Revelation 12 and the Future of Israel

Some critics of our futuristic views of Bible prophecy say the New Testament does not speak prophetically about a future national Israel. “There is not a single verse in the New Testament that supports the claim that there is prophetic significance in Israel’s restoration as a nation,” declares replacement theologian Gary DeMar.

“Beyond A.D. 70, Israel as a nation plays no prophetic role. The New Testament only addresses Israel’s near destruction[,] never its distant restoration.”1 While I believe that a number of references, especially in Revelation, clearly imply that a future nation of Israel is doing various things in its land, Revelation 12 is a whole chapter that deals with national Israel during a future time.

THE WOMAN AND THE DRAGON

Who does the woman of Revelation 12 symbolize? “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Revelation 12:1). While Catholics and many replacement theologians believe the woman in this passage is the Church, even preterists like DeMar realize the biblical symbolism of Genesis 37:9-11 demands that it refers to Israel.2 However, preterists err in seeing it as a reference to Israel in the past, not the future. The sun refers to Jacob, the moon to Jacob’s wife, Rachel, and the 12 stars to the sons of Jacob and the 12 tribes of Israel (Jacob).

Verse 2 says, “and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.” We see here the picture of Israel as a woman experiencing labor pains during the time of the birth of the Messiah at Christ’s First Coming. Such a picture of Israel was quite common in the Old Testament.3 Robert Thomas tells us: “The reference is to the birth of Jesus at His first coming, but technically speaking this historical event had already occurred when John wrote. So this is a heavenly enactment of that past historical event just as other parts of this vision are enactments of events yet to occur.”4

The next verse says, “And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.” The fact that verse 3 speaks of heaven (as does verse 1) indicates that we are seeing in this vision the angelic conflict being played out throughout history and its relationship and impact upon Israel, especially during the Tribulation. The past conflicts set the stage and demonstrate a trend, which is the basis for understanding the future conflict noted in verses 6 through 17. The red dragon is unmistakably Satan himself (see Revelation 12:9; 20:2). The seven heads represent “seven consecutive world empires... indicating that they are in the process of running their course as John writes.”5 The ten horns and seven diadems speak of the Antichrist’s kingdom during the Tribulation, as indicated in Daniel 7:7-24 and Revelation 13 and 17.

The past conflict between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent (Genesis 3:15) is rehearsed in verses 4 and 5. A third of the stars having been swept away by the dragon’s tail informs us that a third of the angels fell and followed Satan in his original revolt. We learn this when we realize that the stars in this passage symbolize angels (compare Revelation 12:7, 9). The male child of verse 5 is Jesus the Messiah, who is the seed of the woman and the one whom the dragon is really at war with.

PETRA

“And the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she might be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days” (Revelation 12:6). Some Bible commentators call this event in the middle of the Tribulation “the second exodus” (see also Matthew 24:15-22), during which God will miraculously take care of the Jewish remnant in a manner similar to the 40-year Exodus event. Israel will likely go to the ancient fortress city of Petra in southwest Jordan. Some Old Testament passages call that area Bozrah (Isaiah 34:1-7; 63:1-6; Jeremiah 49:13-14; Micah 2:12-13; Habakkuk 3:3), where the city of Petra was eventually built.

Bible scholar and author Arnold Fruchtenbaum tells us about Petra:

Petra is located in a basin with Mount Seir, and is totally surrounded by mountains and cliffs. The only way in and out of the city is through a narrow passageway that extends for about a mile and can only be negotiated by foot or by horseback. This means the city is easy to defend... Petra is shaped like a giant sheepfold, with its narrow passage opening up to a spacious circle surrounded by cliffs... The city of Bozrah in Mount Seir is located in ancient Edom or southern Jordan. Since this area will escape the domination of the Antichrist, it is logical for the Jews to flee to this place. Thus, God will provide a city of refuge outside the Antichrist’s domain for the fleeing Remnant. 6

GOD VERSUS SATAN

The historic conflict between Christ and Satan reaches a climax in heaven, where Satan and his demons are cast out of heaven to the earth at the midpoint of the seven-year Tribulation Period (Revelation 12:7-12). Satan’s defeat is first implemented in heaven by Michael and his angels in preparation for the final defeat of the dragon on earth three and a half years later at the Second Coming (Revelation 20:1-3). What is Satan’s response to being cast down to the earth?

