Introduction

• Revelation chapter 12 gives an overview of the great controversy between good and evil
• Revelation 12 describes the battle in heaven between Satan and Christ
• Revelation 12 covers earth’s history from creation to the time of the end
• Revelation 12 is about who Satan is, what he has done and what he is going to do
• Revelation 12 describes Satan’s fall from heaven, his attempt to kill Jesus, his attack on God’s church and his final wrath at God’s remnant

 

Revelation 12:1

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

 

Revelation 12:1

“a great portent appeared”

• “portent” Gr. semeion meaning: a sign of forth coming events
• John is now seeing a new vision

“woman clothed with the sun”

• A woman represents the church
• A pure woman represents God’s true church  (Isaiah 54:5-6; Jeremiah 6:2)
• A prostitute (harlot) represents an apostate church (Jeremiah 3:20; Ezekiel 23:2-4)
• The “woman” in Rev. 12:1 is God’s true church throughout history from Adam to the end of time
• The sun represents the glory of God as revealed in His Son, which is the good news (gospel) that Christ is our righteousness
• God’s glory is His goodness (Ex. 33:18)
• Jesus is the sun of righteousness
• The church is clothed in Jesus’ righteousness

“with the moon under her feet”

• The woman is seen standing on “the moon”

• Historically, some have applied the moon to the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament because they reflected Jesus’ work and were replaced by Him

• However, in the last days the moon represents God’s Word (the Bible)
• The Bible reflects God’s love to man just as the moon reflects the sun’s light and the church will stand on the Scriptures in the last days

“a crown of twelve stars”

• The woman is wearing a “crown”
• The Greek word Stephanos here means victory
• The church that John is viewing is already victorious and therefore can wear a crown of victory
• This crown of victory helps establish the contextual time frame of this verse

A victory crown:

• This victory crown can only occur after the close of probation (see Rev. 12:10)
• This is consistent with the 7 heads crowned (Rev. 12:3)
• This is consistent with the 12 stars in the crown (Rev.12:1)
• This victory crown has 12 stars
• Historically, these 12 stars have been applied to the 12 patriarchs or the 12 apostles
• However, in the context of Revelation 12 with its emphasis on the dragon, last day events, and the victorious church these 12 stars represent the 12 tribes of Revelation chapter 7 which are the 144,000
• The 12 tribes or 144,000 exist only after the close of probation and the sealing have occurred (Rev. 7:3,4)
• This group will be honored throughout eternity serving God in His temple (Rev. 7:15)
• It is appropriate that this group (12 tribes) would be honored as stars in the crown for enduring the “time of trouble such as never has been” (Dan. 12:1)
• Thus, the 12 stars in the crown of victory suggest that the church that John is viewing in this vision exists after the close of probation when Satan can no longer accuse God’s people (Rev. 12:10)

 

Revelation 12:2

“she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.”

 

Revelation 12:2

“was”

• Past tense suggests John is looking back in time

 “with child”

• This child is Jesus who came to save the world
• The church is pictured “in anguish for delivery”
• The church was in desperate need of a Savior

“out in her pangs of birth”

• This may refer to Satan’s attempts to destroy Jesus including the loss of many lives at His birth

 

 

 

Revelation 12:3

“And another portent appeared in heaven; behold a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads.”

 

Revelation 12:3

“great red dragon”

• This red dragon is the focus of Revelation chapter 12
• This red dragon is identified in Rev. 12:9: “that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan”

• Red is the color of sin
• Red also represents bloodshed and persecution
• Satan is responsible for sin, bloodshed and persecution

 “seven heads”

• The seven heads are crowned which means they have all completed their reigns prior to the time emphasized in this vision
• The seven heads are seven kings (Rev. 17:10) who will lead the Papacy after its mortal wound has healed (Rev. 13:3)
• The original mortal wound was to one of the Papacy’s earlier heads (Rev. 13:3):
• Pope Pius VI captured in 1798 which ended the Papacy’s world domination
• These heads represent the Popes
• This mortal wound was healed in 1929
• The 7 heads of Revelation 12 represent the final 7 Popes beginning in 1929

