12:1
The woman in this chapter represents the church. Notice that the vision is introduced by the words “a great sign appeared in heaven”. The church was generally small and weak (see some of the letters in chapters 2 and 3), yet the church was created by God, and Christ is the head. The church is enormously significant, and we need to realise that, especially when under pressure. The church is God’s chosen instrument, just as Israel was His chosen nation. Problems arise when we are not faithful to Christ and try to be like the world, as the Old Testament provides ample testimony. The twelve stars represent the tribes of Israel. The church is complete in Christ.
12:2
“She was pregnant ...” The imagery of pregnancy is often used in the prophets. “She cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.” There are two key things to note here. The first is that there is pain involved, but the second is that we are here for a great purpose. This is one of, possibly the main, the reasons I utterly reject pretribulation rapture nonsense. We are not meant to be taken out of the battle, rather we are meant to win the war. The church has a great purpose in Christ.
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