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The Woman and the Dragon
by Christine Weick I have found very few commentaries that talk about this chapter in Revelation. The ones that I did find do not explain the metaphors in the simple way I think them to mean. If the prophecies in the Old Testament were exact and to the point - why can't these prophecies in Revelation be as well? All women mentioned in Revelation are meant to be a religious movement of sorts. We have the Bride of Christ who is the Church, she stands for the believers. Then there is the woman who rides on the beast, she represents the religion of the Antichrist. Here we have another woman, so it can be understood that this also is a movement or large group of people who share a common belief. A clue as to what this group is can be found in Genesis, it is the only other place in the Bible where all three sun, moon, and twelve stars are mentioned, as they relate to people. It is the dream of Joseph, he is the twelfth star. Genesis 37:9-10 Then he had another dream and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" These people listed in here in Genesis are the parents of, and the leaders of the tribes of Israel. We will then interpret this woman in Revelation to be of Jewish descent, so this movement is also made up of only Jews. In addition, it arises in the land of Israel. This group finds itself in a difficult situation. The Bible states that the woman is in great pain, signifying persecution. The group may consist of Jews who have found their faith in Jesus Christ. Which is also why they are singled out for persecution in Israel. The woman is about to give birth, which is her source of the pain. This seems to me a leader is coming forward out of this group, rising above the rest due in part to the persecution. A few commentaries say that this is Jesus Christ. The occurrences that follow the birth of this leader, do not relate at all as to when Jesus Christ was born. This could be a completely different event that has not yet happened. Remember, John was told in the beginning of Revelation to write down the things that were to come. Christ's birth would have already come and gone at the writing of Revelation. Satan is aware of a rise of a great leader coming from this group. He is shown in this passage as a great dragon who waits before the woman to destroy the child that is to born. Maybe this leader is elected to lead, signaling his 'birth'. Whoever he is, Satan cannot allow this group to move forward with its message, or gain any more followers. He needs to destroy its leader. Revelation 12:5,6 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. This is where many relate this to being Jesus. Jesus was known to rule the nations with a rod of iron. But so are believers who have overcome temptation and do God's will to the end. Go back to the Church of Thyatira, in Revelation 2:26,27. When Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples did not scatter. Nor were they sent to a safe place. They spoke boldly and publicly, proclaiming the resurrection and ascension. However, the woman does flee to a safe place provided for her by God. She is protected there from Satan for a period of 1,260 days, the same length of time the Antichrist is in the temple. What could be the place prepared for her is a known tourist attraction. Located in Jordan, Petra the Rock City. This ancient city is built into the sandstone of mountains and has stood the test of time despite earthquakes and wars. It can hold thousands of people quite safely. The ancient civilization that built the city also made a system of cisterns, dams, and water conduits to channel flash floods that would come through the mountains. In this way, the city was provided its drinking water. Will the importance of this feature come into play later? Once the leader is taken away by God, the dragon seeks to torment the woman. This could be fulfilled by the persecution from the Antichrist. The Bible refers to God giving the woman 'two wings of a great eagle' as a means of escape. This can be best explained by going back to the Old Testament, there we see similar wording. Exodus 19:4 "You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself." It is obvious here in Exodus, God is speaking of the deliverance from Egypt and the miracles He performed in doing so. Is it possible that we see a mass exodus of God's people very much like the first one? This again, may look like a million refugees fleeing for their lives from a dangerous place. In addition, just like the way Pharaoh reacted and chased after the Israelites, so does Satan. It is amazing, look the parting of the Red Sea, and understand how God performed a miracle by using a natural phenomenon to change the flow of water. It happens again with this new 'exodus'. Revelation 12:15,16 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Now consider this. Look at a map of Jordan and you will see the city of Petra located within 25 miles of the Jordan River. This river runs between Israel and Jordan. If the Rock City of Petra is the location of protection - a slight diversion of the Jordan River could be the possibility that somehow a dam or a flashflood is created to cause a torrent of water. This is where the interpretation of this can be literal. How would the earth open its mouth? A sinkhole. Once again, if Petra is the location - there are already a number of cisterns in place that may now open up and be used to capture the flow of water. You can understand the frustration of Satan at this point. Regardless, he is relentless in his pursuit. With the woman now in protection, he goes after her offspring. It is probable that these are Jews around the world who have accepted Christ as their Savior? How would you know for sure that YOU do not have her blood in you? Christine Weick is the author of book, "Explain This! A Verse by Verse Explanation of the Book of Revelation". She has a strong passion for end time prophecy and often shows others her view of what is going on in current events as it links to Bible prophecy. Her book can purchased for download. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |