Revelation

12.1-17

Chapters 6-11 describe the events of the Tribulation up to the sounding of the seventh trumpet at the conclusion of chapter 11, but the effects are not described until chapters 15-18. Before resuming the chronological narrative of the Tribulation events, John's vision goes all the way back to Satan's original rebellion in heaven (12:1-4a). After describing Satan's subsequent failed attempt to undermine God's plan in Christ to redeem mankind (4b-5), John describes a secured Israel, symbolized by the woman (1,4-6,14-17), then the war in heaven between Michael and his angels, and Satan (the dragon) and his angels (7-9) where Satan is cast out of heaven a second and final time. This would mark the midpoint of the Tribulation. After describing the celebration in heaven following Satan's defeat (10-11), John retells the events of Tribulation leading to the seventh trumpet from the vantage of Satan (12:12-14:20).
Important symbolism to note and understand: The woman (1,4-6,14-17) - Israel. The child (2,4,5) - Christ. The dragon (7,9,13,16) - Satan. Twelve stars (1) - the twelve sons of Jacob (12 tribes of Israel). Seven heads and ten horns (3) - the seven consecutive world empires running their course under Satan's dominion: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and Antichrist's future empire; and the ten kings under the final Antichrist. A third of the stars (4) - a third of the angels that followed Satan when he rebelled against God and were cast from heaven to Earth (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-17; Job 38:7).

CHAPTER 12

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon

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

War in Heaven

7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war,
8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.
11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their witness, and they did not love their life even to death.
12 “For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”
13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.
14 But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
15 And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood.
16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth.
17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman and went off to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the witness of Jesus.