Desert Flight

The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born.  She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. (Revelation 12:4b-6, NIV 1984).

My Musings – The Greek term that is translated “will rule” in the NIV means to shepherd, a clear Messianic symbol.  The “iron scepter” could be an allusion to the “rod of iron” prophecy of Christ. “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill. I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me, You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” (Psalm 2:6–9, NIV 1984).

Originally applicable to Israel’s king, this Psalm developed strong messianic connections during the second temple period. An iron rod in the hands of the Messiah would be symbolic of a just and unyielding reign.  He will not deviate from His righteous standards, nor will He tolerate wickedness or sedition.

In the dragon’s attempt to devour the male child, we see the earliest Messianic prophecy in the Bible fulfilled where God said he would “put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent” (Genesis 3:15, NIV 1984). It has been, is being, and will be played out in three major acts.

• Israel – Satanic opposition to Israel and especially to the messianic line is clear in both Testaments.  There has always been a “dragon” (or serpent) standing by, waiting to destroy Israel or the ancestors of the Messiah. Pharaoh was also called a “dragon” (Ezekiel 29:3), as was Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 51:34). Both of these men and their kingdoms were used by Satan to oppress Israel (although Babylon was also God’s vehicle to discipline His people). At one critical point in history, the royal line may have even dwindled to one little boy (2 Kings 11:1–3), who later became King Joash.
• Christ – As soon as Jesus was born, and on many occasions thereafter, Satan tried to destroy Him. Just as throughout Old Testament history, Satan tried to prevent the birth of the Redeemer in the first place. When Jesus Christ was born, Satan used King Herod to try to destroy Him (Matthew 2). Satan thought that he had succeeded when he used Judas to betray the Lord and hand Him over to be crucified. But Satan, incapable of comprehending God’s abundant grace, did not realize that his seeming victory at the Cross was actually his defeat and mankind’s redemption from the fall in Eden!
• Church – Since the resurrection, Satan has been intent on devouring the Church, through direct persecutions by the Roman emperors, as well as indirect assaults through various false doctrines and heresies throughout the ages.

The child is “Snatched up to God and to his throne” connotes seizing and has at least four interpretations.

• Rapture of the Church– The same word for “snatched up” is also translated “caught up” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, making this a possible reference to the rapture of the Church.
• Christ’s Ascension – Perhaps the most straightforward interpretation would take this as a reference to the ascension of Christ. The text omits the ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ because the vision is simply showing that the Dragon’s efforts were futile. The Messiah was not defeated.  His “heel” was merely bruised, while Satan will ultimately be crushed, and the “child” was caught up to share in God’s throne.”
• Flight to Egypt – “The woman fled into the desert” could be referring to Mary and Joseph’s flight to Egypt after being warned of Herod’s scheme to murder the male children, or it could be a “type” of something completely different that is being described here in Revelation. 
• Israel Flees to Desert – Finally, the woman fleeing into the desert is seen by many as a reference to Israel during the tribulation after the Church is raptured. The phrases used here seem to be reminiscent of the wanderings of Israel in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:2), Elijah’s flight (1 Kings 17:2 and 19:3), the Jews fleeing from Antiochus Epiphanes1 (Maccabees 2:29), Joseph and Mary’s escape to Egypt (Matthew 2:13), and the flight of Christians and Jews at the destruction of Jerusalem (Mark 13:14).

In each scenario, Satan was (will be) thwarted in his pursuit of the woman, and success in destroying her completely.

Throughout the Bible, the wilderness was viewed a place of obscurity where the oppressed could escape to and as a safe haven where the afflicted could hide (see 1 Samuel 23:14; Matthew 24:16). God often provided safety and sustenance in these circumstances. The concept of fleeing into the wilderness to a place prepared by God (spiritual protection or divine intervention) is similar in concept to the measuring of the sanctuary in Revelation 11 and the sealing of the 144,000 in Revelation 7.

Once again, we see the reference to the 1,260 days, which is view as symbolic by some, and literal by others.

• Symbolic Interpretation: The Church Age View – In this view, the interim between Jesus’ first coming and second coming is likened to the interval that Israel spent in the wandering in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt.  Since it has obviously been more than a literal 1,260 days since Jesus’ ascension, these would have to be viewed as symbolic numbers. This is not uncommon for apocalyptic texts. As such, it would be a general symbol for tribulation covering the whole course of the Church age.  This period also covers the dispersion of the Jews from 70 AD to 1948.
• Literal Interpretation: The Great Tribulation – Others see the 1,260 days as a “a time, times, and half a time” or a literal three and one-half years of 42 months of 30 days each.  In this case, it is not measured from Jesus’ time but rather to a flight of Israel at the mid-point of the tribulation that marks the beginning of the great tribulation (Matthew 24:16 and Mark 13:14). References to both desert and mountains are not a contradiction as both were wilderness areas. In her desert hideout Israel is cared for perhaps as miraculously as Israel was in her wilderness journey from Egypt to the Promised Land (manna, quail, water from a rock, clothes that did not wear out). God did it before, why not again as He finally brings to the promised Kingdom.

My Advice – Why doesn’t God do something? It should be abundantly clear that God has been doing something throughout history. Satan has done much mischief down through the ages (for which God is often blamed), but God does not permit him to have free rein (for which God frequently is not given credit). Church-age saints as well as tribulation saints will face all kinds of difficulties in this world, but we can always take heart (and should give thanks) that Jesus overcame the world for us.

Sources:

Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Re 12:5-6). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 2477). Peabody: Hendrickson.

Walvoord, John F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 958). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 602). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Re 12:5-6). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.

Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 579). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Re 12:6). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.