A great wonder in heaven
The word "wonder" (or sign) is used seven times in the book of Revelation, but only once is it called "great." Before we look into the story of this chapter we must underline the main thought which is; the preservation of God's people, despite the opposition of the hosts of hell. This final effort of Satan to crush the people of God will fail, as did all the rest. God will preserve His people even in the darkest of days. Revelation is a book of "great things " because it is the climax of human history and most things in it therefore are described as great. This is indeed a great wonder a sign of something of spiritual importance. The picture is very graphic and leaves nothing to the imagination. Here we learn the truth of Psalm 33v11 "the counsel of the Lord standeth forever; the thoughts of his heart to all generations." There is no greater wonder in all of human history than the preservation of the true Israel throughout the ages. Here we have the glorious conclusion of that story.
It centres around two wonders in heaven.
- The wonder of the woman clothed with the sun.
- The wonder of the great red dragon.who opposes her.
In short we have the victory of the woman and the downfall of Satan. After thousands of years of persecution, all of Satan's efforts have failed. The merging together of the two wonders defines this chapter and indeed the whole of history.
We have a woman in the pains of childbirth and a dragon described as "that old serpent", with the avowed intention to destroy her seed . It is clear from the chapter that the woman is messianic Israel (that is true believing Israel). It is also clear that Satan is the dragon. However the story goes back further than the nation of Israel. It goes back to the story of creation and the fall in Genesis chapter 3 verse 15. There it says "I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed; he shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel." The enmity between satan and the seed of the woman has continued as long as the earth has existed. In essence it is the story of the power struggle between demons and mankind. What is not always understood is that in the purposes of God man has replaced fallen angels as God's vice-regents for the world. The seed of the woman therefore became the object of Satan's wrath and this will continue until the end. This chapter will mark the further downfall of Satan, yet his hatred of mankind will know no bounds. The message of revelation chapter 12 , since it begins with a beautiful picture of a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of stars upon her head and the story here, is of the wonderful protection and preservation of God, and the ultimate victory of His people.
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