2. THE WOMAN AND DRAGON Revelation 12:1-6 1 And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars; --A "sign" is something to represent or signify something else. This very word shows that the vision John saw in heaven was a symbol of something. Sign is often used to indicate future events as Matthew 16:3 clearly shows. The very language of this paragraph proves that its meaning here applies to the future. The commentators generally agree that the woman in the vision represents the church. The relationship of a wife to her husband symbolically refers to the relationship of the saved to God or Christ. Of national Israel Isaiah said: "For thy Maker is thy husband; Jehovah of hosts is his name." (Isaiah 54:5.) Concerning Christ's relationship to the church Paul said: "For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church." (Ephesians 5:23.) In verse 32 he declares plainly that in using the illustration of husband and wife he spoke of Christ and the church. Changing the figure slightly, Paul refers to Sarah and Hagar as being the two covenants--one from Mount Sinai, the other from Jerusalem--and says that Christians are children of the free woman. (Galatians 4:23-24; Galatians 4:31.) There is no room for doubt here that the woman represents the church. Paul told the Corinthians that he had espoused them unto one husband. (2 Corinthians 11:2.) The description of the woman shows that she represents the true apostolic church, as it was originally established, not the corrupt church that was developed later. Sun, moon, and stars constitute the sum of material light; so through the word of God is given to the church all the spiritual light there is. Hence, indirectly Christ's disciples are the "light of the world." (Matthew 5:14.) Since Christ is the "sun of righteousness" (Malachi 4:2), and the source of all our spiritual light, "arrayed with the sun" probably means the church clothed with Christ. As those in Christ have put him on, arrayed with Christ is a most natural meaning for the expression. The suggestion made by some commentators that the moon represents the Jewish covenant or law seems the most probable explanation for this expression. The moon is an inferior light-shining body--reflects its light; such were the Jewish scriptures. Seeing the moon under her feet would imply their inferiority. Crowned with twelve stars most likely represents the apostles, who next to Christ occupied the most honorable position in the church as leaders. Twelve indicates perfection, and the apostles were the perfect mediums through which the church received her light. The word "crown" here--Greek stephanos--means a crown of victory, not a ruling crown. The apostles victoriously revealed the truth. 2 and she was with child; and she crieth out, travailing in birth, and in pain to be delivered.--The peculiar condition of the woman indicates a time when the church was to increase its membership, and implies that this vision takes us back to an early day in her history, if not to the very beginning. The success of the church in the first century is found in the New Testament. From that time on, of course, we are dependent on secular history. 3 And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems.--There is no need to worry about the seeming incongruity of a dragon being "in heaven," or just what is meant by heaven, as some interpreters do; for what John saw is only a picture to indicate certain facts or events. This should be kept constantly in mind as the symbols are studied. The word "sign," as in verse 1, shows that something in the future is indicated. The word "dragon" is used thirteen times in the New Testament and all are in this book. In verse 9 he is called "the old serpent" and "the Devil and Satan." Literally, it seems to denote some fabulous, serpent-form creature. Since the dragon is represented here as the deadly enemy of the woman and her offspring, the language appears as an allusion to Eve and the serpent in the Eden tragedy. (Genesis 3:1-6.) But the description here indicates that Satan figures in the events only as an instigator of fight on the church, the dragon being some earthly agency or medium through which the actual opposition was to be made. Plainly stated, the spirit of the dragon is the devil he inspires the dragon's acts. The dragon is described as being great and red in color. This implies that his fight against the true church would be terrific and characterized with bloodshed. It is not unusual for fabulous creatures in mythology to be given some unnatural appearance, but there must have been significant reasons for picturing an enemy of the church in such hideous form. Seven symbolically represents completeness and heads indicate power or authority, but there is probably some additional reason why that number is used in this emblem. The full significance of this symbol will be seen only when compared with similar ones in Revelation 13:1 and Revelation 17:3. The word "horn" is an emblem of power and the number "ten" indicates its general or universal exercise. Some expositors explain "heads" to be symbolic of wisdom and the "horns" to indicate power. That, of course, is true in fact as applied to the dragon, and the numbers show the complete and extensive use of such powers. The diadems upon the seven heads show that the dragon was some kind of ruling institution. It is a matter of common knowledge that the church was established within the Roman Empire, and was therefore politically subject to Roman law. That the church passed through many persecutions and suffered much from the Roman rulers is also a known fact. The natural conclusion, then, is that the first great power against the church was pagan Rome. Elliott's commentary (Vol. III, p. 15) gives documentary evidence that the dragon became a Roman ensign near the close of the second century. If so, it is another indication pointing to the Roman Empire as the church's first enemy--in the texts using the word dragon. Another proof that pagan Rome was that first enemy is that John later saw a beast to which the dragon gave his authority (Revelation 13:1; Revelation 13:4), and this beast had seven heads. Diadems upon the heads would indicate at least that ruling authority was claimed. In Revelation 17:12 the ten horns of the beast are said to be "ten kings." Horns, therefore, signify the power to rule. "Ten" may only mean the universal rule of the Roman Empire or different divisions of the empire that supplied this power. The leading facts are sufficient to identify the dragon as pagan Rome. John saw a monster in the picture, and there is no more necessity for every detail to represent some specific thing than for every item in a parable to indicate something definite in the application. 