 1:14
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

I was introduced to the Mazzaroth by Chuck Missler long ago in his Signs in the Heavens presentation. These common twelve constellations exist on the ecliptic of our solar system such that the sun appears to travel through them in a circuit each year as the earth revolves around the sun, starting with Virgo and ending with Leo. This is called a sidereal year, observed by the sun returning to the same point relative to the constellations as viewed from earth. What is most commonly corrupted for astrology today has another original source that glorifies God and lays out His plan for redemption beginning with the birth and ending with the coronation of the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Psalm 19:1-6
[[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.]] The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. [There is] no speech nor language, [where] their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which [is] as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, [and] rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth [is] from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

We will see that the Messiah is the seed of the woman, a virgin birth, and this is just what the constellation Virgo is said to represent, a virgin. It has three associated constellations whose names also hold meaning as Chuck Missler points out. There is Coma, the infant, the desired one. Centaurus, the dart piercing a victim, Bootes, the great shepherd and harvester.

We know that following His birth, Yeshua went into Egypt with His parents to escape murder by Herod, only to be called out of Egypt after Herod had died. The Dragon failed to get the man child and He grew up to begin His ministry when He was about thirty years of age in the fall of 27 AD.

What is interesting is that after she brought forth the man child, the Messiah, we jump to the time after His ministry, death, resurrection, and to His ascension to the Father before Shavuot, Pentecost. The next constellation, Libra, or scales, also has three constellations. The Crux, the cross, Lupus, or victim, pierced to death, Corona, the crown.

Chuck Missler continues through the others, but for our purposes in taking a literal view of John’s vision, we can see that what David sees as the heavens declaring the glory of God, uttering speech and showing knowledge, we can look back on now and see what John saw in the laying out of the Gospel in the stars.

And if that isn’t fascinating enough, the celestial events that happen many times during the fall each year playing this out could very well be pointing to the actual birthday of Yeshua at that time in a literal sense. I will get into more of this at a later time, but in my study of the timing of Daniel’s seventy weeks, His ministry beginning in 27 AD, and the crucifixion in 30 AD, it also pointed to His birth in the fall of 4 BC in the seventh month.

In John’s vision, it is when the woman is clothed with the sun and the moon is at her feet that the woman is about to give birth, she has not yet. And just as the first sliver of light would have been visible on the moon from Jerusalem on Tishri 1, 4 BC, Yom Teruah, we see this wonder in heaven literally played out as it is many times over the years.

The image above was taken from the free Stellarium astronomy software and is a view from Jerusalem on Tishri 1, 4 BC. The Sun is within the constellation Virgo, clothing her, and the Moon is at her feet. While the constellation Leo, with its king star Regulus, is only made up of nine stars by modern reckoning, other stars were once considered part of Leo that we don’t recognize today and we’re not sure just how many may have been recognized as being part of the Hebrew Mazzaroth. At any rate, the sound of trumpets on this one appointed time would have been unknowingly a herald of the coming King.

Leviticus 23:24
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first [day] of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

Fifteen days later would be the start of Sukkot, Tabernacles, one of the three times each year that every male had to travel to Jerusalem to present themselves before God at His tabernacle. Deuteronomy 16:16 In addition, as Jacob did and later their fathers during the Exodus, Israel was to dwell in temporary shelters for seven days. This would explain the crowded nature of the little town of Bethlehem.

Genesis 33:17
And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths [suka H5521] for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

Leviticus 23:42-43
Ye shall dwell in booths [suka H5521] seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths [suka H5521], when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I [am] the LORD your God.

Luke 2:7
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger [phátnē G5335]; because there was no room for them in the inn.

2 Chronicles 32:28
Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls [phátnē G5335] for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks.

This same word for manger is used in the Septuagint for stalls for animals. Jacob’s booths were for his cattle and Israel dwelled in booths in the wilderness. That Yeshua’s birth, when God tabernacled with men, would be on Tabernacles and in an animal stall, being born of Israel, wraps up the whole symbolic package very well.

And that is not even addressing the fact that, post birth, women had to remain separated seven days, Leviticus 12:1-2, males are circumcised and presented to God on the eighth day, Leviticus 12:3, and both Mary and Joseph took Yeshua to the temple to present the Father’s Son to Him at His circumcision into the family of Abraham through whom the Messiah was prophesied to be born. Luke 2:21-24

What would appear to be the timing of Yeshua’s birth would have been literally played out in the heavens on the appointed time of Sukkot, or Tabernacles, as God tabernacled with men, as a man, for the first time beginning in 4 BC. John sees this wonder in heaven, tying the symbolic birth of the Messiah from the tribe of Judah to the literal birth at the specific time of year those signs in the heavens were taking place at the appointed time when all the men of Israel were to present themselves before God at His temple and dwell in temporary shelters first used for livestock in the land surrounding Jerusalem.

The first of those seven days was to be a high Sabbath as was the eighth day. It seems this all fits with the birth of Yeshua and what that meant as God tabernacled with men, the time of purification required after childbirth, and the eighth day ending the appointed time when Israel was to rejoice before the Lord, the Son was circumcised into the family of Abraham, and presented to His Father at His temple in Jerusalem. The Messiah had arrived.

Joseph’s Dream

What John described as a great wonder in heaven Jacob, later renamed Israel, saw in the symbology of his son Joseph’s dream pointing to his family.

Genesis 37:9-11
And he [Joseph] 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.

Joseph’s mother, Rachel, died giving birth to Benjamin on the way to Bethlehem. Yet when Joseph told his father Israel the dream he said, “shall I and thy mother.” Was he speaking of Joseph’s mother Rachel or his Father’s other wife Leah? To me this is not really the point as we look at the symbolism tied to Revelation 12:1-2. It’s not about literally tying Genesis 37:9-11 to Revelation 12:1-2, it’s about the symbols that coexist and the meanings behind them.

Genesis 37 has the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing to Joseph. It was symbolic for a different literal event that would happen in Egypt after his brothers sold Joseph into slavery in their jealousy. Since the eleven stars are his brothers, we can see the father as the sun, the woman as the moon, and the twelve stars as the twelve sons. These twelve were not from the same mother, yet a mother was central with the father in all twelve coming into being. They are a family.