 “seven diadems”

• Greek “diadimata” means badge of royalty or a kings crown but not victory
• The 7 heads are crowned which means that they have all completed their reigns when John is viewing these events
• This is the only place in Revelation where the 7 kings are crowned (see Rev. 13:1; 17:3)
• This means that John is viewing events during the reign of the 8^th king
• This is consistent with Revelation 17 where the 7 heads are not crowned since John is viewing events during the reign of the 6^th king (Rev. 17:10)
• The 7 heads are also not crowned in Revelation 13 because these events occur during the reign of the 7^th king

 

“ten horns”

• The 10 horns represent 10 kings which have not yet reigned
• These are the same 10 horns described in Rev. 17:12 which “are ten kings who have not yet received royal power”
• These 10 kings will reign together with the beast just prior to Jesus 2^nd Coming (Rev.17:12-14)
• They do not have crowns because “they have not yet received power” (Rev. 17:12)
• The crowns are placed on the symbol after they have received power and ruled
• The red dragon beast of Revelation 12 is the scarlet beast of Revelation 17 who is the beast which will ascend (Rev. 17:8; 11:7) who is the 8^th king (Rev. 17:11)
• This same beast that is to ascend is described in Rev. 11:7 and will kill God’s two witnesses who will be dead for 3 1/2 years (Rev. 11:7-9)
• Thus, the first three verses of Revelation 12 connect this chapter to last day events and to the reign of Satan as the 8^th king

 

Revelation 12:4

“His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth”.

 

Revelation 12:4

“stars of heaven”

·         represent angels

·         The dragon is Satan (Rev. 11:9)

“His tail swept down a third”

• “swept down” is past tense (John is looking back in history)
• Satan or Lucifer took one third of the angels with him when he was cast out of heaven
• The woman represents God’s church on earth
• The child represents Jesus Christ

“that he might devour her child”

• Satan attempted to destroy Jesus at His birth and throughout His life

 

Revelation 12:5

“she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and his throne”.

 

Revelation 12:5

• “male child”is Jesus
• Jesus will “rule all the nations with a rod of iron”
• This alludes to the prophecy in Psalms 2:8,9
• Jesus was “caught up to God and his throne” (see Heb. 1:3; 10:12)

 

Revelation 12:6

“and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.”

 

Revelation 12:6

• This text describes the wilderness experience of God’s church
• During the Dark Ages God’s people were persecuted by the apostate church or Papacy
• The “wilderness” represents unpopulated areas where God’s people hid
• God protected His true church in the wilderness
• “one thousand two hundred and sixty days” represents 1260 years:
• One prophetic day equals one literal year (Numbers 14:34, Ezekiel 4:6)
• This 1260 year period began in A.D. 538 and ended in 1798 when the Papacy suffered its mortal wound
• Millions of God’s people were killed during this time by Papal Rome
• The Huguenots and Waldensees were examples of God’s protection
• This wilderness experience is linked to God’s protection, whereas the experience in Rev. 12:14 is linked to the eagle

 

Revelation 12:7

“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought”.

 

Revelation 12:7

• This verse begins the explanation of Rev. 12:1-6
• This verse gives an overview of the plan of salvation and the great controversy between God and Satan
• This verse explains who the combatants are: Michael and the dragon
• Michael is Jesus Christ (compare Dan. 10:13, 12:1, Jude 9, I Thess. 4:16 and John 5:25,28,29)
• The dragon is Satan (Rev. 12:9)
• This battle occurred in heaven and involved Jesus and His angels and Satan and his angels
• The angels are described as stars (Rev. 12:4)

 

Revelation 12:8

“but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.”

