In this week’s study, I start in Chapter 12.
chapter 12:1-12.
A Great Sign.
We now come, not only to the great central subject of the whole Book, but also to the central pair of the seven Visions, and to the actual fictional center of the Book.
All this shows us that we are on the threshold of an important part of Scripture, which relates to the actual Revelation or Unveiling of the glorious Person of the Lord Yahshua Messiah.
The whole section (chapters 12 and on) is not only Episode in subject and Parenthetical in form, but is a good example of historical, or, rather, prophetic Hys-ter-o-log-i-a,
by which the events, though written down later, took place earlier than those, which immediately proceed, in historical narration. That is to say, we have in chapter 12— a prophetic record of events, which will take place before chapter 6, and will lead up to, and run parallel with, what is recorded in chapters 6—
1 and great = ‘mega’ in size significance.
wonder = Greek, ‘say-mi'-on ‘ “sign”: significant of significant truths. We are thus warned at the outset that we are not to take this literally, but to see in it a "sign" of something else.
in heaven = not merely the sky, but the heaven beyond just mentioned, Rev. 11:19; compare Rev. 12:7-9.
A woman clothed with the sun = Bright, splendid, glorious, as if the sunbeams were her raiment.
A woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars = This at once takes us back to Gen 37, Jacob’s dream. It is the only scripture in the whole Bible where we have anything corresponding to this sign.
2. And being with child she crieth out =The woman is represented as Being with child, to show that the time would speedily arrive when Yahweh’s patient tolerance with the heathen would be terminated, and that a deliverer should arise in the Christian world who would execute the Divine vengeance upon paganism.
being in travail = always used in prophecy of the new beginning of an earth age.
3. appeared = “was seen.”
wonder = Greek, “semeion,” “sign.”
red = So A and Vulgate read. But B, C, and Coptic read, “of fire.” In either case, the color of the dragon implies his fiery rage as a murderer from the beginning. His representative, the beast, corresponds, having seven heads and ten horns (the number of horns on the fourth beast of Dan. 7:7; Rev. 13:1).
4. And his tail draggeth down the third part of the stars of heaven, and he cast them to the earth: = Here we have further details concerning this "sign." The "woman," as we have seen, is the "sign" of the Jewish nation as a whole; and the object and action of the Devil could not be more clearly stated.
We are again taken back to the beginning of things, even to Satan's first rebellion, and to the angels who fell with him. This is surely the "sign" of Satan's power among the angels, as the heads and horns are a "sign" of his power among men on the earth. It seems clear from this that the third part of angels followed him in his great rebellion.
and the dragon standeth before the woman that is about to bring forth, that when she should bring forth he might devour her child = Here we have a sign indeed; far beyond any mere passing event; We believe it goes much further back than this.
Join me as we go Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse, Unraveling the Words of Yahweh!
Have any questions? Feel free to email me at keitner@netzero.net
