Revelation 12:1 - Who is the Woman?

Rev 12:1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun,
and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;
(NAU)

Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, we will start a more detailed discussion of the chapter.
A very important key to understanding this chapter is to get a scripturally correct definition of what
the woman represents. Lets first look at who she is not and why, and then we will talk about what
she actually is.

First of all the woman cannot represent just the nation of Israel, because the nation of Israel will not
work as a consistent symbol throughout the entire chapter. In at least the second description of the
woman where she is given the two wings, she has to represent the heavenly portion of the covenant,
the Christian church rather than the literal Jewish nation.

At the same time she cannot be the heavenly portion of the covenant, the Christian church in all
places, because early on she gives birth to the Manchild, who is Christ, the seed of the Abrahamic
promise. The church cannot give birth to Christ, since Christ is the one who started the church.
Another reason that the symbol of the woman by itself cannot be the Christian church is because in
verse 17 the faithful seed of the woman is actually the Christian church.

One other thing we need to mention, although it doesn’t deserve serious consideration: is that the
Catholics think that the woman represents Mary. That definition has the same problem as some of
the others, because Mary for example would not work in the places where the woman is fleeing into
the wilderness, or where her seed is attacked later. The Catholic definition is an attempt to interpret
the symbol in a literal manner and it does not fit the context of the chapter. For example, it’s obvious
that Mary did not give birth to the church represented in the seed in verse 17.

Looking at all of the above, it at first glance appears impossible to come up with a definition of the
woman that will work in all places. The symbol of the woman as it is seen in different ages or
dispensations appears to be a symbol that has to change its meaning. We believe that is exactly what
has to happen! The woman and her accessories represent a composite of all of the covenants God has
made with man, up to and including the New Covenant that was confirmed at the first advent. The
woman and her accessories, as a composite of the covenants, shows us God’s plan of the ages and
for that reason we can say that the woman represents God’s plan and use that definition in most
places when we discuss her. What is involved is explained more fully later on, but it’s because of the
covenants seen symbolized in her, that we can see God’s plan portrayed through her.

Ps 89, when talking about the throne of David, which belongs to Christ, contain many of the same
symbolic elements as Rev 12, including the covenant aspect. In that Psalm we see the covenant, the
seed, the rod, the sun, the moon and a faithful witness in the heaven. The Manchild is implied in the one who will have his throne established in heavens forever. (Ps 89:28-37)

28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
36 His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.
37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.

The few verses above, from Psalms, confirm that interpreting the woman as the covenant salvation
of God is correct.

Since the covenants represent the plan of God, it may be helpful in some places to think of her in
that manner. For example, when Satan pursues after the woman it’s easier to understand that he is
trying to defeat God’s Plan, rather than saying that he is pursuing a covenant. So when he chases
after the woman, he is doing everything that he can to stop the implementation of Gods plan, and the
methods he uses can be anything from trying to corrupt the understanding of the covenant or plan
with error, to even more direct methods where he tortures and kills the seed of the woman, the
faithful church, who are proclaiming the good news of the covenants.

So while the woman and the accessories with her correctly represents all the everlasting covenants
that God has made with mankind, it’s easier to see that the symbols as a whole represents Gods
Divine Plan in all its aspects. In the following explanation we may use the two descriptions
interchangeably, especially where we think it’s necessary to point out the covenant part of the
woman, but if you have trouble seeing what’s happening, in most places you can think of her as
representing God’s Divine Plan and that may make it easier to understand. One place where we
definitely need to see the woman as a covenant is where she is struggling to give birth. In that place
it’s important to see the Abrahamic covenant because the promised seed of that covenant was Christ.
We should understand that a covenant by itself is not for example the nation of Israel or the
Christian church. The covenants as given by God have offspring or children that come out of them,
and those children are what make up either the nation of Israel or the Christian church. In other
words the covenant produces a seed, which can be the Jewish nation or the Christian church,
depending on which covenant we are looking at. In Revelation 12:17, there is a good example where
we see the Christian church described as the seed of the woman or the covenant. Notice that the seed
is not the woman, but is the offspring of the woman. The verse even uses the same terminology as
Paul in Romans by calling the church “the faithful remnant”.

Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of
her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (KJV)

Rom 9:27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the
sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved; (RSV)
Rom 11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of
grace.(KJV)

The same thing is true when we see the Manchild born in this chapter. Israel herself did not supply
the Manchild or Christ, but God through the Abrahamic Covenant did. Christ was the promised seed
of that covenant and that was the reason he came and provided the ransom price. When he did that,
the Abrahamic covenant was then able to begin the process through which all the nations of the earth
would eventually be blessed.

