Revelation 12 Explained

📖  UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE

Who Is Jesus?

How to Read the Bible

How to pray

Start with God

Who is the Holy Spirit?

🌍  THE END TIMES

End Times Timeline

The Great Tribulation

The Antichrist

The Mark of the Beast (666)

Armageddon

The Second Coming of Jesus

Revelation Explained

✝️  THE RAPTURE

What Is the Rapture?

Who Will Be Taken?

When Will the Rapture Happen?

Can You Miss the Rapture?

What Happens After the Rapture?

📖  Revelation 12:1-6

1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

John sees a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars. She represents Israel, the people through whom God accomplished His plan of salvation. Her male child is Jesus, the promised Messiah, whom Satan seeks to destroy from His birth, but who is then caught up to God and to His throne.

This vision also shows Satan's constant opposition to God's plan. At the end of the age, after being cast down to the earth, he will turn against Israel. But God will protect the remnant of Israel made up of Jews who will have recognized Jesus as the Messiah and placed their faith in Him. They will flee to a place prepared for them in the wilderness after the abomination of desolation.

For 1,260 days, throughout the Great Tribulation, God will provide for and preserve this remnant, preventing Satan from destroying them until the Return of Jesus.

📖  Revelation 12:7-12

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

In this passage, Satan is permanently cast out of heaven following a war between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels. He no longer has access to God's presence and is cast down to the earth together with his angels.

This defeat marks a major turning point in the events of the end times. Satan knows that his time is short and comes down to the earth with great wrath. He intensifies his opposition to God and attacks God's people, knowing that his final judgment is approaching.

The heavenly voice also announces that the accuser has been cast down. Satan, who accused God's servants before Him day and night, no longer has access to heaven. Those who resist him overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, remaining faithful to Jesus even at the cost of their lives.

This event takes place at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, during the second half of the seven years. Knowing that he has only a short time remaining, Satan will intensify his persecution on earth before ultimately facing his final judgment.

📖  Revelation 12:13-16

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

14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

In this passage, Satan, after being cast down to the earth, pursues the woman, who represents Israel. His purpose is to destroy the people through whom God has fulfilled His promises.

The woman receives God's special protection. The “two wings of a great eagle” represent divine help that enables the Jews who have recognized Jesus as the Messiah and placed their faith in Him to flee into the wilderness, to the place prepared for them. They will be nourished and protected for a time, and times, and half a time, or three and a half years, corresponding to the Great Tribulation.

Satan then attempts to destroy them by sending a flood after them. But God intervenes directly: the earth swallows the water and prevents Satan from reaching them.

This scene shows that despite Satan's great wrath and his efforts to prevent God's plan from being fulfilled, God remains sovereign and protects those who have placed their faith in Jesus until His Return, in order to fulfill His promises to Israel.

📖  Revelation 12:17

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.

After failing to destroy the woman, who represents Israel, Satan turns his anger against the rest of her offspring. In the immediate context of Revelation 12, this expression first refers to the other Jews who come to recognize Jesus as the Messiah but are not part of the faithful remnant of Israel protected by God in the wilderness. John identifies them as those who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to the testimony of Jesus.

However, Satan's persecution does not stop with them. The following chapters reveal that, through the Antichrist, he also wages war against all those who place their faith in Jesus during the Great Tribulation, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. His goal is to destroy everyone who remains faithful to God before the Second Coming of Jesus.