In Revelation 12: 14 the woman goes to the wilderness where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the dragon. She is protected from the dragon. The dragon in verse 15, called a serpent, casts out of his mouth a flood to try to cause the woman to be carried away in the flood. The flood is the false doctrines which are spoken by the mouths of the huge number of false prophets (Matthew 24: 11). But in verse 16 the flood of false doctrines is not successful in defeating the woman and her seed - because in verse 17 the remnant still has the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Which theologies would teach that the woman of Revelation 12 is physical Israel? It would be dispensatiomnalism, as well as messianic Judaism and the Hebrew Roots movement.
The woman is a metaphor. It is not literal, not Mary or Sarah, or any other literal woman. The woman in verse 5 is said to bring forth a man child, which sounds like Christ. Yet this woman of Revelation 12 remains a metaphoric concept, not Mary or some other lady of scripture, and not physical Israel, the lost sheep to which Christ was sent (Matthew 15: 24).
The woman of Revelation 12 cannot be physical Israel because physical Israel as a house, the majority in it, rejected Christ and became anti-Christ. That remnant in Romans 11: 5 of physical Israel which accepted Christ became the beginning of Israel reborn in Christ. The woman cannot be physical Israel because in Revelation 12: 17 her spiritual seed, the remnant, has the testimony of Jesus Christ. How can the seed of physical Israel, which as a house rejected Christ, have his testimony?
It is not necessary to know what every little detail of a heavily metaphoric chapter means - and in fact every little part of the metaphoric whole may not be necessary to understanding of the whole.
The wilderness is not literal. It is metaphoric for being outside of Babylon. Revelation 18: 23 says Christ and his bride are not in Babylon. Christ is not in Babylon after the falling away from sound doctrine of II Thessalonians 2: 3-4.
When Christ was in what the Catholics and dispensationalists call the capital C Church, which is a meeting, assembly or congregation of Israel reborn in Christ, he was the source of its light to the world. It in itself was not the light to the world, but Christ in it was the light. When that light left, then the capital C Church has no light. The candle in Revelation 18: 23 no longer shines "in thee." The light has left. Another metaphor in Revelation 18: 23 says the voice of the bridegroom and the bride are hard "no more at all in thee."
Isaiah 10: 17 says "And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;" Isaiah 49: 6 says "I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." "Thee" is physical Israel. Then Isaiah 42: 6 says " I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;"
Physical Israel, or most of the people, thought they were the light to the nations, the Gentiles. But these texts in Isaiah imply the light of physical Israel was Christ in them, not physical Israel without Christ. Christ says in John 8: 12 "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." In Isaiah, Christ in physical Israel making them the light to the world is partly veiled. But in the New Testament Christ clearly states that he is the light. And then he gives his light to those who are transformed in him. In Matthew 5: 14 he says "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid."
Matthew 23: 37-38 says "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."
This is a fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel 9: 27, "...and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." This prophecy is fulfilled also in the New Covenant timeline.
The woman in Revelation 12: 6, 14 going out into the wilderness means she as Israel reborn in Christ has left what is now Babylon - the capital C Church in false doctrines - where the light no longer shines and the voice of Christ and his elect are no longer heard, but the voice of another Jesus is heard and another Gospel is preached. Out in the wilderness, out of Babylon as Revelation 18: 4 commands, the seed of the woman, the remnant, has the testimony of Jesus Christ in Revelation 12: 17, which is the light.
Also, it is confusing to equate the church with the Israel of God. It is confusing in one way because dispensationalism has made the church something equal to Israel. The church is not something which gives the elect its identity in Christ as does the Israel of God of Galatians 6: 16, the Body of Christ, or the elect of Christ. Israel was changed, but its still Israel as something which gives us our identity in Christ.
