532. Revelation 12

1. And a great sign was seen in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.
2. And being with child, she cried, travailing and pained to bring forth.
3. And another sign was seen in heaven; and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems.
4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth; and the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bring forth, that after she had brought forth, he might devour her offspring.
5. And she brought forth a son, a male, who was to tend all nations with a rod of iron; and her offspring was caught up unto God and His throne.
6. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared by God, that they may nourish her there a thousand two hundred and sixty days.
7. And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels.
8. And they prevailed not, and their place was not found any more in heaven.
9. And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, that seduceth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10. And I heard a great voice in heaven saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, that accused them before our God day and night.
11. And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb, and through the word of their testimony; and they loved not their soul even unto death.
12. For this rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea, for the Devil is come down unto you, having great anger, knowing that he hath but a short time.
13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the son.
14. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time [and times],* and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a river after the woman, that he might cause her to be swallowed up by the river.
16. And the earth helped the woman; and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17. And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, that keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
18.** And I stood upon the sand of the sea.
* The original Latin omits "and times," but it is in the explanation below.
** [English Bible 13:1.]

THE SPIRITUAL SENSE

The contents of the whole chapter

It treats here of the New Church and its doctrine: by "the woman" is here meant the New Church, and by "the offspring" which she brought forth, its doctrine: and it also treats of those in the present church, who from doctrine believe in a Trinity of Persons, and in the duality of the Person of Christ, likewise in justification by faith alone; these are meant by "the dragon." Then it treats of the persecution of the New Church by these, on account of its doctrine, and its protection by the Lord, until from a few it increases among many.

The contents of each verse

Verse 1. "And a great sign was seen in heaven," signifies revelation from the Lord concerning His New Church in the heavens and on earth, and concerning the difficult reception of and resistance to its doctrine (n. 532). "A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet," signifies the Lord's New Church in the heavens, which is the New Heaven, and the Lord's New Church about to be upon earth, which is the New Jerusalem (n. 533). "And upon the head a crown of twelve stars," signifies its wisdom and intelligence from the knowledges of Divine good and Divine truth from the Word (n. 534). Verse 2. "And being with child, she cried travailing and pained to bring forth," signifies the doctrine of the New Church about to come forth, and its difficult reception on account of the resistance by those who are meant by the dragon (n. 535). Verse 3. "And another sign was seen in heaven," signifies revelation from the Lord concerning those who are against the New Church and its doctrine (n. 536). "And behold a great red dragon," signifies those in the Church of the Reformed who make God three and the Lord two, and who separate charity from faith, and make faith saving, and not charity at the same time (n. 537). "Having seven heads," signifies insanity from the truths of the Word falsified and profaned (n. 538). "And ten horns," signifies much power (n. 539). "And upon his heads seven diadems," signifies all the truths of the Word falsified and profaned (n. 540). Verse 4. "And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth," signifies that by falsifications of the truths of the Word they have alienated all spiritual knowledges of good and truth from the church, and by applications to falsities have entirely destroyed them (n. 541). "And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bring forth, that after she had brought forth, he might devour her offspring," signifies that they who are meant by "the dragon" will endeavor to extinguish the doctrine of the New Church at its first appearance (n. 542). Verse 5. "And she brought forth a son, a male," signifies the doctrine of the New Church (n. 543). "Who was to tend all nations with a rod of iron," signifies which, by truths from the literal sense of the Word, and, at the same time, by rational things from natural light will convince all who are in dead worship from faith separated from charity, that are willing to be convinced (n. 544). "And her offspring was caught up unto God and His throne," signifies the protection of the doctrine by the Lord, and its being guarded by the angels of heaven (n. 545). Verse 6. "And the woman fled into the wilderness," signifies the church at first among a few (n. 546). "Where she hath a place prepared by God, that they may nourish her there a thousand two hundred and sixty days," signifies the state of that church then, that meanwhile provision is making for its increase among many until it arrives at its full growth (n. 547). Verse 7. "And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels," signifies the falsities of the former church fighting against the truths of the New Church (n. 548). Verse 8. "And they prevailed not, and their place was not found any more in heaven;" signifies that they were convinced of being in falsities and evils, but still they remained in them, and that therefore they were torn away from conjunction with heaven and cast down (n. 549). Verse 9. "And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan," signifies this turning from the Lord to themselves, and from heaven to the world, and thence coming into the evils of their lusts and into falsities (n. 550). "That seduceth the whole world," signifies that they pervert all things of the church (n. 551). "He was cast out into the earth, and his angels* with him," signifies into the world of spirits, which is intermediate between heaven and hell, from whence there is immediate conjunction with men upon earth (n. 552). Verse 10. "And I heard a great voice in heaven saying, Now is come the salvation and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ," signifies the joy of the angels of heaven, because the Lord alone now reigns in heaven and in the church, and that they are saved who believe in him (n. 553). "For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, that accused them before our God day and night," signifies that by the Last Judgment they are removed who opposed the doctrine of the New Church (n. 554). Verse 11. "And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb, and through the word of their testimony," signifies victory by the Divine truth of the Word, and by the acknowledgment of the Lord (n. 555). "And they loved not their soul even unto death," signifies who did not love themselves more than the Lord (n. 556). Verse 12. "For this rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them," signifies a new state of heaven, that they are in the Lord and the Lord in them (n. 557). "Woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea! for the Devil is come down unto you, having great anger," signifies lamentation over those in the church who are in the falsities of faith, and thence in evils of life, because they are in conjunction with the dragon (n. 558). "Knowing that he hath but a short time," signifies, because he knows that the New Heaven is formed, and that thus there is about to be the New Church upon earth, and that then he with his like will be cast into hell (n. 559). Verse 13. "And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the son," signifies that the dragonists in the world of spirits, immediately upon their being thrust down, began to infest the New Church on account of its doctrine (n. 560). Verse 14. "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place," signifies the Divine circumspection over that church, and its protection, while as yet confined to a few (n. 561). "Where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent," signifies that by reason of the craftiness of seducers, provision is made with circumspection that its numbers may increase until it comes to its full growth (n. 562). Verse 15. "And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a river after the woman, that he might cause her to be swallowed up by the river," signifies reasonings from falsities in abundance to destroy the church (n. 563). Verse 16. "And the earth helped the woman; and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth," signifies that those reasonings in all their abundance fall to nothing before the spiritual truths rationally understood, which the Michaels, of whom the New Church consists, bring forward (n. 564). Verse 17. "And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, that keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ," signifies hatred kindled in those who think themselves wise from their confirmations of the mystical union of the Divine and the Human in the Lord, and of justification by faith alone, against those who acknowledge the Lord alone as the God of heaven and earth, and that the Decalogue is the law of life; and their assaults on novitiates with intent to seduce them (n. 565a). Verse 18. [English Bible 13:1]. "And I stood upon the sand of the sea," signifies his state now spiritual-natural (n. 565).
* The original Latin omits "were cast out."

