Revelation 12: The Dragon and the Woman

Related Topics

Visions of Daniel and John through time

These chapters of Revelation describe the end time kingdom of the antichrist and its origins. Similar to Daniel 2, but with a different focus and further look back at history. It also ties in with other visions and prophecies in Daniel 7, and Daniel 11.

I’ve excerpted Revelation 12 below without verses as it was originally. If you would like to read it with verse numbers and inline Hebrew definitions, read it at Blue Letter Bible.

Revelation 12
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: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 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. 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. 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. 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. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 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. 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. 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. 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. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child]. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Identity of the Woman

The woman is identified by being “clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars” that we can identify from scripture. Keep in mind that Jacob’s name was changed to Israel and Joseph, who dreamed the dream, was one of the 12 sons that became the 12 tribes of Israel.

Genesis 37:9-11
And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

She is further described as “being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered who 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 his throne.”

Matthew 1:17-18
So all the generations from Abraham to David [are] fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon [are] fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ [are] fourteen generations. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

The Book of Matthew begins with the geneaology of Yeshua from Abraham, born of the nation of Israel and of a virgin birth. Luke 3:23-38 gives a reverse geneaology of Yeshua, who was about 30 when He began His ministry and goes back from Yeshua to Adam. It is this second Adam, 1 Corinthians 15:45-47, that will redeem mankind and rule all nations with a rod of iron.

Psalms 2:9
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

Revelation 19:15
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Revelation 2:27
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

The final definition of the identity of the woman is that the son she bore was caught up to God and to His throne.

Acts 1:9-11
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Identity of the Dragon

Revelation 12:3-4; 9
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. 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.
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.

The chapter defines who the dragon is, Satan, the Devil, Lucifer, the old serpent, father of lies, and the great deceiver who will deceive the whole world. The seven crowned heads and ten horns are another telling feature of the dragon and when combined with the depictions in Daniel 7, Daniel 11-12, Revelation 13, and Revelation 17-18 you get a picture of the fourth kingdom, the kingdom of the antichrist. In the next chapter, it is this same depiction that describes the beast from the sea.

I won’t go into that detail here, but it combines to give an image of the political situation in the world leading to the rise of that kingdom that will be centered in Jerusalem and under the control of the dragon.

Symbols in the stars

That John sees both of these characters in heaven matches with the constellations that we see in the sky except for the 12 stars, which depend on how you define the constellations. Virgo is the virgin and every several years from Jerusalem she will be in the sky with the sun in the midst of the constellation of stars and the moon at her feet. The dragon is also portrayed in the stars. And so the symbology of the fall of Lucifer and those who fell with him are also portrayed in this celestial vision.

Michael the Archangel

Revelation 12:7-8; 13
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. ... And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child].

Michael the Archangel has a short, but not insignificant mention, as the leader of the angels who cast the dragon out of heaven. This is significant in both his identity and the timing.

Daniel 10:20-21
Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and [there is] none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

Daniel 12:1
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Here we see two times in Daniel where Michael is identified as a restraining force that stands for Israel. First it was at the time of the transition from the powers of Persia to Greece as depicted in parts of Daniel 2, Daniel 8, Daniel 11, and Revelation 17. Secondly we see that Michael standing up is tied directly to that unparalleled time of Jacob’s trouble spoken of in Jeremiah 30:4-7, Daniel 12:1, Matthew 24:15-22, and Mark 13:14-20. That last part of Daniel 12:1 is directly tied to understanding the two phases of the time of great tribulation. It is because of this that I identify the restrainer of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 as Michael the Archangel.

The Woman and the Dragon

Now that the identities of the woman, Israel, and the dragon, Satan, have been defined from scripture, we can look at the events that unfold highlighting some important elements of the future, one of the most meaningful for interpreting  the times to come relate to the relationship between the woman and the dragon.