Just like in the movies, when the bad guys cannot defeat the superhero himself, they go after his wife and children. Since Satan cannot defeat God in direct combat,
when he is cast down to the earth he attacks God’s children. In this case, he goes after the Jewish remnant: “And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child” (Revelation 12:13). This will result in the greatest time of persecution against the Jews in the history of the world since Satan will be on planet Earth directing it himself.

Why is persecution of the Jews so important to Satan? Since Revelation 12 deals with the issue of the great struggle between God and Satan, with a focus on the future, we see the outworking of Satan’s final effort to defeat God, which is an attempt to prevent the Second Coming. Since the Second Advent cannot occur until the Jewish nation is converted to Messiah and calls on Him to rescue them, Satan tries to liquidate the Jewish people to prevent it from happening. Satan believes that if He can obstruct God’s predestined plan from unfolding, then he will have defamed Him. However, it is not going to happen.

HEAD FOR THE HILLS

What is God’s response to Satan’s persecution of His people? “And the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, in order that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent” (Revelation 12:14). God will protect the remnant supernaturally, as noted by the phrase “two wings of the great eagle.” This is a figure of speech used in the Exodus (Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:10-11) to speak of God’s divine intervention as the Jews leave Jerusalem and the surrounding areas and are protected in Petra.

Satan launches an effort to track down the Jewish people, but God’s protection overcomes his efforts: “And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood” (Revelation 12:15). In context, it appears that Satan’s pouring out water like a river from his mouth after the woman is a metaphor for military pursuit. He sends out his armies to search for the Jewish people who are in hiding. The intent of his pursuit is to destroy the Jews, as stated in the figure of speech “so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood.”

In spite of Satan’s great efforts, God hides and protects his people: “And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth” (Revelation 12:16). God uses the rugged and mountainous terrain of the wilderness to counteract Satan’s efforts to destroy the Jewish remnant. Satan gives up his search and in his anger goes after other Jewish believers, likely the 144,000 Jewish witnesses (Revelation 7:1-8; 14:1-3) who are scattered across the globe.

CONCLUSION

Not only are there references to the future of Israel in the New Testament, the future destiny of the nation is outlined in great detail in Revelation 12 and in other passages throughout the final book of the Bible. When we realize Israel already has become a nation that is generally in unbelief toward Christ and that virtually the whole world is already anti-Israel, it is not hard to realize that the Lord is setting the stage for Tribulation events that will focus on that tiny nation that the Lord loves. Many comparisons are being made today between the conditions in the Muslim world and the mentality of the Nazis toward the Jews in the 1930s.7 At the end of the day, Revelation 12 teaches us that it is a fight between God and Satan. Maranatha!

ENDNOTES

1 Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness:Obsession of the Modern Church (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, 1999), p. 398.
2 DeMar,Last Days Madness, pp. 146-47.
3 See Isa. 13:8; 21:3; 26:17-18; 61:7-8; 66:7ff; Jer. 4:31; 13:21; 22:23; 30:4-8; Hos. 13:13;Mic. 4:10; 5:2-3.
4 Robert L.Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago:Moody Press, 1995), p. 121.
5 Thomas, Revelation 8-22, p. 123.
6 Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events / Tustin, CA: Ariel Press, 2003), pp. 296-97.
7 Chuck Morse, The Nazi Connection To Islamic Terrorism: Adolf Hitler and Haj Amin al-Husseini (New York: iUniverse, 2003).

MidnightCall Magazine

July 2008