THE EXPLANATION.

Verse 1. And a great sign was seen in heaven, signifies revelation from the Lord concerning His New Church in the heavens and on earth, and concerning the difficult reception and resistance to its doctrine. By "a sign from heaven" is here meant a revelation concerning things to come; and by "a great sign seen in heaven" is meant a revelation concerning the New Church, for "the woman clothed with the sun," which is the subject treated of in this chapter, signifies that church. "The male" which she brought forth signifies its doctrine; her being pained to bring forth signifies its difficult reception; "the dragon desiring to devour the male" and afterward "he persecuted the woman," signifies the resistance it meets with. These things are meant by "a great sign was seen in heaven." "A sign" is mentioned in the Word of things to come, and then it is revelation; it is also spoken of truth, and then it is testification; and it is also spoken of the quality of any state or thing, and then it is manifestation. "A sign" is spoken of things to come, and then it is revelation, in the following passages:
They shall tell you what shall happen, that we may know their end, or make you hear things to come; show signs of the future (Isa. 41:22-23).
The disciples said unto Jesus, What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the consummation of the age? (Matt. 24:3; Mark 13:4; Luke 21:7).
There shall be signs from heaven, and signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars (Luke 21:11, 25).
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man (Matt. 24:30).
It was said unto king Hezekiah, This shall be a sign unto thee that Jehovah will do this thing, the shadow on the degrees of Ahaz shall be brought back. Afterwards Hezekiah said, What is the sign that I shall go up into the house of Jehovah? (Isa. 38:7-8, 22; and in other places).
That "a sign" is said of truth, and then it is testification, and also it is said of the quality of any state, and then it is manifestation, is evident from other passages in the Word.