Possible Interpretation of Chapters 12-13 of Revelation
Revelation 12:1 says: "Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars." The woman in this verse should be identified as the nation of Israel. The woman was clothed with the sun, crowned with twelve stars, and with the moon under her feet. These symbols are similar to the ones described in Genesis 37:6-9:
It is clear that in Joseph's dream, the sun and moon symbolized his father Israel and his mother Rachael while the stars represented his eleven brothers and himself. This dream was fulfilled when Joseph became the second most powerful man in Egypt.
The components of the sun, moon, and twelve stars represent the nation of Israel, the people of Israel, or the chosen people of God. Several prophets of God also referred to Israel as a "woman" (Isaiah 54:5-6; Jeremiah 4:31; Micah 4:9-10).
Revelation 12:15 says, "She bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to God and His throne." The male child in this verse is Yeshua Messiah since he is to rule all the nations with "a rod of iron." (Revelation 12:5). The dragon in Revelation tried to devour the child at the moment of his birth (Revelation 12:4), which may refer to Herod's attempt to kill the infant Yeshua (Matthew 2:16). He was snatched up to the right-hand side of his Father's throne after he was crucified and resurrected. After Yeshua ascended to heaven, a church in Jerusalem, mainly comprised of his disciples and the Jews, was established. The Gospel was preached over the cities of Israel and even to the Gentiles. But most Jews did not believe in the Gospel and persecuted Yeshua's believers. Forty years after Yeshua's crucifixion, God's wrath poured out on the unrepented Jews and God destroyed the holy temple and the holy city, as prophesized by Yeshua, Daniel, and Ezekiel.
Although Jerusalem was destroyed and almost desolated, the Jews could still approach the city and the temple site. Even in the bad years, they were allowed to pray on the fast day of the 9th or 10th day of the fifth month Av. However, by 688 AD when the construction of the Dome of the Rock began, the Jews were completely expelled from the city and scattered into many other countries. This may be consistent with Revelation 12:6, which says: "Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days."
Since the woman fled into the wildness after Yeshua ascended to heaven, this cannot refer to Mary's flight to Egypt after her birth to Yeshua (Matthew 2:13-14). Furthermore, "the wilderness" refers to any place outside the city of Jerusalem. Revelation 12:6 thus prophesized that the woman representing the people of Israel were exiled from Jerusalem and fled into many other places (the wilderness) for 1260 years. The beginning time of the 1260-year period should have been July 688 AD when the Dome of the Rock began to be built. In the 1260th year of their exile out of Jerusalem in 688 AD, they were brought back to Jerusalem in 1948. This prophecy was indeed fulfilled exactly (see Chapter 21).
This prophecy in Revelation 12:6 is similar to Daniel 12:5-7 where Daniel prophesized that the power of the holy people would be completely shattered for 1260 years. When the Jews were forced to leave the holy land in 688 AD, they became powerless, being persecuted and killed by the ungodly and evil rulers of the countries they were scattered into. During this period God hid His face from His people because of their iniquity, transgressions, uncleanness, and unfaithfulness (Ezekiel 39:23-24).
Daniel further prophesized that after the exiled holy people were brought back to the holy land, the clock of the end times started to tick. This is consistent with Revelation 12:7-9:
War will break out in heaven and the dragon and his angels will be cast down to the earth. What is the timeline for this event? According to the books of Daniel and Revelation, this should happen after 1948.
Revelation 12:13-16 says:
The dragon (the devil) will persecute the woman (the nation of Israel) after he is cast down to the earth. The nation of Israel will be carried into the wildness again and be nourished for 1260 days. The 1260 days here should be literally 1260 days during the end times. It is important to note that the 1260 days in verse 14 are different from the ones in verse 6. In verse 6, the woman herself will flee into the wilderness while in verse 14 she will fly into the wilderness with two eagle wings provided by God. In verse 6, the event occurred after Yeshua was caught up into God and his throne and before Satan and his angels are cast down to the earth, while the event in verse 14 should take place after they are cast down from heaven.
