Revelation 12 deals with two different events, though one of the feature is quite similar.
One event is verses 1 to 6 which deals with Christ's first coming, and the other is the rest of the chapter which deals with Christ's second coming.
Re 12:1-6, Christ's first coming
It describes Satan in heaven.He was about to devour a newborn child, his main opponent.
Re 12:3-4
3 And another sign was seen in heaven, and, look! a great fiery-colored dragon, with seven heads and ten horns and upon its heads seven diadems; 4 and its tail drags a third of the stars of heaven, and it hurled them down to the earth. And the dragon kept standing before the woman who was about to give birth, that, when she did give birth, it might devour her child.
A woman who gave birth to the child fled into the wilderness.
This newborn male child has the characteristic of Jesus when he was born.
Re 12:5-6
5 And she gave birth to a son, a male, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was caught away to God and to his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and sixty (1260) days.
The new born male child with the inherent kingship
The newborn male child seems to be Jesus when he was born on earth as Messiah.Jesus was sent to earth as the promised seed that would crush the head of the serpent.
Ge 49:9-10
9 A lion cub Judah is. From the prey, my son, you will certainly go up. He bowed down, he stretched himself out like a lion and, like a lion, who dares rouse him? 10 The scepter will not turn aside from Judah, neither the commander's staff from between his feet, until Shi'loh comes; and to him the obedience of the peoples will belong.
Isa 9:6
6 For there has been a child born to us, there has been a son given to us; and the princely rule will come to be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Lu 1:32-33
32 This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and YHWH God will give him the throne of David his father, 33 and he will rule as king over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom."
Mt 2:6
6 'And you, O Beth'le・hem of the land of Judah, are by no means the most insignificant [city] among the governors of Judah; for out of you will come forth a governing one, who will shepherd my people, Israel.'"
When Jesus was born, he had the legal right which Israel's final king Zedekiah lost.
The crown was removed from Zedekiah.
According to the legal right that Jesus has, the crown will be given to him in the future.
Eze 21:25-27
25 "And as for you, O deadly wounded, wicked chieftain of Israel, whose day has come in the time of the error of [the] end, 26 this is what the Sovereign Lord YHWH has said, 'Remove the turban, and lift off the crown. This will not be the same. Put on high even what is low, and bring low even the high one. 27 A ruin, a ruin, a ruin I shall make it. As for this also, it will certainly become no [one's] until he comes who has the legal right, and I must give [it] to him.'
When Jesus was born on earth according to the series of promises of YHWH, which are the promise of the seed of woman, and the promise of the seed of Abraham, and the new covenant, Satan tried to kill this newborn baby, but he was not able to. The baby Jesus was protected and the new covenant also was protected.
Satan killed Jesus physically, but he could not make Him disloyal. By Christ's sinless death, Satan was defeated. And by the sinless blood of Jesus, the new covenant was made effective.
In the first century, the new covenant made effective by the birth of the Messiah and his faithful death, and was protected against Satan's attempts to destroy God's plan of salvation.
Re 12:5-6
5 And she gave birth to a son, a male, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was caught away to God and to his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and sixty (1260) days.
The child was caught away to God so that Satan couldn't devour him.
In this manner, newborn Jesus was protected from Satan's plot to kill him.
Therefore, the new covenant was also preserved to produce the seed of Abraham in the future.
2 BC Oct 1
Jesus was born with legal right in Bethlehem.
He was circumcised on eighth day in Jerusalem.
1 AD
Astrologers from the east visit two years old Jesus at the house in Bethlehem.
Jesus' family fled into Egypt according to the warning of angle, so that he was escaped from the massacre in Bethlehem plotted by Satan through the king Herod.
The king Herod killed all the boys in Bethlehem from two years of age and under.
This event was a conspiracy against the promised seed and the new covenant by the promised seed.
But, thanks to God's protection Satan was not successful.
Thus, the promised seeds and the new covenant escaped destruction when Jesus was sent to Earth where Satan kept waiting to devour newborn Jesus.
Mt 2:13
13 After they had withdrawn, look! YHWH's angel appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying: "Get up, take the young child and its mother and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I give you word; for Herod is about to search for the young child to destroy it."
Then, when Jesus commenced the work of Messiah in 29 AD.