Paul explains this in Galatians, where he tells us that Christ is the seed, singular, of the promise of
the covenant. Since the woman in Rev 12 represents the Abrahamic covenant at the point in which
she is about to give birth, as will be seen later, it should be obvious that Christ is the promised seed
or the Manchild that is caught up to God and his throne.
The faithful seed of the woman that we see in verse 17 is the same seed that is heir to the promises
that Paul tells us about in Galatians. Because we belong to Christ, we are heirs of the promise, also.

Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we
might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (KJV)
Gal 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law,
which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of
none effect. (KJV)
Gal 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed
should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a
mediator. (KJV)
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
(KJV)

Rom 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to
all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham;
who is the father of us all, (KJV)

Keeping in mind that there is a difference between a covenant and the seed of the covenant, we are
now going to explain the symbols of the woman. We think that the woman as shown in verse one,
represents a completed picture of Gods Divine plan, as she is seen together with all of the items or
symbols of the different everlasting covenants represented in her. Looked at that way, the vision of
the woman in verse 1, is not limiting us to the plan as seen prior to the time of Christ, but it is a
completed picture of God’s covenant salvation. In other words, all of the different aspects of the plan
of God are seen fully pictured with her as we will see in the next few paragraphs. Gods plan was
fully developed from the foundation of the world and for that reason the woman in verse 1 is
complete, with all of her different accessories picturing all of what God would do to restore
mankind. Realizing that is what she represents will help us to understand how this chapter is
showing us Gods plan in its full entirety, including both the heavenly and the earthly portion.

The Gospel

For example, we see that the woman is clothed with the sun, which is a symbol that represents the
gospel. The good news was first given to Abraham and because he believed God it was counted unto
him for righteousness. The gospel or good news was then preached to the nation of Israel in the time
of the apostles and after Christ paid the ransom price. At that time the good news included the
message of the New Covenant that will in the next age bless all mankind. The message of good news
has continued throughout the gospel age, and eventually that preaching will bring in the fullness of
the Gentiles, which is when the church will be completed. After the gospel age church is complete,
and then the blessing will go to the world. The good news of the gospel age is that Christ has died
for our sins, and because of that both the church and the world will be saved.
That she is clothed with the sun shows us the same thing, in that the seed or children that are in her
are covered with Christ’s righteousness. Even in the Old Testament Christ is called the Sun of
Righteousness, so to be clothed with the sun would seem to indicate that we have put on Christ as
other scriptures indicate. That we are covered with Christ is the same thing as being covered with the
robe of righteousness. God does not look upon our sins now, but only sees the righteousness of
Christ covering us.

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.(KJV)
Mal 4:2 "But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings;
and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. (NAS)
Isa 61:I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me
with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a
bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. (KJV)

The Law

She also has the moon under her feet, and that shows us that she is standing or is rooted in the Law
of Moses. This symbol may actually include all of Gods Old Testament word, which has the Mosaic
Law in it. The law had types and shadows hidden in it, and as a schoolmaster pointed the way to
Christ and what he was going to do for us. The moon does not have any light of its own in that it
reflects the light of the sun. Likewise the gospel light is reflected in the law, as symbolized by the
moon. That is why the moon is such a good symbol in regard to the law, because it does not have its
own light, but receives its illumination from the sun.

The Jews, prior to the time of Christ, were under the literal law, but since the crucifixion the literal
law has been replaced with Christ as a high priest, who has offered better sacrifices, good for all
times. All of the literal ordinances and animal sacrifices are no longer necessary because of what
Christ did in fulfilling the law, since he has taken the place of those sacrifices. For that reason we are
not under the letter of the law, but we are now under the spirit of the law. The meaning of the
symbol “moon” does not change; only the means by which the law is satisfied has changed.

The Nation of Israel

That she had a crown of twelve stars has at least two different meanings, both of which are valid and
important, but fulfilled at different times. In the initial sense, the twelve stars represent the 12 tribes
of Israel, which came from the 12 sons of Jacob. We see this in the vision that Joseph had in regard
to his status over his brothers. He saw eleven stars bow down to him, and these represented the
eleven brothers who would later have to bow down to him when he was in charge of Egypt. He is
understood to be the twelfth star. Those twelve brothers became the nation of Israel which is made
up of twelve tribes, which descended from those brothers. So in those stars we can see the nation of
Israel being pointed to.

