SUMMARY
Symbols depict the threats that face the people of God. Nevertheless, God continues to nourish the church in the face of opposition from Satan, who is represented by the dragon.
ANALYSIS
The woman clothed with the sun represents the people of God. She has traits that come from many different times and places. Like Eve, she has pain in giving birth and is confronted by a serpentA serpent is described as the snake who tricked Eve into disobeying God in the Garden of Eden. Elsewhere a serpent appears in narratives relating to Moses, in the Psalms, and in Isaiah. Jesus invoked the image of serpents and snakes in his preaching; and... More (Genesis 3). Like Israel, she is initially pictured as a woman in labor and later as one who is carried on eagle’s wings to a place of refuge in the wilderness (Isaiah 26:17; Exodus 19:4). Like Mary, she gives birth to the MessiahThe Messiah was the one who, it was believed, would come to free the people of Israel from bondage and exile. In Jewish thought the Messiah is the anticipated one who will come, as prophesied by Isaiah. In Christian thought Jesus of Nazareth is identified... More, yet she also symbolizes the whole Christian church (Revelation 12:5, 17). The story begins in heaven, where the woman appears with a crown of stars on her head, yet it leads into the wilderness as she is persecuted by Satan. Nevertheless, the woman experiences the saving power of God in the wilderness. Since the woman symbolizes the whole people of God, her story offers assurance that God will also save others who suffer threats from evil in the same way.
