The great "Wonder" "Woman" - Revelation 12
Rev 12:1 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:
Rev 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Rev 12:3 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.
Rev 12:4 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.
Rev 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.
Let's discuss these passages from the Bible.
Some questions to think about:
Q: Who is this great "Wonder" "Woman"?
A: The woman of Revelation 12 is said to be clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and wearing a crown of twelve stars. Theses symbols reveal who she is, as they are also used in Genesis 37:9-10
"I had another dream, and this time the
sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me. He told his father and brothers, but his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that you have had? Will your mother and brothers and I actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”
Jacob gives us the literal meaning to the sybolism:
Sun = Jacob
Moon = Wife/wives
Stars = Eleven of the twelve tribes, with Joseph being the twelve star.
Therefore, the woman clothe with the sun, with the moon under her feet and wearing a crown of twelves stars, represents the Nation Israel as a whole. This would mean that when Satan and his angels are cast to the earth as a result of the 7th trumpet/3rd woe, the woman/Israel will flee out into the desert where she will be cared for during that 1260 days, which is that last 3 1/2 years of that seven year period.
Q: Who is this great "Red" "Dragon"?
A: "And the great dragon was hurled down—
that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Q: Who is this "child"?
A: First of all, The 'Male Child' is not Jesus as commonly interpreted, for He does not fit the criteria. The 'Male Child' is said to be caught up to God and His throne before the dragon/Satan can devour/kill him. The words 'caught up' translated from 'harpazo' means to be snatched up suddenly, force suddenly exercised. It is the same word used to describe the living church when they are 'caught up' to meet the Lord in the air and when Paul was 'caught up' to the third heaven and when Philip was snatched away from the eunuch. The word infers a sudden decisive snatching up or away. This did not happen to Jesus. For in keeping with the context, Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected and later ascended to the right hand of the Father.
The 'Male Child" is a collective name representing the 144,000 Israelites from the twelve tribes, who will recognize Jesus as their Messiah, the first fruits out of Israel. This group is mentioned in Revelation 14:4 as those who will have not defiled themselves with woman, which would make them all males, ergo, the Male Child. This Male Child will be caught up to God's throne before the dragon/Satan can devour them. I would also go as far to say that, since they will be caught up like the living church, in the same way, they will also be changed immortal and glorified as well.
Q: What is the "Sun"?
A: Jacob
Q: What is the "moon"?
A: Jacob's wife or wives
Q: What are the "twelve stars"?
A: Jacob's twelve son's i.e. the twelve tribes of Israel
Q: What are the "seven heads"?
A: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. (Rev.17:9-10)
Q: What are "the ten horns"?
A: The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. (Rev.17:12)
Q: What are the "seven crowns" upon the "seven heads"?
A: There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. (Rev.17:10).
In opposition to the ten kings who will rule concurrently with the beast in the future, the seven kings are a succession of kings, where as John was receiving this information from the angel five of those kings had already ruled. King number six, referred to as 'one is' was ruling at the time that John was receiving this information.
Q: What is the "tail"?
A: The tail does not symbolically represent anything. It is meant to convey that the dragon/Satan is responsible for a third of the angels being cast to the earth, which is the original number who rebelled with him in their original fall. Satan and these angels will be cast to the earth in the middle of the seven years.
Q: What is the "third part"?
A: A third of the original angels who rebelled with Satan
Q: What is "of the stars of Heaven"?
A: 'He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him - (Rev.12:9). The stars are symbolic representing Satan's angels
Q: What is the "rod of Iron"?
A: It means that the Male Child/144,000 will rule with Christ during the millennial kingdom. This is also said of those who overcome within the church and the saints who come out of the great tribulation - (Rev.2:26, Rev.20:4-6)
Q: What is this "caught up to God and to His throne"?[/QUOTE]
A: This has already been mentioned above, but just like the living church at the resurrection, the Male Child/144,000 will be caught up to heaven as well. Below is the definition of the word 'harpazo' translated as 'caught up' or 'snatched up.'
Strong's Concordance
harpazó: to seize, catch up, snatch away
Original Word: ἁρπάζω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: harpazó
Phonetic Spelling: (har-pad'-zo)
Definition: to seize, catch up, snatch away
Usage: I seize, snatch, obtain by robbery.
HELPS Word-studies
726 harpázō – properly, seize by force;
snatch up, suddenly and decisively
