Revelation 12 – The Dragon, The Woman and the Child

Revelation 12

The Dragon, the Woman, and the Child

The narrative that began in chapter 8 and ended in 11 won’t pick up again until Revelation 15

We have three breaks from Revelation 8 to 15

1. Revelation 12 – the war between good and evil
2. Revelation 13 – The rise of the dragon’s assistants, the land and the sea beast
3. Revelation 14 – The safety of the Saints and the harvesting of the earth

Chapter 12 serves a vital purpose: it gives the reader a deeper understanding of the forces and conditions that will force the Lord to move in wrath against the wicked of the earth.

John explains the symbols of the woman, the child, the rod of iron, the dragon, and Michael. The war that began in heaven is continued on the earth. Note the changed sequence of verses in the JST.

1 And there appeared a great sign in heaven, in the likeness of things on the earth; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.

2 And the woman being with child, cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

3 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up unto God and his throne.

4 And there appeared another sign in heaven; and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman which was delivered, ready to devour her child after it was born.

5 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore years.

6 And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought against Michael;

7 And the dragon prevailed not against Michael, neither the child, nor the woman which was the church of God, who had been delivered of her pains, and brought forth the kingdom of our God and his Christ.

8 Neither was there place found in heaven for the great dragon, who was cast out; that old serpent called the devil, and also called Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth; and his angels were cast out with him.

9 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ;

10 For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 For they have overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; for they loved not their own lives, but kept the testimony even unto death. Therefore, rejoice O heavens, and ye that dwell in them.

12 And after these things I heard another voice saying, Woe to the inhabiters of the earth, yea, and they who dwell upon the islands of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

13 For when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child.

14 Therefore, to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might flee into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

15 And the serpent casteth out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

16 And the earth helpeth the woman, and the earth openeth her mouth, and swalloweth up the flood which the dragon casteth out of his mouth.

17 Therefore, the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Interpretation

John’s Ability to SEE

First, Know that John is able to see cosmically because he is in God’s presence! We see this in other texts. For example, Moses is able to see all things:

And it came to pass, as the voice was still speaking, Moses cast his eyes and beheld the earth, yea, even all of it; and there was not a particle of it which he did not behold, discerning it by the Spirit of God. And he beheld also the inhabitants thereof, and there was not a soul which he beheld not; and he discerned them by the Spirit of God; and their numbers were great, even numberless as the sand upon the sea shore. And he beheld many lands; and each land was called earth, and there were inhabitants on the face thereof. And it came to pass that Moses called upon God, saying: Tell me, I pray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them? And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me. (Moses 1.27-31)

The Holy of Holies was outside of time

One scholar has much to say regarding the Holy of Holies existing “outside of time”:

The holy of holies was also beyond time. To enter was to enter eternity. Philo says that the veil ‘separated the changeable parts of the world… from the heavenly region which is without transient events and is unchanging (Questions on Exodus 2.91). The best known example of a timeless experience is the vision of Jesus in the wilderness when he was taken to a high place and saw ‘all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time’ (Luke 4.5). In the Apocalypse of Abraham the patriarch was taken up to heaven where he saw the stars far below him (Apocalypse of Abraham 20.3). The Eternal One then said to him: ‘Look now beneath your feet at the firmament and understand the creation that was depicted of old on this expanse…’ (Apocalypse of Abraham 21.1). Abraham sees the firmament as a screen on which the history of his people is revealed to him. The detail which links this experience of the firmament to the holy of holies is to be found in 3 Enoch, an undateable text which describes how Rabbi Ishmael the high priest ascended to heaven. Now Rabbi Ishmael lived after the temple had been destroyed and cannot have been a high priest, and the versions of 3 Enoch which we have were compiled long after that. Nevertheless, the association of ascent, high priesthood and the sanctuary experience persisted, and thus we find here in 3 Enoch the explanation of the vision described in the Apocalypse of Abraham. The firmament on which Abraham saw the history of his people was the veil.

