Revelation 12
12
The Woman and the Dragon. 1#12:1–14:20] This central section of Revelation portrays the power of evil, represented by a dragon, in opposition to God and his people. First, the dragon pursues the woman about to give birth, but her son is saved and “caught up to God and his throne” (Rev 12:5). Then Michael and his angels cast the dragon and his angels out of heaven (Rev 12:7–9). After this, the dragon tries to attack the boy indirectly by attacking members of his church (Rev 12:13–17). A beast, symbolizing the Roman empire, then becomes the dragon’s agent, mortally wounded but restored to life and worshiped by all the world (Rev 13:1–10). A second beast arises from the land, symbolizing the antichrist, which leads people astray by its prodigies to idolize the first beast (Rev 13:11–18). This is followed by a vision of the Lamb and his faithful ones, and the proclamation of imminent judgment upon the world in terms of the wine of God’s wrath (Rev 14:1–20). A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman#The woman adorned with the sun, the moon, and the stars (images taken from Gn 37:9–10) symbolizes God’s people in the Old and the New Testament. The Israel of old gave birth to the Messiah (Rev 12:5) and then became the new Israel, the church, which suffers persecution by the dragon (Rev 12:6, 13–17); cf. Is 50:1; 66:7; Jer 50:12. This corresponds to a widespread myth throughout the ancient world that a goddess pregnant with a savior was pursued by a horrible monster; by miraculous intervention, she bore a son who then killed the monster. clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.#Gn 37:9. 2She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.#Because of Eve’s sin, the woman gives birth in distress and pain (Gn 3:16; cf. Is 66:7–14). 3Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon,#Huge red dragon: the Devil or Satan (cf. Rev 12:9; 20:2), symbol of the forces of evil, a mythical monster known also as Leviathan (Ps 74:13–14) or Rahab (Jb 26:12–13; Ps 89:11). Seven diadems: these are symbolic of the fullness of the dragon’s sovereignty over the kingdoms of this world; cf. Christ with many diadems (Rev 19:12). with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems.#Dn 7:7. 4Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth.#Dn 8:10. 5She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.#Rule…iron rod: fulfilled in Rev 19:15; cf. Ps 2:9. Was caught up to God: reference to Christ’s ascension. Her child was caught up to God and his throne.#Is 66:7 / Ps 2:9. 6The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days.#God protects the persecuted church in the desert, the traditional Old Testament place of refuge for the afflicted, according to the typology of the Exodus; see note on Rev 11:2.
7#Michael, mentioned only here in Revelation, wins a victory over the dragon. A hymn of praise follows. Then war broke out in heaven; Michael#Michael: the archangel, guardian and champion of Israel; cf. Dn 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9. In Hebrew, the name Michael means “Who can compare with God?”; cf. Rev 13:4. and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, 8but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9The huge dragon, the ancient serpent,#The ancient serpent: who seduced Eve (Gn 3:1–6), mother of the human race; cf. Rev 20:2; Eph 6:11–12. Was thrown down: allusion to the expulsion of Satan from heaven; cf. Lk 10:18. who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.#Gn 3:1–4; Lk 10:18.
10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed.
For the accuser#The accuser: the meaning of the Hebrew word “Satan,” found in Rev 12:9; Jb 1–2; Zec 3:1; 1 Chr 21:1; he continues to accuse Christ’s disciples. of our brothers is cast out,
who accuses them before our God day and night.
11They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
love for life did not deter them from death.
12Therefore, rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them.
But woe to you, earth and sea,
for the Devil has come down to you in great fury,
for he knows he has but a short time.”
13When the dragon saw that it had been thrown down to the earth, it pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.#Gn 3:15. 14But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle,#Great eagle: symbol of the power and swiftness of divine help; cf. Ex 19:4; Dt 32:11; Is 40:31. so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half-year.#Ex 19:4; Dn 7:25; 12:7. 15The serpent,#The serpent is depicted as the sea monster; cf. Rev 13:1; Is 27:1; Ez 32:2; Ps 74:13–14. however, spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the current. 16But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth and swallowed the flood that the dragon spewed out of its mouth. 17Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus.#Although the church is protected by God’s special providence (Rev 12:16), the individual Christian is to expect persecution and suffering.#Gn 3:15. 18It took its position#It took its position: many later manuscripts and versions read “I took my position,” thus connecting the sentence to the following paragraph. on the sand of the sea.
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Revelation 12: NABRE
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Revelation 12
12
Two Signs
1A spectacular sign appeared in the sky: There was a woman who was dressed in the sun, who had the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head. 2She was pregnant. She cried out from labor pains and the agony of giving birth.
3Another sign appeared in the sky: a huge fiery red serpent with seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns on its heads. 4Its tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky and threw them down to earth. The serpent stood in front of the woman who was going to give birth so that it could devour her child when it was born. 5She gave birth to a son, a boy, who is to rule all the nations with an iron scepter. Her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne. 6Then the woman fled into the wilderness where God had prepared a place for her so that she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
7Then a war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels had to fight a war with the serpent. The serpent and its angels fought. 8But it was not strong enough, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9The huge serpent was thrown down. That ancient snake, named Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, was thrown down to earth. Its angels were thrown down with it.
10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
“Now the salvation, power, kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah have come.
The one accusing our brothers and sisters,
the one accusing them day and night in the presence of our God,
has been thrown out.
11They won the victory over him because of the blood of the lamb
and the word of their testimony.
They didn’t love their life so much that they refused to give it up.
12Be glad for this reason, heavens and those who live in them.
How horrible it is for the earth and the sea
because the Devil has come down to them with fierce anger,
knowing that he has little time left.”
13When the serpent saw that it had been thrown down to earth, it persecuted the woman who had given birth to the boy. 14The woman was given the two wings of the large eagle in order to fly away from the snake to her place in the wilderness, where she could be taken care of for a time, times, and half a time. 15The snake’s mouth poured out a river of water behind the woman in order to sweep her away. 16The earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river which had poured out of the serpent’s mouth. 17The serpent became angry with the woman. So it went away to fight with her other children, the ones who keep God’s commands and hold on to the testimony of Jesus.
18The serpent stood on the sandy shore of the sea.#12:18 Some translations include this verse at the beginning of 13:1.
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