Revelation 12 is like a much-anticipated boxing match. With a great deal of fanfare, the two fighters enter the arena. They position themselves on opposite sides of the ring as the announcer introduces them to the spectators. In one corner, we have the woman with a crown of twelve stars on her head, symbolizing all people who are loyal to Jesus the Messiah, God’s anointed king who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” In the other corner is an enormous red dragon. This sinister creature is “that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.” (This image might remind Tolkien readers of Smaug, the dragon in The Hobbit.)
This dragon has (to put it mildly) some highly unusual features. John describes him as having “seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.” In the next chapter, the dragon will call forth a beast who possesses very similar characteristics. (Revelation 13:1) What’s the meaning of all this?
John draws most of his imagery directly from the Old Testament, in this case the book of Daniel. In Daniel 7, the prophet records a disturbing vision of four terrifying beasts arising from the sea. (In ancient Jewish thought, the sea symbolized darkness, chaos & evil.) The first beast was like a lion, the second a bear and the third a leopard with four heads. The fourth & final beast was the most frightening of all: “it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.”
A heavenly being interpreted the dream for Daniel: the four beasts represent a succession of four kingdoms which will be given authority over the earth. For a period of time, these empires will persecute God’s faithful people. But God (“the Ancient of Days”) will not allow this injustice to persist forever. He will pronounce judgment upon the beast, who will be totally destroyed. Sovereignty over the world will then be given to “one like a son of man.” (v13) This human figure will establish an eternal kingdom “that will never be destroyed.”
The Jews often interpreted Daniel’s “son of man” as the Messiah, the king of Israel who would be God’s agent in establishing his kingdom over all creation. But the son of man also represents “the Holy people of the Most High” who “receive the kingdom and will possess it forever – yes, for ever and ever.” Thus, we find here the same theme we examined in the last blog: God’s Messiah will share his reign over the world with his people.
Scholars have long debated the precise correspondence of Daniel’s four beasts. That’s a fascinating discussion, but it does not change the main point of the vision, which is that the idolatrous, violent, unjust and immoral empires of humanity would be overthrown and replaced by the kingdom of the Messiah and his people. Drawing on this very passage, Jesus often referred to himself as the son of man. In doing so, Jesus was making an implicit claim to be the Messiah.
Daniel’s four beasts collectively have seven heads & ten horns. (The leopard has four heads plus the heads of the remaining three. The fourth beast has ten horns.) His first three beasts resemble a lion, a bear & a leopard. John the Seer applies these same characteristics to the great red dragon and to the dragon’s agent, the beast. John essentially takes Daniel’s four beasts and combines them into a single figure.
The people who first read the book of Revelation were first century Christians living in the Roman province of Asia. They wouldn’t have had any difficulty identifying John’s beast, for there was only one possible candidate in the ancient world: the Roman empire.
The dragon is the archenemy of the woman. For a moment, it seemed as if the dragon might secure a first-round knockout: “The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.” (Revelation 12:4) This reminds us of how King Herod (the client king of Rome) attempted to murder the Christ child.
We might have expected that John would elaborate much more on the life of Jesus. But he instead summarizes Jesus’ earthly career in one short sentence: “And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.” (v5) John certainly believes that Jesus’ death & resurrection are foundational for the Christian faith. But his focus in this passage is on the fate of the woman. What will become of her?
This is, of course, precisely the question which John’s readers were asking themselves. They were a tiny minority facing the might of the Roman Empire and the hostility of pagan society. (Sociologist Rodney Stark has estimated that there were less than 10,000 Christians at the end of the 1st century, while the population of the Roman Empire was about 60 million.) At least one Christian in the city of Pergamum had already been put to death on account of his loyalty to Jesus. (Revelation 2:13) John warns his readers that much more trouble is on the way.
“The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:6) Mention of “the wilderness” ought to stir up our scriptural memory banks. After rescuing Israel from slavery in Egypt, God led his people through the wilderness on the way to the promised land. In the wilderness, the Israelites encountered adversity. There were times when they lacked food & water or were beset by marauding enemies. Israel’s trust in God was put to the test – a test which they repeatedly failed.
During the reign of the wicked King Ahab and his pagan Queen Jezebel, the prophet Elijah famously challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest on Mount Carmel. The LORD sent down fire on Elijah’s sacrifice, decisively demonstrating that he was indeed the one true God. Elijah immediately ordered that the vile prophets of Baal be put to the sword. Jezebel was not amused. She solemnly swore to kill Elijah, who was forced to flee into the same wilderness his ancestors had traversed centuries before. (I Kings 19:4) This was a time of severe trial, when Elijah was forced to rely on the LORD’s provision and protection.
Of course, Jesus himself “was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1) Just as Israel had been tempted and failed, Jesus remained faithful and obedient.
John prophesies that God’s new covenant people would soon endure another wilderness experience – a time of tribulation lasting “1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:6) Like virtually all numbers in the book of Revelation, the 1,260 days is symbolic. Daniel 7 describes how the beast persecutes the saints for “a time, two times and half a time.” (Daniel 7:25) This phrase can also be translated as “a year, two years and half a year.” This obviously adds up to 3 1/2 years. Just as the number seven symbolizes completion, 3 1/2 (half of seven) naturally suggests an incomplete or limited period of time. Instead of 3 1/2 years, John sometimes substitutes 42 months or 1,260 days (using 30-day lunar month). But each of these figures refers to the same reality.
John is not attempting to lay out a precise timetable of future events. He is warning his readers that they will face tribulation from the beast (the Roman Empire) because of their allegiance to Jesus. They will be scorned by their neighbors. Their livelihoods will be threatened, and their possessions confiscated. (Revelation 13:16-17) They may even be put to death. But God remains sovereign. They will “be taken care of” (Revelation 12:6) in the sense that their lives are ultimately in God’s hands. Those who lay down their lives in loyalty to Jesus will surely be raised to new life.
The book of Revelation is frequently misunderstood, often by forcing an overly literal interpretation. Some have postulated a future tribulation lasting 3 1/2 years. But we must remember that the meaning of Revelation must have some relevance to its original audience. It would have made no sense for John to warn first century Christians about a time of trial in the far distant future.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that this passage is irrelevant to us today. John sternly warned his readers that there would be eternal consequences for those who compromise or collude with evil, injustice & immorality. He urged them to remain wholly faithful to Jesus, even at the cost of their lives. For in doing so, they would achieve the victory. That’s a vital message for Christians of every age.
