Revelation Chapter 12 and References

The Woman and the Dragon

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. “Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son.

Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. “This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.

Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth. It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.”

She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. You will break them with a rod of iron ;you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.

The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.

The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth,and his angels with him. He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right
side to accuse him.


They triumphed over him 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. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife
and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple."


Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. “Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.” As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!” And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay!


When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her
child was snatched up to God and to his throne.


The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws.
The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.


Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will
revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along.


But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.