Revelation 12 separates the mother giving birth from the moon, but the symbol is still there tied in with sun and twelve stars. The woman is clothed with the sun, identifying her with the father, Israel. The moon is under the feet of the woman, identifying her with the mother. The concept of the mother is the foundation of what builds and grows the family being represented symbolically here. I think this foundation is recognized in modern tradition that Jewish lineage is determined matrilineally. Israel is identified, clothed, by the father with the foundation of the mother, both working together to identify the family.

The 12 stars combined with a sun and moon reference seems even less subtle than the sun and moon alone. These three together seem to be making a point that’s difficult to ignore.

Proverbs 17:6
Children’s children [are] the crown of old men; and the glory of children [are] their fathers.

In the identification of the twelve stars, who are the sons of Israel, their further progeny would seem to be identified as the crown of their father. And the glory of the children of Israel were born of their fathers’ with whom God first chose to enter into relationship with. Hebrews 11 speaks to this in looking at the faithful fathers by whom God chose Israel.

Deuteronomy 32:7-10
Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee. When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the LORD’S portion [is] his people; Jacob [is] the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

This idea of the children’s children being the crown of old men is also interesting in the literal signs in the heavens because the constellation Leo represents the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the promised King of Israel from the line of David. That this crown of twelve stars would be comprised of the constellation representing the ultimate child and promised seed of the woman, King of Israel, brings together that idea that the children’s children are the crown of old men as Yeshua represents the promised seed of Israel that saved all of mankind who believed in Him. He honored His Father in heaven and the faithful of His generations, bringing glory in His ultimate selfless sacrifice of love that shows us the heart of God.

Seed of the Woman

There are a series of prophecies that point to the Savior of mankind who is born from a particular lineage. It began as a result of the fall, the first point in time that a Savior was required for man to return to relationship with God as He intended from the beginning. When the Serpent introduced doubt and deceived the woman into having her eyes opened to the knowledge of good and evil, he was setting in motion that need for the woman’s seed to bring salvation to those who choose God and judgement to the Serpent and all who choose him. The dividing line between good and evil was set in a choice of allegiance either with God or against Him.

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.

This translation of “it” tied to the woman’s seed is a personal third person masculine singular pronoun. This fits with the second personal masculine singular for whose heel is bruised. The seed of the woman speaks of the Messiah who would bruise the head of the serpent, yet not get away without a less severe bruising Himself.

It is important to recognize there are two sides being presented here and two lineages. On one hand they are literal genetic lineages, the children of Eve that would eventually bring about the Messiah who would crush the head of the Serpent and the Genesis 6:1-4 seed that would be at odds with mankind before and after the flood. However, it also speaks to the allegiance of all mankind, whether with God or against Him. Those who believe and obey the Messiah, the Son of God, are called children of God and show the fruits of the Spirit of God. Galatians 5:22-26 Those against Him are figuratively the seed of the Serpent, showing the same works of the flesh. Galatians 5:19-21

But it is the genetic lineage we are examining here, to identify the woman of Revelation 12. Fortunately that is very clear in scripture. Throughout Genesis there is a clear distinction made as to the seed of Abraham and the promises made to him, his seed, and the land.

Genesis 12:7
And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

Genesis 15:17-18
And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Genesis 17:4-8
As for me, behold, my covenant [is] with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

Genesis 21:12
And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

The land covenant made with Abraham was a one-sided covenant God made as Abraham slept, and His seed has never possessed the fullness of this promised land, from the river in Egypt to the Euphrates River cutting through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. The promise was through his seed Isaac, as was the multiplying of his seed. And it was Abraham’s faith in this promise that led to the willingness to offer his only son as a foreshadow of the Seed of the woman, the Son of God, likewise being offered in the bruising of His heel.

Genesis 22:15-18
And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son]: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Galatians 3:15-18
Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though [it be] but a man’s covenant, yet [if it be] confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, [that] the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance [be] of the law, [it is] no more of promise: but God gave [it] to Abraham by promise.

The seed of Abraham, that would possess the land in its fullness, possess the gate of his enemies, and bless all the nations of the earth was not pointing to the children of Israel, but the promised Seed of the woman who would crush the enemy of mankind, the Serpent, who deceived the woman and brought about the fall. The seed of the woman, the last Adam, would reverse the fall from the first Adam. 1 Corinthians 15:35-49

The seed is continued through Isaac to Jacob in Genesis 26:1-5,23-25; 28:1-5,12-16; 35:9-12, continuing the call to not take a wife from Canaan. Jacob would prophesy to his twelve sons regarding the future of their seed.

Genesis 49:1-2, 8-12
And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you [that] which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. ... Judah, thou [art he] whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand [shall be] in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah [is] a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him [shall] the gathering of the people [be]. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes [shall be] red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

Judah is identified with the lion and the prophecy of the coming Messiah was tied to Judah. The sceptre, or rod, was not going to depart from Judah until Shiloh, tranquility or rest, came and gathered the people to the Messiah who would bring that rest. Matthew 11:25-30 This spoke to the arrival of the Messianic Kingdom and the expectation of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel under her king.

Matthew 21:1-9
And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose [them], and bring [them] unto me. And if any [man] say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set [him] thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed [them] in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

The prophecy of the King coming on the ass and colt was also seen in their being tied to the choice vine, Israel’s prophecy for Judah and a theme we will see momentarily also see in the vine or branch. But the kingdom did not come as many expected, with the defeat of the enemies of Israel in the material realm. Rather it came in the prophetic fulfillment of the crushing of the Serpent by the cursing of sin hung on a tree. The defeat of the ultimate enemy of mankind, death and separation from God through sin.

2 Corinthians 5:21
For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Galatians 3:10-14
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, [it is] evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

And so in Yeshua, born of Israel, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, are all the nations blessed because the one and only Son of God was offered, as foreshadowed in Abraham offering his promised son Isaac, to become sin for us that we would gain His righteousness and be adopted into the family of God by faith and obedience in allegiance to His eternal kingdom.

What didn’t come about as the Jews expected in the first century caused many to close their eyes to Yeshua as the Messiah. After all, in the carnal mind death is weakness and marks the end. They either didn’t see or didn’t believe His resurrection. In their zeal to enforce their interpretation of God’s statutes, they persecuted their own and pushed the Gospel out to the Gentiles according to God’s design. The promise wasn’t kept in full in the first century. Though the kingdom had arrived, it was not as they expected it to and God’s ways are not our ways. The physical kingdom restored to Israel with their Messiah ruling from Jerusalem would not arrive for another several thousand years with the return of the King.