If you look to history it makes a lot of sense, thats the way prophecy works too. God tells us things so that when they come to pass it confirms his plan and faithfulness. The events depicted and the symbols used are very much in concert with the persecuted the "church"/woman suffered, the church's escape to religious freedom in america where they found rest for a time(earth=a place with few people), and the subsequent efforts and political infiltration from european influences(waters/tidal waves = many people) to remove that freedom. That's what I've always assumed it was talking about, it's definitely an interesting puzzle.
In the historicist interpretation of Revelation 12 the flood coming out of the mouth of the dragon is not the end time flood of false doctrines. The wilderness is almost literal, and so the woman and her seed the remnant going into the wilderness is not metaphoric for Israel reborn in Christ - which is the remnant - leaving Babylon as Revelation 18: 4 says to do and being outside the churches since Christ and his bride in Revelation 18: 23 are not found in Babylon, the church in apostasy.
So, this church historicist view protects the church from the knowledge that it is to fall away from sound doctrine and has done so since the 19th century. is not there something about this in Hosea 4: 6?
Isaiah 5: 13 says "Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge..." It was first a literal Babylonian captivity and now its a captivity to the false doctrines as judgement. See II Thessalonians 2: 11-12.
WHO IS THE WOMAN IN REVELATION 12 AND WHO ARE HER OFFSPRING??
Galatians 4:22,23,28,31: �Abraham had 2 sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the Free Woman. His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a "PROMISE"!....You brother, like Isaac {Sarah's son}, are children of "PROMISE"....The slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the Free Woman's son. Therefore, brothers, **WE** are not children of the slave woman {Hagar} but of the Free "WOMAN"{Sarah}!!� According to Galatians 3:16 Jesus is also the offspring of Abraham and Sarah !! Galatians 3:29: �If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.�
Revelation 12:1,5,17: A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head.........She gave birth to a son, a male child {Jesus}, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her Child was snatched up to God {The Father} and to His throne....The woman's offspring are those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus!�
Just before the coming of 666 and the 1260-day or 42-month Great Tribulation in Revelation 13:1 we read in Rev 12:17; 13:1,5,7: Then the dragon {Satan} was enraged at the woman {Sarah} and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring--THOSE WHO OBEY GOD'S COMMANDMENTS AND HOLD TO THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS!!" And the dragon {Satan} stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw Beast {666} coming out of the Sea {Or Abyss or Hell as per Rev 11:7 & 17:8 & Luke 8:31}.....The Beast will exercise his authority for 42 months..... He will be given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he will be given authority over **EVERY** tribe, people, language and nation.
And so according to Rev 12:6,14 Satan will attack some of God's saints but they will be protected in God's sanctuary in the wilderness for 1260 days. Then in Rev 12:17 Satan will attack the rest of God's saints �WHO OBEY GOD'S COMMANDMENTS AND HOLD TO THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS� **just before** the coming of 666 and the beginning of the 1260-day or 42-month Great Tribulation.
And so Revelation 12 also shows that the pre-trib rapture of God's courageous saints at the beginning of the Great Tribulation is a ridiculous fairy tale. Since some of God's saints will be protected in the wilds for 1260 days and Satan will make war with the rest of God's saints WHO OBEY GOD'S COMMANDMENTS AND HOLD TO THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS JUST **BEFORE** THE COMING OF 666!!
Revelation 12:11: "They {The Tribulation Martyrs} overcame him {Satan} by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."
God will miraculously take care of His Faithful and Courageous Tribulation Saints {Just as he took care of the Israelites for 40 years in the Wilderness} even though they won�t be able to buy or sell anything as per Rev 13:17a. {See Matthew 6:25-34 where storing up items are forbidden}� Can God's NT saints go through the Great Tribulation without suffering the wrath of God, as did the OT saints in Egypt when God sent many horrific plagues on Egyptians because of Pharoah. Remember the 3 Jewish saints who were not delivered from going through the fiery furnace which was heated 7 times hotter than usual. Indeed they went right through the middle of that persecution and the Lord Jesus went through it with them. Yet another example of God sending His saints through tribulation rather than keeping them from it, is Daniel being thrown into the den of hungry lions. He went right through the middle of that persecution, but God sent an angel to close the mouths of the lions. That great saint brought much glory to God in that tribulation.