Gen 37:9 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. (KJV)

After Christ died and established the church, the view of the woman expands and gives us a greater
or more complete picture, wherein the twelve stars also represent the twelve apostles. The twelve
apostles are the means by which the spiritual Israel is enlightened and established. In Daniel 12:3 we
are told that those who teach others will shine like the stars forever and ever. The apostles as well as
the rest of the 144,000 will be of those who shine like stars in the next age, since we are all to be
lights for the world, starting with the apostles. Wearing the stars as a crown may additionally picture
victory by the 12 x 12000 or 144000.

There is possible completed fulfillment of this symbol of the 12 stars, in chapter 7 of Revelation
where we see that the twelve tribes have become the 144,000 faithful of the church. Even later, we
see the twelve apostles shown as twelve gates which lead into the city of New Jerusalem. That city
pictures the ultimate completion of Gods plans, and the covenant condition under which the entire
world is going to receive salvation in the millennial age.

Since this woman also carries the good news of the gospel as pictured in the sun, the twelve stars are
an integral part of that message showing us the blessings starting with Israel, but eventually flowing
to all in the millennial age. Again, we see that God had hidden his complete plan in a few symbols
that point to what he is doing do to restore all mankind.

The Abrahamic Covenant

In regard to the symbol of the woman herself, we see that while the nation of Israel is related to that
symbol, this woman represents more than just the literal nation of Israel or even the church. The
woman seems to represent all of the everlasting covenants, which show us how God is going to
restore mankind. As we will see, the Abrahamic Covenant is a key to the other covenants and points
us to both the earthly and the heavenly salvation. For example, the Abrahamic Covenant brings
salvation to the gospel age church through the Sarah feature of the covenant. In the millennial age
we will see that the Keturah feature of the covenant pictures the New Covenant blessing that comes
to the world.

Since the Abrahamic covenant is important to our understanding of what is happening here, we are
going to give a brief outline of how we think it brings salvation to both the church and the world.
One problem that we run into is that Paul only fully explained the Sarah feature or the heavenly
portion of the salvation, since that was what concerned him at the time. For that reason we are going
to try to expand our understanding of the operation of the covenant to see how it works for the world
in the next age. The explanation that we give next seems reasonable to us and we present it for
consideration. Regardless of exactly how it works, we know that the covenant has salvation for both
ages, since the offspring of the woman was to be like the stars of heaven and the sand of the
seashore. If anyone has a better explanation of how this Abrahamic Covenant picture works, we
would be glad to consider it. We think the idea that we are going to suggest if not correct, is close
because it seems to fit the facts as we know them.

The covenant was not able to accomplish anything until the seed of the covenant Christ, was
supplied. Even when the law was established with the nation of Israel, no redemption was possible
because imperfect man was not able to keep it. The law did point the way to the better sacrifice,
which we see was fulfilled through Christ. That he came and supplied the blood of the covenant,
made salvation possible for both ages. The church receives salvation through the Sarah feature of
that covenant. We think that the world will receive salvation through the Keturah feature of the
covenant in the next age.

Since Sarah’s child Isaac was the first born, he and his seed received the double portion, which is the
portion of the firstborn, the church. Keturah’s children do not get the first-born portion because she
was not a wife of Abraham’s until after Sarah died, even though she was most likely a concubine of
Abraham’s, while Sarah was still alive. See 1 Chronicles 1:32 and Genesis 25:1.
Just as the Jews are pictured by Hagar, and are in bondage to the law, we would then see that the
earthly seed, the world, are in bondage to sin and death. That is pictured by the fact that she was a
concubine at the time of their birth. That she was later freed and became a legal wife after Sarah
died, shows that the heavenly Father pictured by Abraham, will free the world from sin and death,
through his son Jesus after the church is complete.

They will not get the double portion or the heavenly reward because that had already gone to Isaac
and his seed. Actually the world, pictured by Keturah’s sons will have to come to Isaac picturing
Christ, to get the blessing because Abraham picturing Jehovah gave Isaac the inheritance of
everything that he had. How that is accomplished, is shown by what most likely happened when
Sarah died and Keturah became a legal wife. At that time, Keturah’s children who picture the world
became eligible to receive of the inheritance because they were then legal sons of Abraham, having
been adopted by Abraham’s marriage to Keturah.

The Jews pictured by the children of Hagar, another concubine, will also have to be grafted back into
the root of the Abrahamic promise through Keturah to receive salvation, because they were not able
to get it from the law. In other words they will also have to come to Isaac, picturing Christ in order
to receive salvation.

In a sense we can say that the entire inheritance of life will come through Isaac or Christ, because he
will have control of the inheritance. That fits with the symbol of the New Jerusalem, representing the
New Covenant, being shown in the heavens above. The church is an actual part of that city, being
made into a spiritual temple in it. We are being developed into ministers of the New Covenant and
we are part of that city.