Both the Jews through whom the Messiah came and the followers of Yeshua who were blessed by His coming are awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, however the expectation comes from two different paradigms. For Israel, who closed their eyes to His coming, they wait for what was expected in the first century, the Messiah to come and restore the kingdom to Israel. For the followers of Yeshua, they await His return a second time to salvation and judgement of the world. As Israel prophesied to his son Judah, “he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes,” symbolism tied to that judgement and the King returning to establish His eternal kingdom physically in the land given to Him from the river in Egypt to the Euphrates.

Man Child King

The seed of the woman was the prophesied King that would crush the Serpent, but we also have the specific prophecies of a Davidic King.

Revelation 12:5
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.

The seed of the woman, which would be her children, is also pointing to the virgin birth in that the seed required to produce more seed is normally provided by the man, yet the child of this woman would not come from man but from God. This was literally Mary, who was a virgin that conceived by the Holy Spirit to bring forth the promised Seed, the man child, who would rule with a rod of iron. She was from the line of David, as was Joseph, though not the genetic father of Yeshua. The lineage of the Messiah is depicted in Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38.

Figuratively, the man child who rules with a rod of iron is the collection of the prophecies of the Messiah being of the line of David, descended from Judah, one of the 12 stars. So the mother imagery ties the childbirth mothers go through with the birth of the Messiah, and with the lineage from the tribe of Judah, one of Israel’s 12 sons.

Isaiah 11:1-5, 9-10
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. ... They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

Once again we see the idea of rest tied to this root of Jesse, father of David. This righteous judge smites the earth with the rod of His mouth, bringing rest to the meek and judgement to the wicked. In Israel’s prophecy to Judah, the ass and colt would be tied to the choice vine. This Branch from the root of Jesse would be both an ensign of the people and to whom the Gentiles would seek. In Him they would find rest.

Matthew 11:25-30
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and [he] to whomsoever the Son will reveal [him]. Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.

The rest given the souls of those who believe and obey Him is in the context of the Sabbath, when God rested from His works. So too is the yoke of bondage tied to the circumcision and other aspects of the law that were done away with in Christ. 2 Corinthians 3 | Acts 15:1-12 | Galatians 5 | Hebrews 4:1-11

Romans 15:8-12
Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises [made] unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify God for [his] mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

The circumcision of the heart made possible by the Messiah at His first coming brings the faith and rest we have in the Branch from the root of Jesse. The kingdom of God is not imposed on the world now, it is an invitation in this time of grace. What is now only a spiritual kingdom on earth in the hearts and temples of the subjects of it, will become the physical kingdom on earth, centered in the temple of God on Mount Zion.

Isaiah 4:2-4
In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth [shall be] excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it shall come to pass, [that he that is] left in Zion, and [he that] remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, [even] every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

Jeremiah 23:5-6
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this [is] his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Jeremiah 33:14-18
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this [is the name] wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness. For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.

Zechariah 3:8-9
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they [are] men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone [shall be] seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

On Pesach, 30 AD, Yeshua died on the cross with the sins of all those who believe in and obey Him taken to sheol with Him. The plan of God tied to His appointed times for Israel is an amazing study that will be coming after this series in much greater detail as it ties both His first and second comings in some amazing ways.

Revelation 5:5-6
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

The Branch from the root of Jesse, the Root of David, is the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world, having seven eyes just as Zechariah prophesied of the stone laid before the high priest Joshua (Yeshua) with seven eyes. This Branch will build the temple, bearing the glory and sitting upon the throne as King and Priest.

Zechariah 6:12-13
And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name [is] The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

This prophecy is seen in two very different ways and I believe highlights the great deception tied to a false messiah that I’ve mentioned several times through these studies so far. What Christians see as being fulfilled after the return of Yeshua from heaven, Orthodox Jews expect of the Messiah whom they say cannot be God but will just be a man from among the people. Two very different paradigms that will come to pass at different times.

Psalm 2:6-12
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou [art] my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give [thee] the heathen [for] thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth [for] thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish [from] the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed [are] all they that put their trust in him.

Revelation 19:11-16
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 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. And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

The prophesied seed of the woman, the man child born of a virgin, is portrayed being born of the woman clothed with the sun and the moon at her feet with a crown of twelve stars. He will rule the nations with a rod of iron, which is clearly tied to the lineage of the promised seed of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jesse, and David, king of the Jews and indeed all of Israel and the world. Through Abraham’s seed would the world be blessed, and truly Yeshua died for the sins of all who believe and obey Him.

Faithfulness

Luke 1:26-33
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name [was] Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, [thou that art] highly favoured, the Lord [is] with thee: blessed [art] thou among women. And when she saw [him], she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

In the most literal sense of Mary giving birth to Yeshua, the Savior of mankind would be born of a virgin of low estate and humble in heart. She would be responsible for raising the Messiah from birth, influencing Him the way all parents do, and guide His growth until He would grow into His own accountability. I’m sure there was a reason God chose this woman from all of history to bring forth the metaphorical fulfillment of the Messiah’s birth from Israel.

And in this prophetic figurative language we saw in the seed of the woman prophecy, there was a reason that God chose Abraham from among the nations from which to bring forth salvation into the world.

To be the enemy of God you must set yourself up against Him, and this is exactly what the Dragon has done. He has said in his heart that he will be like the Most high. I think this is an important point in recognizing what we will see in the wrath of the Dragon. Just as God’s wrath is not intended for His people that worship and obey Him, the Dragon’s wrath is not intended for his people that worship and obey him.

God’s wrath is on the Dragon’s people and the Dragon’s wrath is on God’s people. In this we see a distinction that draws a line, not in nations, tongues, and peoples, but rather in allegiance to God, whether that be a false god or the One True God. In prophecy I think this is somewhat of an overlooked nuance and people tend to lump groups together by material attributes like genetics. This is especially relevant when scripture talks about Israel.

Romans 9:1-9, 22-26
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom [pertaineth] the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service [of God], and the promises; Whose [are] the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ [came], who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this [is] the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. ... [What] if God, willing to shew [his] wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye [are] not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

Paul makes a distinction here between his kinsmen according to the flesh and his people not tied to genetics, but to those called God’s people. Deuteronomy 32:16-21 We see this same kind of distinction later when he compares the natural olive branches to the wild.