Satanic Hatred of Israel and Messiah

It is clear from this chapter that the dragon hates Israel, and it’s no wonder since she is God’s chosen people and the means by which He is saving the world that accepts Him. This satanic hatred of Israel has been evident through time and could be interpreted away as the rest of the world’s sociological rejection of a peculiar people who followed God’s commandments off and on to separate themseleves from the world and be set apart for Him. Naturally this causes an animosity between cultures and so one might look at the history of Israel and her neighbors being a natural offshoot of God telling them to be different and uninfluenced by other cultures.

Certainly this plays a part, but there is something deeper there when you see the lengths to which that animosity is manifest. I believe many times God used this hatred to bring Israel back in line, removing His hand of protection when Israel went whoring after other gods and disobeying His Word. The level of hatred of the Jews, however, has been on monumental levels throughout history and culminating in the holocost that was used to bring Israel back to the land, revive the Hebrew language from history, and establish the nation of Israel back on the earth, the only nation to have done this.

Yeshua’s First Coming

Revelation 12:4b
and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Matthew 2:13; 16-18
And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping [for] her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

Jeremiah 31:15
Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, [and] bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they [were] not.

The first interaction between these two characters in the chapter is related to the birth of Christ. It would seem that Jeremiah’s prophecy may have had another fulfullment in the symbology of the dragon waiting for the child to be delivered so that he could devour Him when He was born. When the wise men from the East came looking for the Messiah in Bethlehem, failing to return to Herod to tell him where the Messiah was, Herod’s designs to kill Yeshua were dashed and in Herod’s pride and anger he kills all children in Bethlehem two years and under.

This tells us is that Yeshua at the time of the wise men was two years old or younger, probably younger, as Herod was covering his bases and ensuring somewhere in the slaughter the Messiah would be taken out. I believe in connection to the symbology of this chapter, it also hints at the idea that thought is the voice of the spirit realm. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that the dragon or his minions were giving Herod some thoughts of how to wipe out the Messiah, God’s Son, and any plans for the redemption of mankind.

Yeshua’s Second Coming: Great Tribulation Phase 1

Revelation 12:13, 17
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child]. ... 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.

As mentioned earlier, tied with Michael the restrainer standing up at the same time unparalleled tribulation befalls Israel in Judea, the dragon is wroth with Israel and persecutes her. Related to the studies of the day of the Lord, sixth seal, pre-wrath harpazo, and various others, this period of time ends around the time of the sixth seal and can be seen in the sealing of the 144,000 of the 12 tribes of Israel in Revelation 7 prior to the wrath of God being poured out in Revelation 8. The focus of all these times is just after the abomination of desolation in Judea, Israel.

Israel’s Rescue From the Dragon

Revelation 12:6
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.

Revelation 12:14-16
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. 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. 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.

Verse 6 is mentioned previously in the chapter, just after the mention of Yeshua’s first coming. However, it is mentioned after the statement of His ascension to heaven after His resurrection. Given that Israel has a place in the wilderness prepared for her in both passages, I connect these two together. This also reveals the 360-day prophetic year principle that becomes relevant in the exact days prophecy study. There’s some interesting connections with this idea of Israel being taken to the wilderness that seems to parallel another point in her history.

Exodus 19:3-4
And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and [how] I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

Jeremiah 2:2
Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land [that was] not sown.

Hosea 2:14-15
Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

Jeremiah 31:1-3
At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus saith the LORD, The people [which were] left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; [even] Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, [saying], Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

The time that Jacob’s trouble is cut short and they are saved out of it is tied to God taking the faithful remnant of Israel into the wilderness and protecting her from the dragon. I believe this is also the time when Israel is unblinded from that time in 30 AD, at the fulness of the Gentiles. This period of time will be a collision of many prophecies in time as mentioned above. This is the time when Yeshua comes in the clouds in great power and glory to gather His bride to Him, protect Israel in the wilderness, remove her blindness and allure her back to Him with the relization of who He is. The 144,000 will be sealed and the wrath of God will begin.

Great Tribulation Phase 2

Revelation 12:17
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.

 It is around this time that the wrath of the dragon will go from the Jews in Judea to the Jews globally and anyone holding the testimony of Christ. These are likely the only two groups who will have any desire to stand in the hour of temptation and resist the deception, temptations, and give their lives for it by rejecting the man of sin and remaining faithful to the One True God.