REVELATION 12 - THE WOMAN
The 12th chapter of Revelation shows God providing protection for His loyal people throughout the years of the Gentile occupation of the Holy Land.
In Revelation 11:2-3, two 1260 year periods are mentioned. These two periods together equal 2520 years of Jerusalem and the Jews being trodden down and persecuted by a series of Gentile powers, which are collectively described in Scripture as "a beast" (Rev 13:1). These 2520 years commenced at the time of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem and concluded at the end of the Second World War. This period is foretold in Leviticus 26:24 and is alluded to in type in Daniel chapter 4, as explained in detail on the page "THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES".
Revelation 12 and 13 reveal more details about these two consecutive 1260 year periods. Specifically, Revelation 12 focuses on the first 1260 year period, while Revelation 13 focuses on the second 1260 year period. This is evidenced by the crowns that are described in Revelation 12:3 and 13:1. In Revelation 12:3 these crowns are on the seven heads of the "Beast" powers, whereas in Revelation 13:1 they are on the ten horns of these same powers, in each case designating their time of rule.
During the first 1260 year period, which ran from 575BC until 685AD inclusively, all seven heads of the "Beast" came to rule over Jerusalem, after which the first of the ten horns gained control of the city. The second 1260 year period, from 686 until 1945 inclusively, was that of the "mouth that speaks great things and blasphemies" (Rev 13:5), when the Papacy operated as an independent power during the same period of time that the ten horns successively ruled Jerusalem. This is explained in detail on the page "THE TWO WITNESSES".
Let's look at Revelation 12 and see what information is given about the first 1260 year period.
(My comments are in brackets).
1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman (spiritual Israel) clothed with the sun (having the character of God through the indwelling of His spirit), and the moon under her feet (she figuratively controls the moon, determining how much of God's sunlight she reflects into the world), and upon her head a crown of twelve stars (symbolising the twelve divisions of the people of God):
2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered (Israel went through centuries of national pain and suffering to get to the point of delivering Christ into the world. See Micah 4:10).
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon (Satan - see v9), having seven heads and ten horns (representing the Gentile nations that Satan empowered for 2520 years to trample down Jerusalem and the Jews), and seven crowns upon his heads (the events here described all occurred during the first 1260 year period, when all seven heads of the "Beast" came to rule over Jerusalem).
4 And his tail drew (had drawn) the third part of the stars of heaven (angels who followed Satan and became demons), and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman (Mary - representative of spiritual Israel) which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born (Satan tried to have Christ killed as a baby).
5 And she brought forth a man child (Christ), who was to rule (lit. who is to rule) all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne (after He had succeeded in His mission on Earth).
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath (had) a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days (Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus fled to Egypt where they remained for this length of time, it being a type of the abovementioned 1260 year period pictured by the seven heads with the crowns, a period during which God provided safe havens for his loyal people - see also verse 14).
7 And there was war in heaven (a spiritual war, centred in Jerusalem): Michael (i.e. Christ - see "Daniel 11 & 12 - Kings of the North and the South" for why the archangel Michael is used as a type of Christ) and his angels fought against the dragon (Satan); and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven (Christ overcame Satan, thus qualifying to rule on Earth. He also died for the sins of mankind, making their salvation possible. See Col 2:15, Eph 6:12).
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (this permanently separated Satan and his demons from God and His angels. This must have occurred at the very beginning of the fifth Millennium - see the page "The Seven Day Blueprint").
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 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 (defeated), which accused them before our God day and night (which he can no longer do, since Christ has paid the penalty for man's sins).
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 the death (many were martyred).
12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth (Israel) and of the sea (the Gentile nations)! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time (until his time of rule comes to an end).
13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman (spiritual Israel - now the Church) which brought forth the man child (Acts 8:1 describes the Jews instigating "great persecution" against the Church in Jerusalem, only a few years after its inception, and therefore only a few years into the fifth millennium).
14 And (But) to the woman were given (had been given) two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time (1260 years), from the face of the serpent (the account in Acts 8 describes early Christians fleeing to the regions of Samaria and Judea. However, already at the start of this 1260 year period, when the Jews were exiled to Babylon, the faithful among them were protected by God there, as the books of Daniel and Esther testify. During the times of the Maccabees, those loyal to God were preserved in Judean hideouts, away from their Seleucid oppressors. When Christ was a baby, his parents fled with Him from Herod's persecution to Egypt, and found refuge there. Just before the Roman campaign of 67-73AD against the Jews, faithful Church members in Israel fled to safety beyond the Jordan to a place called Pella, in obedience to Christ's command. So we see that throughout these 1260 years of oppression, places of refuge were provided by God for His loyal people when needed).
15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood (intense persecution) after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
16 And (But) the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth (the earliest persecutions of the Church, as testified throughout the New Testament, came from the Jews. In the 67-73AD war, most of the Jewish nation was destroyed. Therefore, the earth of Israel figuratively "swallowed up" the Jews, bringing their persecution of the Church, for the most part, to an end).
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed (God's loyal people in other locations), which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (note the description of a true believer here: one who keeps God's commandments and accepts the testimony of Jesus. Jews will acknowledge the former, "Christians" of this world to a degree the latter, but very few people accept and teach the truth of both the Old and New Testament Scriptures).
So we see that Revelation 12 gives us a brief overview of God's dealings with His faithful people (the "woman") during the first half of the "Times of the Gentiles", i.e. the 1260 year period running from 575BC until 685AD. Even though the Holy Land was controlled by foreign powers, God looked after those who were faithful to Him wherever they were located. Revelation 13 covers the second 1260 year period which completes the 2520 years of Gentile occupation of Jerusalem and persecution of God's people.