The Red Dragon
The interlude between the seven trumpets and the seven bowls continues. In chapter twelve John shows us a view of the dispensation of man on both sides of the veil, both in the spirit and in the physical world. Through John’s revelation, God is trying to open up the eyes of mankind and display all that is happening, to give man a final opportunity to repent.
Events take place in this chapter which must be viewed from different points of view. Like a gem stone, this section shows different facets. It is often difficult to tell where a facet changes as the view changes. Some scenes take place on the earthly side of the veil in the physical world. Some take place in the spirit, across the veil on earth or in the Kingdom of heaven. Much took place on both sides at the time Jesus was crucified, as we will see in this chapter.
To the Messianic Jew, the woman in chapter twelve is Mary, who represents the Jewish people. The dragon is Satan, the Child is the Messiah. The dragon tried to kill the Child, but missed. In his wrath, he forced the woman into exile by the use of earthly armies. In exile, the Jews were spread out across the earth. The dragon spewed forth Satan’s power like water from his mouth, but the earth diffused the power. He continues to persecute the woman through history. (the Inquisition, Hitler’s holocaust, the Russian purges, anti-semitism.)
In the spirit, the woman represents believers, both old covenant and new. The Child is the body of Christ on earth. The dragon is Satan, who tried to stop the body of Christ in its tracks by crucifying Jesus. When Jesus rose from the dead and returned to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit, founded the church, and commissioned her to take up His mantle on earth. Enraged at failure, the dragon, Satan, poured forth his hatred and persecuted the church into dispersion. Again, the earth diffused and swallowed up the persecution, allowing for her eventual return.
In heaven, Satan attempted as a last resort to take the Child by force, leading his demonic army in an insurrection. But Michael defeated him and cast him out. He returned to earth, full of wrath, intent on destroying all mankind.
A Sign In Heaven
In this first section, verses one through twelve take place in the spirit.
Revelation 12
1 Now a sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.
Sign is the Greek word Sēmeion, meaning: a token, a symbol to indicate or signify something. This is not a vision of an actual woman, but John gave us a symbol of something else.
The woman was clothed with the sun. Sun is symbolic of the Christos, the anointing of God. So, who is Christ-anointed woman? What kind of woman is she? What spirit does she possess?
John realized this woman would be seen by the Jews and Christian gentiles of the day as Mary, the mother of Jesus, a God-fearing, God-loving woman. A righteous woman who gave herself completely to her Jehovah God, with no thought for herself. She is symbolic of the saints of God, the bride of Christ. In the old dispensation she is the pre-Messianic believers; she is Mary, Moses, Abraham, Daniel, David, Old Testament saints.
In the new dispensation (New Testament), the woman is the Church. She is clothed with the sun, symbolic for the glory of God. The moon is under her feet. Symbolic for our walk and conduct, feet also represent formal possession. The Church belongs to Christ; we are His possession. The moon is the light shining in the darkness, reflecting the light of the sun. The church is the light in a sin-darkened world, reflecting the light of Christ.
The woman wears a diadem of twelve stars. Twelve is the number of divine government. The church, the body of Christ, is to rule and reign, to govern the earth in Jesus’ place until His return. In Revelation 1:20, Jesus reveals the mystery of the seven stars. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. . . . The seven stars represent the complete number of ministers in, or pastors of the completed Church. (Note; you don’t have to be a pastor to be a minister. Every Christian has a ministry to perform.) Here in chapter twelve, the stars still represent the ministers, but the number is different. Twelve is the number of divine government. Twelve stars represent the full body of Christ exercising governmental control on earth through the Holy Spirit. Are you governing, or sitting on the sidelines?
2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
Who is this child to be born? Not Jesus the Jew. Jesus, the Son of David. Jesus, the Son of Man. Jesus, the Messiah.
3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on its heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars from heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour the child as soon as it was born.
The dragon is identified in verse nine as Satan. This dragon had seven heads and ten horns.
Head is symbolic for rulership, lordship, thoughts and intellect
Horn is symbolic of power
Seven is the number of completeness
Ten is the number of trial, law, and order
The dragon exercises total, complete power over the thoughts and intellect of the ungodly. The nations will be tried and found guilty.
