Chapter 12 of Revelation describes the birth of Jesus Christ from the tribe of Judah, Israel, the formation of the first Christian community and their persecution by the great adversary. However, there are different interpretations of the individual symbols in this figurative chapter.
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Chapter 12 is a time report and prophecy at the same time
The verses of Revelation chapter 12 are listed and explained individually below. There are different interpretations of the symbols “sun” and “moon”. However, the references to the people of Israel, the 12 tribes, the origin of Jesus Christ from one of these tribes, and the emergence of the first Christian community are clear. Events that happened in the past but at the time Revelation was written around 80 AD, most of it was still in the future (Prophecy). This applies above all to the long persecution and murder of Christians who believed in the Bible by the Roman Catholic Church over a period of 1,260 years.
The verses Revelation 12 in detail
| Verse-No. | Verse | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | The "woman" is a church/congregation. Here the woman of God is Israel, or the believers. She stands on the moon (the prophets who proclaimed the Gospel), which is illuminated by the sun (the light of the Gospel). The crown with the 12 stars symbolize the 12 apostles, who will be the first church to spread the gospel. Another variant explains the 12 stars as the 12 tribes of Israel, from which Jesus Christ (tribe of Judah) also came. (The Catholic Church made the woman Maria, the "Mother of God". In addition, the sun and the moon were welcome symbols for their Babylonian dogmas originating in Egypt, Isis - the crescent moon open at the top and Osiris - the disk of the sun) |
| 2 | And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. | The Lord Jesus Christ came out of the tribe of Judah. The subsequent "birth" of the first Christian community was anything but easy. From the beginning there was hostility, persecution and manslaughter. When the apostle Stephen was stoned to death 3.5 years after Christ's crucifixion, the gospel also went to the Gentiles (so far only to the Judeans). At this time the "chief" persecutor of Christians, Saul, was converted on the way to Damascus and became a Christian himself and has been calling himself Paul ever since. The general spread of the gospel began. |
| 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. | The "fiery red dragon" is Satan. The 7 heads and 10 horns and 7 crowns represent 7 world empires. 10 horns are 10 countries/states and 7 crowns are 7 rulers/kings. Looking back, the 7 world empires are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, papacy, democracies (French Revolution), USA, each with a ruler (7 crowns). The 10 countries are the 10 Germanic tribes after the fall of the Roman Empire. |
| 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. | The "third part of the stars" represents the third of all angels who sided with Satan and were thrown to earth along with Satan. Satan tries to destroy the "child" (Jesus Christ as a man). After Jesus became a ("simple") man, Satan saw his chance to bring Jesus down. The assassination attempt via Herod (killing all the firstborn) failed. The attempt to deceive Jesus after his 40-day fast in the desert also failed. A single sin of Jesus would have destroyed the way of salvation for the people. There is no other way, since God's justice is eternal and the law endures as long as this world. The wages of sin is death. A "general amnesty" for the people would play into the hands of Satan's accusations (e.g. "God is an arbitrary dictator") anyway. |
| 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. | This describes Jesus Christ, His gospel and ultimately His ascension. Exalted above all measure, he now sits at the right hand of God. |
| 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. | The congregation (believers) fled to lonely areas (desert) because of the murderous persecution by the Catholic Church. 1260 days equals 1260 years. The papacy gained absolute power in AD 538 and lost that (political) power in AD 1798 (at the hands of Napoleon). During this time, despite massive attacks, the gospel could not be destroyed. |
| 7 | And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, | The great confrontation with the agitator Satan and his followers. The (arch)angel Michael describes Jesus Christ (The name Michael means: "He is what God is"). Contrary to the dogmas of the Catholic Church (several archangels), there is only one archangel in the Bible and that is Michael. |
| 8 | And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. | Satan and his followers lost the battle. |
| 9 | 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. | Satan and his angels (demons) were thrown to earth. Here they do their destructive work. |
| 10 | 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. | Peace reigns in heaven after Satan and his followers have been thrown out. "His Anointed" is Jesus Christ. Satan is also called the "accuser" because he is constantly accusing both God and man. Satan sets out to portray God as a "tyrant and dictator" just as he constantly accuses people of their sins so that they must suffer death. Apparently he "speculates" that God's justice has reached a dead end and can therefore rightly be accused. After all, Satan knows his final destiny. |
| 11 | 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. | The steadfast believers endured persecution, torture and death sentences. |
| 12 | 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. | After Satan has been thrown out, there is peace in heaven. However, it looks "pitch black" for the inhabitants of the earth. Satan is "in the background" the ruler on earth and has also given various kings / rulers corresponding power in contemporary history. So also the Catholic Church (see Revelation chapter 13). Satan knows his destiny and his goal is the destruction of God's creation, especially that of man. Satan's striving is the annihilation of man through his own defection and the resulting consequences. After murder and manslaughter (persecutions) did not lead to the goal, the focus is on seducing or misleading people. Time is limited, and as the end approaches, Satan will multiply the effort many times over. |
| 13 | And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. | After Satan was thrown to earth, he immediately began to persecute the believers. |
| 14 | 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. | "Desert" are lonely places or areas. This also includes the "New World" overseas, to which mainly Protestants have fled. At that time still very sparsely populated. "One time, two times, half a time" corresponds to 1260 years. |
| 15 | 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. | "Water" means peoples, languages, nations. Crowds of people were sent after the fleeing believers so that they would be lost in the crowd. Such a pattern can be seen, for example, in the flow of refugees from Latin American countries to the USA. Catholics are flocking to a predominantly Protestant country. This is also the case in the EU and DE, where predominantly Muslims stream into the country. |
| 16 | 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. | In the period from 538 to 1798, Satan's plan to shower believers with crowds and false teachings failed. Today the situation looks different. |
| 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. | The war against the believers will continue to the end. There are not many left, but Satan's goal is the destruction of all people, either through murder and manslaughter or even through the fact that they are lost through their deception. |
Bible verses from King James Version
