Revelation of John 12 · The Lantern

The Woman and the Dragon

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman having been clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;

Now, concerning the tribulation of the persecution which is to fall upon the Church from the adversary, John also speaks thus: "And I saw a great and wondrous 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, cries, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

Regarding the Antichrist, the vision that is more complete wishes to be recorded for us, of which a brief mention has been made in the preceding texts.

In the Apocalypse: "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." We shall have this crown if we wish to imitate the glorious Virgin.

and having in womb, and she cries out, being in travail and being in pain to bring forth.

And those, "she, being with child, cries, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered," mean that the Church will not cease to bear from her heart the Word that is persecuted by the unbelieving in the world.

We say that the church is in birth pangs for each one of those who are being born anew through water and the Spirit, "until Christ is formed in them," as the apostle says. Those who have fallen from the true light of Christ are regarded as miscarriages and experience death at the end of their life because of unfaithfulness.

And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered. This cannot refer specifically to blessed Mary, but it refers to the Church, which suffers here a certain difficulty in childbirth when it tries to give birth once again to people it had already given birth to, until, according to the apostle's saying, we all meet unto a perfect man. [Eph.

And another sign was seen in heaven, and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven royal crowns.

Furthermore, with regard to what has been said concerning the falling stars, it is not without reason to take up something from the Revelation of John, concerning the third part of the stars dragged by the tail of the dragon to the earth.

Here we think that "heaven" signifies the air, and that the "red dragon" is that creature that was deceived and mocked by the angels of God, as it is written in Job. He is "red" either because of his murderous and bloodthirsty character or because of the fiery nature of his angelic essence, since he did fall from the angels.

And behold, a red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his head seven diadems. And his tail draws a third of the stars of the sky, etc.—What Daniel also names a beast, John calls a dragon, i.e., the Antichrist, or the Slanderer, the dragon, who urges him to persecute the saints.

And his tail drags the third of the stars of heaven, and he cast them to the earth. And the dragon has stood before the woman who is about to bring forth, so that when she may bring forth he may devour her child.

"And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them upon the earth." Now, that he says that the dragon's tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, this may be taken in two ways. For many think that he may be able to seduce the third part of the men who believe.

The tail symbolizes the evil prophets, that is, heretics who threw down to earth those stars of heaven who joined them through a repeated baptism. They are under the feet of the woman. Many believed that these are persons whom the devil made his companions since they were of the same mind as he. Many believe that these are angels who were thrown down with him when he fell.

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. The dragon's tail is depraved preachers, according to this: The prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. [Is. 9:15] People who from the outside seem to stick to the pursuit of heavenly life are made to fall into the iniquity of overt error by false preachers out of love for the earth.

And she brought forth a son, a male, who is about to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to God and to his throne.

"And she brought forth," he says, "a man-child, who is to rule all the nations; "by which is meant that the Church, always bringing forth Christ, the perfect man-child of God, who is declared to be God and man, becomes the instructor of all the nations.

Rightly is Christ, the Head of the church, said to be born in each [of his] members, who is known to rule [in them]. For he himself is both the Author and the Finisher of faith in whom we shall accomplish virtue. He reigns among the good with a rod of iron, that is, with an inflexible righteousness, but he breaks the evil into pieces.

And she gave birth to a male child, who is to shepherd all the nations—He called Christ male, who is God and himself man, whom the Church procures immediately and teaches to all the nations. And her son was carried off to God and to his throne—because he is the heavenly king and the Son of the Father, as David says: The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand.

And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has there a place prepared by God, so that there they may feed her one thousand two hundred sixty days.

"But the woman fled into the wilderness, and there were given to her two great eagle's wings." The aid of the great eagle's wings-to wit, the gift of prophets-was given to that Catholic Church, whence in the last times a hundred and forty-four thousands of men should believe on the preaching of Elias; but, moreover, he here says that the rest of the people should be found alive…

When the devil through the antichrist in whom he works arrays himself for battle against the church, those in the church who are elect and preeminent will spit upon the tumults of life and the desires of the world and flee into that desert devoid of every evil, that life which bears every virtue, as Methodius says, and these escape the assaults of people and demons who war agai…

And that woman fled into the desert, where a place was prepared for her by God; she there finished a thousand two hundred sixty days. And battle was waged in heaven—The woman is the church who suffers persecution by the Antichrist.

The War in Heaven

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels to war against the dragon. And the dragon warred back, and his angels;

And the great and glorious angel Michael is he who has authority over this people, and governs them; for this is he who gave them the law into the hearts of believers.