This will come as a tremendous shock for those who teach the Prosperity Gospel and who are mainly seeking earthly treasures rather than eternal Heavenly Rewards. They teach: If you accept Jesus as your Savior you have a free pass to Heaven and God forbid that you should suffer any persecution or go through the Great Tribulation; which fits in with the Prosperity Gospel and pre-trib doctrines which are designed to increase church membership at the expense of the Truth. When is the last time you heard a sermon on the virtues and courage of the many thousands of present-day martyrs?? And this is probably why there will be a great FALLING AWAY {THE GREAT APOSTASY} at the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
During the Great tribulation a Voice from Heaven will say: Rev 14:13: �Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.� �Yes� says the Spirit, �they will REST from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.
Heb 4:9,10: �There remains a MOST HIGH SABBATH REST or 7th DAY REST FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD: for anyone who enters GOD�S REST also rests from his own work.� 2 Peter 3:18 {RSV}: But grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and to the �DAY OF ETERNITY!� Amen.�
WHAT CITY BUILT ON 7 HILLS AND GREAT SEA PORT WILL BE THE HEADQUARTERS OF 666 DURING THE 1260-DAY GREAT TRIBULATION?? {666 is called the Beast 36 or 6X6 times in the book of Revelation}
Revelation 13:5,7 The Beast {666} will exercise his authority for 42 {30-day} months {or 1260 days}... And he will be given power to make war against the saints and conquer them. {See Dan 7:25} Rev 17:18: The *WOMAN you saw {In Revelation17:1-18} is the great *CITY that will rule over the kings of the earth.
Rev 17:3,5,6,8,9,12,13, 18: I saw a WOMAN sitting on a scarlet Beast {666} with 7 heads and 10 horns...The Beast, which you saw, once was {alive}, now is not {Alive in AD 96}, and will come out of the Abyss {Or Hell} and go to his destruction {See Rev 19:19,20} This title was written on her forehead �Mystery: Babylon the Great: Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the earth.� I saw that the WOMAN was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.
The Beast {666}, which you saw, once was {alive}, now is not {Alive in AD 96}, and will come up out of the Abyss {Or Hell} and go to his destruction {See Rev 19:19,20} ...This calls for a mind with wisdom. The 7 Heads are SEVEN HILLS {ROME} on which the WOMAN sits {Or reigns}... The 10 horns you saw are 10 kings who will give their authority to the Beast {666}...The WOMAN you saw is the great *CITY that rules over the kings of the earth.
Revelation 18:17-20,24 �Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, �Was there ever a city like this great city?� They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: �Woe, Woe, O great *CITY, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin! Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you....In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth.�
Most Bible scholars believe that the book of First Peter was written shortly after the beginning of Nero�s Roman persecution of Christians in AD 64 because of I Peter 4:12,13 & 5:8,9. We know that Peter and his wife were living in Rome at this time. Peter was inspired to write in I Peter 5:13: �She {Peter�s wife} who is in *BABYLON* {Nickname for *ROME*!} sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.� Apparently some Christians including Peter were inspired to call ROME �BABYLON� after Nero�s terrible persecution of Christians starting in AD 64. This is very interesting since the evil city of the End-Times is called �BABYLON� 6 times in Revelation 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2,10,21.
All encyclopedias agree that Babylon was completely evacuated in 275 BC and completely destroyed by 141 BC. The Wikipedia encyclopedia states, "By 141 BC, when the Parthian Empire took over the region, Babylon was in complete desolation and obscurity." The only question that remains is: Was Babylon rebuilt so that there could be people living in Babylon around AD 65 when Peter wrote 1 Peter 5:13???
