The visions John has seen so far have been focused primarily on the various aspects of God's work to redeem mankind. He has seen the Lamb of God being found worthy in Heaven's court to be mankind's Kinsman-Redeemer; he has seen the preparations for the final harvest of the redeemed from the earth, of which the 144,000 are the firstfruits; he has seen the trumpets sound to warn earth's inhabitants to be reconciled to God; and he has seen the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as at Pentecost, to ripen the final harvest.

Revelation 12:1 to 14:5 describes the struggle between God's holy people (symbolized by the woman) and the Enemy (the red dragon). This struggle comes to a climax during the time of the trumpets, when every person on earth will be forced to make a choice: either worship God and incur the wrath of Satan, or worship the image set up at the order of the false prophet and receive the wrath of God.

After describing the seal of Babylon, or the mark of the beast, this passage concludes with the 144,000 standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion. These are the firstfruits of those who have received the seal of God.

This article will focus primarily on Revelation 12.

great and wondrous 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.

This woman is surely the Beloved of the King, described in Song of Solomon 6:4-10. "You are beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, majestic as troops with banners. Turn your eyes from me; they overwhelm me. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of sheep coming up from the washing. Each has its twin, not one of them is alone. Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate. Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number; but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the only daughter of her mother, the favorite of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and called her blessed; the queens and concubines praised her." Notice how the passage ends: "Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession?"

The woman John saw in vision is clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. The sun, moon, and stars, taken individually and together, symbolize important aspects of the woman and her relationship to God; and her Lord and King Jesus Christ shines through each aspect.

The sun appears to represent the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is to clothe his people. Matthew 13:43 says, "The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father."

These two verses speak of Jesus using the metaphore of the sun: "In the heavens, he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course" (Psalm 19:4-5). "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall" (Malachi 4:2).

The woman is standing on the moon--the moon is her foundation. Ephesians 2:20 says that the foundation of God’s household is the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone. There is a definite connection between the moon--which is the woman's foundation--and the apostles and prophets, of whom Jesus Christ is chief--which are the foundation of God's household. The connection is that both are called "witnesses."

In Psalm 89:37, the moon is called the faithful witness in the sky. This makes sense, of course, because a faithful witness simply relates what he sees. The moon is not itself a source of light: it simply reflects the light of the sun. Jesus Christ declared himself to be the faithful and true Witness (Revelation 3:14), and he indicated that his work was to reflect the Father, who had sent him (John 5:19; John 14:10). Jesus also said that his apostles were his witnesses (John 15:27).

The 12 Stars

The first time we find the 12 stars together in the Bible is in Joseph's dream of the sun, moon, and 11 stars bowing down to him (Genesis 37:9). (Since Joseph's brothers were represented as 11 stars, he was presumably the 12th.) The stars appear to represent the 12 tribes of Israel, from which the 144,000 are sealed (Revelation 7:4-8)). Of these, Daniel 12:3 says, "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." It is interesting that Revelation 12:1 to 14:5 begins with the representation of the 12 tribes on the Bride of the Lamb and ends with the 144,000 on Mount Zion, standing there with the Lamb.

The 12 stars represent the 12 tribes of Israel; the Star itself is our Ruler and Redeemer, Jesus Christ: "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth" (Numbers 24:17).

The Sun, Moon, and Stars

The sun, moon, and stars are not specific to any nation; God has apportioned them to all nations, and they declare the glory of God to all mankind (Deuteronomy 4:19; Psalm 19:1-4). In the same way, the woman represents God's holy nation: "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belong to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9). This was the role God gave to Israel when he called them out of Egypt: "If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:5-6). What does the expression "kingdom of priests," or "royal priesthood," mean? Do we have any concept of the high calling our God has given us? We are nothing less than the royal ambassadors of the Kingdom of Heaven (2 Corinthians 5:21). Think about what that means. Think about it, and consider that God would not call us to this high office if he could not make us worthy of it through Jesus Christ (Jude 24-25).

The sun, moon, and stars also represent the enduring nature of God's covenant with his chosen people (Jeremiah 31:35-36). What is this covenant? "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people" (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10). To have God's law written on our hearts means that we become like him in character. It is our privilege to become so identified with Jesus that when obeying him we will be simply carrying out our own impulses (Desire of Ages, 668).

Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His 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 he might devour her child the moment it was born.

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 fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

The dragon is the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray (Revelation 12:9).

The Lord God, speaking to the serpent after Adam and Eve sinned: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Genesis 3:15).

