Revelation Ch. 12

Another interlude in the narrative – an overview of the woman Israel, her child Yeshua, the dragon Satan, the protection of the woman and the war that Satan initiated against her “other children”, the Christian Church, or the ‘Ekklesia’.

1  A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman [Israel] clothed with the sun [the righteousness of God], and the moon under her feet [Satan, with no light of his own, conquered; the symbol of Islam is the crescent moon], and on her head a crown of twelve stars [royal status of Yeshua’s bride; see also Gen 37:9-11].

2 and she was with child [Yeshua]; and she cried out [Israel’s travail at his birth, Jer 31:15], being in labor and in pain to give birth.

3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon [Satan] having seven heads [Kingdoms] and ten horns [Human ruler manifesting Satan’s power], and on his heads were seven diadems.

4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven [Fallen angels, 1/3 followed Satan; Isa 14:12] and threw them to the earth And the dragon stood before the woman [Israel] who was about to give birth [to Yeshua], so that when she gave birth he might devour her child [Satan tried to have Yeshua killed by Herod after He was born; also references the constellations “Draco” (Dragon, Satan) and “Virgo” (Virgin, Mary); movements of these stars foretold biblical events].

5 And she gave birth to a son [Yeshua], a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne [Yeshua’s ascension].

6 Then the woman [Israel] fled into the wilderness [left Palestine to seek refuge elsewhere in the world] where she had a place prepared by God [He miraculously preserved the Jews wherever they went], so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days [Days = Years, so 1260 years starting in 688 AD, when the Dome of the Rock (Abomination of Desolation) construction began, and ending in 1948 AD, when Israel became a sovereign nation; see here for more info].

7, 8 And there was war in heaven, Michael [An Archangel, probably one of three, with Gabriel and Lucifer, who fell] and his angels waging war with the dragon [Lucifer]. The dragon and his angels [the one third who fell] waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives [Satan’s principal strategy in the world] the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

10 Then 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 [we have been given the kingdom keys by Yeshua’s victory on the cross], for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses [Satan’s principal activity toward the Ekklesia] them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death [the experience of millions of our brothers and sisters throughout the tribulation, Rev 1:9].

12 For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them [because the war in Heaven is over]. Woe to the earth [the nations] and the sea [the peoples of the earth], because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” [He will be cast into the abyss at the beginning of the Millennium, Rev 20:1-3]

 ¹³ And when the dragon [Satan] saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman [Israel] who gave birth to the male child [Yeshua].

14 But the two wings of the great eagle [U.S. national symbol is an eagle] were given to the woman [Israel, the northern kingdom?], so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished [Hos 9:13, “Ephraim… is planted in a pleasant place”] for a time and times and half a time [2-1/2 times per Dan 7:25, or 2,500 years, see here; if measured from Israel’s captivity in 725-722 BC would yield a date of 1775-1778 AD; America’s ‘Declaration of Independence’ was signed on July 4, 1776],  from the presence of the serpent [Satan].

15 And the serpent [Satan] poured water like a river [floods and turbulent waters are emblematic of trials and difficulties] out of his mouth [that he also uses to deceive and accuse] after the woman [Israel], so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood.

16 But the earth [the solid nations] helped the woman [Israel], and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth [safe harbor nations such as Great Britain, the U.S. and Canada protected the diaspora].

17 So the dragon [Satan] was enraged with the woman [Israel], and went off to make war with the rest of her children [the Ekklesia, believers in Yeshua], who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

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