I have been requested by my good friend and brother in the ministry, Elder J. R. Haymon, to write some of my views of the 12th Chapter of Revelation. This we will try to do, the Lord willing. Let me say in the beginning that I do not in any stretch of the imagination, set myself up as an authority on Revelation. God forbid!!! I do, however, enjoy studying Revelation and from time to time, preaching from that book when I can feel the Lord is directing my thoughts that way. This chapter is too long to take up the space quoting all of it. I suggest you read the entire chapter from your Bible.

John begins this chapter by writing about a great wonder in Heaven. I think the only way we can apply this, is to say that he is referring to the kingdom of Heaven here in time, or the Church Heaven. He saw a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars upon her head. The woman, we believe is another type or symbol of the Church. The Church is spoken of many times in the feminine gender. The sun, the moon, and the twelve stars are all light from above. The true Church has always depended upon the light from above, which the Lord, by His Holy Spirit, gives to His believing children.

The sun is self-explanatory. As stated, our light comes from above. David spoke in the Psalms of the word of the Lord being a lamp unto His path, thus the moon under her feet. The twelve stars, we believe to be typical of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. If the Church is not upholding the same doctrine the twelve apostles (the original New Testament preachers) preached, then they have strayed from the old pathways.

The second verse reads: “And she being with child cried, travailing in birth and pained to be delivered.” As we have stated many times, much of Revelation is written in typical or symbolic language. I think this is very much the case with this second verse. The Church never has and never will produce a child of God. The Church is for those God has already made a part of His family in the new birth, and has given them eyes to see and ears to hear the gospel. So, what is this verse teaching? What is the foremost desire of the true Church and the true gospel ministry? Is it not to bring forth Jesus, the Christ, the one and only Savior of sinners, and present Him to the people that they may understand what He has accomplished for them? Thus, the Church (woman) travailing in birth and pained to be delivered. The desire of the ministry to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified, as Jeremiah described it, is like a fire shut up in his bones. There is a great zeal in the Church and ministry to exalt Jesus, and present Him in a way that His children can view Him by an eye of faith, and rejoice in His finished work.

In the 3rd and 4th verses, John tells of seeing another wonder in Heaven, 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 ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”

We believe this to be representative of the religious orders of the world, papal Rome being the mother Church of all the Armenian Churches. The religions of the world have always been ready to destroy the true doctrine as preached by the true New Testament Church. There is a religious world out there, that hates the doctrine of salvation by grace, and thus has been trying to destroy (devour) it all down the ages. The true Church, and the God called ministry are still bringing forth Christ and Him crucified, and presenting Him to the people as the one, the only Savior of poor, lost and undone sinners. The first part of the 4th verse says, that his tail drew the third part of the stars of Heaven, and did cast them to the earth. Keep in mind that Jesus, in the first chapter of Revelation, introduced the seven stars in His right hand, as being the pastors of the seven Churches of Asia. As long as His ministers walk in humble obedience to their calling, they are, figuratively, in the right hand of Jesus, but sadly, some of them stray from their steadfastness, when tempted by popularity and money, and are drawn from Heaven (the Church) and are cast into the earth. When this happens, they are no longer profitable servants in the church kingdom.

The fifth verse reads: ”And she brought forth a man child who was to rule nations with a rod of iron: and the child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.” The world portrays Jesus as one who came into the world, did all that He could toward the salvation of all mankind (as they believe it) and went back to Heaven and left it for the preacher to finish the job. What a miserable failure would salvation be if that were true!! The 5th verse destroys that heretical idea. She brought forth a man-child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. That sounds to me like the mighty conquering Jesus that the Church has always presented to God’s children.

In the sixth chapter of Revelation, He is portrayed as the rider of the white horse who went forth conquering and to conquer. It says nothing about Him “trying” to conquer. The last part of the fifth verse reads: “And her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.” We know by the authority of God’s word, that Jesus is at His right hand, making intercession for us.

In the sixth verse: ”And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” This translates to about three and one half years, the time of Christ’s ministry here on earth. I believe this to also be typical language, symbolic of the Church or New Testament age in which His ministers are still preaching the same doctrine that Jesus and His Apostles preached. The woman fleeing into the wilderness of this old sinful world. The Church has always been ridiculed and hated by the world, but the Lord has always protected her and fed her by way of the gospel ministry. I have no doubt that He will continue to do so until He comes again and claims His entire redeemed family.

In touching on a few more thoughts in this chapter, you will note in the 9th verse the writer speaks of Satan being cast out unto the earth and his angels with him. Let me say at this point that I do not believe for one moment, that Satan was ever in eternal Heaven. I believe this is still dealing with the Church in time. In the 11th verse, they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb. That is another blessed truth that is preached in the Lord’s Church. Satan became a defeated foe when the Lamb of God gave His life on the cross. Verse 12 speaks of Satan having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. He will cause God’s people all the trouble he possibly can, but he cannot touch even one of them from an eternal standpoint. We will skip on down to the last verse of this chapter for the sake of time and space. Verse 17: “And 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.” Satan has been making war with the true believers all down the ages and will continue to do so as long as time exists, but again, the good news is that he cannot touch us from an eternal standpoint. It is our duty and responsibility as members of the Lord’s Church, to be ever watchful for the snares and pitfalls he throws at us as we walk this uneven journey of life. When we pray and read our Bibles every day that is the best way to keep the old devil out of our lives.

Much more could be said about this chapter. Perhaps we will endeavor to write more another time. Keep in mind that these are just some of my thoughts on this chapter. I certainly realize my weaknesses, and that I could be wrong in my views. If you receive any benefit from this writing, then give the Lord the praise.