During the three and half (3.5) years Christ's ministry, the sons of the new covenant which represent the woman in Re 12 were well fed by Jesus. 3.5 years = 1260 days
So, Satan was not able to devour the son nor the woman (the new covenant) on Messiah's first coming.
After accomplishing the role of Messiah, Jesus went back to heaven.
Then he was crowned with glory and honor receiving Davidic kingship in heaven.
Since then he has been waiting for YHWH's command "Go subduing in the midst of your enemies."
Joh 19:30
30 When, now, he had received the sour wine, Jesus said: "It has been accomplished!" and, bowing his head, he delivered up [his] spirit.
Heb 2:9
9 but we behold Jesus, who has been made a little lower than angels, crowned with glory and honor for having suffered death, that he by God's undeserved kindness might taste death for every [man].
Php 2:9
9 For this very reason also God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every name,
Eph 1:20-21
20 with which he has operated in the case of the Christ when he raised him up from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above every government and authority and power and lordship and every name named, not only in this system of things, but also in that to come.
Ps 110:1-2
1 The utterance of YHWH to my Lord is:
"Sit at my right hand
Until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet."
2 The rod of your strength YHWH will send out of Zion, [saying:]
"Go subduing in the midst of your enemies."
Re 12:7-17, Christ's second coming
In contrast with Jesus' first coming in Re 12:1-6, Re 12:7-17 deals with his second coming, the time of his conquest which begins with casting down Satan and demons from heaven.
This event will become the trigger of the great tribulation by raged Satan.
During the great tribulation, Satan will again make every efforts to subvert the arrangement of the new covenant as he did in the first century.
As Jesus fed the seeds of the new covenant during his three and half years' ministry, the two witnesses will do the same job during their three and half years' prophesying.
Satan's effort to subvert the new covenant by accusing and persecuting the sons of the kingdom will fail somehow.
Finally, the raged Satan goes off wage war with the sons of the kingdom.
Then the two witnesses are killed.
Re 12:7-17
7 And war broke out in heaven: Mi'cha·el and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon and its angels battled 8 but it did not prevail, neither was a place found for them any longer in heaven. 9 So down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have come to pass the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers has been hurled down, who accuses them day and night before our God! 11 And they conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their witnessing, and they did not love their souls even in the face of death. 12 On this account be glad, YOU heavens and YOU who reside in them! Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to YOU, having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time."
13 Now when the dragon saw that it was hurled down to the earth, it persecuted the woman that gave birth to the male child. 14 But the two wings of the great eagle were given the woman, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place; there is where she is fed for a time and times and half a time (3.5) away from the face of the serpent.
15 And the serpent disgorged water like a river from its mouth after the woman, to cause her to be drowned by the river. 16 But the earth came to the woman's help, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon disgorged from its mouth. 17 And the dragon grew wrathful at the woman, and went off to wage war with the remaining ones of her seed, who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness to Jesus.
as to measuring the temple
Re 11:1-4, 71 And a reed like a rod was given me as he said: "Get up and measure the temple [sanctuary] of God and the altar and those worshiping in it. 2 But as for the courtyard that is outside the temple [sanctuary], cast it clear out and do not measure it, because it has been given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city underfoot for forty-two (42) months (42 months = 1260 days = 3.5 years). 3 And I will cause my two witnesses to prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty (1260) days dressed in sackcloth." 4 These are [symbolized by] the two olive trees and the two lampstands and are standing before the Lord of the earth.
7 And when they have finished their witnessing, the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss will make war with them and conquer them and kill them.
Notice that the heaven and worshipers in it are measured, whereas earth and things in it are not measured.
It seems to me that in heaven a preparation to receive the sons of the kingdom would begin, so that the heaven and angles are measured to make room for the sons of the kingdom. But the remaining sons of the kingdom on earth are not for certain yet in their faithfulness under severe pressure by raged Satan, so there is no concrete plan in the future for the each of them yet, for this reason they are not measured, cast them clear out. They are to be given to the nations, and the nations will trample them underfoot for forty-two (42) months.
Re 2:10
10 Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. Look! The Devil will keep on throwing some of YOU into prison that YOU may be fully put to the test, and that YOU may have tribulation ten days. Prove yourself faithful even to death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Re 3:15-16, 21
15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or else hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.
21 To the one that conquers I will grant to sit down with me on my throne, even as I conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
The following chapters also deal with the developments during the great tribulation brought by the hurled down Satan.
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