The Woman of Revelation 12

There's a lot of information in Revelation 12, and we'll probably get more into that in the post dedicated to that chapter. However, during the time from June 18-24, 2025, I was studying the women discussed in this chapter as part of my daily devotion journal. The information presented here is from that week of study. I may come back and add to is as time goes on, but for now it's mostly a summary of those days.

Introduction

There's a lot of information in Revelation 12, and we'll probably get more into that in the post dedicated to that chapter. However, during the time from June 18-24, 2025, I was studying the women discussed in this chapter as part of my daily devotion journal. The information presented here is from that week of study. I may come back and add to is as time goes on, but for now it's mostly a summary of those days.

The Woman of Revelation 12

In Revelation 12, John tells us about a vision he has of a woman being persecuted by a dragon. Throughout this chapter—the book of Revelation as a whole, actually—there is a lot of symbolism. As such, one can reasonably assume this woman is not a literal person in the way Sarah or Eve is, but a symbol instead.

This woman is described as:

• clothed with the Sun
• the moon is under her feet
• wearing a crown of 12 stars
• pregnant (and in labor)

Many of these symbols have been seen before. The stars appear in Revelation 1 as angels. The sun, moon, and stars motif appaears in a dream had by Joseph in Genesis 37. The number 12 is repeated in the number of tribes as well as the number of disciples. A woman often represents a church or Jerusalem (Jeremiah 6:2). Below is a table summarizing some of the information I found on these symbols within the Bible.

Symbol	Elsewhere in the Bible
Wilderness	Many of God's faithful servants spend tim in the wilderness—Moses (Exodus 2), Israel (Exodus - Deuteronomy), Elijah (1 Kings 19), Messiah (Matthew 4), etc). During these times they are isolated from the world and societal norms. Often this is a period of spiritual growth and temptation, with the true purpose/ministry occurring after.
Sun, Moon, Stars	All 3 of these celestial bodies were created on the 4th day. The sun and moon are called the greater and lesser lights, respectively. In Revelation 1, we're told the stars represent angels (angels being messengers of God). We also see similar imager in Joseph's dream in Genesis 37, despite him only having 11 stars
Eagle's Wings	Usually a sign of protection (see Exodus 19:4 and Isaiah 40:31)
Pregnant	Bearing fruit

Based on some interpretations of the 2 great lights, Revelation 12 could be saying she is clothed in the righteousness of God and the Messiah, with her feet placed on the foundation of the law/commandments.

Questions

About the Passage

1. Does she go to the wilderness twice?
2. What exactly is the wilderness?
3. What is the significance of 1260 days?
   • Are they literal days or prophetic days?
   • Are they consecutive days?
4. Who is the woman?
5. Who is her son?
6. What do the symbols mean?
7. Who is the dragon?
8. Is the water from the dragon's mouth literal or symbolic?
9. If symbolic, what does it mean?
10. Why is the serpent angry at the woman?
11. Why does he go after her children?
12. When does she have other children? Before or after the son she births in the passage?
13. Who are they?
14. How many of them are there?
15. Why does the Earth help her?
16. What (or who) is the Earth?
17. What is the significance of Eagle's wings?
18. What kind of persecution does she experience?
19. What is the purpose and motive of the war?

If I could talk to her...

There are a few things I would want to discuss with this woman. First, I would want to know about her experience in the wilderness; did she know that the time was coming (as Messiah prophesied for the Church in Matthew 24:16-20), or did it come like a shock (as in Exodus)? If she was aware she was going to have to flee into the wilderness, how did she prepare? Did she prepare at all?

Next, I would want to talk to her about her state during the time described. She was either pregnant or post-partum for the whole of John's vision. Usually this is a time marked with severe hormonal shifts which trigger mood swings. How did she regulate those emotions in the midst of all the stress of being persecuted, being hunted, and being in the wilderness (presumably devoid of the societal norms with regard to quality of life)?

Finally, I'd want to talk to her about her children. Who are they!? What did she teach them? Why are they being persecuted? How does she feel about them being involved in this larger battle?

Phototheology

Phototheology is a way of learning the Bible taught by Ivor Myers.[1] I am employing this technique in my weekly Woman of God study journal. The following three prompts are the ones I drew from the card deck while studying the The Woman of Revelation 12

Compare or contrast with the Abrahamic Cycle

Revelation 12 Woman	Abrahamic Cycle
Children are persecuted	Descendents will be persecuted
Nourished in the wilderness	Descendents are noursihed in the wilderness
Gives birth to a king	Gives birth (or fathers) the lineage that produces the King of God's people
Persecuted	Not really persecuted
One child is important but has other children	One child is important but as other children

Connect the text with a worship thought you've heard before

Two Saturdays before this study, the sermon was on sanctification and the pastor covered the wilderness as part of the journey. He discussed how the wilderness is a time of temptation and growth, but we aren't meant to stay in the wilderness. The Woman od Revelation 12 seeks refuge in the wilderness, but the plan is to defeat the enemy so she can come out of the wilderness. However, in Revelation, the wilderness is protection. Unless we include the Dragon's water attack that is thwarted by Earth, there is no evidence of temptation for this woman in the wilderness.

Summary of the messages:

1. The 1st angel's message: Fear God and give Him glory
2. The 2nd Angel's message: Babylon has fallne
3. The 3rd angel's message: Those who worship the beast will feel God's wrath

How does the text connect to the 3 angels messages of Revelation 14?

There are 3 messages given by the angels in Revelation 14. The woman of Revelation 12 is obeying the first message and thus avoids taking the mark or worshipping the beast (as proclaimed by the third). Babylon is in league with the dragon, so Bablyon is both the persecutor and the defeated entity in Revelation 12, which aligns with the second angel's message. The woman is the faithful church who has heeded each angels' message. This further proves she is someone we should strive to imitate.

Journal Pages

Journal Pages on the Woman of Revelation 12 from Jun 18-24, 2025

References and Footnotes

1. Pastor Ivor Myers' Phototheology Game Deck