Israel · The cosmic conflict behind history

Revelation 12:1-17

John · ~95 AD · Status: Future · Confidence: 60%
“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.”
King James Version · the opening — all 17 verses are below
More of Revelation 12 on this siteRevelation 12:5

The cosmic sign — the woman, the male child caught up to God, the dragon (Satan) cast down, and his war on the woman's offspring — the conflict behind history.

Read the whole passage — all 17 verses (KJV)

12:1And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

12:2And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

12:3And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

12:4And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

12:5And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

12:6And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

12:7And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

12:8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

12:9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

12:10And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

12:11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

12:12Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

12:13And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

12:14And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

12:15And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

12:16And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

12:17And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Fulfillment References

Genesis 3:15 Revelation 12:5 Luke 10:18 Romans 16:20

How Traditions Read This Prophecy

Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalThe child caught up to God is Jesus (12:5); the ancient serpent of Genesis 3:15 is crushed by the one God in the flesh.
JewishThe imagery echoes Israel (the woman; cf. Joseph's dream of sun, moon, stars) bringing forth the Messianic deliverer.
CatholicThe woman read as Israel, the Church, and (in Marian tradition) Mary, mother of the Messiah; the child is Christ.
ProtestantThe woman as the covenant people bringing forth the Messiah; the dragon as Satan, defeated at the cross and warring on the church.
OrthodoxThe woman as the Church/Theotokos, the child Christ, the dragon the defeated adversary.
DispensationalThe woman as Israel, the child Christ, the dragon Satan; the flight (12:6,14) tied to a future Tribulation.
AcademicScholars trace combat-myth backgrounds (Leto/Python, ANE chaos-dragon) reused to tell the Christ story; 12:5 clearly is Christ's ascension.

Scholarship & Sources

Verse 12:5 ('caught up unto God, and to his throne') anchors the male child as the ascended Christ — a key fixed point. The 1,260 days / time-times-half-a-time link to Daniel 7:25. Scholars discuss reused Greco-Roman and ANE combat myths (Aune; Yarbro Collins, 'The Combat Myth in the Book of Revelation').

Open the full interactive entry →
Audio narration (listen to this prophecy read aloud), cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, a prophetic timeline, network maps, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.