In Daniel chapter seven, four beasts are described. Four represents universal, the number of the world. These beasts represent world powers or kingdoms. Together, they have seven heads. This represents full and complete Satanic power given to these worldly kingdoms. In Daniel the seven heads are divided among the four beasts, kingdoms or powers of the world. In Revelation, they are all in one creature, concentrating all satanic power in one person, the Antichrist, the beast. Matthew 4:9, Revelation 11:5
Back in Daniel, the ten horns represent ten earthly kings. Ten is the number of law (the ten commandments). In Revelation chapter twelve, the ten horns represent the government of the Antichrist, which is consolidated from all of the earthly governments. Revelation 17:3-16
Still on the spirit side of the veil, Revelation 12:3 tells us the dragon wears seven crowns. Seven, the number of completeness, symbolizes complete rulership over all the people of the earth. This symbolism shows the dragon represents the Antichrist spirit. The Antichrist, the beast on the earth side of the veil, is the mirror image of the dragon on the spirit side. Revelation 13:1
In Revelation 12:2, we are told the dragon’s tail swept down a third of the stars. This further identifies the dragon and demonstrates Satan’s power. This is symbolic of Satan’s attempted usurpation of God’s throne, which resulted in his fall. Lucifer deceived a third of the angelic host, and they fell with him.
The dragon waited to devour the child. Satan discerned the destiny of the Child (Jesus), and tried his best to destroy Him; first with King Herod, then by crucifixion. (Psalm 2) Satan waited from the time of his fall to sidetrack God’s plans, but he ran head-long into a problem. He tried his best to thwart God’s plans, but he’s not God. God’s word, once spoken, will come to pass. Nothing can be done to change the spoken word. Remember this next time you flippantly curse someone, Christian. What you bind on earth is bound in heaven.
5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
Verse five is a quote from Psalm 2:7-9. He will rule them with a rod of iron. The dragon missed his chance to kill the Child before the Father called Him home. Acts 1:9-11
Verse six tells us, the woman fled into the wilderness. The word fled is the Greek pheugō: to run away, to be saved by flight, to escape out of danger.
Refer to chapter 7:2-4, and chapter 11:11-13. Harm not those sealed with the seal of God on their foreheads. The church is protected from Satan’s wrath during his reign of terror on the earth. This does not mean she will not go through persecution. (Matthew 10:28) Compared to the end awaiting the ungodly during the reign of Satan, a little persecution is trivial.
Wilderness is symbolic for a place of refuge and preservation. Jehovah Jireh provided the children of Israel with manna in the wilderness. Now, Jesus is our manna in the wilderness, our Bread of Life.
Notice the woman has a place prepared. The Greek word is echō, to have, possess. As used here, it is present tense, to have now, at this time. We Christians (the woman) have a place of refuge. If things get too bad, we can retreat to the place of refuge prepared for us, Jehovah Shalom. Jehovah our Peace.
The woman fled and hid away for twelve hundred and sixty-two days. For an explanation of this time period, refer to chapter eleven, the two witnesses.
Twelve hundred and sixty-two days symbolizes the perfect and complete amount of time for the completion and restoration of God’s plan for mankind. This will be a time of revival and witness by the church. She will be sealed, only to observe the judgement process. Mankind is being weighed in the balance and will be found wanting.
The Dragon and the Child
Revelation 12:7-12 are a picture of the spiritual battle which took place to stop the redemptive work of Jesus, the Child Redeemer. No time-lapse exists between verses six and seven. This entire passage, verses one through twelve, takes place on both sides of the veil at the same time. On earth, the focus of the battle is the cross, where Jesus won the victory over Satan. He is caught up to heaven to the right hand of the Father.
Jesus’ victory on earth is what causes war to break out in heaven. Satan’s inability to destroy the Child redeemer leads him to attempt to storm the castle. He realized he lost; only one chance remained, to declare war on heaven and take the Child by force.
This is Lucifer’s second war on heaven. The first resulted in his being cast out and down to earth, along with one third of his angels he perverted over to his side. Revelation 2:4, Luke 10:18
7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
The scene shifts to heaven. Remember, this is happening in heaven at the same time Jesus is crucified and the Church is persecuted. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon in heaven. The word translated fought is the Greek polēmos. Its tense is such, a better translation would be had to fight. Lucifer lost the battle on earth, so he decided to take heaven by force. Michael is the archangel responsible for protecting God’s covenant with man. (Revelation 10:1) To protect the covenant, Michael and his army fought to stop the overthrow.
Satan and his armies did not prevail. No place remained for them in heaven. He and his armies are two-time losers and could no longer be in heaven. Because of God’s presence, no sin can exist in heaven; of course Satan’s rebellion was sin. (Sin is defined as willful disobedience.) Satan will fight a losing battle before he fires the first salvo.
So the dragon, Satan, gets the old heave ho. After being cast down to earth for his first insurrection, he retained access to heaven. An angelic spirit being, he existed on the spirit side of the veil, able to come and go in heaven at will. He became the accuser of the brethren. (Job 1:6-7) He still exists on the spirit side of the veil, but can no longer access heaven; he’s exiled to earth.
Now, because of Jesus’ blood we can stand justified before God. We cannot be accused by Satan, or anyone else. Satan, his followers, and his children the unsaved, are the ones who stand accused. The serpent of old, the one who deceived Adam and Eve in the garden, is the one who started the battle for the world and all its people. He is the ultimate loser.