CHAPTER 12, IS A PAST SET OF EVENTS. It is 100% past. It shows the birth of Jesus and and how the fall of Satan took place.
It took me awhile before I realized that
Chapter 12 hasn't been properly timed in history by scholars and bible enthusiast
and not been set into the past events it represents. This chapter breaks the sequence of
things found in Revelation, and it takes us back to a time before Jesus was born.
Believe it or not, it takes us all the way back to Abraham, and even before him,
all the way back to the Days of Adam and Eve, and even to the 5th or 6th day of creation.
I use to think this chapter was associated with the Nation of Israel for the
most part, just like so many people do today. That was, until I realized it goes even farther
back. Therefore, I find it necessary to bring this out into the open so
others can see this and learn by it.
I'll begin with the first verse.
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Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. Rev 12:1 |
While I used to think this woman was
symbolic, I no longer see her this way or even believe that, at all. This woman is the very
woman in heaven that gave birth to Jesus when he was born in heaven.
She is obviously a mighty Spirit Woman and larger than the earth. Since she
gave birth to Jesus we can see that Jesus was born as a spirit
son in heaven before he came to earth.
If there's anything we have learned about the stars in the book of
Revelation it's this; stars typically mean angels. However, in this case,
most people believe it is the twelve tribes of Israel over the woman
and not angels. I can see where they get that philosophy, 12 tribes of
Israel, 12 stars over the woman. But not so.
She is of herself, and represents no nation at all. However, if anything,
Israel was made after her, and not her made after Israel.
Now pay attention to this: the moon, the sun, the heavens, and stars are
all mentioned in this verse. Earth is mentioend in verse 4. That means all
of these existed before we get to verse 5 where Jesus was born.
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Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. Rev 12:2 |
The woman is about to give birth when the dragon appears.
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And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. Rev 12:3 |
The dragon of course is Satan.
Satan is in heaven when this woman is about to give birth. That makes
him older than Jesus. He then takes one third of the stars (angels)
and throws them to earth, which signifies he commanded them to come
down to earth and also tells us they didn't come voluntarily.
The reason Satan could do this, is because he is in likeness
of God, who at this time in Revelation has several angels at his
command just like God has.
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His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. Rev 12:4 |
As we can see, Satan [the dragon] stood before the woman ready to kill the child as it is was being born. This is where it gets very important in understanding what happens here.
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And She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. Rev 12:5 |
Who is the Male Child that is to rule the nations with a rod of iron? That of course is Jesus. He had been prophesied for many years that he would come as a ruler of this world.
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For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will
be upon His shoulder. Isa 9:6
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Since this event takes place in heaven, we know with certainty they are not on earth at any time during this event. Therefore, woman is not the Nation of Israel, nor is she symbolic.
This was the first and perhaps the only time Satan sought to kill Jesus in heaven. Because, killing Jesus as a sprit in heaven would destroy God's plans. But as we can see, he failed in this attempt because Jesus was caught up [snatched] to God and to his throne.
After giving birth to Jesus the woman fled into the wilderness.
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Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. Rev 12:6 |
Keep in mind that Satan is still in heaven when this takes place. The woman left heaven and has now fled into what is called the Wilderness. This is where it gets interesting. Where is the Wilderness? The wilderness is away from Paradise, and likely out under the domain of Satan. Look at what happened to Jesus.
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Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Mat 4:1 |
The wilderness seems to be unchartered territory, away from the presence of God.
The woman was then given a safe haven for 1260 days. Which I will admit,
this time frame escapes me. But I do have some thoughts on it.
If it was done in 1,000 year days per 2 Peter 3:8, it would come to 1,260,000 years.
So that must not be the formula. If we keep it at days and divide it by
365 days a year it comes to 3.45 years, or 3.5 if divided by 360. If we say
one year for every day it comes to 1,260 years. Which is a lot closer to
what happened in those days.
God started talking to Noah about building the Ark, and his plan to
destroy mankind just before the end of the day of rest. Noah was born
1056 years after Adam was created. This was towards the end of the Day
of rest, but there was still some time remaining.
Adam was created sroound 660 years into the 6th day. A day is ike 1,000 years
to God. 1,000 minus 660 equals 340 years before the end of the 6th day. Now add
that to 1,260 and you get 1,600 years. The flood came at 1,656 years after
the creation of Adam. Coincidence? I don't think so.
I said a long time ago, the woman represented the Salvation of Mankind,
and it may still have some value. But her representation for salvation is that
she gave birth to Jesus, which is in itself salvation for mankind.
In verses 7 through 9, we see a war breaks out in heaven after the woman has fled. Here we see
Satan cast out of heaven, and this is where it ties into the days of
Adam and Eve.
