Revelation 12’s Woman and Her Children

The book of Revelation is well known to be a book filled with imagery and symbols. In many parts of Christendom, Revelation is considered to be very difficult, if not impossible to understand. Some years ago, I read somewhere (unfortunately, I cannot recall the source) that a Jewish scholar looked at Revelation and said that it contained many elements from the Old Testament. If that’s understood, that opens the door wide to understanding the imagery and symbolism used by John as he wrote the book.In this brief study of the Woman and her children of Revelation, chapter 12, we will use the approach of looking back to the Old Testament to find the source of the symbology and references, and thus the identity of the Woman and her children will become clear. Moreover, let the reader remember John’s blessing for studying Revelation:

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near.

Revelation 1:3

First, let’s start with the NRSV’s version of Revelation 12 (selected verses).

A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. 3 Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days.

Revelation 12:1-6

13 So when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to her place where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. 16 But the earth came to the help of the woman; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.

Revelation 12:13-17

The first six verses of Revelation 12 introduce the Woman to the reader. Different clues and references back to the Old Testament are given to help identify who the Woman is. We will get into them in a little bit.

Then Revelation 12:5 and Revelation 12:17 tell us that the Woman is a mother and has children. In the case of 12:5, that child is specifically indicated to be male and his identity is also made clear through descriptive references. However, when we get to 12:17, we see that the woman also has an untold plurality of other children, who  are not given a gender. A moment’s thought on this point will cause the realization that a human woman can only give birth to male and female children. If the Woman has given birth to a child specifically described as male, then it is more than likely that the other offspring are gendered female and are daughters. This gives us a clear avenue to look back through the Old Testament for references that will illuminate the identities of the Woman, the male child, and the offspring, respectively. We’ll look at them in order of mention, so now we study the Woman.

The appearance of the Woman is prefaced by saying it is a “great portent” (NRSV), “wonder” or “sign” in other versions. The Greek word behind portent is “σημεῖον” sēmeion (G4592). This word is also translated as “miracle” or “token” elsewhere in the New Testament, depending on context. Sēmeion is used in John 20:30:

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book” and John 2:11: “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.”

Yeshua’s signs or sēmeion were intended for His disciples, and by logical extension, His people. As to why this was such a great sign for His disciples and for Israel, we’ll get to that in a little bit after considering more information.

The next thing we see is that the Woman is clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and crowned with twelve stars. There are those who assert this is a time marker tied to the constellations in the sky. I offer this link to the reader to study and hold with an open hand. However, the sun, moon and stars are indeed tied to Israel via a dream that Joseph son of Jacob had.

9 He had another dream, and told it to his brothers, saying, “Look, I have had another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, “What kind of dream is this that you have had? Shall we indeed come, I and your mother and your brothers, and bow to the ground before you?” 11 So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. 

Genesis 37:9-11

Jacob, who by now was known as Israel, quickly identified the sun as himself, the moon as Joseph’s mother (or perhaps Leah, Rachel having died when Benjamin was born), and his sons as the 12 stars, 11 brothers + Joseph himself. Therefore, the Woman can definitely be tied to the family of Jacob/Israel.

In verse 1, the sign is in heaven, and in verse 4, the dragon swept ⅓ of the host of heaven to earth. This pairing of heaven and earth is significant as three references by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy will demonstrate.

26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to occupy; you will not live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed.

Deuteronomy 4:26

19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.

Deuteronomy 30:19

28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officials, so that I may recite these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them.

Deuteronomy 31:28

These three references show that heaven and earth serve as witnesses to Israel’s sinfulness or righteousness.

The sign of the Woman appeared in heaven, and a search for the two terms “sign” and “heaven” turned up two interesting passages. We’ll consider first the one from Jeremiah, chapter ten.

1 Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord:

Do not learn the way of the nations, or be dismayed at the signs of the heavens; for the nations are dismayed at them.

3 For the customs of the peoples are false: a tree from the forest is cut down, and worked with an ax by the hands of an artisan;

4 people deck it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.

5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk.

Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor is it in them to do good.

Jeremiah 10:1-5

Jeremiah points out that the way of the nations is not to be learned, especially with respect to the signs of the heavens. He connects the Gentile nations’ way with their practice of making idols of wood. Therefore, we can draw the inference that the great sign of the Woman is somehow connected to idolatry.The second occurrence is after Daniel was saved by YHVH from the lions when he was thrown to them, King Darius proclaimed

For he is the living God, enduring forever.

