** "A Great Sign Appeared in Heaven" - Revelation 19 and DF 59 **

DF 58

This is what the twelfth chapter of Revelation
says about the dragon:

And a great sign appeared in heaven:
a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
And being pregnant,
she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
And another sign appeared in heaven:
behold, a great red dragon
having seven heads and ten horns,
and seven gems on his heads.
His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven
and threw them to the earth.
And the dragon stood before the woman
who was about to give birth,
to devour her child as soon as it was born.
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.
And the woman fled into the wilderness,
where she has a place prepared by God,
so that they would feed her there
for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

And war broke out in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought with the dragon;
and the dragon and his angels fought,
but they did not prevail,
and no place was found for them in heaven any longer.

And when the dragon saw
that he had been cast to the earth,
he persecuted the woman
who had given birth to the male child.
But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle,
so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place,
where she would be nourished
for a time and times and half a time,
away from the presence of the serpent.
So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood
after the woman,
to cause her to be carried away by the flood.
But the earth helped the woman,
and the earth opened its mouth
and swallowed up the flood
that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
And the dragon was enraged with the woman,
and he went away
to make war with the rest of her offspring,
who keep the commandments of God
and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

(Revelation 12:1-8, 13-17)

DF 59

The meaning of these verses is as follows:

* A great sign appeared in heaven
means a revelation by the Lord
concerning a church that is to be,
and concerning how its teachings will be received
and who will attack it.

* A woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet
means a church that has love and faith from the Lord.

* And on her head a crown of twelve stars
means that the people [of that church]
will have wisdom and intelligence
arising from divine truths.

* And being pregnant
means the new teachings being born.

* She cried out in labor and in pain to give birth
means resistance by those people
who were devoted to a faith divorced from caring.

* And another sign appeared in heaven
means a further revelation.

* Behold, a great red dragon
means a faith divorced from caring,
which is called “red” because of its strictly earthly love.

* Having seven heads
means a distorted understanding of the Word.

* And ten horns
means the power they have
because many people adopt [their point of view].

* And seven gems on his heads
means distorted truths of the Word.

* His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven
and threw them to the earth
means the destruction of all recognition of what is true.

* And the dragon stood before the woman
who was about to give birth,
to devour her child as soon as it was born
means their hatred of and intent
to destroy the teachings of the church
at its very beginning.

* She bore a male child
means new teachings.

* Who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron
means teachings that will carry conviction
because of the power of earthly truth
derived from spiritual truth.

* And her child was caught up to God and His throne
means that those teachings will be kept safe
by the Lord and heaven.

* And the woman fled into the wilderness
means the church among few people.

* Where she has a place prepared by God
means that its state is such
that in the meantime it may be made available to many.

* So that they would feed her there
for one thousand two hundred and sixty days
means until it grows to its appointed size.

* And war broke out in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought with the dragon,
and the dragon and his angels fought
means the disagreement and battle of those
devoted to a faith divorced from caring
against those devoted to the teachings of the church
with respect to the Lord and a life of caring.

* But they did not prevail
means that [those devoted to faith alone] yielded.

* And no place was found for them in heaven any longer
means their being cast down.

* And when the dragon saw
that he had been cast to the earth,
he persecuted the woman
who had given birth to the male child
means an attack on the church
on account of its teachings by those
devoted to a faith divorced from caring.

* But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle,
so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place
means caution while it was still among few.

* Where she would be nourished
for a time and times and half a time,
away from the presence of the serpent
means until the church would grow to its appointed size.

* So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth
like a flood after the woman,
to cause her to be carried away by the flood
means their rationalizations
based on abundant distortions
aimed at the destruction of the church.

* But the earth helped the woman,
and the earth opened its mouth
and swallowed up the flood
that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth
means that because the rationalizations
were based on distortions,
they collapsed on their own.

* And the dragon was enraged with the woman,
and he went away to make war
with the rest of her offspring
means their abiding hatred.

* Who keep the commandments of God
and have the testimony of Jesus Christ
means against those who live caring lives
and believe in the Lord.