…A transformation took place in the holy of holies: those who entered heaven became divine. Philo said that when the high priest entered the holy of holies he was not a man. We read Leviticus 16.17 as: ‘there shall be no man in the holy of holies when he (Aaron) enters to make atonement…’ but Philo translated it: ‘When the high priest enters the Holy of Holies he shall not be a man’, showing, he said, that the high priest was more than human (On Dreams 2.189). In 2 Enoch there is an account of how Enoch was taken to stand before the heavenly throne. Michael was told to remove his earthly clothing, anoint him and give him the garments of glory; ‘I looked at myself, and I had become like one of his glorious ones’ (2 En.22.10). This bears a strong resemblance Zechariah 3, where Joshua the high priest stands before the LORD, is vested with new garments and given the right to stand in the presence of the LORD. As late as the sixth century Cosmas Indicopleustes, an Egyptian Christian, wrote a great deal about the temple and its symbolism, and we shall have cause to consider his evidence at several points. Of Moses he said: the LORD hid him in a cloud on Sinai, took him out of all earthly things ‘and begot him anew like a child in the womb’ (Cosmas Christian Topography 3.13), clearly the same as Psalm 2; ‘I have set my king on Zion… You are my son. Today I have begotten you’ but using the imagery of reclothing with heavenly garments, rather than rebirth.

The best known example of such a transformation text is in the Book of Revelation. The vision begins in the hekhal where John sees the heavenly figure and the seven lamps, originally the menorah. Then he is invited to enter the holy of holies; a voice says: ‘Come up hither and I will show you what must take place after this’ (Rev.4.1). He sees the throne and the Lamb approaching the throne. Once the Lamb has taken the scroll he is worshipped by the elders in the sanctuary and then becomes identified with the One on the throne. Throughout the remainder of the book, the One on the throne and the Lamb are treated as one, with singular verbs. The Lamb has become divine.^[1]Margaret Barker, Beyond the Veil of the Temple. The High Priestly Origin of the Apocalypses, address to the Society for Old Testament Study in Cambridge January 1998, first published in … Continue reading

Outside of Time

We read this in Joseph Smith’s description of God and vision. Joseph said:

The great Jehovah contemplated the whole of the events connected with the earth, pertaining to the plan of salvation, before it rolled into existence, or ever the “morning stars sung together for joy,” the past, the present and the future, were, and are with him one eternal now; he knew of the fall of Adam, the iniquities of the antedeluvians, of the depth of iniquity that would be connected with the human family; their weakness and strength, their power and glory, apostasies, their crimes, their righteousness, and iniquity; he comprehended the fall of man, and their redemption; he knew the plan of salvation, and pointed it out; he was acquainted with the situation of all nations; and with their destiny; he ordered all things according to the council of his own will, he knows the situation of both the living, and the dead, and has made ample provision for their redemption, according to their several circumstances, and the laws of the kingdom of God, whether in this world, or in the world to come. The idea that some men form of the justice, judgment, and mercy of God, is too foolish for an intelligent man to think of; for instance it is common for many of our orthodox preachers to suppose, that if a man is not what they call converted, if he dies in that state, he must remain eternally in hell without any hope…^[2]Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 1842. See: https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/times-and-seasons-15-april-1842/10#full-transcript.

The Cosmic Battle Myth – The Forces of Chaos Against God

The forces of chaos fighting the gods is a common theme found in ancient creation stories. These motifs were played out many times in Fall festivals, recreating creation, celebrating the gathering of the harvest, and were told in all cultures throughout all time. Whether we are examining the creation myth of Marduk defeating the chaos monster Tiamat through the lens of Mesopotamia in the Enuma Elish story, or the account of Baal and his eventual triumph over Yam and Mot in Canaanite literature, or the Greek myth of the mother Leto who was attacked by the serpent Pytho, all of these stories share a common thread. Scholars generally agree that this mythic pattern “informs Revelation but disagree about what ot make of this conclusion.”^[3]Steven J. Friesen, Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John, p. 171.

The following elements are usually involved in the pattern of ancient religious myths in Near Eastern cultures:

Appearance of a dragon or pair of dragons

Chaos and disorder

The attack of the monster

Appearance of the champion

The dragon’s reign

The recovery of the champion

Renewed battle and victory of the champion

Fertility of the restored order

Procession and victory shout

Temple built for the warrior god

Banquet (wedding feast)

Manifestation of the champion’s universal reign^[4]Imperial cults, p. 171.

Marduk versus Tiamat – Enuma Elish

Marduk defeats the chaos dragon Tiamat, and and builds the world on the bones of Tiamat.  In Enuma Elish the symbol of chaos is the goddess Tiamat who personifies the sea.  The book of Genesis refers to the “deep” (Genesis 1:2).  The Hebrew word is תְּהוֹם tehom, which is linguistically related to Tiamat. 

