Day 196 

 12 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; ² and she was pregnant, and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. Rev12:1,2. NASB. 

 One of the important principles in understanding Bible prophecy is that God repeats and enlarges. We have seen the seven churches, seven seals, and seven trumpets. These all cover the time from the time of Christ to the second coming. However, from Chapter 12 the Lord will zero in on the closing events, identifying all the players in the struggle just before He comes and sets up His kingdom.  

The last section of Revelation actually begins in Rev11: 19 with John’s virtual tour of the Heavenly Temple/Sanctuary. Don’t forget the conceptual language of Revelation. If there are a hundred thousand million angels around the throne, what is this place? It is talking of a literal place in a way that our limited finite minds can understand. 

The woman is dressed in the sun, moon, and stars. This woman represents Israel, in part because her crown has twelve stars. In the OT God is often thought of in terms of Israel’s husband. “For your Maker is your husband–the LORD Almighty is his name–the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. . .” Isa54:5, NIV. 

A woman in the Bible is often used as a symbol for God’s people (e.g. 2Cor.11:2): a chaste woman stands for faithful believers, while a harlot stands for unfaithful Christians. The women in Rev.12:1-5 first symbolises Israel, to whom the Messiah came; in v13-17 she stands for the true church that gives birth to the final group of earth’s history. 

While the woman represents the people of God on earth, she is depicted as being in heavenly places. Our identity as people of God is not determined by where we are on earth; it is determined by our relationship with heaven. It is helpful, therefore, to build into our lives reminders of our higher relationship. 

The woman is portrayed as clothed with the sun and with the moon under her feet. The sun represents the glory of Christ’s character, His righteousness (Mal.4:2). He is the light of the world (John 8:12) and His people are to reflect that light. The moon is the lesser light (Gen.1:16) and points to the OT promises foreshadowing the work of Christ in the Gospel era. Remember this is the Revelation of Jesus Christ.