 

Revelation 12:8

“they were defeated”

• Satan’s angels were defeated by Jesus’ angels

“no longer any place for them in heaven.”

• One third of the angels (stars) were cast down (Rev. 12:4)
• Place refers to their positions held in heaven

 

Revelation 12:9

“And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world - he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

 

Revelation 12:9

• This text completes the explanation of the war in heaven
• This verse tells us who the dragon is:
• The dragon is Satan (Greek: Satanas meaning adversary)
• The dragon is the ancient serpent (see Genesis 2)
• The dragon is the Devil (Greek: Diabolos meaning liar or slanderer)
• The dragon is the great deceiver
• This characteristic of deception will reach its apex in the last days when Satan impersonates Christ

“he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

• This verse reiterates that Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven
• Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven prior to the creation of this world (II Peter 2:4;The Great Controversy, p. 498-500)
• Satan had access to heaven as the prince of this world (Job 1;6,7)
• Satan lost his access to heaven as the prince of this world at the resurrection of Christ (John 12:31)
• However, Satan could still accuse God’s people until the close of probation

 

Revelation 12:10

“And 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 brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.’”

 

Revelation 12:10

 “a loud voice”

In Revelation a loud voice  is usually associated with judgment:

• Rev. 14:6 --- “the hour of His judgment”
• Rev. 14:9 --- “God’s wrath”
• Rev. 8:13 --- “woes”
• Rev. 16:1 ---  the seven last plagues
• Rev. 11:15 --- seventh trumpet
• Rev. 14:15 --- harvest of righteous
• Rev. 14:17 --- judgment of wicked
• Historically, some have suggested that this verse applies to Jesus victory over Satan at the cross which can apply
• However, the context of this verse suggests a last day application as well:
• Rev. 12:10     --- Satan as the accuser is cast down
• Rev. 12:12      --- Satan’s time is short
• Rev. 12:13-16 --- Satan’s last day attack on God’s people described
• Rev. 12:17      --- Satan’s attack on the remnant
• This loud voice is announcing the completion of the judgment process in heaven
• This is the end of the investigative judgment
• Satan will be cast down since he has no one else to accuse
• This judgment began in 1844 and is described in Revelation chapters 4 and 5 and in Daniel chapter 7

“now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come”

• The “new song” sung in Revelation 5 describes God’s saved as “a kingdom” (Rev. 5:9.10)
• Now this kingdom has “come”
• Now all of this kingdom’s people have been identified

• This means that salvation has arrived because all of God’s people are accounted for (probation has closed)
• This means that God can now reveal His power (Greek Dunamis)( the plagues can begin)
• This means that God’s kingdom is complete (His people are all identified)
• This means that Jesus authority can now be revealed in the plagues
• This text marks the transition from the investigative phase of judgment into the punishment phase
• The punishment phase will begin with the seven last plagues
• The seven last plagues will begin after Satan is cast down and probation has closed

“for the accuser of our brethren has been cast down”

• Satan is the accuser of all of us (Job 1:8-12, Zechariah 3:1, Desire of Ages, p. 761)
• Satan will be cast down from heaven when there is no one left to accuse since God is always fair both to Satan and to the innocent worlds which are watching

 “accuses them day and night before our God”

• This is describing the investigative judgment
• God is the Judge (Rev. 4:2,3; 5:1,6,7)
• Jesus is our Advocate (the Lamb Slain) (Rev. 5:5-7)
• The 24 elders are the jury (Rev. 4:4; Dan. 7:9,10)
• Satan is the accuser (Rev. 12:10)
• We are the plaintiffs
• The issue is our salvation and God’s fairness or trustworthiness
• When Satan is cast down the following occur:
• Probation is closed: “let the evildoer still do evil… and the holy still be holy” (Rev.22:11)
• The temple is filled with smoke (Rev. 15:8) and no one can enter
• The wrath of God begins with the 7 last plagues (Rev. 15:1,8)
• God’s people are sealed (Rev. 7:3) since the “harm” to the earth (the plagues) has begun and the wicked are marked (sealed) (Rev.16:2)