Romans 11:16-27
For if the firstfruit [be] holy, the lump [is] also [holy]: and if the root [be] holy, so [are] the branches. 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. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Given the prophecies of the Messiah as the seed of the woman and the Branch, this symbolism makes it clear that Yeshua is the root from which those in His kingdom receive their life. He is the natural root to which the genetic seed of Abraham are natural branches of. Yet the wild branches, the people which were not His people, are grafted onto the root, which is Christ. While the natural branches still remain in belief, there are those in unbelief that are cut off. And as we see elsewhere, the trees that bear no fruit will be cast into the fire.

Matthew 3:7-12
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our] father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and [with] fire: Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

This all speaks to a dividing line that is not made in lineage like natural Israel has long held. They are the chosen people from whom the Messiah would be born. Their King would be a blessing to the whole world, just not in the way they were expecting. But the King has an eternal kingdom and His subjects must remain allegiant to be part of that kingdom.

That is the dividing line, spiritual in nature and not materialistic. Yeshua came to die for all mankind, that will believe and obey Him. There are those of Israel who have accepted Yeshua as the Messiah just as those of the Gentiles have. And there are many Gentiles who will reject Yeshua as the Messiah, just as many of Israel will. These natural branches will be cut off in unbelief. But when a branch is cut from the root, it does not immediately die. There is still opportunity to graft it back onto the root. But that is a choice for each branch to make. If they remain apart from the source of life, they will die and be cast into the fire.

And this is where I want to make a distinction between the faithful woman and the harlot. We see in John’s vision a distinction of two women. In Revelation 12 we have a woman who gives birth to the Messiah and is hated and persecuted by the Dragon who attempted to devour her child. This woman does not capitulate to the Dragon, giving her allegiance to him and worshipping him, she flees from him and he attempts to destroy her.

Contrast this to the harlot in the vision of Revelation 17-18, who is not being persecuted by the Dragon, but has given herself over to him, riding on his back to follow wherever he goes. She is drunk on the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Scripturally and spiritually fornication is tied to worshipping false gods and their idols. The symbolism of the grape harvest being crushed in a winepress is applicable for both the wrath of God and of the Dragon. But that respective wrath is not intended for the allegiant.

So while the woman of Revelation 12 is identified with the genetic lineage, not all of Israel are of Israel. In other words, just because the woman is fleeing the Dragon who is persecuting her, doesn’t mean there aren’t some broken natural branches who have been grafted to an abominable branch, a false messiah, instead in unbelief.

Isaiah 14:12-15, 19-20
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. ... But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, [and as] the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, [and] slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

I find it very interesting in light of Bible prophecy speaking of a Beast that receives a mortal wound yet lives. He is representative of a false messiah, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, that deceives the world. The Branch is representative of the Messiah from the line of David who died and was raised incorruptible and ascended to the Father. Yet in light of Lucifer’s fall we have an abominable branch that is cast out of its grave, suggesting resurrection. He is thrust through with a sword yet lives. He is not joined with the faithful in burial not only because he is resurrected, but is later thrown alive into the lake of fire when Yeshua returns from heaven with His wife. He is chastised because he destroyed his land and killed his own people.

I believe this combination of literal signs in the heavens, the symbolism repeated only one other time to identify with the family of Jacob, and man child being born as the seed of the woman through Abraham to David all clearly points to the woman in John’s vision representing the faithful of Israel.

But just as there are two paradigms of expectation between the blind of Israel and the understanding of the bride of Christ, there are two allegiances that will be formed at the time of the end based on whose king men choose to be subjects of.

Mark 3:23-27
And he called them [unto him], and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

One kingdom of God exists from the first century when it arrived with its King. A second kingdoms is coming, a Dragon clothed as a lamb. He desires worship, to be as God, and a kingdom of those who worship him. Through great deception he will be allowed to build his kingdom from twisting the foundation of God’s Word to fit his perverted kingdom. He will gain subjects and worshippers through his puppet king and while he is ultimately leading them to eternal destruction with him, during his reign he will not fight against those that choose him, or else his kingdom will not stand. For all his self-glorification, the Dragon needs subjects or he has no kingdom and therefore is no king. The Dragon is not looking for a kingdom that ends, he is looking to bring his subjects to fight against God to keep his kingdom and escape justice.

The subjects of the Dragon’s kingdom will ride it wherever it leads and follow his king, drinking from the golden cup of the wine of the wrath of their fornication. But in Revelation 12 we see a different woman who is hated by the Dragon. She is not subject to him and is hated and persecuted by him for it. We see the faithful woman who is used by God to bring in His King, the faithful of Israel.

The Great Red Dragon

Revelation 12:3-4
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.

Just as the wonder of the woman was seen in heaven, the great red dragon is seen in heaven. There is a similar literal aspect in what happened in the first century, what can be literally seen in the stars, and what figuratively speaks to the story of this fallen angel represented by the Dragon. As we will see, his identity is spelled out plainly for us.

Celestial Signs

Following Libra in the sun’s apparent circuit through the constellations is Scorpio with its three constellations, Serpens, the serpent, Ophiuchus, wrestling with the serpent and stepping on him, and Hercules, the mighty man. Just as we saw the wonder of the woman in heaven, below the woman’s feet is the constellation Serpens. The serpent’s head is just beneath Virgo’s feet and what strengthens this literal view of this being depicted in the heavens is that above Serpens head is the constellation Corona Borealis, made up of seven stars.

The brightest star in the Serpens constellation is the giant red star Alpha Serpentis, which is interesting given the depiction of this Dragon with seven heads and ten horns being a great red Dragon.

Serpens is split in two by the constellation Ophiuchus, meaning serpent-bearer. This man is holding the serpent whose head is facing Virgo, Serpens Caput, while the serpent’s tail, Serpens Cauda, is on the other side of Ophiuchus. Played out in heaven is the wrestling of the serpent by the man child after his birth, the prophesied war between the Dragon and seed of the woman from the beginning. Given the prophesied crushing of the head of the serpent in Genesis 3:15, I find it interesting that the Latin caput means head while in German the word kaputt means destroyed, broken, or dead.

