[the early Apostolic church. It does not
seem to represent Sarah (the Sarah Covenant) as some suggest, because the Sarah Covenant
is a part of the Word of God and need not be supported by the "wings of an
eagle" (vs. 14)--which are the Word of God] clothed [invested] with
the sun [the Gospel light], and the moon [corroborative types of
the Law Covenant] under her feet, and upon her head
[intellectually guided or authorized] a crown of twelve stars [apostles.
Please note the difference between the "seven stars" of Revelation 1:20,
who are the seven messengers to the churches, and the "twelve stars," who are
the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
2. And she [the early church] being with child
[caused by apostate elements, see 2 Thessalonians 2:7] cried [expressed
discomfort], travailing in birth [having childbirth spasms of trouble to
precipitate the separation], and pained to be delivered [to separate].
3. And there appeared another wonder in heaven [the spiritual realm];
and behold a great red dragon [civil Rome stationed in the ecclesiastical heavens
starting with Constantine, we know Satan was cast out of God’s true heaven long
before this time from Luke 10:18 and that he now "walks to and fro in the earth"
(Job 1:7)], having seven heads [successive and distinct forms of
government] and ten horns [territorial divisions of power], and
the seven crowns [authority by Divine grant to rule] upon his heads
[the crowns being on the heads is where they normally should be during the time of Gentile
rule].
4. And his tail [a tail can be false or true teacher, here it is the
false power of civil Rome under Constantine in the ecclesiastical condition] drew
the third part of the stars of heaven [faithful light-bearers who had spiritual
influence], and did cast them to the earth [the common earthly level
divesting them of authority in the church]: and the dragon [civil Rome] stood
before the woman [early Christian church] which was ready to be delivered
[about to have its schism], for to devour [appropriate] her child
[the man of sin faction] as soon as it was born [became organized].
5. And she brought forth a man child [from the church evolved a man
child, the incipient apostasy, the mystery of iniquity], who was to rule all
nations with a rod of iron [strong authority]: and her child
[the apostasy of the church] was caught up to [the position of] God
[2 Thessalonians 2:4], and to his throne [ruling
authority--while Constantine lived he was the Pontifex Maximus, the Chief Religious Ruler,
however, he was soon succeeded by Julian the Apostate--a noble pagan who wanted nothing to
do with Christianity or the church-this provided the bishops the opportunity to take
command of the ecclesiastical heavens and to drive the civil Roman authority out of the
ecclesiastical realm].
6. And the woman [church] fled into the wilderness
[of separation from Babylon], where she hath a place [condition] prepared
of God, that they [the faithful teachers] should feed her there a
thousand two hundred and threescore days [1260 years from CE 539-1799].
7. And there was war [conflict--Jesus is not interested in controlling
the present "heaven" for from his face "the earth and the heaven fled
away" (Revelation 20:11) and he will rule in a "new heaven and a new
earth"] in heaven [among the powers of spiritual control]:
Michael [One supplanting God] and his angels [representatives] fought
against the dragon [civil Roman power--we note that Michael could not be Jesus,
for he never fought for any position in heaven or earth-all were given to him by his
Father]; and the dragon [civil Roman power] fought and his angels
[its representatives were contending],
8. And prevailed not [the civil Roman power was not strong enough];
neither was their place found any more in heaven [ecclesiastical authority].
9. And the great dragon [civil Roman power] was cast out
[of ecclesiastical authority], that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan
[adversary], which deceiveth the whole world [present evil order]:
he was cast into the earth [put out onto the level of the laity], and his
angels [its representatives] were cast out with him.
10. And I [the John Class] heard a loud voice [an
apostate proclamation] saying in heaven [in ecclesiasticism], Now
is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ:
for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before our God day and night [the opposition to the antichrist was
cast out of the church].
11. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death [this refers to the man of
sin martyrs who suffered and died accompanying the centralization of power in the bishops
under the pagan persecution before Constantine exalted the church].
12. Therefore, rejoice, ye heavens [ecclesiastical rulers],
and ye that have dwell in them. Woe to inhabiters of the earth [members of
earthly society] and of the sea [the restless masses]! for the
devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a
short [fixed] time.
13. And when the dragon [civil Roman authority] saw that he
was cast unto the earth [was divested of sacerdotal authority], he
persecuted the woman [the faithful church class] which brought forth the
man child [from whom had been separated the Man of Sin].
14. And to the woman [church class] were given two wings of a
great eagle [the support of the Old and New Testaments], that she might
fly into the wilderness [of separation from the world], into her place
[condition], where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time
[1260 years from CE 539-1799], from the face of the serpent [civil Roman
authority].
15. And the serpent [civil Roman authority, which in this case was
merely trying to reinstate itself in its once held power-being instigated by Satan] cast
out of his mouth[pieces] water [infidel truths on human rights
and dignity which emanated in the French Revolution] as a flood after the woman,
that it might cause her [the faithful church] to be carried away of the
flood [overwhelmed with the great amount of truth].
16. And the earth [stable elements of society] helped the
woman [faithful church], and the earth [stable elements of
society] opened her mouth [received a great amount of truth], and
swallowed up the flood which the dragon [civil Roman authorities] cast
out of his mouth [through its infidel agencies].
