Revelation 12

Revelation 12:1

Another vision is here set down, and either the heaven or the air made the scene whereon it is represented, thus: And methought I saw a woman, signifying the church of Christ thereby, and that woman, that church shining most illustriously with those graces which Christ the Sun of righteousness had bestowed upon it, and thereby much outshining the Jewish state of imperfection before Christ came, which was now also destroyed, and this church founded in the twelve apostles, which, as teachers thereof, are best compared to stars, ch. i. 20, and those as so many gems in the crown of the church, that is, principal persons in the constituting this kingdom of Christ.

[a] clothed with the sun, and—] What notion is here to be affixed to the sun and moon, may thus most probably be resolved; the sun being the spring and fulness of light, communicating to all, but needing not to receive light from any, may fitly represent the Christian religion, as that contains the doctrines of perfect purity, not only external, but of the heart, and is an addition of perfection to all the laws that had formerly been given to men. And then the moon, being a fainter light, and proverbially noted for mutability, it may well signify the imperfect, and accordingly mutable economy of the Mosaical law. That the moon is under this woman’s feet, may signify that the church, noted by this woman clothed with the sun, that is, the Christian church, had now cast off that yoke of the Mosaical observances. Others have applied it to the use that Christian religion makes of the law and prophets, as a footstool to rest upon in some degree. But the phrase under the feet rather implies that of bringing low, destroying, than making use of it; as when the enemies are put under the feet, or made the footstool, it notes them to be subdued. And so the Mosaical economy was at this time solemnly laid aside by the Christians, and the nation and temple destroyed in the former visions.

Revelation 12:2

And this woman was with child, and ready to bring forth, that is, by the preaching of the apostles and apostolical men, was in travail to produce Christians, (see Gal. iv. 19,) that is, children to Christ, over all the world.

Revelation 12:3

And on the other side, methought there was a dragon, that is, the devil, that great enemy of Christianity, who had for a long time the city of Rome (so religiously devoted to the worship of idols, that is, of devils, 1 Cor. x. 20,) under his command, and all the principalities under it, (the first noted by the seven heads, that is, the seven hills on which the city was built, the other by the ten horns, ch. xiii. 1, and xvii.

Revelation 12:4

And the devil, to oppose the prospering of the word of Christ and preaching of the gospel, made use of subtilty, by the false doctrine of Simon and the Gnostics, to corrupt the doctors and people of the church; and having succeeded prosperously in it in Samaria and other places, attempted the same also at Rome, that as soon as any turned Christians, they should infuse their doctrines into them: (see note [a] 2 Tim. iii, and 2 Thess. ii.)

[b] his tail] Supposing the great red dragon, ver. 3, to signify the devil, (see note [d]), the only question is, what is here meant by ἡ οὐρὰ αὐτοῦ, his tail. To this purpose it must be observed, that the serpent’s power of hurting lies principally in his head; and therefore as it is of them observed, that they do all they can to preserve their head, as that wherein they are most nearly concerned, so the punishment that by God is threatened Satan in the shape of a serpent, Gen. iii. 15, is, that the seed of the woman shall bruise his head, that is, shall overpower and master him: and accordingly here the Roman imperial power, by means of which the devil is able to kill and persecute Christians, is expressed by the heads of the dragon, ver. 3. And then the tail being most distant from the head, and here mentioned distinctly from the seven heads, and that which here follows of drawing the stars, that is, corrupting the Christians, attributed distinctly to the tail, as that which succeeds, ch. xiii. 1, to the heads; it will follow, that the tail of the serpent shall most reasonably have a peculiar notion, and signify his policy and subtlety, which is the engine by which he works, before he proceeds to use his power, or when his power or force cannot prevail. And of this sort the instruments ordinarily are magicians and sorcerers, and false prophets, that by deceits seduce and corrupt men: and none more eminently deserved this title than Simon and his followers; first, in respect of the prodigies that he made show of; secondly, by his doctrine of compliances, which offered all men ways of escaping persecutions, whether from the Jews or Gentiles, by determining it lawful to deny Christ, and offer sacrifices to idols; thirdly, by gratifying all their carnal desires, and giving them liberty for all uncleanness. From whence it is that Cyril of Jerusalem calls Simon by this title, so proper to this place, ὁ πρῶτος τῆς κακίας δράκων, the prime dragon of wickedness, or wicked dragon. And so this is most proper to this part of the ecclesiastic story of those first times, that as soon as the wheat was any where sown, the enemy sowed his darnel

Revelation 12:5

And there came into the church many Christians in the city of Rome, that imperial city, ver. 3, who proved very constant and faithful to Christ; and so a church was established there, which should convert many to the faith of Christ by preaching the word (which is the rod of iron, that is, spiritual sword or sceptre of Christ, the instrument of managing his spiritual kingdom, see note [o] ch. ii.) unto them. And as soon as a church was planted here, it was in the infancy endangered to be devoured by the dragon, the devil, assisted by the Roman power, the persecuting emperor Nero, about the tenth year of his reign, had it not been wonderfully preserved by God.

Revelation 12:6

And soon after the Christians were by edict forbidden throughout the empire; but God preserved his church in this persecution, which lasted three years and an half.

[c] woman fled into the wilderness] The time of the woman’s flying into the wilderness, that is, of the banishing of the Christians from Rome, is known in story to have been in the tenth of Nero, at which time having fired the city, he imputed it unto the Christians. That he did it himself is affirmed clearly by Suetonius, in Ner. c. 38, Quasi offensus deformitate veterum ædificiorum, et angustii flexurisque vicorum, incendit urbem; et incendium ex turre Mæcenatiana prospectans, latus flammæ, ut aiebat, pulchritudine, ἄλωσιν Ilii in illo suo scenico habitu decantavit, “Not liking the unbeautifulness of the ancient buildings, nor the narrowness and turnings of the streets, he set the city on fire, and there burnt all that was sacred and precious in the city, and looking on the fire from a tower, and delighted, as he said, with the beauty of the flame, sang in his scenical habit the taking of Troy.” Thus again we find in Xiphilin, out of Dio. But for this the Christians were accused by him, and cruelly punished, saith Tacitus, Annal. l. 15, and that writer, being an hater of the Christians, is pleased to think them guilty, and falsely affirms, that some of them confessed the fact, whilst not only in the general reputation of all men that then lived, of other writers that wrote of those times, but by the confession of Tacitus himself, Nero was acknowledged the author of it, who meant to have the honour of building a new city, and calling it by his own name by this means. However, the persecution of the Christians began by this pretence, was by Nero’s edicts the next year improved and advanced to so high a pitch, that Christianity was quite interdicted the Roman empire. So saith Sulpicius Severus; Neque ulla re Nero efficiebat quin ab eo jussum incendium putaretur; igitur vertit invidiam in Christianos, actæque in innoxios crudelissimæ quæstiones, quin et novæ mortes excogitatæ—Hoc initio in Christianos sæviri æptum, post etiam datis legibus religio vetabatur, palamque edictis propositis Christianum esse non licebat, “Nero could by no means persuade men but that the city was burnt by his command; whereupon he diverted the envy of it on the Christians, and appointed cruel torments for the examining them, and invented new kinds of death. On this beginning the persecution brake out against the Christians, and after it the religion was prohibited by laws, and public edicts made that no man might be a Christian.” And this is it which is here meant by the woman’s flying into the wilderness, and accordingly is by Tertullian called the first persecution; because though the Christians as such suffered before in Claudius’s time, yet that was not by any imperial edict, but only by tumults, when the heathen people were incited by the malicious Jews. For as we read Acts xviii. the proconsul Gallio would be no judge in such matters, but drave the Jews from the judgment-seat. And this was toward the latter end of Claudius, after Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome: in which banishment of the Jews some Christians might suffer occasionally, and St. John be banished into Patmos; but there was as yet no edict against them as Christians, at the least none for

Revelation 12:7

And there was a great contention at Rome between Simon Peter on one side, the planter of the Christian faith, and bishop of the Jewish Christians, and so maintainer of Michael’s or Christ’s cause there, and Simon Magus, that apostate servant of the devil, at his second coming to Rome in Nero’s time; the one contending for Christ, the other against him: (see note [a] 2 Tim. iii.)

Revelation 12:8

And Peter and the cause of Christ prevailed against him; for though at his former coming to Rome, in Claudius’s days, Simon was there worshipped for a god; and at his second coming much favoured by Nero; yet upon his undertaking to fly in the air, by Peter’s prayers he was cast down and maimed in the fall, and through pain and shame forced to cast himself headlong down from the top of an house: (see note [a] 2 Tim. iii.)

