Welcome back to our series on Revelation chapter 12, where we have just finished interpreting all four elements of the action within the scenario of the dragon and the sun-clothed woman. In this post, we’re going to summarize the action of the scenario and what it all means. And we’re also going to talk about the wilderness and where it might possibly be located! Let’s get into this!

Revelation Chapter 12

Seventh in an Eleven-Part Series
By Karen Thompson

The Dragon’s Assault on the Sun-Clothed Woman

Rev. 12:1 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. 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3 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. 4 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. 5 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. 6 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.

Summary of All Four Elements of Action

We now have four elements of action in the scenario of the sun-clothed woman. The first element of action was the dragon casting down one third of the stars. The second element is the dragon attempting to devour the man child when he is born. The third element is the child being caught up to God, causing the dragon to fail in his attempt to kill the man child. The last element of action is the woman fleeing into the wilderness after the dragon cast down a third of the stars.

Let’s lose the symbols and then describe all the elements of action in literal terms. The king known as little horn is the aggressor and will invade Jerusalem/Israel, resulting in the death of one third of the Jewish people. This is the invasion we read about in Revelation 11:2 where instructions were given to John not to measure the court, “for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” This is the invasion that takes place when the little horn breaks the covenant after three and one-half years. We don’t know how long the battle to take the city will last, but we do know that the initial invasion will result in many of its citizens fleeing into the wilderness for three and one-half years. After the little horn invades Jerusalem and kills one third of the Jews, both military and non-military, he will at some point focus his attention on killing Christians as well. When the last one of the 144,000 is born again, they are raptured up to heaven thus thwarting his ability to kill the Christian converts.

The prophet Zechariah prophesied the exact same thing about Jerusalem, but he spoke plainly, without symbolism: “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city” (Zec. 14:1–2). I prefer the way the Amplified Bible translates the last part of verse two: “…and half of the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.”

Zechariah plainly tells us Israel’s enemies will invade Jerusalem and collect a spoil, which means to plunder or pillage. Only the victor collects a spoil. That means the little horn will be successful in his invasion of Jerusalem. The enemy will go throughout the city and rifle the homes, which means ransack and rob. Sadly, the women will be ravished, meaning raped. Obviously, the city will be thrown into pandemonium, causing half of the people to flee the city, to flee for their lives. As we just read in Revelation, Antichrist will control the city for three and one-half years: “the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months” (Rev. 11:2). Antichrist, meaning the Gentiles, will trample the city of Jerusalem for the last half of Daniel’s 70^th week. Due to the two witnesses, Antichrist will not have access to the temple, just the city.

What Is the Wilderness?

Now let’s look more closely at the first half of verse six: “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God….” Another way we can confirm that the sun-clothed woman is Jerusalem is by her flight into the wilderness. Thousands of years ago, the prophets foresaw this event happening.

First, let’s look at the phrase “the woman fled into the wilderness.” The woman flees into the wilderness, meaning desert. And notice it says it’s a place that God had already prepared for her beforehand. The place the woman flees to will have to be a place the little horn does not conquer and is not under his control. Daniel chapter 11 identifies for us the places that he will conquer and the places he will not conquer. Daniel tells us the little horn will overthrow several nations: Israel, Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia (ancient Ethiopia was located in present-day Sudan). Then Daniel 11:41 tells us there will be nations that will escape him: “…but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.” The area that was once inhabited by Edom, Moab, and Ammon is present-day Jordan. From this, we know that Jordan will be one nation the little horn will not conquer.

Isaiah 16:4 tells us the land of Moab will, indeed, be the location where the Jewish people will flee to when the little horn “breaks the covenant” in the middle of the seven-year period: “Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler.” The word “covert” means a covering or a shelter. And, of course, the word “spoiler” is a name for the little horn/Antichrist figure. So when Antichrist invades Jerusalem, half of its citizens will flee into the wilderness, an uninhabited place in an area of Jordan. It will be an area that was especially prepared by the Lord beforehand; He has had it reserved for millennia.

Tucked Away and Fed for 1,260 Days

Now let’s look at the last portion of verse six: “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.” Notice that it says when the woman flees into the wilderness, she will be fed while she is there. It’s another way of saying she will be nourished or taken care of while she is in the wilderness. All her needs will be provided.

If you give this verse a modern-day application, what we are most likely reading about is a refugee camp. The most likely scenario is that the fleeing Jews will flee to a place the little horn cannot get to, and in that place, there will arise a place of refuge, a place where people in the earth will begin to send food, shelter, clothing, and whatever they need. Their time in the wilderness will be for their protection, a place where God has prepared beforehand to keep His people safe. It’s very possible the place the Lord will have prepared beforehand are the already existing refugee camps in Jordan. This is just supposition on my part.

Interestingly, the prophet Isaiah prophesied of this time when God will tuck away His people until the time of indignation is past: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity…” (Isa. 26:20–21).

Let’s now look at the very last words of verse six where we learn the length of stay the fleeing Jewish people will live in the wilderness: “a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” The word “score” is a Middle English word that means 20. So threescore means 3 times 20, which equals 60. So the entire length of time the woman will remain in the wilderness is 1,260 days. That also equals to 42 months or three and one-half years. They will live in the wilderness for the last half of Daniel’s 70^th week. The prophecies by Isaiah and Daniel confirm, again, that the sun-clothed woman fleeing into the wilderness is Jerusalem.

In the next post, we’re going to blend what we know about the two witnesses into the scenario of the dragon and the sun-clothed woman.

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