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And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 12:8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 12:9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Rev 12:7-9 |
We read earlier that Satan sent 1/3 of the
angels in heaven down to earth before this event. And now we see the angels
are cast out with him at this time, which means they are no longer allowed in
heaven as well as Satan.
To answer the question as to when this takes place, we simply find in the bible
when Satan fell. And that can be found in Gen 3:14.
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So the Lord God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. Gen 3:14 |
This was the casting out of Satan. Gen 3:14 tells us when it took place, while Rev 12:7-9 tells us how it took place. There are no 2 casting out of Satan events. There is only one. And it took place all the way back in the days of Adam and Eve. Satan was cast out of heaven at that time. Even Jesus confirmed Satan was already cast out when he said this:
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And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Luke 10:18 |
Satan fell during the days of the Garden of Eden. Which was after
the birth of Jesus in heaven.
Now Pay Attention: Gen 1:1 to 1:19 gives the creation of the heavens and earth, the sun, the moon, the stars,
plants and so on, but stops short of any animal. What was the woman wearing and where was she standing?
She was in the heavens that was already created.
She had the Sun wrapped around her that was already created.
She stood on the moon which was already created.
Satan threw stars to an earth that was already created.
This means Jesus was born in heaven after the 4th day of creation. Gen 1:1 to 1:19
covers all the events up to the end of the fourth day. Therefore, Jesus is
not the creator, which also means he is not God Almghty. No better proof can be had than that.
The casting down of Satan brought a lot of happiness to those who were in heaven.
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Then
I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength,
and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for
the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and
night, has been cast down.
Rev 12:10
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The rejoicing comes from heaven, and takes place in heaven, and does
not come to earth. Therefore, the term "they" does not refer to any
person or angel that is on earth. It only refers to those who are in
heaven at the time of Satan being cast out and thereafter.
The inhabitants of earth receive just the opposite: Woe.
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Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time. Rev 12:12 |
Satan then goes after the woman who is in the Wilderness.
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Now
when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth,
he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child.
Rev 12:13
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How long is a time?
How long is a time, times?
How long is a time,
times, and half a time?
Most people agree it is 3 1/2 of something. A
time, plus a time doubled, plus half a time, comes to 3 1/2. But did
you know it also comes to 7?
When I figured out what a Season was, and how long it was, I also figured out a
Time is made up of 4 seasons, spring, summer, fall and winter. A biblical
season is roughly 500 years long. That makes a time 2,000 years long. So
a Time, Times, and Half a Time is 7,000 years long. Or there abouts.
From the beginning of the day of Rest, to the beginning of the next Sabbath Day, will be 7,000 years.
Likewise, from the end of the Day of rest to the end of the Day of Judgment [sabbath] will be 7,000 years.
This means there is rougly 2,500-3,000 years left until then. 1,000 will be the millennium.
After that is what Jesus refferred to as "Winter" in Mat 24:20, which is the time of the battle of Gog and Magog era.
And that of course that will be followed by 1,000 years for the Day of Judgment.
This is where things tie back to Daniel as well. He too used the same phrase
when he was shown how long it would be before the kingdom of God is
restored. Which by the way, all of the prophesies before and after the
coming of Jesus, are all about restoring the Kingdom of God for eternity.
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How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?" .... it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished. Dan 12:6-7 in part |
Time, Times, and half a Time, started right after the flood.
The conception and making a plan to save mankind over a period of 7 thousand years. That
conception, or thought, happened with the flood and began immediately afterwards.
Getting back to chapter 12, Satan goes after the woman by spewing water
out of his mouth.
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So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 12:16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Rev 12:15-16 |
The earth helped the woman because Satan is confined down here to earth,
and his voice cannot leave it's realm. Therefore, she was not hindered. My guess
where she went is to the new heaven and new earth where Satan cannot go.
This water Satan spewed, is likely the same water that makes up the flood that
Satan is doing to the people through false teachings and
eventually the image of the beast that will be put in the holy place. This
is also the same thing Daniel said.
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With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant. Dan 11:22 |
At the end of chapter 12 we see where Satan is enraged and has to stop
going after the woman because he is bound down here on earth. The events
have been accomplished and cannot be undone.
She has succeeded in bringing Jesus to life and so
the only thing left for Satan to do is to go after the believers so
that he can try to destroy them and any faith they may have.
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And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Rev 12:17 |
It is very conceiveable she had more than one son in heaven, and
most likely did because God does have more than on son. Gen 6:2 and Job 38:7 tells us that.
We are not really her offspring because we have been born here on earth. We come from
our parents. But we may become her offspring by us accepting the
things and events of the prophesies of God, and those of Jesus and
believing that he is the way to salvation.
None the less, we are very heavily persecuted by Satan and his people, and his fallen angels.