Revelation 12
My blog entry in July 2025 was about antisemitism and my thoughts in the wake of the Israel-Iran conflict that took place back then. As I write this today, a new war is taking place between Israel, the USA, and Iran, and my thoughts are once again on this conflict. It has been difficult to watch the news headlines for the following two reasons: (1) I serve in our military and I have no idea how this might ultimately affect or involve me; and (2) I am concerned for the people of Israel who live in a constant state of anxiety about the next round of missile attacks from Iran or their one of their regional proxies. Let me be clear: Satan is alive and well, and he hates Israel. He also hates anyone who calls upon the name of Jesus. We know this from Scripture.
And that brings us, ironically, back to Revelation 12. I wrote about this chapter in my attempt to explain the antisemitic response we saw in our world last summer (see my July 2025 blog), and we find ourselves looking at the same material again in our walk through the Book of Revelation together. Therefore, I’m going to repeat much of what I wrote previously on this chapter in my attempt to explain the three main characters introduced in Revelation twelve. The timing is perfect, as this chapter helps explain antisemitism and why it is so evil. Yes, it IS evil and has its roots in demonic power. It is fueled by the spirit of the “antichrist” (see I John 4:1-3) which is alive and well on planet Earth. Satan’s hatred for the Jews and for Jesus is on full display through this demonic spirit. As I said before, there is a spiritual battle going on all around us (Ephesians 6:10-20), we just need to open our eyes to the truth. Antisemitism and persecution of Christians are two aspects of this spiritual warfare, and both are explained in Revelation 12.
By way of review, Revelation chapters 12-13 are primarily about spiritual warfare and the cost of following Jesus. These two chapters present necessary background information to help us better understand the nature of the unseen war taking place all around us. If we focus on just Rev. 12, for example, we learn quite a bit about the backstory of this epic spiritual battle including Satan’s hatred for Jews and Christians. Chapter 12 is all about the birth of Jesus, Satan’s attempt to kill Him, and Christ’s ascension into glory. In the end, Satan is cast out of heaven in humiliating defeat, and the people of God become the primary target for his hatred and vengeance.
Assignment — Read Revelation 12
The Woman
A great and wonderous sign appeared in heaven. The Apostle John saw “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head” (12:1). The number twelve in Scripture is significant and almost always refers to either Israel or, more generally, to God’s people. She probably represents the nation of Israel, although some believe she represents Mary, the mother of Jesus and a daughter of Israel. However, the sun and moon speak of her splendor as God’s chosen nation, while the twelve stars point to the twelve tribes of Israel (reminiscent of Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37:9). Therefore, she best represents the people of God because she is pregnant with the Messiah. I believe she is Israel, the nation that gave birth to the Messiah.
The Child
The child is the Messiah – Jesus. A male child who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter (Genesis 49:10; Psalm 2:9). Satan will try to kill him at birth, of course (and used the murderous King Herod as his puppet in Matthew 2:13-18), but the child will be snatched up to heaven and established on His throne. This clearly represent the Nativity story as well as Christ’s resurrection and ascension to heaven.
The Red Dragon
John then sees another sign in heaven: “an enormous red dragon…” (12:3), with numerous heads and horns and crowns representing political power and authority. The dragon is Satan (as explained in verse 9), who wants to kill this child the moment it is born (12:4). Again, this should remind us of the Nativity story, but it is also reminiscent of the curse between the woman and the serpent in Genesis 3:15. Satan clearly wants to stop the Messiah from redeeming the world and tried numerous times in the Old Testament to kill off the Messianic bloodline through King David. Thankfully, he did not succeed. Rev. 12:7-9 tell us there is a war in heaven, but Satan and a third of the angels are on the losing end and are thrown out of heaven and cast down to earth. (See what Jesus said about this in Luke 10:18.)
Revelation 12:4 is an important glimpse into Satan’s story. (For more on this see Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28:14-16). Many believe Isaiah and Ezekiel tell of Satan leading a failed rebellion in heaven and being kicked out as a result. It’s believed Satan convinced a third of the angels to join him in his doomed rebellion and now they all pay the price (as his demonic minions) and lose their access to heaven once and for all.
After the child is snatched up to heaven (12:5), the woman flees into the desert to be protected by God. There are many theories about her flight and protection, but for now, I want to focus on the outcome. Rev. 12 ends with the humiliated devil landing on earth, enraged and determined to destroy every last Jew and Christian he can find (verses 13-17). It is a repeat of what we read at the beginning of the chapter, but with a bit more added detail (see below). Of course, none of this should surprise to us in light of Peter’s warning that the devil “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8), or Paul’s warning that we are in a spiritual battle and need God’s armor every day (Eph. 6:10-18).
Spiritual Warfare Ahead
While the woman may represent the Messianic community, her offspring are described in the last verse of Rev. 12 as “those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (v. 17). I believe that’s referring to Jews and anyone who claims to be a Christian today! Since the Devil’s ultimate goal was/is to destroy Israel and stop the Messiah from ruling the nations, he is furious that his plans have always been foiled by God. And they always will.
However, this does not stop him from pouring his vengeance out on those he hates and causing as much havoc and destruction as he can. He hates the Jews as God’s “chosen people,” and he hates anyone who worships Jesus as Lord and Savior. This explains much of what’s happening in our world today, including both the global antisemitism and persecution of Christians as well.
Yet one thing is certain: God is on the Throne and He protects His children. He always has, and He always will. This is evident in the modern-day nation of Israel. They are surrounded by tens of millions of Muslims who hate them and wish they did not exist. But they do. They thrive and survive in the land God promised to them through Abram thousands of years ago (Gen. 12:1-3), and nothing can change that. Therefore, I do not believe God has turned His back on Israel and “replaced” them with the Church (see Romans 11:1). In my opinion, that’s bad theology.
Therefore, I encourage you to not endorse, approve, or engage in the antisemitic fervor sweeping our country and world today. In fact, quite the opposite: I encourage you to support and pray for Israel instead. God blesses that (see Genesis 12)! And remember, we will all stand before Jesus one day and give an account for our lives, behaviors, thoughts, and words (see Rev. 20:11-15). I can promise you that on the day of judgment it will not go well for those who hate the Jews. We must remember that not only does salvation come from the Jews (John 4:22), but the one who will sit on the judgment throne was once a Jewish rabbi!
Pray for Israel. Pray for God’s protection. Pray for peace in the Middle East. Pray that Jews around the world would come to know Jesus as their Messiah. And pray for God’s will to be done in the world today!
(Ps: the title of my Revelation Bible study, “REV 12:11” is based on a verse from this chapter. You can find this study here on my website or at www.Lulu.com.)
Also… happy Easter! He is risen (He is risen indeed!)
