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6 The woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that there they may nourish her one thousand two hundred sixty days.
The woman fled into the wilderness
Two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, so that she might be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (Revelation 12:14)
There is something extremely significant here as these two verses almost duplicate each other. It is like they act as bookends for everything that comes in between, and in a sense they do. Both of these verses refer to the woman fleeing into the wilderness, and both of them refer to the same length of time. This is no coincidence. Here verse 6 is preceded by the cause for her desperation as being the dragon, while in verse 14 he is identified as the serpent.
In between these bookends we find a concentrated overview of the war around which this entire book revolves. This is the context for the woman representing God's people on earth, for His representatives are the target of the protagonist in this war who wants like everything to hurt, kill and destroy as many as possible of those loyal to his rival, the Son of God who in following verses is identified as Michael. But we will examine that in much more detail when we get there.
The question is, why is this arranged this way? This is a chiastic structure, which means that the most important things are at the center of this bell curve. Being aware of this arrangement allows us to see why this first occurrence is duplicated again a few verses later on the other side of the high point. (Refer to the chiastic chart of this chapter in a separate document.)
This symbolic woman is represented as fleeing into the wilderness to escape the threat of the dragon monster who is determined to eat her newborn baby alive. The symbol of a wilderness figures prominently throughout the history of God's people on earth. It is well to contemplate the meaning of this term and appreciate why it factored so often in the experience of those who went into or through a wilderness at different stages of history and how this may have meaning for us in our time.
In the third month after the children of Israel had gone forth out of the land of Egypt, on that same day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. When they had departed from Rephidim, and had come to the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain. (Exodus 19:1-2)
Get you hence, and turn you eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. It shall be, that you shall drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. So he went and did according to the word of Yahweh; for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. The ravens [Midianite raiders] brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. (1 Kings 17:3-6)
Arise, get you to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you. So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks: and he called to her, and said, Please get me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. As she was going to get it, he called to her, and said, Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand. She said, As Yahweh your God lives, I don't have a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the jar: and behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. Elijah said to her, Don't be afraid; go and do as you have said; but make me of it a little cake first, and bring it forth to me, and afterward make for you and for your son. For thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, The jar of meal shall not empty, neither shall the jar of oil fail, until the day that Yahweh sends rain on the earth. She went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, ate many days. The jar of meal didn't empty, neither did the jar of oil fail, according to the word of Yahweh, which he spoke by Elijah. (1 Kings 17:9-16)
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel send a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I don't make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. When he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is enough; now, O Yahweh, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. (1 Kings 19:1-4)
As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, will I be king over you: and I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries in which you are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out; and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I enter into judgment with you face to face. Like as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I enter into judgment with you, says the Lord Yahweh. I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and those who disobey against me; I will bring them forth out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and you shall know that I am Yahweh. (Ezekiel 20:33-38)
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." He arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called my son." (Matthew 2:13-15)
Immediately the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness. He was there in the wilderness forty days tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals; and the angels were serving him. (Mark 1:12-13)
The idea of wilderness is not so much about location and physical condition but what a wilderness represents spiritually. We began this study in the first verse of this book establishing that the way we will approach everything in this book is to view it first and primarily as symbolic, and then seek to learn what that symbol actually was intended to convey to us by using the rest of the Bible to guide us in interpreting its meaning and implications. Wilderness is one of those symbols that we need to understand, partly because the woman represents God's people near the end of this world's history, and if we claim to be a part of that woman, we should know what it means to be in the wilderness along with the advantages and dangers involved in that location spiritually.
Interestingly, this phrase drove him out comes from the same Greek word usually referencing the casting out of demons. That gives a different perspective on what this may be saying. Additionally, this reference to wild animals has far more significance than what appears on the surface. Symbolically this refers to demons as much or more than to merely predatory animals. This term actually refers to all predators of any kind. In other words, Jesus was compelled to go to a place He would not naturally want to go immediately after receiving the public affirmation of His identity from God. There He would encounter with every demon who were hell bent on stripping Him of assurance of what He had just heard about His identity and value from God. Jesus first had to deal first with any doubts, fears or insecurities He may have felt in His humanity before He could be ready to deal with others. This was a battle over His own faith in His Father as the sole source of His identity, the same battle we encounter as well. He was sent to the wilderness filled with demonic forces to secure the authority He would need to face off with them again later.
This parallels closely what we are studying here involving the wilderness, the predatory dragon bent on destroying everything vulnerable, and the tactics used both in the aggression as well as the response by those relying on God's methods of response. It also alerts us to our own need of preparation for the supernatural onslaught we are sure to encounter. We must first deal with any internal insecurities and weaknesses and anchor our faith solidly and exclusively on what God says about our identity and value if we are to be prepared to meet similar struggles externally and more publicly.
she has a place prepared by God
that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, so that she might be nourished .... (Revelation 12:14)
We will see more about this later, but here are a few verses we might ponder about this place now.
In my Father's house are many homes. If it weren't so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also. (John 14:2-3)
Come, my people, enter into your chambers, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation is past. (Isaiah 26:20)
But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus; for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (Ephesians 2:4-8)
This is the kind of nourishing that the bride of Christ needs to embrace while in the wilderness.
This concept of a place for nourishing is closely linked to the description of a contrasting situation a couple verses later. The idea of needing a place to exist, to live and thrive is central to the narrative of life, especially since the war that is taking place displaces so many things we were meant to enjoy and that brings us satisfaction and a secure sense of belonging.
They didn't prevail, neither was a place found for him any more in heaven. (Revelation 12:8)
This is such an intensely sad statement that we can hardly begin to grasp with our small capacity how tragic it is. Yet it speaks volumes as we shall see when our study focuses on it very soon.
there they may nourish her
so that she might be nourished .... (Revelation 12:14)
...when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; then your heart be lifted up, and you forget Yahweh your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water; who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers didn't know; that he might humble you, and that he might prove you, to do you good at your latter end: and lest you say in your heart, My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth. But you shall remember Yahweh your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth; that he may establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as at this day. (Deuteronomy 8:13-18)
Get you hence, and turn you eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. It shall be, that you shall drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. So he went and did according to the word of Yahweh; for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. (1 Kings 17:3-6)
It was right after this event that Elijah was sent to the very hometown of Jezebel to a humble woman whose willingness to trust in God's promise of provision allowed her to be nourished with her son and Elijah for a considerable extended time. We looked at that story previously.
What I believe we need to keep in mind in these stories is the tender kindness of God through angels sent as servants to care for His children on earth. This has been going on all throughout history and is what angels were created to do. Notice in this next story how gentle and kind the angel is in spite of the fact that Elijah is operating out of fear and despair and has forgotten his true identity. This is encouraging since we too, so often forget our true identity in Christ and react in fear and lose our rest.
But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is enough; now, O Yahweh, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, Arise and eat. He looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drink, and laid him down again. The angel of Yahweh came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you. He arose, and ate and drink, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the Mount of God. (1 Kings 19:4-8)
He was there in the wilderness forty days tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals; and the angels were serving him. (Mark 1:13)
one thousand two hundred sixty days
Our study of these numbers can be found in the notes for Revelation 11:3.
This time prophecy is anchored back to the prophecies of Daniel, meaning it is likely referring to a historical prophetic time period but can still potentially include an end-time length of time, but more likely literal time which would be 3 ½ years if that is the case.