In vision, John saw the fulfillment of this prophecy: the woman's male child was the seed of whom the Lord had spoken. The dragon knew that this child was to be the one who would crush his head; so out of self-preservation, he sought the expedient of devouring the child the moment it was born. Self-preservation and self-exaltation are at the heart of the dragon's government. It began when Lucifer cherished his wrong aspiration to make himself like the Most High: "You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the north. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High'" (Isaiah 14:13-14).

The male child is Jesus Christ. It is he who will rule the nations with an iron scepter: I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me, "You are my son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery" (Psalm 2:7-9; cf. Revelation 2:26-27).

And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 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.

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 Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame 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. 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."

Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven after their rebellion; however, after Adam and Eve sinned, he became the prince of this world (Luke 4:5-6; John 14:30). As such, he was able to present himself, with the holy angels, before the Lord (Job 1:6). Jesus Christ stands before the Lord as our Advocate; Satan stood before the Lord as our Accuser (Zechariah 3:1-2). This changed after Satan murdered the Son of God. Just before his crucifixion, Jesus declared, "Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out" (John 12:31). This judgment that Jesus spoke of here is not on mankind. Who is it that was condemned? Jesus said that the Holy Spirit convicts us in regard to judgment because "the prince of this world now stands condemned" (John 16:7-11).

Ellen White comments: Christ bowed his head and died, but He held fast His faith and His submission to God. "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." Rev. 12:10

Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels and before the heavenly universe. He had revealed himself as a murderer. By shedding the blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself from the sympathies of the heavenly beings. Henceforth his work was restricted. Whatever attitude he might assume, he could no longer await the angels as they came from the heavenly courts, and before them accuse Christ's brethren of being clothed with the garments of blackness and the defilements of sin. The last link of sympathy between Satan and the heavenly world was broken. (Desire of Ages, 761).

It was after Satan, the Accuser, revealed himself as the murderer that he is that he lost all sympathy with the heavenly angels and was forever cast out.

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 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 make war against the rest of her offspring—-those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

The dragon had sought to devour the woman's firstborn child. Although Satan succeeded in murdering Jesus Christ, he failed utterly to bring his mission to ruin; and Jesus, raised in glory, ascended to the throne of God. The heavenly angels, with Michael their beloved Commander, fought against Satan and cast him out of Heaven. Now, Satan focuses his fury on the woman.

In Daniel's first vision, he saw a power, represented by a little horn, that would rise up to wage war against the saints (Daniel 7:8, 20-21). Daniel 7:25-26 says, "He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time. But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever." The horn, as the dragon's agent, was allowed to wage war against the saints for a "time, times, and half a time," or three and one-half "times." Earlier (verse 6), John has seen that the woman would be taken care of in the desert for 1,260 days; therefore, a "time" is literally 360 days (3.5 x 360 = 1260).

Because of the time in history when this occurred, we understand that each day of the 1,260 days is a year of literal time. We also know from history that, by the year 538, there was a power that had risen to the supremacy described in Daniel 7. This, of course, was the papacy; and its power to persecute the saints remained until the Ancient of Days brought it to an end in 1798 through the agency of Napolean's general Berthier.

The dragon is desperately fighting a losing battle. He failed to devour the woman's firstborn, and he failed in his pursuit of the woman herself. Now, understandably enraged, he turns his fury against the rest of her children. Who are the woman's children? They are known by two characteristics: they obey God's commandments, and they hold to the testimony of Jesus.

God's Commandments

When a teacher of the law asked Jesus which commandment was the greatest, Jesus responded, The most important one is this: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." The second is this: "Love your neighbor as your self." There is no commandment greater than these (Mark 12:29-31). Jesus quoted the command to love the Lord our God from Deuteronomy 6:4-5. In the next verse, Moses says, "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts." He was referring to the Ten Commandments--the commandments the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to the whole assembly of Israel (Deuteronomy 5:6-22). These commandments are special in that they are the only ones the Lord proclaimed directly to the people and not just through Moses. They are also the only commands written in stone. As stone is enduring, these commandments are an expression of God's eternal character. Other laws--even those given by God--may have different applications at different times, but the Ten Commandments apply at all times to all people.

The woman's children can be recognized because they allow God to fulfill his covenant with them by writing his eternal law on their hearts (Hebrews 10:16).

The Testimony of Jesus

In 1 John 5:1-12, we read, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God... We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

Later in Revelation, the angel tells John, "Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10).

The spirit of prophecy, then, identifies Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, the One in whom we must believe to have eternal life. The spirit of prophecy was manifested in the work of God's servant Ellen White, and Revelation tells us that it will be manifested shortly before Jesus comes. Jesus's two witnesses--those who "bear the testimony" of Jesus--will prophesy about him to all the world for 1,260 days (Revelation 11:3).

Revelation 13 picks up where 12 left off, describing how the dragon will carry out his final warfare against those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.