Revelation 12:1 - Meaning and Application

Here we see the early prophecy fulfilled in a striking way, the word God spoke in Genesis 3:15, that he would put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Satan’s attacks on the church are shown here, along with God’s care to protect her. The picture is vivid and full of meaning.

The church is shown as a woman, the weaker part of the world, yet also the bride of Christ and the mother of the saints. She is clothed with the sun, which means the credited righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, his righteousness counted as hers. Because she belongs to Christ, the Sun of righteousness, she shares in his honor and shines in his light.

She has the moon under her feet, which means the world. She stands above it and does not live for it. Her heart and hope are not fixed on earthly things, but on the things above, where her true Head is. On her head is a crown of twelve stars, the gospel teaching preached by the twelve apostles, a crown of glory for all true believers.

She is also in labor, crying out in pain to give birth. She is bringing forth a holy people for Christ, longing that conviction of sin will lead to conversion. She wants those who are brought to the point of new life to be safely delivered, so she may see the fruit of her spiritual labor.

The great enemy of the church is shown as a red dragon, a picture of strength, terror, fierceness, and cruelty. He has seven heads, which likely points to Rome, built on seven hills, so pagan Rome is probably meant here. He has ten horns, which suggests the ten provinces into which the Roman empire was divided by Augustus Caesar. He also has seven crowns on his heads, later explained as seven kings in Revelation 17:10.

His tail sweeps down a third of the stars in heaven and throws them to the earth. This points to ministers and professors of the Christian faith being pushed from their place and dignity, and made as weak and useless as possible. He stands before the woman, ready to devour her child as soon as it is born. He is alert and determined to crush the Christian faith at its beginning and stop it from ever growing in the world.

Yet these efforts fail. The woman gives birth safely to a man-child (Revelation 12:5). Some take this to mean Christ, others Constantine, but it is more fitting to understand it as a race of true believers, strong and united, like Christ in character, and meant under him to rule the nations with a rod of iron. That is, they judge the world now by their doctrine and conduct, and later will sit with Christ as judges at the great day.

This child is taken up to God and to his throne. That means it is placed under his special, powerful, and immediate protection. From its first days, the Christian faith has been under the special care of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. The mother is cared for too. She flees into the wilderness, a place prepared for her safety and support. The church is scattered and hidden, and that very obscurity becomes her protection through divine providence. This hidden condition lasts only for a set time, not forever.

The dragon’s attack not only fails, it harms his own cause. When he tries to devour the man-child, he brings the powers of heaven against himself, and war breaks out in heaven. Heaven always takes the side of the church. The battle takes place in heaven, that is, in the church, which is the kingdom of heaven on earth, under heaven’s care and sharing heaven’s cause.

The parties are Michael and his angels on one side, and the dragon and his angels on the other. Michael is Christ, the great Angel of the covenant, together with his faithful followers. The dragon and his angels are Satan and all his helpers. Satan’s side may seem stronger in number and outward force, but the strength of the church lies in having the Lord Jesus as the captain of their salvation.

The dragon fights, but he does not win. There is a hard struggle, yet the victory belongs to Christ and his church. The dragon and his angels are not only defeated, they are thrown out. Pagan idolatry, which was really the worship of demons, was driven out of the empire in the days of Constantine.

A song of victory follows in Revelation 12:10-11. The conqueror is praised: now salvation, strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ, have come. God has shown himself mighty, and Christ has shown himself a strong and mighty Saviour. His own arm has brought salvation, and his kingdom will now spread and be firmly established. The salvation and strength of the church must all be credited to the king and head of the church.

The defeated enemy is also described. He is the accuser of the brothers and sisters, the one who accuses them before God day and night. He appears before God as an enemy of the church, constantly bringing charges, whether true or false. He did this with Job, and with Joshua the high priest in Zechariah 3:1. Though he hates God’s presence, he still comes there to accuse God’s people. So we must be careful not to give him reason to accuse us. And when we do sin, we should quickly go before the Lord, confess and condemn ourselves, and commit our case to Christ, our Advocate.

His defeat is complete. He and all his accusations are cast out. The charges are dismissed, and the accuser is driven from the court with rightful anger. The servants of God overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb, as the ground of their victory. By his death, Christ destroyed the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil. They also overcame by the word of their testimony, as the main weapon in the fight, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. It was the bold and powerful preaching of the everlasting gospel, which God used to tear down strongholds. They overcame also by courage and patience in suffering, because they did not love their lives even when death stood before them. Their love for life was weaker than their loyalty to Christ, and their fearless faith helped to shame their enemies, strengthen believers, and persuade many who watched.