Kingu, also spelled Qingu, meaning “unskilled laborer”, was a god in Babylonian mythology, and—after the murder of his father Abzu—the consort of the goddess Tiamat, his mother, who wanted to establish him as ruler and leader of all gods before she was killed by Marduk. Tiamat gave Kingu the Tablet of Destiny, which he wore as a breastplate and which gave him great power. She placed him as the general of her army. However, like Tiamat, Kingu was eventually killed by Marduk. Marduk mixed Kingu’s blood with earth and used the clay to mold the first human beings, while Tiamat’s body created the earth and the skies. Kingu then went to live in the underworld kingdom of Ereshkigal, along with the other deities who had sided with Tiamat.^[5]E.A. Wallis Budge, et al, & the British Museum, The Babylonian Legends of the Creation & the Fight Between Bel & the Dragon Told by Assyrian Tablets from Nineveh (BCE 668-626), … Continue reading

Yahweh versus Creation/The Sea/The Dragon

The Israelites clearly connected with this way of describing creation. Some examples are the following:

Psalm 104:7: “at your rebuke the waters fled.” This is not talking about low tide at the beach. Without raising a hand, the waters scampered away and were defeated.

Psalm 89:9-10: Yahweh rules “over the surging sea (yam)” and “crushed Rahab.”

Job 9:13: the “cohorts of Rahab cowered” at Yahweh’s feet.

Psalm 74:13-14: Yahweh “split open sea (yam)…broke the heads of the monster in the waters…crushed the heads of Leviathan.” The splitting of the Red Sea was the cosmic battle between Yahweh and the forces of Chaos!

Psalm 77:16, when the waters saw God coming, they went into a panic attack: they “writhed and convulsed.”

Yahweh attacks Egypt (as the Chaos Monster) in Ezekiel 29.3-5; Ezekiel 32.2-8

Baal versus Yamm (The Sea) and Mot (Death) – The Baal Cycle

Baal defeats Yam with special weapons made by Kothar (craftsman of the Gods) and kingship was given to Baal. A throne and a home was constructed for Baal on Mount Zaphon, where Baal ruled (he was the son of El!) in his house/temple. Baal’s rule is commemorated by feasts and he is remembered as a God of order, governing under El’s direction using the principles of order and right conduct as opposed to Yamm’s desire for revenge and blood. The entire story revolves around the themes of Kingship, creation, and temple. It is only in defeating Chaos and Death that Baal restores balance to the earth, brings honor to the Gods, and can reign as co-creator with El in his constructed temple.

The man child is the political kingdom of God. Satan knows that if he can kill the woman, he can prevent the political kingdom of God from ruling the world. His attack is always based on his desire for power and to rule the sons of God. His main attack is going to be against God’s church and kingdom.

With his kingdom a house is made from the cedars of Lebanon:

And Kothar-u-Khasis replies:

“Thou wilt return, Baal, to My word.”

Of cedars His house is to be built,

Of bricks is His palace to be erected.

He goes to Lebabob and it’s trees,

To Syria and the choicest of it’s cedars.

Lo, Lebanon and it’s trees,

Syria and it’s cedars.

Fire is set on the house,

Flame on the palace.

Behold a day and a second,

The fire eats into the house,

The flame into the palace.

A fifth, a sixth day,

The fire eats into the house,

The flame in the midst of the palace.

Behold, on the seventh day,

The fire departs from the house,

The flame from the palace.

Silver turns from blocks,

Gold is turned from bricks.

Aliyan Baal rejoices.

“My house have I built of silver.

My palace of gold have I made.”^[6]The Baal Cycle Text, see: https://phoenicia.org/ethnlang.html accessed 12.10.19. See also: Mark Smith and Wayne Pitard, The Ugaritic Baal Cycle Volume 2, p. 593, starting on line … Continue reading

For more in the Bible on the cedars of Lebanon, see: 1 Chronicles 17.1, 6; Psalm 29.5; 2 Chronicles 2.6-8

The Vulnerable Woman

In a number of places in the Old Testament Israel is portrayed as a woman in labor. See: Psalm 48.6; Isaiah 13.8, 21.3, 42.14; Jeremiah 4.31, 6.24, 13.21; Micah 4.9.

Isaiah uses this imagery to emphasize how helpless Israel is as she is surrounded by her enemies, without God she is totally helpless. See Isaiah 26.17.

