There are two women mentioned in the Book of Revelation who play a prominent role in the war between good and evil during the end of days. One woman is called “Mystery Babylon,” the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth. She is accused of being “drunk with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” Read Revelation, Chapter 17.
Mystery Babylon represents the Kingdoms of the World and their Political, Economic and Religious systems. These Systems are inherently corrupt because they are, for the most part, demonically inspired. Out of Mystery Babylon comes the BEAST who deceives the entire World. The BEAST and his allies declare war against Christ and His Chosen People and against the current Babylon System.
As corrupt as Mystery Babylon was, it was never corrupt enough to stop the Gospel of Christ from reaching the multitudes. The Beast has a new war plan to wipe out those who call themselves Christians and stop the proliferation of the Gospel. Satan has always been at war with those who carry the Light of Christ to those who dwell in Darkness.
Satan knows his time is short and aspires to do everything in his power to destroy the Church and stop Christ from being preached to the Nations. The Mark of the Beast is his final attempt at suppressing and destroying the works of Christ on earth.
A SIGN IN HEAVEN
AND THERE APPEARED A GREAT WONDER (sign) 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. Revelation, Chapter 12, Verses 1-2. AND SHE BROUGHT FORTH A MAN CHILD, WHO WAS TO RULE THE NATIONS WITH A ROD OF IRON: AND HER CHILD WAS CAUGHT UP UNTO GOD, AND TO HIS THRONE. Revelation, Chapter 12, Verse 5.
The second woman we are going to talk about mentioned in the Book of Revelation represents the Kingdom of God, and specifically, the Body (Nation) of Christ. This vision John had is a prophetic anomaly with a multiplicity of types and shadows. Astronomy also plays a pivotal role in examining and explaining its mysteries.
First John said there appeared a great WONDER (sign) in Heaven which included the sun, moon and stars. Speaking of the end of days, Jesus said in Luke Chapter 21, Verse 25, “there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon and stars with perplexities and distress of nations.” This sign John saw in Heaven was there to REVEAL a spiritual truth, as well as to point us to a time of past and future events.
In the Bible a woman can represent creation. In the beginning, in the womb of creation, a new World was conceived. Man was created from the dust of the Earth (world) and God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Because of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, God’s new creation was sent into turmoil. Death would rule and reign in the chambers of men’s hearts until God would create a new Garden where sin could not enter. I am speaking in spiritual terms of course.
The Woman John saw was clothed with the Sun. She also represents the Church. When we think of the Church, we usually just think of the BRIDE OF Christ. However, Jesus is head of the Church and the most important person in the Church because the Church is inhabited by His Spirit.
As we saw in Chapter One, the Sun (Son) represents Light. Christ is the Light of the World. A new system, creation, was needed to replace the old one which was corrupt and void of spiritual LIFE. The Woman was clothed with the Sun, or Light. This new creation brought forth a man child, Christ, who would rule the Nations with a rod of iron. Jesus was crucified on the Cross, resurrected by the Holy Spirit, and caught up to Heaven. He now sits at the right hand of God. He is the LIGHT of the World.
Jesus is the head of the Church, and the firstborn, or first fruits of many. The Church itself is a living, breathing, commonwealth of Believers who have received Christ as their Lord and Savior.
We saw in the earlier chapters that the Moon represented the Kingdom of Darkness and sin. Through the sacrifice of Christ, the Kingdom of Darkness has been defeated. The Kingdom of Darkness is now under the feet of Christ and all who believe in Him.
The number Twelve is the number of Divine Government, the Disciples and unity. Stars represent Israel, but also represent Angels who are messengers of God. In the twelve stars God is sending us a message of the woman through the celestial signs around her. This message represents a message concerning Creation, Christ, the Church (spiritual Israel) and certain past and future events. The past events are also prophetic of future events.
A crown speaks of Kingship and Authority. Jesus was given authority to rule and reign over the Nations as a King. Because of His sacrifice he has been given dominion as King and Kings and Lord of Lords. The twelve stars on the crown speak of His divine government being perpetuated in the Church, spiritual Israel, who will rule and reign with Him throughout eternity.
The Moon, as I wrote earlier in the book, represented Satan. Muslims worship the Moon God, but call Him Allah. Allah (Satan) is the God of the anti-Christ. At Calvary, Satan was defeated and put under the feet of Christ like the Moon stood under the Sun in John’s vision of the Woman.
THE SIGN OF HIS COMING
AND THERE WILL BE SIGNS IN THE SUN, THE MOON AND STARS.
In Astronomy the twelve stars represent the Constellation Virgo. Virgo represents a virgin. I read that around time of the birth of Christ twelve stars from the Constellation Virgo aligned over the Sun. At the same time the Moon was positioned under the Sun. Some Bible Scholars believe this alignment of the Sun, Moon and Stars was the Star of Bethlehem.
God does speak to us through the Constellations. He did so in Amos, Chapter 5, and also in Job Chapters 9 and 38. Moses wrote in Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 14: AND GOD SAID, LET THERE BE LIGHTS (understanding) IN THE FIRMAMENT OF THE HEAVEN TO DIVIDE THE DAY FROM THE NIGHT; AND LET THEM BE FOR SIGNS, AND FOR SEASONS, AND FOR DAYS, AND YEARS.
BEHOLD THE DAY OF THE LORD COMES, CRUEL BOTH WITH WRATH AND FIERCE ANGER, TO LAY THE LAND DESOLATE: AND HE SHALL DESTROY THE SINNERS THEREOF OUT OF IT. FOR THE STARS OF HEAVEN AND THE CONSTELLATIONS SHALL NOT GIVE THEIR LIGHT: THE SUN SHALL BE DARKENED IN HIS GOING FORTH, AND THE MOON SHALL NOT CAUSE HER LIGHT TO SHINE. Isaiah, Chapter 13, Verses 9-10.
The above Scriptures are speaking of the time of Judgment during the Great Tribulation. The Sun, Moon and Stars will be darkened and will not shine for long periods of time. These SIGNS come through storms, volcanoes and other calamities as Judgment upon mankind for their refusal to repent of their sins and transgressions. The Blood Moons are also signs we are living at the end of the age and of God’s Judgment upon the Nations.
AND THERE APPEARED ANOTHER WONDER (SIGN) IN HEAVEN; AND BEHOLD A GREAT 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 TO BE DELIVERED, FOR TO DEVOUR HER CHILD AS IT WAS BORN. Revelation, Chapter 12, Verses 3-4.
The Great Dragon, of course, is Satan, the Serpent, who deceived Eve and introduced chaos and rebellion into God’s first creative work. The Great Dragon controls the anti-Christ and the Nations under his authority. Anti-Christ under the authority of the Dragon causes them to make war on the Saints of the Most High God and to persecute and slay them.
We saw that Stars also represent Angels. The third part of the stars were the third part of the Angels who joined Lucifer, the Dragon, during the rebellion in Heaven. They were cast down to Earth with Satan.