My response to Douggg's erroneous interpreation will be lengthy, so it will be divided into several posts due to the size of the posts.
(Part One - Response to Revelation 12:1-4)
First,
in verse one, the woman in Revelation 12 symbolizes the
CONGREGATION OF GOD, COVENANT ISRAEL, which nation Israel represented in the Old Testament before the Cross and the Church represented in the New Testament after the Cross. The symbolism in Revelation 12 is of what took place with her both before Messiah came, and then after His ascension to the Throne after the Cross. The heaven here symbolizes the Kingdom of Heaven where the congregation dwells. Selah!
The
verse two was talking about the Covenant Israel gave birth to our Lord and Saviour. He is the
"SEED" of this woman who was prophesied to come from the very beginning in Genesis 3:15, was the prophecy established! Christ is that Seed of the woman (not nation Israel, but COVENANT ISRAEL), prophesied from teh beginning to bruise the head of Satan that Old Serpent. So Christ had to come forth from teh congregation Israel, as the seed of this woman! God NEVER said that the woman in the beginning is National Israel. She is covenant Israel that represents ALL ELECT from old and new testament that Christ came to save. Selah! The nation of Israel in the Old Testament as a kingdom representative of God's Kingdom was only a representation of that woman at that time!
When it speaks of her "travailing in birth", it is talking about the pains that the congregation was going through
at the time before Christ was born. Israel was in a state of trouble. Her paths were crooked (
meaning that they weren't taking the straight and narrow), and the prophets and priests were all gone out of the way. We read that the Kingdom of heaven suffered violence until John the Baptist and the violent take it by force (Matt. 11:12). John prophesied of making the crooked straight and prepared the way for the Lord. This was a time of great Apostasy and trouble in Israel and they pained to be delivered (Jeremiah 4:31). This Child's birth is the Only thing that could deliver her so that her joy could be fulfilled.
Selah!
The Dragon
in verse three, meaning a serpent of sight (as if something to gaze or wonder after) is symbolic of Satan (verse 9 confirms this). I am not going into details on the meaning of his heads, horns, and crowns as I have explained before many times. He is
adversarial spirit that works through men who attack Christ and His Saints.
Satan's tail in
verse four is used as a synonym for false prophets who come to hurt and deceive the Children of God. The tail is the DECEPTION from the head. It is what follows the authority of the head and does it bidding. The symbolism of the tail is those under the authority of Satan who do his bidding. For example, they follow the authorty of the head. For example, take a look at Revelation chapter 9 where it speaks about the bottomless pit being opened and the plague of locusts that had "tails" like scorpions coming forth:
Revelation 9:10
- "And had TAILS like unto SCORPIONS, and there were stings in their tails: and their POWER was to hurt men five months."
This is symbolic language to indicate that they are the emissaries of Satan. The tail to "signify" they are under the Authority of the serpent or scorpion. Satan is symbolized in scripture as the scorpion and the Serpent, and likewise those who are of satan. Again, note later on in that same chapter of Revelation we read of the horsemen who had been bound, and were loosed from Euphrates:
Revelation 9:19
- "for their POWER is in their mouth, and in their TAILS: for their TAILS were like unto SERPENTS, and had heads, and with them they do hurt."
Again, we see the symbolism of power of the tail to hurt people, this time, not as of a scorpion, but as a serpent. You see they "both" represent the people who come under the power and authority of Satan. Both the Scorpion and the Serpent are symbolic of Satan. The servants of Satan come with his power to hurt, and that's the symbolism of the tail of the Dragon casting down the stars (messengers) of the Kingdom of heaven. Satan works out his power to Hurt men through his false prophets under his authority as the head. They are the tail.
In Revelation 12 the illustration is that Satan was attacking and bringing down the Congregation of Israel with great violence and warfare, casting Israel's Messengers down. This is what is recorded in:
Matthew 11:12
- "and from the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force".
This is the violence in view. This is the Woman in the Kingdom of Heaven having her stars cast down to the earth. Satan is the accuser of the Brethren. That's what Isaiah 40:1 means when speaking of the Coming of Jesus, saying, "Comfort ye Jerusalem, that her warfare is accomplished, the Voice of him that crieth in the Wilderness!" In other words, when John came, he heralded the news that the warfare, the violence in the Kingdom would be completed, because Christ would bring Peace to Jerusalem. The Violence that the Kingdom suffered because of Satan will come to an end!
(End of Part One, Revelation 12:1-4)