Commentary - Revelation 12:1-6

Bird's-eye view

Revelation 12 is the central hinge of the entire book. It pulls back the curtain of earthly events and shows us the cosmic spiritual conflict that undergirds all of history. What John sees is not primarily about predicting future events with newspaper headlines, but about understanding the nature of the war we are in. The chapter presents us with three key players in a grand symbolic drama: a glorious woman, a monstrous dragon, and a male child destined to rule. This is the story of the gospel, told in the language of apocalyptic vision.

The conflict depicted here is ancient, beginning with the promise in the Garden that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head. The dragon, explicitly identified as Satan, has been warring against the people of God from the beginning. His immediate goal in this vision is to destroy the Messiah at His birth, an effort we see historically in the actions of Herod. But the child is miraculously delivered and exalted to God's throne, securing the decisive victory through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. The woman, representing the covenant community of God's people, is then pursued by the enraged but defeated dragon. Her preservation in the wilderness is a picture of the Church's protection during the turbulent period of tribulation leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. This chapter, then, is a theology of history, assuring the saints that though the battle rages, the outcome has already been decided at the throne of God.

Outline

Context In Revelation

Chapter 12 marks a significant shift in the book of Revelation. The first eleven chapters have detailed the judgments of the seals and the trumpets, which primarily concern God's covenant lawsuit against apostate Israel, culminating in the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. Now, John provides the heavenly perspective on that conflict. This is the "why" behind the "what." The war on earth between Rome and Jerusalem, and the persecution of the fledgling Christian church, are manifestations of a much older war between the dragon and the people of God. This chapter and the ones that follow unpack the nature of the beasts that the dragon employs in his war, pagan Rome and apostate Israel, and the ultimate victory of the Lamb and His people. It is the theological centerpiece that explains all the historical turmoil John's audience was experiencing.

Key Issues

Kill the Dragon, Get the Girl

The fundamental storyline of the entire Bible can be summarized in a straightforward, masculine fashion: kill the dragon, get the girl. This is the mission statement given to Adam in the garden, and it is the mission accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ, the second Adam. In Revelation 12, we see this story rendered in glorious, cosmic technicolor. The dragon is that ancient serpent, the devil. The girl is the bride, the people of God. And the hero who accomplishes the task is the male child, the seed of the woman.

This is not an allegory where every detail corresponds to some obscure historical fact. It is a sign, a symbolic vision that communicates theological truth. It tells us that history is not a random series of events, but a story with a plot, a villain, and a hero. The conflict is real, the stakes are ultimate, and the victory is certain. The dragon's rage is the rage of a defeated foe. He was beaten decisively at the cross and resurrection, and his casting down from heaven signifies the end of his authority to accuse the brethren before God. What we see on earth is the lashing of a dying monster's tail. Our job is not to cower in fear, but to stand in the victory already won by our King.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

John sees a great sign, which tells us right away that we are to interpret what follows symbolically. This is not a literal woman in the sky. She is a picture of the covenant people of God. The imagery is drawn straight from the Old Testament. In Joseph's dream, his father Jacob was the sun, his mother the moon, and his brothers the eleven stars (Gen 37:9-10). Here, the woman is crowned with twelve stars, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, the foundational structure of God's people. She is clothed with the sun, radiating the glory of God. The moon, which reflects the sun's light, is under her feet, perhaps indicating her rule over the old covenant order which was but a reflection of the reality to come. This is a portrait of the faithful covenant community, the true Israel, from whom the Messiah will come.

2 And she was with child, and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

The central purpose and historical travail of the people of God throughout the Old Testament was to bring forth the Messiah. The entire history of Israel was one long period of gestation. This was a painful process, marked by slavery, wilderness wanderings, apostasy, exile, and oppression. The prophets often used the imagery of a woman in labor to describe the suffering of Israel that would precede the messianic age (Isa 26:17-18; Mic 4:10). Her cry is the cry of the faithful remnant throughout the ages, groaning and longing for the arrival of the promised Redeemer.

