Revelation 12

Chap. XII. Ver. 1—17. The woman clothed with the sun, ee ras to this chapter the last verse of the preceding, which, therefore, we did not notice in that place. We have before repeatedly observed, that there are in many of these visions allusions to the scenery of the Jewish temple, and this is one of the most remarkable instances. The holy of holies is now laid open to the 7. epee view, and the ark of the covenant appears, with the usual awful tokens of the divine presence; but in the foreground of this scene behold, a pregnant woman, and that woman clothed in glory. She is clothed, according to Bishop Newton, by being invested with the rays of Jesus Christ, the Sun of Righteousness; having “the moon”—the Jewish new moons and festivals, as well as all sublunary things—“ under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars’—an emblem of her being under the guidance of the twelve apostles.

This woman, the commentators seem universally agreed, must represent the Christian church, according to the practice of the ancients, who commonly depicted empires, nations, and cities, under the feminine form, with proper and distinguishing emblems. This woman, we are farther told, was pregnant— was taken in labour, and in much agony “ brought forth a man (or masculine) child.” Before this woman also appeared a great red (or scarlet) dragon, representing Satan himself as the demon of Pagan tyranny and persecution. When we are told “his tail drew down a third part of the stars of heaven,” it may probably allude to his seduction of that part of the heavenly host “ who kept not their first estate,”

for he was a liar and a tempter from the beginning; or it may refer to those stars of the Christian church below, which he had seduced into error and worldly ambition; for we know from other Scriptures, he lieth in wait, “ seeking whom he may devour.” His object now was to devour this new-born child: but there is an eye in heaven that never sleeps; and in this critical moment, when the dragon was feasting his eyes with the hopes of prey, it was suddenly caught to heaven.; but who was this masculine child? Archdeacon Woodhouse interprets this of our Saviour himself; and Bishop Newton supposes that Constantine might be intended; but, with Lowman and Fuller, we rather refer it to the seed of the church, mentioned in the close of the chapter.

‘It was this seed (says the latter expositor) that the dragon aimed, by persecution and corruption, to destroy. This child was born to rule; not, however, at present: for if so, there had been no need of his being caught up to the throne of God, nor for his mother’s flying into the wilderness for 1260 years. It is at the end of that period that the man child, or the seed of the church, shall rule, and this accords with Daniel vii. 27, ‘The kingdom and dominion shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High.’ As to the woman, a place had also been prepared for her. The child (like young Joash, in the time of Athaliah, ‘(2 Kings 11:2-3)) was secured in the temple opened in heaven; but the woman had a refuge provided in the wilderness, or desert, as was the case with Elijah; and the wings of a great eagle (as mentioned in verse 14) were given her, to facilitate her escape.

The time of her seclusion was also commensurate with that of the prophesied witnesses, and of their mourning. While the witnesses were persecuted, the church must needs “weep in secret places.” God will, however, take part with them: and the dragon is not only deprived of his prey, but cast down from heaven in discomfiture and disgrace. Michael and his host are sent to engage with Satan and his angels, in which there is doubtless an allusion to (Daniel 10:13), &c., xii. 1; where Michael is described as fighting the battles of the Lord, and of his church. If the great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, intend, as we conceive it does, the demon of Paganism under the old Roman empire, his waiting to destroy the new-born child of Christianity must represent his watchful cruelty during the ten Pagan persecutions.

After this, when he was cast out of heaven, and Paganism was subdued under the establishment of Christianity, he raged the more: first, in attempting to revive the old system of idolatry under Julian, the apostate; and, afterwards, in corrupting the Christian church itself by heretical doctrines and secular ambition, until at length the same spirit animated and inspired the Papal monster; the woman (i. e. the true church) who had hidden herself as well as she could hitherto, was now upborne, as upon eagles’ wings, to her refuge in the wilderness, during the reign of antichrist, and the testimony of the witnesses; a being confined to the same period of 1260 days, or years; or, as expressed in verse 14, for a time, and times, and half a time, i.

e. three prophetic years and a half.: ‘ Now, heel the old serpent found that he was disappointed of his prey by the flight of the church into the wilderness, he poured forth after her a flood, whether of temptation, affliction, or persecution, all of which are compared to waters; from his doing this, however, it should seem that he was not aware that she had received wings from heaven. By the earth swallowing up those floods, may, perhaps, be intended the assistance and protection that the church oftentimes receives from worldly men. From the flight of the woman (or church) being twice mentioned, some have considered that two flights are here intended; and, true enough, the church has often been obliged to save herself by flight; but the sacred writers, and especially the prophets, do not, we know, pay that attention to method and order, which we find in modern compositions; and these flights of the church are so exactly similar, that, with Archdeacon Woodhouse, we are satisfied of their being the same.

There is a like difference among expositors, as to the “ war in heaven;” some supposing it to refer directly and solely to the first fall of Satan and the rebel hosts, so circumstantially described by Milton; (Paradise Lost, book i.;) and others concan never be said of angels.:

Notes on the verses

Ver. 13. A tenth part—i. e. one of the ten kingdoms mentioned in (Revelation 13:1).

Ver. 16. Sat before God on their seats.—Greek “thrones,” as in (Revelation 4:4).

Chap. XI. Ver. 1. A great wonder.—So verse 3. Meaning, properly, a type or symbol of Christianity, or the Christian church.

Ver. 2. And pained.—Doddridge, “in agony.”

Ver. 3. A tana red dragon.—The redness here is properly that of fire. A dragon is properly an enormous serpent.

Ver. 5. man Child.—Doddridge, “a masculine son,” which is literal.

And her child, &c.—Some place these words to the end of verse 6, in a passage.

Ver. 6. Fled into the wilderness.—By a wilderness, in Scripture, is always meant a place barren, and destitute of human food.

See (Isaiah 41:19-20), (Ezekiel 20:35). (Hosea 2:14). 15.

Ver. 14. Two wings of a great eagle.—To be borne on eagles’ wings, implies divine miraculous deliverance. See (Exodus 19:4). (Isaiah 40:31), &c.

Ver. 15. Water as a flood.—Doddridge and W.