 

Revelation 12:11

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

 

Revelation 12:11

• This text applies to all of God’s people who have lived and died serving Him

“by the blood of the Lamb”

• The blood of the Lamb represents Jesus as our Savior

“the word of their testimony”

• The word of their testimony represents Jesus as our Lord (willing to be led by Him)
• Refers to God’s people witnessing about Jesus
• God’s people will only conquer Satan “by the blood of the Lamb” and by being faithful witnesses (see Romans 10:9,10)
• They can only conquer if Jesus is their Savior and Lord

“even unto death”

• This refers to those who will die prior to Satan being cast down
• After the time of the end the “wise” will no longer die (Dan. 11:31)

 

 

Revelation 12:12

“Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein! But woe to you, O earth and sea for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short" (emphasis supplied).

 

Revelation 12:12

“Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein!”

• Heaven is rejoicing because probation has closed and the investigative judgment has ended
• Heaven is rejoicing because God’s kingdom is complete
• Heaven is rejoicing because no more of God’s people will die
• Heaven is rejoicing because the 144,000 are sealed and all of God’s people are accounted for
• Heaven is rejoicing because Satan has been cast down and God’s temple is filled with His glory

 “woe to you, O earth and sea”

• This text is warning the earth and its people that God’s woes are about to begin
• God’s woes are the last three trumpets (Rev. 8:13) which fall after God’s people are sealed (Rev. 9:4)
• God’s woes overlap the seven last plagues which are His wrath (Rev. 9:20;15:1) which fall after probation closes

“O earth and sea”

• represent the entire physical world (land and water) and also can be considered the physical planet and its people
• God’s woes will affect both the earth and its people

“in great wrath”

• The Devil is cast down to earth
• The Devil is angry because he knows his time is short

“his time is short”

• His time is short because the investigative judgment is over
• His time is short because probation has closed
• His time is short because the plagues are about to begin
• His time is short because the plagues will fall in one day (Rev. 18:8) which represents one year
• This description of Satan being thrown down (Rev. 12:10,12,13) helps identify the fallen “star” of the 3^rd trumpet (Rev. 8:10) and the “star fallen from heaven” of the 5^th trumpet (Rev.9:1)
• Satan is the “star” described in both of these trumpets
• Satan as the fallen “star” of Rev. 8:10 is the 8^th king (spiritual king)
• Satan as the fallen “star” of Rev. 9:1 is world king
• Beginning with Rev. 12:10 John is describing events which involve Satan’s reign before and after the close of probation
• The woman’s victory crown with 12 stars (Rev. 12:1) also suggests that John is viewing last day events, since this crown can only be worn once the 144,000 are complete, which only occurs after the close of probation

 

Revelation 12:13

“And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child”.

 

Revelation 12:13

• The “dragon” represents Satan (Rev.12:9)
• The “woman” represents God’s people
• “the male child” represents Jesus
• Satan has always pursued God’s people

However, after he is cast out of heaven for the last time he will increase his efforts to destroy God’s people

Note: Satan is cast out of heaven three times

• Loses role as Lucifer (war in heaven)
• Loses role as prince of this world (at the cross)
• Loses role as accuser of the world (end of investigative judgment)
• Satan will now know that his only chance to prove God wrong is to make one of the sealed 144,000 reject God
• God appears to be risking His reputation on these 144,000
• If Satan can make one of them abandon God he can claim that God was unfair in sealing them
• The experience of the 144,000 will parallel that of Job:
• They will lose all earthly riches
• They will lose family support
• They will lose health
• They will be persecuted and accused by their friends
• In addition, they will be threatened with death (Rev. 13:15)

 

Revelation 12:14

“But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.”