Later after the church is complete and the marriage of the Lamb has come, the New Jerusalem or the
New Covenant will come down to the earth and offer salvation to the world. The world will not be a
part of the city, but they will have to enter into it, picturing a covenant relationship with God in
order to receive life.

With that brief outline, we can now look at the woman and see what we are being shown by her
symbol. In the start of the vision, verses 4-6 are seen to be pointing to the birth of the Manchild, who
comes from promised seed of the Sarah feature of the Abrahamic Covenant. The man-child that we
see there, Christ, provided the legal means by which the covenant could be fulfilled. After that point
in time the original promises of the Abrahamic covenant then point to a New Covenant, which the
seed of the woman or the church proclaims until the full seed, Christ head and body is complete.
When the ministers of the New Covenant are fully developed and completed, the New Covenant can
then bless the world as described above.

We refer you to both Isaiah chapter 54:1> and Gal 4:24>, which are talking about the Abrahamic
covenant, and where they both use the symbol of a woman to represent the covenant. In both places
we will also see how they show us the New Covenant, as seen in the symbol of the New Jerusalem
in the heavens.

Gal 4:22-26) 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a
freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by
promise.
24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai,
which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in
bondage with her children.
26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

The Abrahamic covenant just like Sarah, was barren for a long a time, but because of the promised
seed, Christ, in the end it is able to bear more children than Hagar, the Jews, who were married to
the Law Covenant. It’s only because of the singular seed of the covenant, Christ, that it’s possible
for the heavenly or spiritual seed of the woman, the church, to be brought forth as we see them in
Rev 12:17.

She is the mother of us all, because both the church and the world will be saved through the
fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant. The church actually becomes a part of the salvation process,
since we will be part of the spiritual temple in the New Jerusalem, which pictures the New
Covenant.

1 Pet 2:4-5) 4 Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God's sight chosen and
precious;
5 and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (RSV)

When the church is complete, the world will have to enter into the New Jerusalem as shown in the
book of Revelation, in order to receive salvation. That shows them in symbol as coming under God’s
covenant relationship, able to be blessed by the provisions of the covenant.
This covenant will succeed for both ages because as we see in Isaiah 54: God will be its husband,
and we see that he will be called “the God of the whole earth”. In other words the covenant is not for
just Israel, but will include the entire world in its salvation.

Isa 54:4-5) 4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt
not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the
reproach of thy widowhood any more.
5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One
of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

As we proceed through the rest of this chapter, we will realize that the key to understanding the
chapter was found in the understanding of the symbol of the woman and her accessories, as she is
seen in verse 1. In and with her we see the gospel, the law, the 12 tribes of the nation of Israel as
well as the 12 apostles, all the everlasting covenants, especially the Abrahamic promise, which
metamorphoses into the promise of the New Covenant thru the birth of the man-child. The sun
represents the gospel age message of salvation that the church preaches to the world, as well as
picturing the covering of her and her seed by the righteousness of Christ. That righteousness comes
from the blood of the Lamb, which we find later in the chapter. The moon represents the
Law, which is the foundation and foreshadowing of what Christ did for the world and us. It shows us
the legal means by which the Abrahamic Covenant can be fulfilled.

In looking at the above explanation, we have found that this woman, along with all of the symbols
that she is seen with, contains all of the everlasting covenants that God has made since the time of
the flood. Taken together, these covenants represent and describe God’s Divine Plan of salvation for
mankind.

The First Mention of the Seed

God first made an obscure statement early on in Genesis, telling Adam and Eve that the seed of the
woman would bruise the head of the serpent and that he would bruise his heel. While that was not
called a covenant, it was a hint of something more to come, especially in the use of the term seed. In
this chapter we are now being shown who the seed is, Christ. As we are told in Galatians, if you are
Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise, and thus you are a part of
that seed. That is the Christ head and body that when complete will bind Satan and remove his
influence from the earth. Christ, head and body after the little season is complete, will be the means
by which Satan the head of the serpent is totally destroyed.

The seed or child of the woman is Christ, and is singular as seen in this chapter and not the full
Christ head and body. We only find out elsewhere that the heavenly seed of the woman will
eventually be part of the full seed. That is described as the marriage of the Lamb later in Revelation.
That does not happen until after the time frame that this chapter covers, since this chapter is dealing
with the time of the gospel age and the full seed will not become Christ head and body in the
completed sense until the end of the Gospel age. So while we see that the seed will eventually be
Christ head and body, at the point in time that we see the man-child in Rev Chapter 12, it is still
Christ singular.