There are many other suggestive correlations in the names of the stars that make up these constellations as well as the others, but this is not a study on that. I do think it is important to recognize the stars in the heavens given God’s statement that these were all put there for signs, seasons, days and years. Genesis 1:14 Even from ancient times it seems that for those who knew the names of the stars and constellations, much like the naming of children depicted in scripture, a story was being told of what was happening and what was going to happen.

Slaughter of the Innocents

Before the Dragon’s defeat by the man-child who is caught up to God, the head of the Serpent stands before the woman ready to devour Him when He is delivered. Just as Mary was literally a virgin giving birth to the Messiah that would come from the lineage laid out in scripture, the spirit of the Dragon over Herod was his literal attempt to destroy the Messiah after He was born.

Matthew 2:16-18
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 enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy 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.

Herod’s jealousy for power and fear of being supplanted as ruler over the Jews led to his slaughter of the children of Bethlehem and beyond. What is interesting is the context of Jeremiah’s vision to which this birth of the Messiah is tied.

Jeremiah 31:15-17
Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, [and] bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they [were] not. Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.

Not only does this speak of the return of the children of Israel to the land, including mercy on Ephraim, but continues to prophesy about the New Covenant with the house of Israel and Judah, that God will write His law on their hearts and forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more. The attempt of the Dragon to devour the child through Herod’s wickedness was thwarted in Yeshua’s sojourn in Egypt from where He was called out after Herod’s death. He would grow up to become the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and bring in the New Testament in the shedding of His blood for the remission of sins.

There is an interesting bit of information here that sheds light on a common nativity misunderstanding. While the shepherds in the field went to see Yeshua in the manger, the wise men from the East did not. This is a whole other fascinating study, but just as John saw these wonders in heaven in his vision, the wise men from the East also saw signs in the heavens that drew them to Israel and Bethlehem. You can watch The Star of Bethlehem for more on these fascinating signs in the heavens.

Herod’s decision to kill all the children two years and younger was based on the timing given him by the wise men from the East as to the age of this King from the tribe of Judah. When the wise men actually spoke to Herod before going to Bethlehem, they were expecting a toddler of two years old, not a baby in the manger. The signs they saw that brought them to Jerusalem to enquire of the King of the Jews heralded His birth, but were not necessarily timed to His birthday.

So we see the attempt to devour the man-child by the Dragon after He was born in the early attempt on Yeshua’s life as a toddler that led to other prophetic fulfillment.

Hosea 11:1
When Israel [was] a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

Matthew 2:13-15
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.

The Fall

This is the only place in scripture that depicts any kind of ratio of the angels who fell with the Dragon, suggesting that his tail swept one third of the stars from heaven and cast them to the earth. While we’ve seen that the stars can represent the children of Israel in the crown of twelve stars, it is more commonly associated with angels, the heavenly host.

Ezekiel 28:14-19
Thou [art] the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee [so]: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt] thou [be] any more.

Isaiah 14:12-15
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Lucifer means light-bearer, which is interesting in light of one of the meanings of the Hebrew nachash, or serpent, identified in the garden of Eden that deceived Eve. This word for serpent holds several meanings, from hiss like a snake, to divine, and to shine. This last one is tied to the word nehoshet, a bronze or copper polished metal. For more read Eitan Bar’s word study of nachash. He is the representation of sin, which Yeshua became for us, the bronze serpent set on a pole that would heal anyone bitten by the fiery serpents sent amongst Israel in the wilderness. Numbers 21:6-9

Galatians 3:13-14
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech [you] by us: we pray [you] in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

As the bronze serpent was hung from a pole, so was Yeshua hung from a tree, becoming sin that we would gain His righteousness. This is our redemption from the fall, but mankind was not the only ones who fell away from God. The nachash in the garden set himself up against God, and that this fiery Dragon working to destroy mankind is depicted as sweeping one third of the stars from heaven speaks to another decision made by some of the angels prior to the flood.

Genesis 6:1-2, 4
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they [were] fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. ... There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown.

Jude 1:5-7
I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

The angels of heaven left their habitation to go after strange flesh, that is to say in heaven they could not procreate and so they gave up that home in order to corrupt the seed of men. As a side note, when the Sadducees questioned Yeshua about who of seven brothers would have the wife they shared after the resurrection. His answer speaks to our future transition to incorruption in the resurrection, the estate of the angels who fell to procreate.

Matthew 22:29-30
Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

So was it just that the daughters of men were fair, or was there another corruption of the seed being attempted to preempt the promised Seed who would crush the head of the Dragon?

Genesis 6:9
These [are] the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man [and] perfect in his generations, [and] Noah walked with God.

Noah was a just man and walked with God, but in addition to that it seems that he may have also been chosen with his family to survive the flood because his generations were not corrupted by the introduction of strange flesh to God’s creation by those who rebelled against God and attempted to corrupt the seed of mankind. To represent mankind and become sin for them, the Messiah had a specific lineage from the foundation of creation by which that salvation would come, the Seed of the woman.

The war in heaven between God and those who set themselves up as His enemies in rebellion was also in play from the beginning when the Dragon deceived Eve with the promise of being like God only to corrupt the innocence of mankind with the knowledge of good and evil. From then on the Dragon would accuse mankind of their sin before God.

War in Heaven

Revelation 12:7-9
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.

We’ve seen Michael previously in the vision of Daniel 10-12, but I will go into that more in the final post of this series. Here we are also told exactly who the great red Dragon is so there is no need to interpret or guess. The serpent is the shining one who deceived Eve in the garden, the bronze serpent, the representation of sin defeated as it hung on the cross, and that defeat being the salvation to all who look upon Yeshua and believe. The nachash, who sees himself as God, had his head bruised and will ultimately be cast down to sheol, or hell, the pit before his utter destruction in the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:1-3
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

This is the Devil, meaning slanderer or false accuser, who tempted Yeshua in the wilderness before He began His ministry that would lead to the cross. He is the representative of all those devils that Yeshua cast out during His ministry, those who fell with the Dragon as they followed Him and betrayed their Creator.

1 John 3:8
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Satan in Hebrew is the adversary who withstands and accuses. He stood up against Israel and sought to corrupt Job, whom God saw as a perfect and upright man. Job 1:6-12

Revelation 12:10-11
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.