The Dragon

His crowns are diadema – a crown worn by a political ruler, as opposed to the stephanos worn by the woman, the laurels of victory. The distinction in the names of the crowns is significant in the Greek.

Rev 12.4 Third part cast down – see D&C 29.36-37

The Man Child

The Man Child is the Kingdom of our God and his Christ – see JST Rev. 12.3,7. From the second century onward, many commentators saw the child as the Savior. The context of the Revelation does not support this view. He is immediately caught up into heaven, his rescue is supernatural, and there is no atonement mentioned here performed by the child.

The Wilderness

A place of safety in the Old Testament – see: 1 Kgs 17.2-3, 19.3-4; Isaiah 40.3; Jeremiah 31.2; Psalm 55.7-8; Matthew 24.15-18.

Some Jews saw this as the retreat of the righteous before the coming of the Messiah. In revelations of the restoration we can view this as the Church coming out of the wilderness – see D&C 5.14, 33.5, 109.73.

Numbers in the text – Revelation 12.6

The numbers 4, 7, 12, and 1,000 denote aspects of wholeness, or completeness: the first to the world, the second to totality or fullness, the third to priesthood, and the last to superlative greatness or perfection. Some numbers express an identical idea. For example: 1,260, 42, and 3½ are all derived from the Jewish calendar and denote the number of days and months in three and one-half years. But they all represent the period in which God allows evil to dominate. It is the temporary period in which the dragon and the beast rule (see Revelation 11:2–3, 11; 12:6; 13:5). In this light, note that it is only after three and one-half days of evil rejoicing over what appears to be a great victory that God’s two witnesses to Israel are resurrected and good triumphs (see Revelation 11:3–12; see also D&C 77:15). Since the number 2 symbolizes witnesses and three and one-half the momentary triumph of evil, neither number need be taken literally. There may be more than two witnesses, and the period of their death may be more or less than three and one-half days. God’s point is that there will be a point when evil seems to have won, but that dream will be shattered the moment these prophets arise.^[7]Richard Draper, Understanding Images and Symbols in the Book of Revelation, Shedding Light on the New Testament, chapter 13, ed. By Ray L. Huntington, Frank F. Judd and David M. Whitchurch, … Continue reading

1,260 YEARS

Rev. 12:6 the woman fled into the wilderness… a thousand two hundred and threescore days…

Donald Parry approached the idea of 1,260 years (The JST changes days to years) in this manner:

“The clarification of years in the Joseph Smith Translation rather than the King James Version days is an important one, for the number suggests the length of time the Church will be gone from the earth during the Great Apostasy-1,260 years. If we consider that the Apostasy ended in 1820 (when the silence of the heavens was broken during Joseph Smith’s First Vision) or in 1830 (when the Church was formally organized), then the 1,260 year period began in A.D. 570 or 560. But we know that the world had plunged deep into apostasy centuries before that time.

“Perhaps John saw the Renaissance and the later Reformation as part of the restoration of the gospel; latter-day prophets have taught that events of these periods did indeed pave the way for the Restoration. The Renaissance began to bring light to the Dark Ages in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. A key date in the Renaissance was Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in about 1451. Less than a century later, in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, sparking the beginning of the Reformation.

“If we count 1,260 years before Luther’s protest, we get a date of A.D. 257. If we count backwards from Gutenberg, the resulting date is A.D. 191. We could likely find other dates from which to measure the end of John’s 1,260 years, but all such efforts are no more than speculative. The important point is that John saw an extended period of widespread apostasy, followed by the immeasurable blessing of the restoration of the gospel (14:6). That is probably the basic and most important understanding we can come to here: the Apostasy would last a very long time.”^[8]Donald W. Parry and Jay A. Parry, Understanding the Book of Revelation, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1998, 155.

Joseph Fielding Smith said:

The history of the first fifteen hundred years after the birth of Christ completely fulfills this prophetic vision. Satan in his wrath drove the woman into the wilderness, or from the earth; the power of the Priesthood was taken from among men, and after the Church with its authority and gifts disappeared from the earth, then in his anger the serpent continued his war upon all who had faith and sought the testimony of Jesus, desiring to worship God according to the dictates of conscience. So successful did he become that his dominion extended over all the known world, and every creature was forced to worship according to the manner which he prescribed.^[9]Joseph Fielding Smith, The Progress of Man, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1964, 165 – 166.

