My Thoughts on the Woman in Revelation 12

The identity of the woman in Revelation 12 can be a very tricky subject. It's often said that the woman is Mary by Roman Catholics. I think some Evangelicals think that the woman represents Mary even if they don't believe her to be a co-mediator. For one, I had an earlier interpretation that the woman is Mary before and after I got saved. Other options included the Church and Israel. For me, saying it's the Church is far-fetched even for some of the best commentators such as Matthew Henry and John Gill. In my case, I'd like to share my thoughts on why I think the woman in Revelation 12 is Israel and not Mary or the Church.

At first, it's very easy to think of Mary because the woman is pregnant with the Messiah. We can consider the hassle Mary as a godly woman underwent. Consider that Mary was in danger of getting stoned to death when she was falsely accused of adultery. It took Joseph a visitation from the angel Gabriel to take Mary home with him. Mary and Joseph would later travel to Bethlehem and she could've miscarried but God the Father's providence was there. Later, Herod tried to murder the baby Jesus two years after the Nativity. Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt and only returned after Herod the Great had died. I guess this is why some Evangelicals may think Mary is the woman. Satan was, after all, seeking to destroy the Child because he was thrown out of Heaven.

However, I think Israel fits the picture over godly Mary. My reason for shifting towards viewing the woman as Israel started with me talking with a pastor about interpretation. The symbolism of the woman accompanies the picture of Joseph's dream in Genesis 37:9-10. Remember when the sun represented Jacob, the moon represented his mother (actually stepmother, Leah), and the 11 stars are the brothers of Joseph (ten half, one whole)? The vision would fit in with the woman as the nation of Israel. Mary did bear the Messiah but the vision of the woman is a nation carrying forth the Messiah. Many times, Satan tried to destroy the Jewish people. Ever remembered what happened in Exodus with the slavery of the Jewish people? Ever remembered the oppressors that God allowed to persecute the Jewish people whenever they fell into sin? Ever remembered when Athaliah killed her own family to destroy the House of David which she married into? Ever remembered how Haman would later try to slaughter all the Jews in Persia? Satan obviously was trying to knock down the whole prophecy. Satan still hates Israel so he makes sure to continue blinding its people from the truth.

The woman is later seen to have fled to the wilderness and the child was caught up to the Heavens. Later, Jesus would ascend bodily into Heaven. However, Mary didn't flee into the wilderness but to Egypt. The Scripture is later silent about Mary after Acts 2 where she was seen praying with the apostles. I can't even be certain what Mary did in the last days of her life. Mary was probably still missing Jesus' physical presence after the ascension while she understood the uniqueness that she was both her mother while He was her Lord. I want to assume Mary probably prodded James and Jude (who are now believers) to be active. Mary was probably an active servant in the Church in Israel until she was called home. Mary as godly as she gets can't fit into the picture as a woman who later fled into the wilderness. The persecution of the Jewish people is a reality. Okay, the Jewish people did persecute the Christians even from their own countrymen. I wonder if the woman should represent the righteous remnant of Israel or Israel as a nation? Though one can't deny that anti-Semitism is well-documented such as Nazi Germany's brutal slaughter of the Jews or the Roman Catholic Crusades also massacred Jews along with Muslims in their "holy quest". J. Vernon McGee's interpretation of the woman being cared for is during the Great Tribulation when Israel's saved remnant will be taken care of. 

What's the symbolism between the two great wings? I would say it's most likely symbolic or God's divine providence. Remember God can still have angels do His job to rescue the Tribulation saints of Israel by the time the Antichrist arrives there during the Great Tribulation (that's the remaining 3.5 years). Antichrist will be in the third Jewish Temple where he will declare himself as God (2 Thessalonians 2:1-7). They will be sustained there. I used to think that children won't be born into the Millenial kingdom. But maybe, these remnants will allow children to be born in the Millenial Kingdom. It's only during the New Heaven and the New Earth when there will be more children born.

What's about the seed of her testimony? Once again, the interpretation of Mary as the woman doesn't fit. If a Protestant were to say it's Mary then maybe he or she will interpret the seed as people who follow Mary's godly example. Every Christian is commanded to follow her as an example even if they aren't told to regard her as their spiritual mother. However, Mary's role to every Christian is more as that godly sister-in-Christ gone before them who they can't wait to meet in eternity. I don't have much of a problem with saying that but remember Mary is a godly woman and not a nation. I'm tempted to think that this nation as Israel is not referred to as political Israel but a spiritual Israel. Romans 9:1-8 that not everyone who naturally descended from Israel is of Israel. Rather, that everyone in Christ is a part of this spiritual Israel. I think it makes sense now to say that the seed of this woman (Israel) keeps the commandments of Jesus. It's because spiritual Israel keeps the commandments of Jesus. Today's Israel is just too full of hardheaded people who still haven't seen the Messiah. Though McGee's 144,000 Jewish witnesses during the Tribulation still make sense too.