These events described in Revelation 12:7-16 have not happened yet up to now in 2020. After the dragon is cast down to the earth, he will try to destroy the nation of Israel again. He will attempt to destroy them by war, but they will flee into the wilderness with God's help. When shall they flee to the wilderness. Yeshua said: "When you see the 'abomination of desolation' spoken by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, then let those in Judea flee to the mountains." (Matthew 24:15-16). This prophecy should have multiple fulfillments. The first fulfillment should have been in 70 AD when the Romans stood in the holy temple. Only those Jews who fled to the mountains were not killed by the Romans. The second fulfillment should have been in 688 AD when the Dome of the Rock started to be built on the site of the holy temple. The third fulfillment shall be in the time when the anti-messiah stands in the holy place. This shall be after 1 Tishri 2023 AD. The people of modern Israel should flee into the wilderness prepared by God after 1 Tishri 2023. Even on or after the day of 1 Tishri 2023 when the anti-messiah stands in the holy place, those who are still in Judea shall flee to the mountains or the wilderness. The wilderness could be the earthly nations such as the United States. The earthly nations who are the friends of Israel will defend Israel and defeat the nations that are called by Satan to attack Israel. In verse 15 "flood" may symbolize "war" and in verse 16 "the earth" may refer to the earthly nations.
After Satan finds that he cannot destroy the nation of Israel, he will be very angry and make war with the other offspring of the woman, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Yeshua. These are the true Gentile believers of Yeshua who have been called into the Kingdom of God through the blood of Yeshua. The Gentile believers in Yeshua are also called the people of Israel, the chosen people of God, and thus belong to the offspring of the woman.
In Revelation 13:1, the beast from the sea should have been the Roman Empire, the fourth beast seen by Daniel. One of its heads (kingdoms) was mortally wounded but will be healed after the dragon gives his power to him. The beast will have authority and make war for 42 months (Revelation 13:5). In Revelation 13:11, the second beast from the earth may be the Roman Catholic Church who looks like a lamb and speaks like a dragon. The leader of the church, the false prophet, will perform great signs to deceive those on the earth (Revelation 13:13-14). He will deceive people on the earth to make an image of the first beast. He will also have the power to give breath to the image of the first beast so that it can speak and cause many who do not worship the image to be killed (verse 15). He will cause all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their forehands (verse 16). The mark is the name of the first beast or the number of the name of the beast. The number of the name of a man who should be the leader of the beast kingdom is 666 (verse 18). If any one does not receive the mark, he may not buy and sell (verse 17).
When will the dragon be cast down to the earth to persecute the woman? We speculate that it should occur around the Feast of Trumpets (Tishri 1) of 2023. After the dragon gives the power to the first beast, the first beast will stand in the holy place after the Feast of Trumpets (starting from 16 September 2023).
A great war against the nation of Israel will also take place after 16 September 2023. Satan will deceive many nations to make a war against the nation of Israel. The United States of America and its allies will side with Israel to help them fly into the wilderness where they will be nourished for 1260 days.
When Satan gives power to the two beasts to make war with Gentile's Yeshua believers for 42 months, many true believers will be killed because of their refusal to worship the image of the first beast and to receive the mark of the beast.
Most Biblical scholars misinterpret Daniel 9:27 (see Chapter 17). They think that the anti-messiah will make a peace covenant with Israel for three and a half years. Then he will break the covenant and bring great tribulation to Yeshua's believers and the Israelites for next three and a half years.
The seven heads on the first beast represent the seven kingdoms in the history of the Roman Empire (the fourth beast in Daniel vision). The seven kingdoms should be:
1) The United Roman Empire
2) The Western Roman Empire
3) The Eastern Roman Empire
4) The Holy Roman Empire
5) The Ottoman Empire
6) Divided Europe
7) The European Union
The deadly wounded head is the Holy Roman Empire and will be healed after Satan is cast down to the earth and gives power to the deadly wounded head.
The Roman Empire in the whole period was the fourth beast in Daniel's vision. John also calls each of the seven kingdoms within the fourth beast a beast. The Holy Roman Empire is one of the seven beasts that was gravely wounded. It will be called the eighth beast after it ascends out of the bottomless pit and is healed by the power of Satan. It will re-appear for a short time and then go to perdition. This interpretation is consistent with Revelation 17:8-11.
The ten horns on the beast are the ten kings of the healed Holy Roman Empire (the eighth beast). They will receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. They will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them (Revelation 17:12-14).
The harlot (the woman) who sits on the beast is the Roman Catholic Church who reigns over the kings of the earth (Revelation 17:18). The headquarter of the Roman Catholic Church sits in the great city Rome that has seven hills. Mecca and New York both have seven hills, but they could not be the city Revelation refers to because no blood of holy apostles and prophets of God was found in these two cities (Revelation 18:20). The holy apostle Peter was crucified in Rome rather than in Mecca or New York. The city of Rome, Babylon the Great, will be totally burned by the 10 horns (Revelation 17:16).