12 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
Sign-
an extraordinary event or mark that serves to authenticate a message, demonstrate divine power, or signify a promise from Our Heavenly Father. .
2.She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.
3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.
enourmous-
very large in size, quantity, or extent.
4.Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.
flung-
throw or hurl forcefully.
5.She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”[a] And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.
scepter-
a symbol of royal authority, power, and divine approval
6.The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
Fled- ran away quickly.
7. war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.
9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Hurled- forcefully thrown to the ground. Astray-turned away from. Serpant- a reptile like creature.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
11
They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
triumphed-
to achieve a great victory, especially a spiritual one through faith in God, and to overcome obstacles, sin, and death
12.Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.”
woe-
an exclamation of grief, distress, or impending judgment, translating to an expression of calamity.
Fury-
God’s righteous indignation against sin and injustice, expressed as severe judgment
13. When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he
ursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.
The woman was given the two wings of a great .
pursued-
to chase or hunt with hostile intent, or to seek eagerly after something with a positive spiritual goal, such as righteousness, peace, or love.
14. eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.
Wilderness-
a desolate, uncultivated, and uninhabited region, often characterized by a lack of water and vegetation, but it also carries deep symbolic .
15.Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.
spewed-
to be forcefully and disgustedly rejected or expelled, often as a consequence of sin or spiritual rejection . overtake-
to catch up with someone in pursuit, like an enemy chasing an army; to come upon someone suddenly, often with negative consequences like divine judgment or curses; or to take something by surprise, as in the case of someone being caught “in a fault”
Torrent-
a seasonal, rushing stream that is often a dry valley bed for most of the year.
16. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
wage-
the literal payment for work, which could be money, food, or goods, and a metaphorical “wages” or recompense, which can be a just reward for righteousness.
describes a cosmic battle between a woman, representing Israel or the Church, and a dragon, representing Satan. The chapter recounts the birth of a male child (Jesus Christ) who is caught up to God’s throne, leading the dragon to persecute the woman, who flees to a wilderness sanctuary. It culminates in a heavenly war where Michael the archangel and his angels defeat the dragon and cast him and his followers down to Earth.
Closing prayer; “Heavenly Father, thank You for the victory You have given us through Christ Jesus. By the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, we overcome the enemy.
Our lord and savior we pray, please forgive me of my sins against you, please come into my heart. By the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me.
raynettekweissministries@yahoo.com