12
A great sign appeared in heaven. It was a woman wearing the sun like clothes. The moon was under her feet. On her head she wore a crown of 12 stars. 2 She was pregnant. She cried out in pain because she was about to have a baby. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven. It was a huge red dragon. It had seven heads and ten horns. On its seven heads it wore seven crowns. 4 The dragon's tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky. It threw the stars down to earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to have a baby. The dragon wanted to eat her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son. He ‘will rule all the nations with an iron sceptre.’ (Psalm 2:9) And her child was taken up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman escaped into the desert where God had a place prepared for her. There she would be taken care of for 1,260 days. 7 Then a war began in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But the dragon wasn't strong enough. Both he and his angels lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was thrown down to the earth, and his angels with him. The dragon is that old snake called the devil, or Satan. He leads the whole world astray.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven. It said,
‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God have come.
The authority of his Messiah has come.
Satan, who brings charges against our brothers and sisters,
has been thrown down.
He brings charges against them in front of our God day and night.
11 They had victory over him
by the blood the Lamb spilled for them.
They had victory over him
by speaking the truth about Jesus to others.
They were willing to risk their lives,
even if it led to death.
12 So be joyful, you heavens!
Be glad, all you who live there!
But how terrible it will be for the earth and the sea!
The devil has come down to you.
He is very angry.
He knows his time is short.’
13 The dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth. So he chased the woman who had given birth to the boy. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle. She was given these wings so that she could fly away. She could fly to the place prepared for her in the desert. There she would be taken care of for three and a half years. She would be out of the snake's reach. 15 Then out of his mouth the snake spat water like a river. He wanted to catch the woman and sweep her away in the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman. It opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had spat out. 17 The dragon was very angry with the woman. He went off to make war against the rest of her children. They obey God's commands. And they hold firmly to the truth they have said about Jesus.
12:1–17 John recorded a story about a woman, her child and a dragon. He made it clear that they were signs. The woman was a sign for the people of Israel. Jesus came from the people of Israel. He was the son that John saw born in the vision. The woman was also a sign for the church. Jesus' followers were the rest of her children. The dragon was the devil. The dragon tried to kill Jesus to stop God's plan. But Jesus was taken up to God and to his throne. Then in heaven Michael and other angels fought against the dragon and his angels. The dragon was thrown out of heaven down to earth. He chased the woman and tried to harm her children. This story was a way to talk about victory over sin, death and evil. Jesus was raised from the dead and returned to heaven. That was how he won this victory. It showed that Jesus had power over the devil in heaven and on earth. Jesus' followers share in Jesus' victory over sin, death and evil. They have victory by believing in Jesus and sharing the good news with others. They face suffering for following Jesus faithfully. That is what was meant by the dragon chasing the woman's children. But God provides the help they need.