The history of creation and its meaning are shown in the Book of Revelation from several different points of view. This is hardly surprising, for it is a vision, a picture unfolding before the apostle's spiritual sight. And it changes depending on where he is looking at...
The history of creation and its meaning are shown in the Book of Revelation from several different points of view. This is hardly surprising, for it is a vision, a picture unfolding before the apostle's spiritual sight. And it changes depending on the point from which he looks at what is happening. The same processes may look different when viewed from different points in spiritual space. So it is in the book: at first John is shown historical events as they are seen by a person from within the fallen world. The spectacle, of course, remains symbolic. What is shown here is not historical realities as such, but symbols disclosing the spiritual meaning of events to come. Yet what is happening is presented as though seen by a person of this world, a world not yet transformed or made part of the Kingdom.
Now the apostle is shown the same thing as seen from the Throne of Glory, from the perspective of God's eternity. And here, as one would expect, the Messiah and His path stand at the centre of everything. Even before Christ's coming, believing Jews were certain that the Messiah, His coming and everything connected with Him had been conceived by God before the creation of the world. And this conviction is confirmed by the picture disclosed to the apostle. He sees the birth of Christ as the centre of history, not only the history of humanity, but of creation as a whole. The image of the Virgin Mary, “the woman clothed with the sun,” giving birth to Christ, stands at the centre of the spiritual cosmos that John sees when he finds himself at the Throne of Glory.
The entire meaning of world history, not only in its universal human but also in its cosmic dimension, comes down to the confrontation between God and the devil, who is represented here as a dragon with seven heads and ten horns. In the Bible, heads usually symbolize knowledge and authority, while horns symbolize strength. The seven heads indicate a claim to omniscience, to knowledge of everything that exists in the world, for the number seven in biblical books usually symbolizes the fullness of the created world, while the ten horns indicate superhuman and supernatural strength. This strength and this omniscience naturally oppose God's authority, God's power and God's plans for creation, including everything connected with the coming of Christ, Whom the dragon seeks to devour as soon as He is born.
As for a third of the stars which the dragon casts down from heaven with himself, commentators often see in them the angels carried away by the fallen spirit at the moment of his fall. But it is also possible that what is meant here is the damage inflicted by the devil upon creation itself in the course of that fall. It is no accident that, at the end of time, catastrophes and cataclysms strike a third of nature: it suffers to exactly the extent to which it was damaged at that moment.
12 The great vision of this book goes straight forward, from the fourth to the twenty - second chapter. Only the tenth, with part of the eleventh chapter, was a kind of introduction to the trumpet of the seventh angel; after which it is said, "The second woe is past: behold, the third woe cometh quickly." Immediately the seventh angel sounds, under whom the third woe goes forth. And to this trumpet belongs all that is related to the end of the book.
12:1 And a great sign was seen in heaven - Not only by St.John, but many heavenly spectators represented in the vision.A sign means something that has an uncommon appearance, and from which we infer that some unusual thing will follow. A woman - The emblem of the church of Christ, as she is originally of Israel, though built and enlarged on all sides by the addition of heathen converts; and as she will hereafter appear, when all her "natural branches are again "grafted in." She is at present on earth; and yet, with regard to her union with Christ, may be said to be in heaven, Eph 2:6. Accordingly, she is described as both assaulted and defended in heaven, Rev 12:4, Rev 12:7. Clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars - These figurative expressions must he so interpreted as to preserve a due proportion between them. So, in Joseph's dream, the sun betokened his father; the moon, his mother; the stars, their children. There may be some such resemblance here; and as the prophecy points out the "power over all nations," perhaps the sun may betoken the Christian world; the moon, the Mahometans, who also carry the moon in their ensigns; and the crown of twelve stars, the twelve tribes of Israel; which are smaller than the sun and moon. The whole of this chapter answers the state of the church from the ninth century to this time.
12:2 And being with child she crieth, travailing in birth - The very pain, without any outward opposition, would constraina woman in travail to cry out. These cries, throes, and pains to be delivered, were the painful longings, the sighs, and prayers of the saints for the coming of the kingdom of God.The woman groaned and travailed in spirit, that Christ might appear, as the Shepherd and King of all nations.
12:3 And behold a great red dragon - His fiery - red colour denoting his disposition. Having seven heads - Implying vast wisdom. And ten horns - Perhaps on the seventh head; emblems of mighty power and strength, which he still retained. And seven diadems on his heads - Not properly crowns, but costly bindings, such as kings anciently wore; for, though fallen, he was a great potentate still, even "the prince of this world."
12:4 And his tail - His falsehood and subtilty. Draweth - As a train. The third part - A very large number. Of the stars of heaven - The Christians and their teachers, who before sat in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. And casteth them to the earth - Utterly deprives them of all those heavenly blessings.This is properly a part of the description of the dragon, who was not yet himself on earth, but in heaven: consequently, this casting them down was between the beginning of the seventh trumpet and the beginning of the third woe; or between the year 847 and the year 947; at which time pestilent doctrines, particularly that of the Manichees in the east, drew abundance of people from the truth. And the dragon stood before the woman, that when she had brought forth, he might devour the child - That he might hinder the kingdom of Christ from spreading abroad, as it does under this trumpet.
12:5 And she brought forth a man child - Even Christ, considered not in his person, but in his kingdom. In the ninth age, many nations with their princes were added to the Christian church. Who was to rule all nations - When his time is come. And her child - Which was already in heaven, as were the woman and the dragon. Was caught up to God - Taken utterly out of his reach.
12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness - This wilderness is undoubtedly on earth, where the woman also herself is now supposed to be. It betokens that part of the earth where, after having brought forth, she found a new abode. And this must be in Europe; as Asia and Afric were wholly in the hands of the Turks and Saracens; and in a part of it where the woman had not been before. In this wilderness, God had already prepared a place; that is, made it safe and convenient for her. The wilderness is, those countries of Europe which lie on this side the Danube; for the countries which lie beyond it had received Christianity before. That they may feed her - That the people of that place may provide all things needful for her. Twelve hundred and sixty days - So many prophetic days, which are not, as some have supposed, twelve hundred and sixty, but seven hundred and seventy - seven, common years. This Bengelius has shown at large in his German Introduction. These we may compute from the year 847 to 1524. So long the woman enjoyed a safe and convenientplace in Europe, which was chiefly Bohemia; where she was fed, till God provided for her more plentifully at the Reformation.