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[Note: “Israel Gives Birth to Christ in Revelation 12” ~ John Young] “The Nation of Israel as Represented In Revelation 12” By Maurice Young, February 7, 2007 The identity of the “women” in Revelation 12 is of importance to the serious students of the scriptures as it is the object of Satan’s attack and God’s protection. As usual, the correct interpretation of the passage and its context will lead to a correct conclusion. Therefore, the scriptures are the final source of authority as to the identity of the woman in Revelation 12. From Revelation 6:1 to Revelation 18:24 the context is the time of “Jacob’s Trouble”, or the 7-year Tribulation Period. The “times of the Gentiles” and God again deals primarily with the sons of Jacob, the nation of Israel. Revelation 12:1 is a direct reference to the 12 sons of Jacob (Israel) as taught in Genesis 37:5-10 in the two dreams that God gave to Joseph. In Genesis 37:9 we read in the second dream, “And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.” This is a direct reference to the 12 tribes of Israel as written in Revelation 12:1. Dr. Harold B. Sightler correctly states, “The women is symbolic of the twelve tribes of Israel, the people of Israel.” ~ [Dr. Harold B. Sightler, Revelation, (Greenville, SC: The Bright spot Hour, n.d.), 161] This woman giving birth in typology is consistent throughout the Old Testament as a reference to the nation of Israel. Jeremiah 4:31 is one example. “For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! For my soul is wearied because of murderers.” In the scriptures, and throughout the history of other nations, a dragon is a symbol of Satan. Satan is an adversary to God and to His people, the sons of Israel. In Revelation 12:6 we read that the woman flees into the wilderness by the protecting hand of God due to the persecution of the dragon. In the scriptures, the only nation said to have journeyed in a wideness is the nation of Israel. In typology this is a direct reference to the nation of Israel. Clarence Larkin brings out, “As the ‘Woman’ and the dragon are symbols, so are the ‘Eagle's Wings’. They speak of the rapid and swift flight of the ‘Women’ (Israel) into the ‘Wilderness’ where she shall be safely kept and nourished for 3 ½ years until the Dragon is bound”. ~ [Clarence Larkin, The Book of Revelation, (Glenside, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate, 1919), 99.] As we consider our interpretation of Revelation12 and notice the reference to the “man child” we can only come to the conclusion that eh man child is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, Since the man child is a reference to Christ the only inescapable conclusion, based upon scripture, is that the woman is Israel. Romans 9:4 & 5 clearly states, “Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of Gog, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of the whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.” The Faithful interpreter of scripture can only come to the conclusion that the “woman” in Revelation 12 is a direct reference to the nation of Israel.

God has reserved to Himself in every generation a remnant of covenanted physical Israelite believers, even while the Nation of Israel itself is in unbelief and scattered. Scripture makes this clear that this reservation is by the election of God's Grace and not of outward works that we can see. Apostle Paul gives the example of Elijah who felt Israel had wholly forsaken God but God corrected Him and showed Him 7,000 men were were being used of God to preserve faith within the nation. Paul then explains this remnant in Physical Covenanted Israel will always exist regardless of what the nation as a whole does. We use this to teach that just as Elect Israel is persevered by God and retains God's promises and is not forsaken, so too we the church made up of all nations can be assured that there has always been a believing Elect church in existence, no matter how corrupt or evil the outward "church" may appear at times. Just as God saves and keeps the Elected individual believer in Christ, so too will He keep and preserve his Covenanted Church and Nation throughout time and eternity.

Many confuse the physical Children and Nation of Israel with the Spiritual Children of faith. In Chapter 9, Paul the Apostle uses the covenant of Israel to show the difference between the two and how God did not give the "Promises of Faith" to the Physical Bloodline but to a "Faith line" of Israel that believed. The promises are not to every person in the physical covenant of Israel but to believing Israel. Just as there are physical and visible churches that carry on the Spiritual line, so too, Physical Israel carried on a faith line of the Israelites who brought forth the Spiritual seed for the whole world. In this lesson we show the Two Covenants God has used to preserve the Spiritual line of Faith in Both Old and New Testaments, Church and Israel. We show how Believing Israel will receive all the promises made to it and so too the Whole Believing Church Body will receive all things given to it. And how unbelieving people physically in either covenant, while receiving some of God's temporal blessings and benefits (by being close to God's people) will not receive anything into eternity.