The Dragon with seven heads and ten horns is Satan, the Devil, Lucifer, the Serpent, the shining one, the nachash, the great deceiver, the Dragon in sheep’s clothing. His spirit is behind those that follow him, whether they realize it or not. He is the spiritual representation of sin and the reason that mankind fell into sin through the deception of Eve and Adam, and he is not done. The mystery of iniquity has been at work through history and is today setting up his pawns to deceive the whole world, presenting himself as truth and light, but inside is darkness and lies.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15
For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

The timing of this war is important because the result of this war is the casting out of the Dragon and his angels from heaven. Was this war and casting out back when the Serpent first beguiled Eve or when angels first left heaven to have children with the daughters of men? Was it at the cross and resurrection when the power of Christ defeating death established the door by which we enter the kingdom of God?

I believe the answer comes in the parenthetical wilderness escape of the woman that encapsulates the time when the Dragon is cast from heaven to the earth and persecutes the woman prior to her escape. He is said to be accusing the followers of Christ before God day and night. His loss of the war in heaven ends that time and ushers in the Dragon’s time of power over the world and his wrath on the faithful woman who brought forth the Messiah that will be his downfall.

Wrath of the Dragon

Revelation 12:12
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.

The wrath of God is coming to destroy the sinners out of His land. His wrath is coming on those that set themselves in opposition to Him, those that do evil and hate Him. But God’s wrath is not coming on His people who live by faith prior to His coming. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Isaiah 13:9-11
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for [their] evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

Just as God’s wrath is not for His own people, the Dragon’s wrath is also not for his own people. Remember that he is attempting to setup his own kingdom and he needs subjects of that kingdom and desires their worship of him as God. Those who worship him have nothing to fear of the wrath of the Dragon, indeed scripture depicts those who follow him as drinking from the fierceness of the wine of the wrath of their fornication. This symbolizes their idolatry in worshipping a false god. The Dragon is getting what he desires from his own people.

But those who remain faithful to God and reject the Dragon set themselves up as his enemies and he knows he only has a short time to rule his kingdom and gather his subjects. That he gathers them to battle against God would seem to suggest he is still fighting against the end God said was coming. Whether he thinks he will succeed or not is up in the air, but honestly he should know better by now, his fate is sealed.

The fact that the Dragon knows he has but a short time suggests that this war in heaven and his being cast to earth is taking place at the time of the end. We’ve seen in Daniel 7:25; 12:5-11 and Revelation 13:5-7 that his false messiah will be given power for three and a half years and forty two months, the time that he is given power over the saints to overcome them. And this false messiah is getting his power and great authority from the Dragon with seven heads and ten horns.

This is the great tribulation, the persecution of the saints by the Dragon and his allegiant, which begins at the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet. This means that the tribulation is not the common refrain of seven years, which is nowhere stated in scripture. This is the wrath of the Dragon against God’s people through his own people that worship him at the time they are deceived into worshipping the man of sin when he is revealed in the midst of the seven years.

While Revelation 12 ties the wrath of the Dragon to this time of great tribulation, it also presents a nuance to this time that I have not seen anyone else point out before. There are two phases to the time of the Dragon’s wrath against God’s people, and it explains a lot about what Yeshua said in the Olivet Discourse.

Matthew 24:21-22
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Phase One

Revelation 12:13
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child].

We have identified the woman in Revelation 12 as the faithful of Israel specifically. She is clearly the lineage from which the Messiah would be born according to scripture, and she would not be persecuted by the Dragon if she was worshipping him. What is the first thing the Dragon does when he is cast to the earth? He persecutes the faithful of Israel.

Matthew 24:15-16, 21-22
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: ... For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Jeremiah 30:4-7
And these [are] the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day [is] great, so that none [is] like it: it [is] even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

Daniel 12:1
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

With the addition of Mark 13:14,19-20, these four prophesies have several things in common, tying them together as one. The first point is that all four make a common statement that this time being spoken of is unparalleled in all of history. If four places make the statement that a time will only occur once in all of history, then they must be speaking of that same time. In addition to this statement they all speak of several other identical points strengthening this understanding.

Note that in each case a specific identity is given to us in different ways. Yeshua warns only those in Judea who see the abomination of desolation to flee to the mountains. Why not those in Europe or Russia or South America? Because it is focused on a particular place on the globe which will be populated at that time by a very particular people. This is made clearer in Jeremiah when he says that the words of the Lord being given in this prophecy are specifically concerning Israel and Judah. And Daniel likewise confirms the common event all are speaking of when he states that Daniel’s people are at the center of these events.

And finally, in all four cases a statement is made about this time. Daniel’s prophecy states that only those of Daniel’s people who are written in the book, the faithful, will be delivered from this time. Jeremiah says of the time of Jacob’s trouble that he, Jacob or Israel, will be saved out of it. And Yeshua states that because this time will be so great for the faithful of Israel that the time of this unparalleled trouble will be cut short.

Now this is very important because it confirms what John sees regarding the time the Dragon is cast to the earth. He immediately persecutes the woman because his time is short, only three and a half years or forty two months before his false messiah and false prophet are cast into the lake of fire and he is bound in the bottomless pit for one thousand years.

This first phase of the great tribulation is the unparalleled time of Jacob’s trouble in Judea. That is very specific to both the geography and identity of the persecuted saints. These are the faithful of Israel who reject the false messiah when he claims to be God in the temple of God in Jerusalem, given power by the Dragon to continue forty two months from that point in the midst of the seventieth week of Daniel.

And that time is going to be cut short. That doesn’t mean his forty two months will be less than forty two months. What Revelation 12 reveals is that only the first phase of the Dragon’s wrath, the great tribulation, will be cut short. This is that wrath upon Israel in Judea explicitly, not around the world globally. That comes later. But first, for the persecution of the woman to be cut short, she must be removed from the grasp of the Dragon because we are told that he will be given power over the saints for the short duration of his kingdom, because he has only a little time.

Second Exodus

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.

This is a fascinating passage that has echoes of the Exodus from Egypt that I doubt those who experience it will miss, especially since the Exodus is such a part of the tradition and culture of Israel.

Deuteronomy 32:9-12
For the LORD’S portion [is] his people; Jacob [is] the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: [So] the LORD alone did lead him, and [there was] no strange god with him.