Everlasting Covenants

The first actual covenant that we find being given in the Bible is called the rainbow covenant. That
is found in Genesis chapter 9:1-17. God had promised that he would no longer destroy all flesh or
animals off the face of the earth with a flood. We notice in verse 16 that this covenant is called an
everlasting covenant.

In order to keep that promise, while it is not evident in Genesis, we know that God had to provide a
means by which mankind could be restored back from the fall in the garden. If that means were not
provided, God would not have been able to allow a sinful mankind to continue to exist.
That is why later in Genesis we see him provide the promises to Abraham, which expanded upon the
original covenant after the flood. The promise given in the Abrahamic covenant was that it was to
bless all the families of the earth. We see from that covenant that there was to be a heavenly seed as
well as an earthly seed.

A scriptural comparison shows that in regard to the Abrahamic covenant, and actually in all the other
covenants, we see that God called them all everlasting covenants. This shows that they will always
exist, and that they are all related to each other in regard to the plan of salvation that God brings
through these covenants.

Gen 9:16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the
everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. (KJV)

Gen 17:13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be
circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

Gen 17:19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name
Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after
him. (KJV)

1 Chr 16:16-17) 16 Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac;
17 And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, (KJV)
The question then comes up in regard to the New Covenant, is it also an everlasting covenant? The
answer is yes!

Ezek 37:25-26) 25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein
your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their
children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with
them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for
evermore. (KJV)

Heb 13:20 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep
through the blood of the eternal covenant, {even} Jesus our Lord, (NAS)

How does all this apply to who the woman is? We think that the woman and the symbols seen with
her are a composite of all of the above everlasting covenants. Just as God’s plan was complete from
the beginning or the foundation of the world, this woman and the accessories seen with her are the
complete plan of God. That way when she is seen in the different places in the prophecy, we are then
able to see the part of her that represents whatever had been revealed of God’s plan at the time
indicated in the prophecy.

For example, when we see her and the dragon is standing before her, we need to see both the
Abrahamic and the law covenant. That is the only part of God’s plan that Israel had revealed to them
up until that time. The rest of the plan existed, but it had not been revealed yet. That’s why the
scriptures say that the gospel and the church were the mystery that had been hidden from the
foundations of the world.

The woman as a symbol is sometimes confused with the nation of Israel, because Israel was actually
the original bearer of the promises of the Abrahamic covenant. But while Israel and the covenant are
closely entwined, they are not the same thing. The same thing is true of the church, because without
the New Covenant which came out of the Abrahamic, the office of the church would not be possible.
Israel is not the covenant, only the bearer of the news of the law covenant and the Abrahamic
promises, which pointed the way to the New Covenant. Likewise the church is not the New
Covenant; they are only the bearer of the good news in regard to the New Covenant.

When interpreting this chapter, we sometimes incorrectly say that the woman is going to be
persecuted by the dragon or Satan. What we should be saying is that her seed or offspring are going
to be persecuted, just as we see explained in verse 17. If he can overcome the seed, then there would
be no one left to implement the covenant.

Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her
seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (KJV)
The same thing is true when she flees into the desert in that it’s not only the promises of the
covenant that are protected there, but the seed of the covenant is given help at the same time.
That we should be looking at the seed of the woman as representing the church, rather than the
woman herself, is actually self-defined in the chapter in verse 17. We see there that Satan is angry
with the woman, which as a whole represents God’s plan. Since he was not successful in overcoming
that plan because it was guaranteed by the blood of Christ, he then directly makes war with her seed,
the church. Thus from verse 17 we can clearly see that the seed and the woman are two different
things.

That it’s the church we are looking at in verse 17, there is no doubt because that seed is said to be
those that keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Christ. Verse 17 defines the
faithful seed as those who keep the commandments, and this fact implies that there is a portion of
her seed that does not keep the commandments or hold the testimony of Jesus. A part of the
unfaithful portion of the seed was the Jewish nation, but we know that eventually they will be
grafted back into the root of the olive tree, and will be a part of the earthly seed. The root of the olive
tree represents the Abrahamic promises.

The two different seeds or salvation are pictured in the Abrahamic promise, in the symbols of the
sand of the sea and the stars of heaven.

Gen 22:16-18) 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this
thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the
heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his
enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
(KJV)

Interestingly enough, both symbols as found in the Abrahamic covenant are mentioned in this area.
Rev 12:4 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. (KJV)

Rev 12:17 Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her
offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood
on the sand of the sea. (RSV)