Which leads us to the promises of God in Jeremiah 50:1-3,13: This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah concerning Babylon.."Babylon will be captured... A nation from the north will attack her and lay waste her land. No one will live in it; both men and animals will flee away!" Also read Jeremiah 52:52:61-64: And God ALWAYS keeps His promises. If you check out the latest Iraqi Tour Guides you will notice the following statement: "Today, Babylon lies COMPLETELY in ruins. A large and splendidly carved stone lion is all that remains of its former glories."
I was a missionary in Jerusalem and Jerusalem was never known as the city on 7 hills. It has always been known as the city on 6 mountains {Not Hills} as per Wikipedia {Jerusalem Mountains} which are {1} Mount Herzl {2} Mount of Olives {3} Mount Zion {4} Mount Scopus {5} temple Mount {6} Har Menuchot.
�Babylon� {Nicknamed Rome by Peter} is a �GREAT SEAPORT� in Rev 18:17-19; JUST LIKE ROME and UNLIKE Babylon whose ruins are NOW 4 miles from the very shallow Euphrates River; and UNLIKE Jerusalem which is 2000 to 3000 feet above sea level and 35 miles from the Mediterranean Sea. Babylon is also completely FLAT whereas the End-Time "Babylon" will be a city built on 7 Hills JUST LIKE ROME!!�
Rev 17:18: �The woman you saw {Rev 17:3--Who sits with the Beast with 7 heads} is the great *CITY* {Rome--nicknamed Babylon in I Peter 5:13--See Rev 17:5a} that will rule over the kings of the earth.� The headquarters of 666 will be destroyed about 2 weeks before the Last Day.{See Rev 16:10-16} Rev 18:19: �Woe! Woe, O great *CITY*, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you...In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints and of all who have been killed on the earth!�
The mention of �seven hills� in conjunction with the Harlot Woman (Rev. 17:9) is often seen as an allusion to seven hills known to be associated with Rome:
The Rome view is also built upon the assumption that the seven hills of Revelation 17:9 identify the topography of the ancient city of Rome. Because literature of the ancient world contains dozens of references to the seven hills of Rome, the ancient city of Rome was universally known as the city of the seven hills.
Thus, such a topographical reference would immediately suggest Rome in the minds of John�s original audience. This suggestion is especially true given the fact that the seven hills were the nucleus of the city on the left bank of the Tiber River and given the fact that an unusual festival called the septimontium received its name because of this topographical feature.
Rome has always been known as the CITY built on 7 Hills by Romulus from whom Rome gets its name. The following is a quote from Wikipedia Encyclopedia: The Seven Hills of Rome (Italian: Sette colli di Roma) east of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome, within the walls of the ancient city. The SEVEN HILLS are: Aventine Hill, Caelian Hill, Captoline Hill, Palantine Hill, Quirinal Hill and Viminal Hill.
In addition, the notion that John�s audience would have understood the imagery of Revelation 17 as referring to the topography of Rome seems strengthened by the discovery of the Dea Roma Coin minted in A.D. 71 in Asia Minor. One side of the coin contains the portrait of the emperor. The reverse side of the coin depicts Rome, a Roman pagan goddess, sitting on seven hills seated by the waters of the Tiber River.
There are obvious similarities between the Dea Roma Coin and the imagery of Revelation 17. In both cases, the goddess and the harlot are seated on seven hills and are seated either on or by the waters (Rev. 17:1). In addition, the name of the goddess was thought by many Romans to be Amor, which is Roma spelled backwards. Amor was the goddess of love and sexuality. Thus, both the woman on the coin and the woman in Revelation 17 represent harlotry (Rev. 17:5).
Furthermore, the coin equates Roma with the power of the Roman Empire, which was active in persecuting Christians of John�s day. The placement of Vespasian on one side of the coin and Roma on the other makes this connection. . . . The goddess is also pictured as holding a sword, which may depict Rome�s imperial power. This imagery parallels with the woman in Revelation 17 who is said to be drunk with the blood of the saints {Rev. 17:5,9}