Exodus 19:3-4
And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and [how] I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

What John sees of the woman being given two wings of a great eagle to fly into the wilderness is exactly how the Exodus is described figuratively. What was God as the pillar of cloud and fire leading Israel from Egypt to the wilderness will be the return of Yeshua to bring them to the wilderness, to Mount Sinai where He would meet with them. Exodus 13:17-22 The key to understanding Yeshua’s return to take them on wings of a great eagle to the wilderness is recognizing the two phases of the wrath of the Dragon, because it is that unparalleled time of Jacob’s trouble in Judea that is the focus of the tribulation of those days.

Matthew 24:29-31
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The days after which Yeshua returns is not after the full forty two months of the Dragon’s wrath, it is after the unparalleled time that is cut short to save the faithful of Israel out of it. If Yeshua would not intervene and cut it short at His return in glory, none of the elect of Israel in Judea would survive the wrath of the Dragon. We must keep it in the context that it’s presented in, the unparalleled time in Judea is not forty two months long.

What is likewise fascinating is that just as Pharaoh sent a flood of his army after Israel in the wilderness, so is the Dragon said to send a flood after the woman. Unlike the Exodus, instead of the Dragon’s flood being swallowed by the Red Sea through which Israel fled, his flood is swallowed up by the earth. It makes me think of those judged in Korah’s rebellion in the wilderness. Numbers 16 A very interesting prophecy of the return of Yeshua is given by Zechariah that would seem to parallel this vision of John.

Zechariah 14:3-5
Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which [is] before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, [and there shall be] a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee [to] the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, [and] all the saints with thee.

Trapped between the Red Sea and approaching flood, Moses raised his staff and the waters parted as Israel fled through the walls of water to the wilderness. At Yeshua’s return, one greater than Moses will descend at His return to the Mount of Olives and the earth will part as His faithful flee through the walls of earth on either side into the wilderness. The next verse jumps to the Messianic Kingdom, one day known to the Lord with living waters going out from Jerusalem.

So not only do we see that as soon as the Dragon loses the war and is cast out of heaven, he gives his power to the false messiah for forty two months following his death, resurrection, and declaring himself to be God in God’s temple. This is the beginning of the wrath of the Dragon on God’s people. However, that unparalleled time of Jacob’s trouble in Judea, where it begins, is cut short to save the elect of Israel that will flee into the wilderness.

Yeshua returns once again to save His people out of great tribulation and out of spiritual Egypt into the wilderness to Himself, just like the Exodus. And during that fleeing another prophecy will be fulfilled as His coming in great power and glory from heaven will open the eyes that were once closed to Him and the faithful remnant of His people will finally recognize Him.

Zechariah 12:10
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn.

Matthew 24:30
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Revelation 1:7
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

There is one other interesting aspect about Israel being protected and nourished in the wilderness that could not apply to the first Exodus because it is given in a prophecy in Hosea. The chapter begins with condemnation of Israel for playing the harlot and offering up what God gave them to Baal and going after her lovers in adultery. But then the tone changes from judgement of the harlot to a restoration of the woman allured into the wilderness where a safe place is prepared for her.

Hosea 2:14-3:5
Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, [that] thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and [with] the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD. And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel. And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to [them which were] not my people, Thou [art] my people; and they shall say, [Thou art] my God. Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of [her] friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. So I bought her to me for fifteen [pieces] of silver, and [for] an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for [another] man: so [will] I also [be] for thee. For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and [without] teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

What a beautiful promise to the remnant of Israel whose eyes have just been opened at the return of their Son whom they pierced. God will speak comfortably to her and betroth her to Him in righteousness, judgement, lovingkindness, mercies, and faithfulness. Her time in the wilderness will be a time like her youth when He last saved her out of the land of Egypt. While they may yet still be on the earth, they are protected from their enemy and are able to lie down safely in the midst of the chaos of the time of the end.

But that safety is not promised to the rest of the world. Having escaped the Dragon to be protected from him, the wrath of the Dragon turns from Judea to the rest of the world.

Phase Two

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.

Phase two of the great tribulation, the wrath of the Dragon, is the result of the intervention by Christ at His coming to remove access to God’s people by the Dragon in Judea. Just as Pharaoh tucked his tail back to Egypt, so will the Dragon back to mystery Babylon, spiritually Egypt, from which God’s people just fled.

But the Dragon is still full of wrath for the woman, he just can’t get those from Judea anymore. And this is where phase two is seen in him making war with the remnant of her seed that keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Yeshua. This is when the persecution goes outside of Judea. But as we will see, the length of the first phase is very short according to the exact day prophecies, so the majority of the war on the saints will be in the time after Yeshua returns in glory and begins treading the winepress of the wrath of God on the Dragon’s people.

The parable of the ten virgins is a sobering picture of the state of those who call themselves by His title, Christians. In the parable there are five wise and five foolish virgins. It should be noted that all ten were awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom, but only five had oil in their lamps to go out and meet Him.

Matthew 25:10-13
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

This is a picture of half of those who claim to be Christians not truly having a relationship with Yeshua. The oil, as we’ve seen in the vision of Revelation 11 is symbolic of the Spirit that indwells those in relationship with Yeshua. And we see this represented in the foolish virgins who had no oil for their lamps and are shut out of the marriage, Yeshua responds that He doesn’t know them. A relationship requires more than one participant. Those who defile their temple with abominations cause that temple to be desolate of the presence of God.

Revelation 2:21-23
And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

While the unparalleled time of Jacob’s trouble in Judea may not have affected those outside of Judea, those who are left behind and shut out of the marriage at His coming will effectively be cast into great tribulation by remaining on earth as the Dragon’s persecution spreads throughout it. This is the hour of temptation that comes on the whole world that the faithful church is kept from by the coming of the Lord and our gathering to Him.

Revelation 3:10-13
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and [I will write upon him] my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

The second phase of the wrath of the Dragon, the great tribulation, is the remainder of his power and authority following the return of Yeshua. Rather than being focused on those that are not already his in Judea, his focus is on the nations of the world who give over their power to him and drink from the cup of the wine of fornication. This hour of temptation will try the hearts of those who hold the testimony of Yeshua and must keep the word through the inability to buy or sell, find food to eat, and even to death.

The whole world will be under the Dragon’s reign, drinking from the golden cup of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. For those who are left behind, life will not be easy as the whole of governments and their populations will be working to search out those the Dragon hates.

The Gap

Revelation 12:5-6, 14
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. 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. ... 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.

