Sexual Harassment - Rumor notes 100

 Revelation 12

13 When the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14 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. 15 The serpent spewed water out of his mouth after the woman like a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream. 16 The earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon spewed out of his mouth. 17 The dragon grew angry with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep God's commandments and hold Jesus' testimony.

saw that he was thrown down to the earth

The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (Revelation 12:9)

We discussed this extensively previously when we covered this previous verse. I just want to note the issue of the dragon now seeing this new reality. This is a point of sudden awareness of the implications of new circumstances unforeseen and unexpected by Satan. This was not at all the scenario he had planned out for his new venture to establish a replacement government to the one God operates that was represented by Michael. The dragon along with all the angels who sided with him, who invested their energies and reputations into his venture, lost their place in heaven and ended up on earth. I believe this happened previous to Genesis 1 and 2, meaning that the darkness covering the deep was more than merely absence of physical light, but represented the darkness resulting from the misrepresentation of God's character that was the basis for Lucifer's revolt.

Yet that was only the first throwing down, and I believe this verse includes the second throwing down from heaven of the dragon. This is the fall mentioned by Jesus that was a consequence of being exposed as the fraud that he is through the life, death and resurrection of the human Son of Man/Son of God. Jesus was God's response to the usurping of the dominion of this planet from Adam by Satan, the great accuser who accuses God's children day and night before God. We see this in the story of Job where he was acting in the position of representing humanity in the assembly of the sons of God in heaven. This was a dark time for this world, given that God's greatest enemy had hijacked the role of representing God's reflectors while causing them to give off false reflections in their twisted thinking, malfunctioning behavior and selfish ways of relating.

Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." (John 12:31-32)

The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" He said to them, "I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you. Nevertheless, don't rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:17-20)

This was a time of transition of authority as Jesus came as a human to challenge and displace Satan as our representative. He did this as the man-child born to 'the woman' and was subsequently caught up to heaven where He ousted Satan from his place in the court of representatives, and to be coronated to take over that position forever as our permanent high priest of all humanity.

I believe this is what this verse alludes to, bringing about the moment when it finally dawned on the dragon that he would no longer have access to the courts of heaven because he had been stripped of his credentials as they were superseded by the legitimate Son of Man who took Adam's place as the head of humanity.

Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might deliver all of them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:14-15)

he persecuted the woman who gave birth

It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him. (Revelation 13:7)

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. (Ephesians 2:14-16 NKJV)

The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord will laugh at him, for he sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to kill those who are upright in the way. (Psalms 37:12-14)

Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, who struck the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, who ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained. (Isaiah 14:5-6)

I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have oppression; but cheer up! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman

'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself. (Exodus 19:4)

As an eagle that stirs up her nest, that flutters over her young, he spread abroad his wings, he took them, he bore them on his feathers. Yahweh alone led him. There was no foreign god with him. (Deuteronomy 32:11-12)

In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bore them, and carried them all the days of old. (Isaiah 63:9)

Praise Yahweh, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name! Praise Yahweh, my soul, and don't forget all his benefits; who forgives all your sins; who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies; who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Yahweh executes righteous acts, and justice for all who are oppressed. (Psalms 103:1-6)

The priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the poles of it above. (1 Kings 8:6-7)

In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew. One called to another, and said, "Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!" (Isaiah 6:1-3)

Haven't you known? Haven't you heard? The everlasting God, Yahweh, The Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn't faint. He isn't weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might. Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall; But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

While not all of these references involve an eagle directly, I believe we can glean helpful clues from them as we meditate on the deeper meanings of this passage. Two wings may provide implications when it comes to insights for clues about facing persecution. Petitions and praise comes to mind.

As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle. Their faces and their wings were separate above; two wings of each one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. Each one went straight forward: where the spirit was to go, they went; they didn't turn when they went. (Ezekiel 1:10-12)

Over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of an expanse, like the awesome crystal to look on, stretched forth over their heads above. Under the expanse were their wings straight, the one toward the other: each one had two which covered on this side, and every one had two which covered on that side, their bodies. When they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a noise of tumult like the noise of an army: when they stood, they let down their wings. (Ezekiel 1:22-24)

she might fly

Flying is not a natural function for a woman. The eagle's wings had to be an added feature to her normal capacities, meaning that she had to become dependent on supernatural abilities beyond her own design by creation. This alludes strongly to living a life of true faith.

"Often it has cast him both into the fire and into the water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us." Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." (Mark 9:22-23)

Jesus, looking at them, said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God." (Mark 10:27)

into the wilderness to her place

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. (Revelation 12:6)

Again, this is in sharp relief to the recent highlighting of the fact that the dragon and his angels lost their place in heaven. This issue of having a place for us is central to this war as we discussed at length in verse 8.

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality." He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored animal, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.

I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement. (Revelation 17:1-3, 6)

This was never the condition God had in mind for the woman to become when she first fled into the wilderness, and certainly this was not the kind of nourishment He had in mind for her to drink either.

so that she might be nourished

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. (Revelation 12:6)

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 17:5-6)

for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Yahweh, that Obadiah took one hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water. (1 Kings 18:4)

from the face of the serpent

The previous verses fit this phrase very well too. Here is another one.

Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth is terror. Strong scales are his pride, shut up together with a close seal. One is so near to another, that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another. They stick together, so that they can't be pulled apart. His sneezing flashes out light. His eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning torches. Sparks of fire leap forth. Out of his nostrils a smoke goes, as of a boiling pot over a fire of reeds. His breath kindles coals. A flame goes forth from his mouth. There is strength in his neck. Terror dances before him. The flakes of his flesh are joined together. They are firm on him. They can't be moved. His heart is as firm as a stone, yes, firm as the lower millstone. When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid. They retreat before his thrashing.

He sees everything that is high. He is king over all the sons of pride." (Job 41:14-25, 34)

In that day, Yahweh with his hard and great and strong sword will punish leviathan, the fleeing serpent, and leviathan the twisted serpent; and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea. In that day, sing to her, "A pleasant vineyard! I, Yahweh, am its keeper. I will water it every moment. Lest anyone damage it, I will keep it night and day. Wrath is not in me, but if I should find briers and thorns, I would do battle! I would march on them and I would burn them together. Or else let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me. Let him make peace with me." (Isaiah 27:1-5)

for a time, and times, and half a time

This clearly parallels the other side of the chiasm that defines the layout of this chapter. This is another way of expressing the same period of time as what was presented in verse 6. We have already spent considerable study on this, and for the sake of time we will defer to the studies already presented on this time period unless further discussion is desired.

I will add however that the following passage in Daniel has a clear connection to this given that they share more than one symbol.

Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, there stood other two, the one on the brink of the river on this side, and the other on the brink of the river on that side. One said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives forever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Daniel 12:5-7)