THE WOMAN AND THE DRAGON

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="03c00500dvldtc.png"> <div> <B>Revelation</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B>     |     </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#00FF00" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Revelation"><U><B>home</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="about_israel.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="THE WOMAN AND THE DRAGON"><U><B>THE WOMAN AND THE DRAGON</B></U></A><B> / </B><A HREF="hostile_takeover.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WAR IN HEAVEN"><U><B>WAR IN HEAVEN</B></U></A><B> / </B><A HREF="diaspora.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SATAN ATTACKS ISRAEL"><U><B>SATAN ATTACKS ISRAEL</B></U></A><B> / </B><A HREF="a_new_world_order.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="THE BEAST FROM THE SEA, A NEW WORLD ORDE"><U><B>THE BEAST FROM THE SEA, A NEW WORLD ORDER</B></U></A><B> / </B><A HREF="the_false_prophet.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="THE BEAST FROM THE LAND, (THE FALSE PROP"><U><B>THE BEAST FROM THE LAND, (THE FALSE PROPHET)</B></U></A><B> / </B><A HREF="second_group_seen_in_heaven_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="144,000 SEEN IN HEAVEN"><U><B>144,000 SEEN IN HEAVEN</B></U></A><B> / </B><A HREF="a_stern_and_unmistakable_warning_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="THREE DECLARATION ANGELS"><U><B>THREE DECLARATION ANGELS</B></U></A><B> / </B><A HREF="harvest_time.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="THE GREAT HARVEST"><U><B>THE GREAT HARVEST</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="03dd2c00dvldtc.png"> <div> <A HREF="heavenly_sanhedrin.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SEVENTH TRUMPET"><U>Previous Page</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="hostile_takeover.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WAR IN HEAVEN"><U>Next Page</U></A></div> <div>   <P><CENTER><A href="http://www.christiansunite.com/hit/" target="_top"><IMG src="http://www.christiansunite.com/hit/count.cgi?account=bryant_family_2&code=site&count=1" border=0 width=96 height=40 alt="The Christian Counter"></A><BR><font size=1><A href="http://www.christiansunite.com/hit/" target="_top">The Christian Counter</font></A></CENTER><P>   </div> <bR> <div> <B>Revelation 12:1-6</B>, "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:  And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.  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.  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.  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.  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."</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B><U>THE WOMAN AND THE DRAGON</U></B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="0a7aded0.jpg" border=0 width="173" height="237" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.revelationillustrated.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.revelationillustrated.com/"><U>Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.</U></A></div> <bR> <div> After the seven trumpets there is a natural digression into a parenthetical passage explaining how the things, which are now happening, came to pass. It is roughly equivalent to a prosecuting attorney making his case before final judgement is passed.</div> <bR> <div> The passage starts with a vision of Israel at the time of the birth of Messiah. The passage reveals how Satan attempted to kill the Messiah and how, when he failed he declared war on Heaven. Satan was subsequently cast down to the earth full of rage.</div> <bR> <div> Satan then went to destroy Israel. Once the Dragon destroyed Jerusalem he thought that he had finished Israel off for good and so he determined to destroy all of the Christians. These are those who are able to keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Apart from the atoning sacrifice of Jesus and the empowering of the Holy Spirit it is impossible to keep the commandments of God. For this reason we know that John is talking about the Church at this point.</div> <bR> <div> The woman here represents Israel as is recorded in Genesis when Joseph discusses one of his dreams with his father, Israel formerly known as Jacob. </div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Genesis 37:9-10</B></I><I>, "And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?"</I></div> <bR> <div> The woman is with child. This child represents the messiah, Jesus. Only out of Israel could the Messiah be birthed.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>