The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

For ever and ever that glory shall shine,
For ever and ever that Kingdom be Thine,
For Thine is the Power!
Chapter 27: Rev. 12:1-6
The Sun-Clad Woman
"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the
moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child
cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder
in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven
crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast
them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be
delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man
child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto
God, and to His throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place
prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore
days."--Rev. 12:1-6.
In our study of this vision, consideration will first be given to the symbol of the woman
invested with the robe of sunlight, seen by St. John in the heavens. The woman is very
generally understood to represent the Christian Church, although expositors differ in their
explanation of the meaning of some of the details. An explanation that meets the
requirements is thus expressed:
"A combination of these symbols [the sun, moon, and stars] is found in Revelation (12:1)
where the 'woman' symbolizing the early Church is represented as clothed with the sun,
that is, resplendent in the full, clear light of the unclouded Gospel. The moon under her feet
represents that the law which supports her is nevertheless not the source of her light. The
twelve stars about her head as a crown represent her divinely appointed and inspired
teachers--the twelve Apostles."
Another has explained the symbol much the same:
"The woman is the representative of the true people of God, obviously, from the
persecution she endures from the dragon, and her flight into the desert and subsistence
there through the period during which the witnesses prophesy. Her sunbeam robe, her
station above the moon, and her crown of stars, bespeak her greatness, conspicuousness,
and majesty."
"And being pregnant, she cried out, travailing and being pained to bring forth."--Ver. 2.
This symbol is frequently employed in the Scriptures: