1. A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, standing on the moon, wearing a crown of twelve stars.
2. She was pregnant and cried out in pain for she was about to deliver.
3. She gave birth to a male child who is destined to rule in strength all nations of earth.
4. God rescues the child from the serpent who sought to destroy him, taking him up to his throne in heaven.
5. The woman was given the wings of a great eagle to escape the wrath of the serpent who seeks to destroy her.
6. The serpent spews a flood of water out of its mouth to overtake and destroy the woman, but the earth comes to her aid, opened its mouth and swallowed the flood.
7. The woman flees to a place of refuge in the wilderness prepared for her. There she will live secure for 1,260 days.
8. The serpent becomes enraged and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, those who remain faithful to Jesus and God's commandments.

1. The meaning of the sun, moon and stars symbols strongly refers to Jacob whom God renamed Israel. _{Genesis 32:28}
2. Joseph, the eleventh of Israel's twelve sons, had a dream in which the sun, moon and eleven stars bowed down to him.
3. When Israel was told the dream he asked, "Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to you?"
   _{Genesis 37:9-11}
4. The twelve stars, therefore, refer to the twelve tribes of Israel and possibly the twelve apostles.
5. The number twelve also figures prominently in the description of the New Jerusalem. _{Revelation 21:9-14}
6. The woman being clothed with the sun has other interpretations:
   • She is clothed in righteousness. _{Proverbs 4:18}
   • She is a light giver (i.e truth teller)._{Psalm 15:2}
7. The crown on her head signifies authority, righteousness and victory. _{Psalm 149:4, 2 Timothy 4:8}
8. The male child destined to rule all nations is clearly Messianic. _{Isaiah 7:14, Revelation 12:1-10}
9. The wings given her symbolize divine assistance to flee from the dragon. _{Psalm 55:6, Ezekiel 17:3}
10. The torrent of water symbolizes waves of persecution directed at the woman. _{Psalm 124:4, Jeremiah 47:1}
11. The wilderness is a place of safety from enemies. The woman takes refuge there from the serpent's attacks.
12. The period of time she is there, taken literally equates to three and a half years. In prophetic time it comes out to 1,260 years.
13. The woman's offspring are those who follow Christ, a movement that sprang from Judaism. _{Acts 11:25 & 26}

The woman is symbolically linked to Israel, the grandson of Abraham, but the representation goes far deeper than this historical figure. God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants. "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you... and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Genesis 12:2-3

How is it that Abraham found favor with God? He is the common Hebrew patriarch of the world's Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All of them are monotheistic, and all of them conceive God to be the transcendent creator and the source of moral law. Abraham was born in Ur of Chaldea, a city located in what is now southern Iraq. The ancient Chaldeans practiced a polytheistic religion, incorporating rituals like astrology and witchcraft. These practices were called an abomination, a form of rebellion and a reliance on demonic forces. It is this contrast in religious beliefs that answers the question posed above.

The woman seen here is with child and about to deliver. She represents a "Spiritual Israel" that has always existed and is the progenitor of the Messianic Promise (Genesis 3:15). This is exactly why the Red Dragon (Satan), described below, is eager to destroy the woman's child at its birth. The woman can also represent Mary, the mother of Jesus; he who is the fulfillment of the promise. King Herod, acting as an agent of Satan, and understanding from the Magi that they came seeking "the one who has been born king of the Jews", gave an order to kill all the boys born in Bethlehem in an attempt to destroy the baby Jesus.

1. While John is pondering the woman clothed with the sun, another sign appeared in the heavens.
2. He sees an enormous red dragon. It had seven heads and ten horns and on each head was a crown.
3. The serpent's tail had swept away a third of the stars of heaven and cast them down to earth.
4. The dragon positioned himself in front of the woman so he might devour her child as soon as it was born, but heavenly agents intervened.
5. The dragon, enraged, made war with the heavenly realms, but Michael and the holy angels were victorious.
6. Satan, the great serpent who leads the world astray, was defeated and exiled to earth and his angels with him.
7. He turned, filled with wrath, and attacked the woman who had given birth to the male child, but the Lord rescued her from the serpent's grasp.

1. Seven, the number of heads, signifies completion or fullness. _{Genesis 41:26 & 27}
2. Multiple heads symbolize chronological incarnations of the dragon power. _{Revelation 17:10 & 11}
3. The red dragon is identified as Satan. Having seven heads implies that these are seven satanic powers through which the serpent operates. _{Revelation 12:9}
4. Each head bears a crown. Crowns symbolize authoritarian power such as a king. _{2 Samuel 12:30, 2 Kings 11:12}
5. The stars symbolize those angels who joined in Satan's rebellion. _{Isaiah 14:12 KJV, Revelation 12:9}
6. Horns symbolize strength or power to act. _{Psalm 18:2, Psalm 89:17}
7. The ten horns that bear no crowns are ten authoritarian powers that coexist with the dragon in some future time. _{Revelation 17:12}

What constitutes a beast power? According to scripture they are nations that are, have been or will be enemies of Israel. The seven satanic heads can be identified as Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and the end time beast brought forth in Revelation 13 and 17. _{Exodus 6:7}