Acts 1:6-11
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

While Revelation 12:1-5 introduces the faithful woman, the Messiah, and the Dragon, by way of their history and conflict, that historical story ends with the ascension of Yeshua to the Father. The disciples expected the kingdom to be restored to Israel as prophesied, unaware of the coming of the Holy Spirit and the age of the invisible kingdom of God growing in the earth to His return.

Verses 6-17 jump forward from the ascension to a time yet future where the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, Romans 11:25, and the blindness of the faithful woman is removed as they see their Messiah and Son of God coming on the clouds of heaven with great power and glory to save them from unparalleled tribulation in Judea.

The woman’s time in the wilderness, expressed in two exact day prophecies, encapsulate within the text the time of the war in heaven resulting in the unparalleled time she is saved out of, the unparalleled time of Jacob’s trouble in Judea. So we see a gap of time from the ascension of Christ to the Dragon’s wrath that prompts His return to save His people out of it.

Conclusion

This part of John’s vision brings much more understanding of the characters and events at the time of the end than one might think at a surface level, but that’s one of the amazing aspects of scripture is that each part is a little piece of the puzzle and as those pieces become clearer, so do their connections.

We’ve seen in multiple dimensions the identity of the woman from the signs in the heavens to symbolic imagery tying her to Israel from Joseph’s dream to the literal birth of the Messiah through the virgin birth and the prophesies about that Messiah tying him to a very particular genetic lineage from the tribe of Judah of Israel.

While there can be no mistake that this woman represents Israel, it is clear that not all who are Israel in the flesh are Israel in the Spirit. This faithful woman is contrasted with another woman from John’s vision who is not faithful, but plays the harlot hearkening back to Israel’s unfaithful past.

Recognizing the blindness of Israel, having closed their eyes to Yeshua as the Messiah, yet also the expectation of prophecy about the Messiah to be fulfilled; we can see that a cleverly devised deception would be an effective method to suck many of Israel into apostasy and harlotry. Indeed, Messianic expectations are growing in the Orthodox community, yet we are told when Yeshua returns it will not be in the earth, but from heaven with great power and glory.

The time of Jacob’s trouble can also be seen as a family affair. In the first century when Yeshua said He was the Son of God and was before Abraham, the authorities of Israel took this as blasphemy and treated Him and His followers accordingly. For the time after His resurrection and ascension, it was those of Israel who persecuted their own people who believed in Yeshua and followed His ways. Even in other nations it was initially the Jewish communities that responded to followers of The Way with violence. They could not see nor understand the scriptures properly and so they turned on their own thinking they did the will of God.

This unparalleled time for Israel and Judah in Judea is in the context of the people who will be inhabiting it and the great deception surrounding the anointed one, the Messiah. In the first century it was a small group that believed Yeshua was the Messiah and were persecuted by a leadership for it. In the future it will be much of Israel who will accept this man of sin who comes in his own name and a remnant who reject him. Just as the central figure of the Messiah caused Israel to turn on their own before, it will happen again surrounding the false messiah. But with most of the population deceived by this ruse, the time will truly be unparalleled for those who reject him, not to mention the fact that the Dragon will be behind this ruse, looking to purge his kingdom of anyone who does not capitulate to his authority.

The Dragon’s wrath on God’s people is the very definition of the great tribulation. We are told that in this world we will have tribulation and right now around the world there are people dying for their faith in Yeshua. This is the tribulation that has been from the beginning, the suffering of violence that the kingdom of God receives because it is not of this world. But great tribulation, megas thlipsis, is distinctive as it is only mentioned in the context of the Dragon’s wrath declared in Revelation 12:12 that begins when he is cast to earth and the abomination of desolation begins the unparalleled time of Jacob’s trouble in Judea.

And in this vision the two phases of the great tribulation are revealed in the hatred of the faithful woman by the Dragon. It is the woman in Judea that he goes after first, but it is this woman in Judea that is saved out of this time by the second coming of Yeshua, immediately after the unparalleled tribulation in Judea of those days. Her persecution by the Dragon is cut short as she is carried once again into the wilderness on wings of an eagle. Only after the woman is removed from his grasp does the Dragon’s wrath turn toward the remnant of her seed and those holding the testimony of Yeshua outside of Judea, since the faithful woman was removed from Judea.

Putting this together with the great deception, the seat of the false messiah continues to be the temple of God in which he declared himself to be God. The Dragon’s kingdom, full of his loyal subjects that worship him through his false messiah and false prophet, are coming to the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north, fulfilling the desire of the light-bearer Lucifer to be as God on Zion. And the whole world will worship the Beast and the Dragon who gave him his power and great authority.

The seed war has been going on from the beginning of sin entering into the perfect world God created for man. The Serpent, nachash, deceived naïve mankind with promises of being like God and then they understood good and evil. Since that time mankind has been accountable for their choices and that inevitably leans toward evil for each individual  at points in their life. And this is why the Seed was promised, because God is just and the justice we deserve separates us from a holy God forever. But in His mercy and grace, Yeshua showed the greatest love there is, to give His life for His friends. In this time of grace it is up to each of us to decide if we want to be subjects of His kingdom, allegiant to His ways of selfless love toward God and others, or if we want to do our own thing and go after our own pleasure to be caught up in the cares of this world.

The faithful woman from whom the Seed, the Branch, the root of David, came still has her eyes closed to her Son. But the day is coming when the remnant faithful woman will see Him coming in the clouds of heaven with great power and glory to save her out of her greatest time of trouble in history as her people are ripped apart in a great deception. Her Son is coming to save her and woo her back to Him and she will from that time forward never again turn away from God.

The kingdom of God is made up subjects allegiant to God. It’s been building through time from all nations, those that were a people and those that were not, yet chosen. We can see the uniting of these in the hatred of the Dragon for both the remnant of the woman’s seed and those holding the testimony of Christ. While those that choose another kingdom will not inherit God’s kingdom according to their own choice, the kingdom of God will remain a united family not because of lineage, but because of obedience to His ways of selfless love for God and each other.

Relationship in this family is one thought, or prayer, away. Open the door to your heart and be honest in conversation with the God of creation. He will not forsake those that seek Him, though inevitably relationship also means picking up your cross daily and dying to self while growing in love for others. †

Revelation 3:19-22
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

May God continue to bless you as you remain in Him.