 

Revelation 12:14

“The woman”

• representing God’s people, is shown receiving help from the eagle

“the great eagle”

• represents God’s protective power (Exodus 19:4)
• The eagle is first seen in Rev. 4:6,7 as one of the 4 creatures involved in the investigative judgment
• The eagle is next seen connected to the 4^th seal (Rev. 6:7,8)
• This eagle is next connected to the last 3 trumpets  (woes) (Rev. 8:13)
• The eagle is now seen protecting God’s people at the time of the end
• In Revelation chapters 4 & 5 the eagle is related to the investigative judgment which began after 1844
• Each of the 4 creatures represents a time period related to last day events after 1844
• The eagle is linked to the final time period when God’s people will need special protection from Satan as he is allowed to reign (fourth seal, fifth trumpet)
• The eagle is also linked to the 4^th seal
• The 4^th seal describes Satan’s reign as the 8^th king and his attacks on God’s people (Rev. 6:7,8)
• The 4th seal occurs after the 3^rd seal which describes the yoking of church-state (Sunday Law)
• The eagle is also linked to the last 3 trumpets (woes) which occur after Satan has reigned as the “star fallen” (Rev. 9:1) (world king)
• These last day events involving the eagle described in Rev. 6:7,8 and Rev. 8:13 and in Rev. 12:14 all relate to the reign of the 8^th king
• All of these texts describe events which will require God’s special protection of His people in the last days

 “two wings”

• These same two characteristics are the definition of the saints in the last days (see Rev. 14:12)
• These are the two main issues at the time of the end: the false Sabbath and the false Christ

“the serpent”

• Satan

“wilderness”

• represents isolated places where God will protect His people

“to the place where she is to be nourished”

• Both physical and spiritual nourishment

 “a time, and times, and half a time”

• describes the time when God as the eagle will protect His people in the last days
• This time period is 1260 days (one time =360 days)
• Historically, this time period has been applied to the Dark Ages (538 A. D.-1298)
• However, the context of this verse suggests a dual application to the last days
• Satan has been cast down (Rev. 12:10,12)
• Probation has closed and God’s kingdom has been completed (Rev. 12:10)
• God’s power and Jesus’ authority have come (Rev. 12:10)
• The victory crown has 12 stars (144,000): probation closed (Rev. 12:1)
• The dragon’s seven heads are crowned: the seven kings have already reigned (Rev. 12:3)
• It is linked to the eagle which is involved in last day events
• In the last days this time period represents the reign of the 8^th king
• This is the time of the reign of the dragon as the false Christ, which Daniel calls the “abomination that makes desolate” (Dan. 11:31) and the “transgression that makes desolate” (Dan.9:13)
• This is the time when God’s people’s power will be shattered for 3 ½ times (Dan. 12:7)
• This is the time when God’s two witnesses will be dead but not buried for 3 ½  days (Rev. 11:9,11)
• This is the time when the nations will trample over the holy city for 42 months (Rev. 11:2)
• The eagle has “two wings”
• The two wings represent the two main characteristics of God’s people at the time of the end described at the end of this chapter (Rev. 12:17):
• They keep God’s Commandments including the Sabbath
• They bear testimony to Jesus in the presence of the false Christ

 

Revelation 12:15

“The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood.”

 

Revelation 12:15

“The serpent”

• The serpent is Satan

“water like a river”

• This represents the falsehoods “out of his mouth” which Satan will attempt to impose on God’s church
• This also represents  the large number of people that Satan will send after God’s people to destroy them
• This text is describing the persecution of God’s people in the last days, especially after the 3^rd angels message
• God’s Word is a fountain of life, but now Satan as the false Christ will interpret God’s Word and turn it into a river of death
• Satan will flood the world with falsehood and attempt to drown the truth and God’s people with this flood
• Satan will poison God’s Word by reinterpreting it
• “a third of the waters became Wormwood” (Rev. 8:11)

 

These verses should just point back to Matthew 24, because when you see the abomination standing in the holy place you are supposed to flee.  (Greg’s Comment)

 

Revelation 12:16

“But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his mouth.”