His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion has no end.He delivers and rescues, he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth; for he has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.

Daniel 6:26b-27

Darius, a Gentile king, connects deliverance and rescue with YHVH’s working signs and wonders in heaven and on earth.

The labor pangs of Revelation 12:2 hearken back to Genesis 3:16:
To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband,  and he shall rule over you.”

Pangs in childbearing has been the lot of every daughter of Eve. But is there any reference to a specific woman?

The prophets and psalmist have spoken of the nations experiencing fear like a woman experiencing birth pangs (see Psalm 48:1-6, Isaiah 13:6-8, Isaiah 21:1-10, especially verse 3, and Jeremiah 50:43). But Isaiah makes a prophecy specifically tied to the end times.

O Lord, in distress they sought you, they poured out a prayer when your chastening was on them. Like a woman with child, who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near her time, so were we because of you, O Lord; we were with child, we writhed, but we gave birth only to wind.

We have won no victories on earth, and no one is born to inhabit the world. 

Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise. O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a radiant dew, and the earth will give birth to those long dead. 

Isaiah 26:17-21

This passage connects the birth pangs to the people of Isaiah, which is to say the people of Israel and Judah, and to the resurrection of the dead, which will happen in the end times.

Jeremiah 13:15-27 is a long passage, and I won’t quote it here. Suffice it to say that in 13:21 Jeremiah is speaking to his people of Judah, and in verse 27, he specifically addresses Jerusalem.

What will you say when they set as head over you those whom you have trained to be your allies?

Will not pangs take hold of you, like those of a woman in labor?

Jeremiah 13:21

I have seen your abominations, your adulteries and neighings, your shameless prostitutions on the hills of the countryside.

Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will it be before you are made clean?

Jeremiah 13:27

Of all the prophets, Micah is the most clear in connecting the birth pangs to specific women. Let’s take a look.

In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills.

Peoples shall stream to it, and many nations shall come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” 

For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

For all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

In that day, says the Lord, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away, and those whom I have afflicted.

The lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion now and forevermore.

And you, O tower of the flock, hill of daughter Zion, to you it shall come, the former dominion shall come, the sovereignty of daughter Jerusalem.

Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pangs have seized you like a woman in labor?

Writhe and groan, O daughter Zion, like a woman in labor; for now you shall go forth from the city and camp in the open country; you shall go to Babylon.

There you shall be rescued, there the Lord will redeem you from the hands of your enemies.

Micah 4:1-10

While there’s a lot here in this passage, 4:9-10 clearly connect daughter Zion with being a woman in labor. And before that, verse 8 identifies daughter Jerusalem and daughter Zion. Verses 5-7 clearly show the faithful remnant as being a nation ruled over by YHVH Himself out of Mount Zion.

But it is the next chapter of Micah that ties it all together and explains why it was a great sign that the woman was giving birth in Revelations 12.

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.

And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.

Micah 5:2-5a

She who is in labor (daughter Zion, identified in the previous chapter) will bring forth the Ruler from of old. After He comes forth, THEN His lost kindred who are among the Gentiles can return to the people of Israel. That is why the sign of the woman giving birth to the male child was so great!

Micah’s identification of Zion as the woman in chapters 4 and 5 is confirmed by Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 66 of his book.

Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son.

Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things?

Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be delivered in one moment?

Yet as soon as Zion was in labor she delivered her children.

Shall I open the womb and not deliver? says the Lord; shall I, the one who delivers, shut the womb? says your God.

Isaiah 66:7-9

Revelation 12:5 says that the male child will rule the nations with a rod of iron. That looks back to Psalm 2:7-9.

I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you.

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

Psalm 2:7-9

This is the Son of YHVH, the Ruler who shall bring peace from one end of the earth to the other. There is one more piece of evidence. Revelation 12:5 describes the male child as being caught up to heaven, to God and His throne. Daniel saw this in a vision.

As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.

Daniel 7:13-14

Putting all of this evidence together, the Woman of Revelation 12 is Zion. The male child she brings forth is Yeshua the Son. The other offspring are primarily the people of the daughter of Zion and potentially some of the people of the daughter of Jerusalem. But what made this sign so great was that for centuries, the ten tribes of northern Israel who had been divorced and cast out to wander among the nations could not repent and return until the coming of the Son and after He had been caught up to the Father and His throne.