The Kingdom

The kingdom of God is the Church.  After Christ comes, all the peoples of the earth will be subject to him, but there will be multitudes of people on the face of the earth who will not be members of the Church; yet all will have to be obedient to the laws of the kingdom of God, for it will have dominion upon the whole face of the earth. These people will be subject to the political government, even though they are not members of the ecclesiastical kingdom which is the Church.

This government which embraces all the peoples of the earth, both in and out of the Church, is also sometimes spoken of as the kingdom of God, because the people are subject to the kingdom of God which Christ will set up; but they have their agency and thousands will not be members of the Church until they are converted; yet at the same time they will be subject to the theocratic rule.^[10]Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols., edited by Bruce R. McConkie [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954-1956], 1: 229.

The War in Heaven

See Moses 4.1-4; Abraham 3.27-28; D&C 76.25-27

One author explained the War in Heaven this way:

When Latter-day Saints speak of the “war in heaven,” they generally mean the conflict in the premortal life that began when Lucifer, in a rebellion against God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, sought to overthrow them. The result was that Lucifer and his followers were cast out of heaven. The prophet Isaiah (Isa. 14:12-15) and John the Revelator (Rev. 12:4-9) both referred to the war, and Jesus himself spoke of having “beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:17-18). Latter-day revelation gives additional insight, which is supplemented by the teachings of latter-day prophets.

To “bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39), God the Father instituted the eternal Plan of Salvation, which centered on mankind’s agency, anticipated the fall of man, and provided a savior. Although previously known in the heavenly realm, the plan was formally presented to the spirit children of God at a Council in Heaven. “Whom shall I send?” (Abr. 3:27) was the Father’s call for someone to be the redeemer. His eldest Son (D&C 93:21; Col. 1:15), known also as Jehovah, one “like unto God” (Abr. 3:24), and chosen from the beginning (Moses 4:2), officially accepted this role and responded, “Here am I, send me” (Abr. 3:27). He also stated, “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2). With this formal acceptance and selection of the future Messiah, the spirit children of God “shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). It was also a time to signify individual commitment to the Father’s plan.

Not all accepted, however. The scriptures state that Lucifer, an “angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God” (D&C 76:25), rebelled and offered himself as the proposed redeemer, saying to the Father, “Behold, here am I, send me” (Moses 4:1). His offer was not well-intentioned and was a defiance of the Father and his Only Begotten Son. Lucifer’s proposal was couched in his own interests: “I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor” (Moses 4:1). His proposal, if accepted, would have destroyed mankind’s agency (Moses 4:3). Lucifer possessed character flaws, which finally manifested themselves in jealousy of the Christ and rejection of the Father’s plan. Just how he proposed to save every soul is not explained but it apparently allowed either no opportunity for sin or, if sin did occur, no condemnation for sin. As his reward for saving everyone, Lucifer demanded that God surrender his honor and power to Lucifer (Isa. 14:13; D&C 29:36; Moses 4:3).

Although Lucifer made a false offer of salvation without individual responsibility, he gained many followers, and “war in heaven” ensued. Michael, the archangel (who later was Adam), led the “forces” of Jehovah in a battle for the loyalties of the Father’s spirit children. The exact nature of this war is not detailed in the scriptures, but there can be little doubt that it involved the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how mankind was to be saved. The Prophet Joseph Smith explained, “The contention in heaven was-Jesus said there would be certain souls that would not be saved; and the devil said he could save them all, and laid his plans before the grand council, who gave their vote in favor of Jesus Christ. So the devil rose up in rebellion against God, and was cast down, with all who put up their heads for him”^[11]Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 357.

Lucifer and his followers, who were “a third part of the hosts of heaven” (Rev. 12:4; D&C 29:36), made open warfare against the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, and the eternal Plan of Salvation and were cast down to earth (cf. Jude 1:6), eternally deprived of being born into mortality with physical bodies, and never to have salvation.^[12]TPJS, pp. 181, 297-98. So tragic was the fall of Lucifer that “the heavens wept over him” (D&C 76:26).

Known on earth as Satan or the devil, Lucifer and his followers still continue the war against the work and the people of God, being permitted to do so to give people opportunity to exercise agency, being “enticed by the one or the other” (2 Ne. 2:16-25). They will persist until the day of judgment, when Michael, the archangel, and his armies will ultimately prevail and cast them out forever (D&C 88:111-115).^[13]Brent L. Top, War in Heaven, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1992.