Revelation 12:9

and 12,) and that city (noted by the seven heads) was the imperial city, and so had as many crowns on the heads.

And by this means the devil (that doth so oppose the Christian faith, and seduce men to heathenism

[d] great dragon] The Hebrews call Satan הנחש הקדמוני, the old serpent: so again, ch. xx. 2. And the casting him out at this time is the prospering of the Christian faith, consequent to this discomfiture of Simon Magus, and the manifestation of the power of Christ. So saith Arnobius, l. 2, Non distulerunt res patrias linquere, et veritati coalescere Christianæ: viderunt enim currum Simonis, &c. “They delayed not to leave all their worldly possessions, and to cleave to Christianity, (which was now under interdict:) for they saw Simon’s chariot and fiery horse dispelled by the breath of St. Peter’s mouth, &c.” And as by this means the heathens were converted to the faith, by seeing the power of Peter, so were the Gnostics discomfited, seeing their leader Simon destroyed.

Revelation 12:10

And this was matter of joy to all the Christians, nay, to the angels of heaven, who therefore praised and magnified the power of the Christian doctrine, which had cast out that eminent piece of hypocrisy out of the church, the doctrine of the Gnostics, which did really infuse that into Christians for which the devil is wont to accuse the servants of God falsely, (and gave an essay of it in his charging of Job, ch. i. 11,) to wit, that in time of persecution they will deny and forswear Christ.

[e] accused them] The accusation that Satan brings against sincere Christians appears by his dealing with Job, ch. i. 9, 11, to be to this effect, that they are hypocrites, and will only serve God as long as he protects and defends them. This it hereby appears that Satan looks on, as the charge of all others most for his turn to bring against men, and therefore that which he most desires to have truly said of them. Now the chief doctrine of the sect of the Gnostics, the followers of this Simon, (who is called the first-born of Satan,) was this, that in time of persecution it is lawful to deny and forswear Christ, (which was the very thing that the devil laid to Job’s charge,) and consequently all that were by him seduced into that doctrine, Satan might justly accuse before God day and night, as really guilty of that accusation. But when the doctrine of the Gnostics and the professors of it were now cast out of the church, then this is here truly said, that the accuser of the brethren, that is, of Christians, is cast out; that is, Satan can no longer with any justice accuse the Christian church, or, if he do, he is found to be a false accuser.

Revelation 12:11

And the faithful, sincere Christians, Peter and Paul, and divers others, having the patience and constancy of Christ before their eyes, (who laid down his life for them,) and his frequent doctrines of taking up the cross and following him, resolved to do so as he had given them example and command; and this was a victory over Satan, and these instruments of his, the Gnostics, which would have seduced all the Christians from their constancy.

Revelation 12:12

A thing much to be applauded and rejoiced at by all good men and angels. But upon this the devil was hugely enraged, to see his subtilty, (the tail of this serpent, ver. 4,) the false doctrines and infusions of these heretics, thus miscarry; and therefore in that rage of his, knowing that if he did not bestir himself mightily, Christianity, prevailing in the purity and sincerity of it, would utterly be his ruin, and that suddenly, he set a-foot the persecution against the whole Christian church by Nero’s edicts in a sharp manner.

Revelation 12:13

By this to revenge himself upon Christianity for the destruction of Simon, his beloved instrument.

Revelation 12:14

And so not only at Rome, ver. 6, but in all other parts of the Roman empire, Christianity was persecuted, and the Christians forced to fly, some one way, and some another, (as they had been Acts viii. 1,) by which means they were by the providence of God kept safe for some while: (see ver. 6.)

⁴ cast to the ground, ἄβληθη εἰς τὴν γῆν. ground, εἰς τὴν γῆν. ⁷ season, καιρόν.

⁵ a little season, δλίγον καιρόν. ⁶ on the

Revelation 12:16

[f] the earth helped the woman] The solemn notation of Judæa by ἡ γῆ, the land, hath often been taken notice of, and is very pertinent to this place, the seditions that were raised there about this time of Nero’s reign diverting the malice designed against the Christians: and the same continued all the time of Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian and Titus, and in all this space the Romans being wholly taken up about the Jews, the heathen emperors did nothing against the Christians, till Domitian comes, who is the subject of the vision in the next chapter.