4 And his tail draweth the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth:--In the vision John apparently sees the dragon passing through the heaven sweeping down one-third of the stars with his tail. Perhaps all that was intended by this part of the symbol was to indicate what a terrific and powerful enemy the church would have to meet in the Roman Empire. This feature of the symbol harmonizes with the idea that the dragon is represented as a serpent. Since this work of the dragon seems to have occurred before the exaltation of the "man child" (verse 5), it may indicate different rulers that had been subjected to Rome when nations had been conquered by Roman arms, or it could refer to religious leaders who were killed or who apostatized. If this be the proper application, then the stars falling to earth indicated that rulers would lose their places of authority or deny the faith. The third part means not all, but a great number. and the dragon standeth before the woman that is about to be delivered, that when she is delivered he may devour her child.--As the woman represents the church, the birth of a child indicates increase in the church by the addition of members. Of course, there had been a growth of the church since its establishment at Pentecost. The emblem here then must mean some time when there was about to be a great increase of the church, or when the increase became so influential that Rome felt the necessity of its destruction. The persecution under Diocletian, the emperor, began in A.D. 303. The evident purpose was the destruction of Christianity. Gibbon says it was perhaps represented to Diocletian that "the glorious work of the deliverance of the empire was left imperfect, as long as an independent people was permitted to subsist and multiply in the heart of the provinces." (Decline and Fall, Vol. II, p. 62.) The twenty-third of February was the day appointed "to set bounds to the progress of Christianity," doors of church houses were broken open and volumes of the holy scriptures committed to the flames. (Ibid., p. 63.) Gibbon further says that Diocletian was at length transported beyond bounds of moderation and declared "his intention of abolishing the name Christian." (Ibid., p. 69.) In A.D. 311 Maximin, the Eastern Roman emperor, spoke of the "obstinate impiety of Christians" and readily consented to their banishment. (Ibid., p. 78.) The dragon really stood ready to prevent the increase of the church. 5 And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron:--In the symbol John now sees not only the woman, but also the son that was born. For reasons already presented the woman represents the church. Who or what is meant by the man-child has occasioned much disagreement among noted expositors. Some apply the words to Christ largely because the man-child was said to be caught up to God and to rule the nations with a rod of iron. The following reasons satisfactorily show that the words do not refer to Christ: (1) After Christ's ascension to heaven there was no occasion for his being rescued from the dragon. (2) The theory would make the church produce Christ, whereas the Bible makes him the founder of the church. (3) In verse 17 of this chapter the dragon is said to "make war with the rest of her seed, that keep the commandments of God." This language can only refer to members of the church. Then the man-child symbolically represents the increase of the church--those who through the church's activities became Christians. If there is an apparent lack of harmony in the man-child representing members of the church and the woman the church, it is not a serious objection. Mother and child are of the same nature, and increase in the church leaves it the same institution. However, to use Paul's allegory (Galatians 4:24-31), the woman may be said to represent the covenant and members the children of the covenant. The expression "rule them with a rod of iron" in Revelation 19:15 clearly refers to Christ, but the same expression in Revelation 2:27 just as clearly refers to saints that keep Christ's commandments. This text, Revelation 12:5, is unquestionably synonymous with Revelation 2:27 and not with Revelation 19:15. The word "rule" in all these texts (Greek poimaino) means to "shepherd," not the word (Greek basileuo) which means "reign." The thought is that those who keep Christ's commands will be able to shepherd or lead with God's word. A "rod. of iron" would indicate that their dominion would be strong and dependable. Such is the nature of God's word. and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne. --Since this cannot refer to Christ's ascension, it must mean some kind of glorious exaltation for Christians who had safely come through the persecutions. That this exaltation came soon after the decrees of Diocletian and Maximin that Christianity should be abolished is carat the facts indicate as necessary to fulfill the symbol. In the vision the child appeared to John as ascending to the very throne of God to escape the wrath of the dragon. This means that the church with its increase in membership was to be exalted to a position where it would be protected instead of persecuted. Gibbon says that "the defeat and death of Maximin soon delivered the church from the last and most implacable of her enemies." (Decline and Fall, Vol. II, p. 78.) He means the last of the enemy rulers in that age, for the beast to which the dragon was to give its authority was yet to arise. (Revelation 13:1; Revelation 13:4.) The sorrows as of a woman in travail had ceased. In A.D. 310 Galerius, the Eastern Emperor, issued his Edict of Toleration by which Christians were granted the right to worship God and conduct their own religious services. In A.D. 308 the Roman Empire was divided among six contending emperors. In A.D. 313 two of them, Constantine and Licinius, issued the celebrated Edict of Milan in which Christians were given complete liberty. By a victory over Licinius in A.D. 323 Constantine became the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. By laws and edicts which he issued that were favorable to Christianity, and the calling of the church council at Nice in A.D. 325, he accepted Christianity as the true religion. It is even claimed he became a member of the church. Gibbon says the church considered Constantine as a "generous patron, who seated Christianity on the throne of the Roman world." (Vol. II, p. 273.) Surely the exaltation of the man-child symbol finds its appropriate fulfillment in this acknowledgment of Christianity. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and threescore days.--John here, by anticipation, briefly refers to what he describes in verses 14-17. See those verses for comments.