Revelation 12 is full of images. The images in chapter twelve are not very happy. Revelation 12 is going to tell us about a dragon with ten horns. What I want you to do is to paint your own visual of Revelation 12.

Having described Christ’s opening of all seven seals, John next provides, in Revelation 12, an inset describing the conflict between the woman and the dragon. John describes a vision of a woman clothed with the sun, the moon, and twelve stars. This description hearkens back to Genesis 37:9, where in a dream Joseph had seen the family of Israel depicted by the sun, moon, and stars. As we have seen earlier, the Bible uses a woman to symbolize a church. In a few brief verses, the entire history of the church is traced from the time of the congregation of Israel—the church in the wilderness—to the end of the great tribulation.

The woman is said to have brought forth the man-child who is to rule all nations—a clear reference to Christ, who sprang out of Israel.

The dragon, defined in verse nine as Satan the devil, attempts to destroy Jesus Christ—who was taken back to heaven after his resurrection. In verse six we read of the woman having to flee to the wilderness to be protected during a period of 1,260 prophetic days—1,260 literal years. Since this occurs after Christ’s ascension, it clearly refers to the New Testament church. Indeed, in the early fourth century AD, after the Roman emperor Constantine allied with the bishop of Rome, the true church had to flee to remote areas. Historically, a 1,260-year period can be traced from after the Council of Nicea in AD 325, down to about 1585, when the true church began to emerge openly once again.

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all God, and to his throne.

Revelation 12:1-5