At this point, suffice to say that we have uncovered three very important aspects: Firstly, that the appointed times that were mentioned in Genesis 1:14 and then described and fleshed out in Leviticus 23, are specific appointments set out by God for fulfilment at some point in time. Secondly, the appointed times involve Israel and their Messiah who fulfils the appointments set out in Leviticus 23. Thirdly, these events are said to be marked by celestial markers.
In the same chapter, Israel was told to keep these special appointments as holy days on a perpetual basis so that they would be in a position to recognize their fulfilment when the appointed time finally arrived. It is also important to keep in mind that these appointments were given using a lunar calendar and that Israel still uses a lunar calendar today.
So what do we know about the sign of Revelation 12 as it is described in God’s Word?
Firstly, it is the only celestial marker that is described in so much detail in all of God’s Word. Another very important aspect is that the first reference to the Revelation 12 sign occurs very early on in God’s Word and is mentioned as early as in Genesis 3 where the main symbols used are already described. The Woman, The Woman’s Seed and the Red Dragon were put in place and mentioned in response to Satan’s deception of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15-16, right after Adam and Eve sinned. This is then highlighted further by taking the place as the very first prophecy given in God’s Word:
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
In these two verses we see God mentioning “The Woman” and how Satan would relate to her and her Seed. The woman is giving birth to a Seed and it is said that the conception and labour will be multiplied and sorrowful. This is also very important as the sign in Revelation 12 contains the exact same symbolism and antagonistic description between the Seed of the Woman and the great Red Dragon as given in Genesis. The only difference is that the sign in Revelation 12 contains additional attributes to provide the reader with the identity of the woman.
So who is God referring to in Genesis 3:15 and who exactly are the actors that are described? In Genesis, we know that God was speaking to Satan, Adam and Eve. The first words of Genesis 3:15 are directed at Satan where he is told that God would put enmity between him and the woman. If the reader then questioned the identity of the great Red Dragon mentioned in Revelation 12, a detailed clarification is provided to avoid any confusion just a few verses later:
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
The fact that the verse above points directly back to “that old serpent” highlights the connection between the sign in Revelation and the first prophecy given by God in Genesis. So from this verse it is clear that the Red Dragon represents Satan which is directly identified by God’s Word. No further questions about it.
When it comes to the woman, we see in Genesis 3 no clarifying detail other than that this woman has a Seed and that she would have sorrow in conception and childbirth and that there would be a hostile relationship between her offspring and the offspring of Satan. The Revelation 12 sign adds some attributes namely the sun, the moon and 12 stars, when describing the woman and fortunately, when we study God’s Word, we can clearly see who it is that the woman represents and who God intended this prophecy for in Genesis 3:15. The first clue given on the identity of the woman in Revelation 12 and who this symbolically represents is found in Genesis 37 where Josef announced his dream to his parents and brothers:
Gen 37:9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it 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.
Here it is clear that the sun the moon and twelve stars (eleven stars are Josef’s brothers) are symbolically representative of the family of Jacob, also known as Israel. We also know from other chapters in God’s Word that Israel’s Messiah which is called the Seed of the woman, (also indicating a virgin birth) will be born from the nation of Israel when God spoke to Abraham – the father of Israel. God told Abraham that the entire world would be blessed through his Seed (one only, not many seeds) – the same Seed that is mentioned in Genesis 3:15
Gen 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
The virgin birth is also described in the following two passages:
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Luk 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
We know from genealogies found in the New Testament that Mary was of “the house of Israel” and the Messiah was born out of her as an individual, but the Messiah also came out of the nation of Israel as a collective. Mary was a virgin at the time that she conceived the Seed. In addition to this, Israel is also called a woman in several prophetic books in the Bible and specifically a woman in travail, as shown below:
Isa 26:17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.
Jer 6:2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.
Mic 4:10 Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.
From the brief discussion above, it should be abundantly evident that the symbolism incorporated in Revelation 12, and expounded on in other passages of God’s Word, specifically assigns the identity of the “woman in travail” to Israel, represented by the woman in labour that is clothed by the sun the moon and the twelve stars. The Child that is then born of the woman represents Israel’s Messiah, which is born out of Israel, who will be ruling the nations with a rod of iron, which is a yet future prophecy. Satan is then clearly defined as the Red Dragon.
Traditionally and for most of history, the interpretation of the sign in Revelation 12 was predominantly understood to be symbolic only and given the symbolism provided, it is a very valid interpretation. However, a symbolic interpretation is not the only possible application available as recent technology has allowed us to carefully study the heavens and the position of celestial objects at times in the past and also into the future. It is therefore very interesting to note that the sign of Revelation 12 has a very rare and unique physical match in a celestial alignment to match the description given in Revelation 12. This starts in November of 2016 and ends on September 23rd, 2017. What is further amazing is that this sign, as described by John, only occurs once throughout all of earth’s history.