Michael indeed means "Who is like God." And whenever something of wondrous power is accomplished, Michael is said to be sent, so that from the act itself and the name it may be understood that no one can do what God is able to do.

Now, Scripture also has trees for food. It enlightens by means of those things that are from the opposite side. For it shows us an endless army arrayed against us, either through the seven princes, through a single war, or through several wars. That war began on the day when Michael and his angels battled with the dragon.

and he did not have enough strength, nor was a place found for them any longer in heaven.

And the great dragon was thrown out, the ancient serpent who is called the devil and Satan, who is deceiving the whole inhabited world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

For as the serpent beguiled Eve, by promising her what he had not himself, so also do these men, by pretending [to possess] superior knowledge, and [to be acquainted with] ineffable mysteries; and, by promising that admittance which they speak of as taking place within the Pleroma, plunge those that believe them into death, rendering them apostates from Him who made them.

The wise tend to understand the "earth" here to refer to those earthly things in which by the strength of that curse the devil is known to inhabit. For it says, "Earth you shall eat all the days of your life." Having been exiled from spiritual realities, he assailed those of the earth who were suitable to his own strengths.

And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world; he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

And I heard a great voice in heaven saying, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ; because the accuser of our brothers has been cast down, who is accusing them before our God day and night.

Now the friendly understanding you will have to carry out must arise from your observance of the compact: you must never think of getting back any of the things which you have abjured, and have restored to him, lest he should summon you as a fraudulent man, and a transgressor of your agreement, before God the Judge (for in this light do we read of him, in another passage, as "t…

Quite clearly he is showing in which heaven we are to understand that these things occur. For in the church we know that salvation is accomplished by the victory of Christ.

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: Now is there made salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth, who accused them before our God day and night.

And they themselves overcame him through the blood of the Lamb and through the word of their testimony, and they have not loved their life unto death.

Because of this rejoice, O heavens, and you who are dwelling in them! Woe to the land and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great rage, knowing that he has a short time.”

The Woman Persecuted

And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had brought forth the male child.

"And the dragon," he says, "saw and persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child. And to the woman were given two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent." That refers to the one thousand two hundred and threescore days (the half of the week) during wh…

When the devil wrestled with Christ after his baptism, he was overcome. Then arming himself against the holy apostles, he was again shamed when he saw that they found life through death, while as a snake he had been condemned to crawl upon the ground and to eat dirt, that is, earthly thoughts.

He pursued the woman who had given birth to the male; and she was given two wings of that great eagle, to fly into the desert: to be nourished there a time and times and half a time, away from the serpent's face—The time etc.

And the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she may fly into the wilderness into her place, where she is nourished there a time and times and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Since, therefore, there exist among them error and misleading influences, and magical illusions are impiously wrought in the sight of men; but in the Church, sympathy, and compassion, and stedfastness, and truth, for the aid and encouragement of mankind, are not only displayed without fee or reward, but we ourselves lay out for the benefit of others our own means; and inasmuch…

And it was said that the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time, times, and half a time, away from the presence of the serpent. But the woman did not come under the power of Satan; rather, she fled into the wilderness.

Where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. This represents the entire time of the Church, as previously encompassed in the number of days. For a time signifies a year, times signify two years, and half a time signifies six months.

And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a river after the woman, so that he may cause her to be carried away by a flood.

"And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water as a flood, that he might carry her away with the flood." He signifies by the water which the serpent cast out of his mouth, the people who at his command would persecute her.

It is possible to interpret the "earth" here to refer to the church, as in the psalm, "He who set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be shaken." That is, he [set the earth] on the saints whose prayers and teachings and the working of salvation [which they have received] dispels the uncovered intrigues of the enemy.

And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, etc. The flood signifies the onslaught of persecutors. Hence it is said: Perhaps they would have swallowed us up alive, like water (Psalm CXXIII). Therefore, the Church, not only lifted up by the word of God but also driven by the force of persecutions, hastens to fly out of the world.

And the earth gave help to the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon had cast out of his mouth.

"And the earth helped the woman, and opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth." That the earth opened her month and swallowed up the waters, sets forth the vengeance for the present troubles.

But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the Dragon had spewed out of his mouth against the woman. The earth swallowing the river signifies that the temptation was accepted within her, that is, the Lord was put to death.

And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood. This earth is the holy flesh of the Lord, which, swallowing the death that temporarily prevailed over it, taught us also to swallow it. It can also be understood as the Church, whose admonitions and prayers of the mouth ward off the enemy's snares.

And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who are keeping the commandments of God and holding the testimony of Jesus.

Revelation of John12

The Woman and the Dragon

The War in Heaven

The Woman Persecuted