 

Revelation 12:16

• In the last days the “earth” represents the truth or God’s Word (John 17:17)
• God’s Word will swallow up the river of falsehoods that Satan pours out in the last days
• During the reign of Satan God’s two witnesses (God’s Word) will be dead for the world but not buried (Rev.11:8,9)
• They are dead for the world because Satan is interpreting the Bible as the false Christ
• They are not dead for God’s people who reject Satan as the Christ
• Understanding God’s Word will be our only hope
• The “earth” can also represent the unpopulated areas which will protect God’s people from Satan’s followers who are trying to destroy them

 

Revelation 12:17

“Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.”

 

Revelation 12:17

“Then the dragon”

• The dragon is Satan

“was angry with the woman”

• Satan is angry with the woman (God’s people) because they refuse to accept him and his falsehoods and his time is short
• They refuse to accept Satan as Christ and worship him
• They refuse to accept Satan’s false Sabbath (Sunday)

 “to make war on the rest of her offspring”

• The rest of her offspring is the remnant church
• This remnant will be known for two things:
• They keep all of God’s Commandments including the 4^th (Sabbath)
• They bear testimony to the true Jesus and reject the false Christ
• Keeping the 4^th Commandment means:
• Refusing to accept the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:16,17)
• Refusing to violate the holy covenant (Dan. 11:32)
• Accepting God as Creator (Exodus 20:8-11)
• Accepting God as our Savior or Sanctifier (Exodus 31:12)
• The remnant can be considered God’s people who are alive during the 3^rd angel’s message, which includes the 144,000 who will be sealed at the close of probation
• They are God’s people alive during Satan’s reign as the false Christ (1260 days)
• They are God’s people alive after the two witnesses are killed

 “bear testimony to Jesus”

• This can be “about” Jesus or “from” Jesus
• “about” Jesus means that they reject Satan as Christ and refuse to worship him
• “from” Jesus  means that the remnant will have the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10)
• The remnant will be “wise” (Dan. 12:10) because they “understand” that Satan is the false Christ

“he stood on the sand of the sea”

• Sand of the sea refers to a large population
• Some apply this phrase to the next chapter which introduces the leopard-like beast
• However, Satan will stand on “the sea” at the time of the end because he will be ruling the world

 

Summary

• Revelation chapter 12 is about the dragon (Satan) who is the 8^th king:
• Who he is                  ---   Lucifer
• Where he came from  ---   heaven
• Who went with him     ---  1/3 of the angels
• Who he is fighting       ---  Michael (Jesus)
• Who he wants to destroy  --- God’s people
• How long he will reign  --- 1260 days  
• Revelation 12 begins with a woman wearing a victory crown of 12 stars, which represents the 144,000 victorious at the close of probation
• The close of probation is described in Rev. 12:10 when the kingdom of our Lord has come and Satan is cast down
• Revelation 12 verses 1-9 describes who Satan is (Lucifer), where he came from (heaven), who he is warring against (God, Michael and His angels, God’s people, and the Child) and his motive (destruction of God’s Son and His people)
• The dragon is seen with 7 heads which are all crowned, which means that the 8^th king is reigning
• From verse 10 on John is describing events in heaven which coincide with the reign of the 8^th king and the close of probation
• John describes events in heaven which coincide with the close of probation:
• The investigative judgment ends
• The accuser (Satan) is cast down and his time is short
• God’s kingdom is come (the 144,000 are sealed)
• God’s power and Jesus’ authority are established (the plagues can begin)
• The woes are beginning
• John also describes events which occur on earth during the reign of the 8^th king:
• The 1260 days of Satan’s reign as the false Christ
• Satan’s attack on God’s people during his reign as 8^th king
• The remnant who keep all of God’s Commandments (including the 4^th) and bear testimony to Jesus (rejecting the false Christ)