3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.

The second sign reveals the antagonist. A great red dragon. Red is the color of violence, bloodshed, and war. Later in the chapter, this dragon is explicitly identified as "that ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan" (Rev 12:9). The imagery of seven heads and ten horns is drawn from the prophet Daniel, where successive pagan empires are depicted as monstrous beasts (Dan 7). This dragon embodies the satanic power behind all such empires. Specifically, in the context of Revelation, the seven heads are identified with the seven hills of Rome, and also with a succession of Roman emperors (Rev 17:9-10). The dragon is Satan, but he does not work in a vacuum; he works through earthly political powers, and in John's day, the preeminent power was the Roman Empire.

4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

The dragon's power is immense. His tail sweeps a third of the stars from heaven. Stars in apocalyptic literature can represent angels, and this is likely a reference to the primordial fall, where Satan led a host of angels in rebellion against God. But his focus is not on the stars; his focus is on the woman and her child. He stands poised, waiting. This is a picture of the constant, murderous opposition of Satan to the plan of redemption. From Pharaoh's slaughter of the Hebrew infants to Athaliah's attempt to wipe out the Davidic line to Haman's plot against the Jews, the dragon has always sought to destroy the promised seed. This finds its ultimate historical expression in Herod the Great, a client king of Rome, who sought to murder the infant Jesus in Bethlehem.

5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

Despite the dragon's vigilance, the child is born. He is identified as the Messiah by the quotation from Psalm 2:9, "who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron." This is the Christ. The narrative here is incredibly compressed. In one fluid motion, John describes the entire earthly ministry of Jesus, from His birth to His ascension. The dragon's attempt to devour Him failed. Jesus lived, died, rose again, and was caught up to God and to His throne. This is the ascension. It is the declaration that the decisive battle has been fought and won. The Son is enthroned, victorious over the dragon, and His rule has commenced. The dragon's primary mission was an utter failure.

6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for 1,260 days.

With the Son now enthroned and out of his reach, the dragon turns his fury upon the woman. The woman, the covenant people, now represents the early Christian Church, which was birthed out of faithful Israel. She flees into the wilderness, a place of both trial and divine protection, just as Israel fled from Pharaoh into the wilderness and Elijah fled from Jezebel. God has prepared a place for her. He will nourish and sustain her. The time period given is 1,260 days, which is also described as "a time, and times, and half a time" (Rev 12:14) and forty-two months (Rev 11:2). This is three and a half years, a symbolic period of intense tribulation, drawn from the ministry of Elijah and the prophecies of Daniel. In its historical context, this points to the period of persecution of the Church by both apostate Judaism and pagan Rome in the years leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. It was a time of great distress, but also a time of God's supernatural preservation of His people.

Application

This chapter is given to the Church to stiffen our spines. We are not engaged in a playground squabble; we are soldiers in a cosmic war. Our enemy is a great red dragon, and we should not be surprised when he roars, when he persecutes, when he uses the powers of the state to try and crush the people of God. We should expect it. But we must never forget that he is a defeated dragon. The decisive battle was won when our King was caught up to His throne.

Our task is not to defeat the dragon. Christ has already done that. Our task is to live as those who belong to the Victor. We overcome the dragon not by our own strength, but "by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" (Rev 12:11). We fight by pleading the finished work of Christ and by boldly proclaiming His lordship over all things. The dragon's only remaining weapon is the lie, the accusation. And we answer that accusation with the blood. He says we are guilty; the blood says we are cleansed. He says we are weak; the testimony says Christ is strong.

Therefore, we should not be dismayed by the chaos and apparent power of evil in the world. The curtain has been pulled back, and we have seen the truth. The dragon is on a leash, and his time is short. The woman is protected in the wilderness. The Son is on the throne. Our job is to be faithful right where we are, to stand our ground, to speak the truth, and to trust that the God who protected His people in the wilderness of the first century will most certainly protect us in ours.