Translating about the woman and red dragon in PNG
When translating the Asengseng Bible in the early 2000s with my translation helpers, I came across something incredible that I cannot fully explain. I was translating Revelation chapter 12 which talks about the seven-headed, red dragon. Clearly, this dragon is Satan as identified in Rev. 12:9. I was trying to find a suitable word for dragon and asked my translation helper, “Giaman.” I explained the text about how he has seven heads and so forth. He responded that they had a mythical story called “Seven-pela head” meaning “seven heads” in their tribe about a huge snake named “Pontili” who had seven heads and lived in the water and chased a woman. This story sounded remarkably similar to the narrative in Revelation chapter 12 yet I had no idea how they could have previously heard this story because I was the first person who had ever explained this story from the Bible. But he insisted that this was an ancestral story. Amazing! A mythical ancestral story that was apparently embedded in the Asengseng culture ready for the day that I would translate Revelation chapter 12. Perhaps a sign to the people that this Bible that the missionaries kept talking about was in fact the talk of Hamung (God).
The story of Revelation 12 is a remarkable and interesting story, not the least of which because it covers from the time when the Christ child was born and His sign was seen in the zodiac (the heavens) to the tribulation period at the very end of this age, some 2000 years later. The red dragon in one form or another is ubiquitous all over the world including Asian cultures and is even on the Welsh flag to this day. I believe that this red dragon story has also possibly been planted in Greek mythology as well. The popular Greek god Hercules famously battled the multi-headed hydra (serpent) and killed it. The legend goes that when he would cut off one of the hydra’s heads, another head would grow in its place. Hydra is the largest of the 88 constellations in the night sky. In the night sky, Hydra appears very close to Virgo, the woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet. And this corresponds to the other sign that appeared in heaven, the nearby dragon that sweeps a third of the stars out of the sky.1
Identity of the woman
So who is the woman? It appears that she is a few different people. Rev. 12:1 suggests that the woman is a mother referencing back to Joseph’s dream in Gen. 37:9-11 where the 12 stars would be the 12 tribes of Israel, the progeny of the woman. She is also Mary, the mother who was pregnant and gives birth to the son, a male child of Rev. 12:5. This is clearly Jesus. He will reign with an iron scepter, a reference to Christ’s rule in the millennial kingdom. The devil has always wanted to devour or destroy the child right at the beginning through the agency of King Herod but Jesus rose to be seated at the right hand of God in heaven.2
In v. 6, the woman appears to be the faithful ones who flee into the desert and are protected for a time, times and half a time (1290 days). This verse is interpreted in many different ways by Bible Scholars. Many interpret the woman here to be Israel who flee into the desert as a result of seeing the Abomination of Desolation in Matthew 24:15-16. In these verses, Jesus instructs the disciples that when they see the Abomination of Desolation standing in the holy place, then let all who are in Judea (Jerusalem and surrounds) flee to the mountains (mountains of Moab – Jordan). Even though Jesus is talking to His disciples and many think that Matthew 24 is directed just at Israel, this is not the case. Whenever Jesus talks privately to His disciples in the Gospels (Mathew, Mark, Luke, John), it is apparent that He refers to the cross and the future church, incognito. Because of this and due to the fact that the Gospels are for the church as well, the woman of Revelation 12 must refer to all faithful believers who have travelled to Israel and are ready and waiting in Judea. Furthermore, Joel 2:32 hints that there will be deliverance on Mt. Zion and in Jerusalem among the survivors whom the Lord calls. The Lord will be calling His people, the church, “survivors” from all over the earth to go to Israel, to Judea and Jerusalem, in particular, to wait for the sign of the Abomination of Desolation in the holy place.
The woman receives divine help but remaining Christians must suffer
In Rev. 12:13-16, the red dragon tries to pursue and stop the woman from escaping to the desert via means of a flood however she receives divine help and she makes it to the safe place in Jordan. Then the dragon is enraged and makes war with the rest of her offspring — those who trust in Jesus. Who are the ones who trust in Jesus? Christians! The rest of the woman’s offspring are either the 144,000 or the ‘elect’ of Matt. 24:22–that part of the church who don’t heed the warning to flee. The 144,000 will be sealed and protected by that seal however the elect will remain outside of the place prepared for her by God and will be subject to persecution and great suffering as a result. But those who endure to the end will be raptured.3
Conclusion
In conclusion, depending on the context, sometimes the woman is the mother of the twelve tribes of Israel and so represents the nation Israel, sometimes Mary, and sometimes the church. I think the best way to look at this is that the woman and her progeny are always a metaphor for those who believe. This is further backed up when Paul says to the young Galatian church in the late AD 40s, we (the church) are children of the freewoman, Sarah.4 During the Tribulation, unbelieving Israel will have its own path to take. Eventually, they will only turn to Christ right at the end when one third will come through the fire so to speak and they will call on his name.5 It will only be the believing remnant of Israel who will survive.
Church, this is an extremely important passage and it has an important warning for us. We must be ready to “fly” to the desert when the time comes just like the Israelites left Egypt on the two wings of a great eagle. I believe that possibly, God has implanted this story of the huge snake in different cultures just like for the Asengseng in PNG and in Greek mythology, so we need to sit up and take notice. God is trying to show us something.
5 Responses
Let’s not assume that just because God provides us with a place of escape, that life will also be easy and comfortable. I have no doubt that God will meet all our needs at that time, but often what we need and what we THINK we need are two very different things. The Israelites fleeing Egypt became thirsty before God provided the water at Marah, and they became hungry before God provided the manna and the quail. And perhaps the same desert where the Israelites once stayed will be where we also take refuge.
A small unit? A tent? or even a swag on the ground? Any of these may be our living arrangements for the final three and a half years… and Jordan winters can get very cold (and summers very hot)
Comfortable living arrangements, food and water on demand, medical treatment and pharmaceutical supplies, entertainment, stable income and employment and heck, yes even air conditioning are just a few of the many LUXURIES that we so often take for granted.
Yes, God will meet our needs… but be prepared that perhaps our expectations and our needs may be two very different things. Will we, like the Israelites in the desert, complain when we experience hunger or thirst? Or will we recognise that the God whom has rescued us is showing us and teaching us that “man shall not live by bread alone”.
Food for thought.
To Kate
The prices are much the same as here I have been looking on global property real estate on the internet One bedroom apartments around 200 k in Ammon
Good insights Steve. We dont study Revelation or end times enough to be fully ready for anything. Do you have land ready?
Why do we need to go to Jordan and wait? Jesus will come in the clouds for all the earth to see and at that time we will be caught up in the air immediately after those who are asleep in their graves go first.
Hi Ed and Di,
Thanks for your question. To be sure Matthew 24:30-31 does say that the whole earth will see the Son of Man (Jesus) coming on the clouds of the sky. And then He will send his angels to gather His elect from the four winds.
But the thing you have overlooked is that these people referred to are not all the believers on earth. There is another group of believers who have escaped to the wilderness at the halfway point of the Tribulation. These are the ones who have heeded the call and escaped in time. These would be the wise virgins as in the Parable of the Virgins or those of the Philadelphia church. They will escape the “hour of trial.” Most believers however will not listen and so they will have to take their chances and go through the second half of the Great Tribulation. This will be a very hard alternative but there will be those who make it and be gathered at the end by the angels. A lot of these will be beheaded or killed (tribulation martyrs) but some will make it (the tribulation saints – Rev 20:4). These believers will resist taking the mark of the beast.
In my opinion the rapture happens right at the end (post-trib) at the place where the vultures gather. This in fact is the sign that Jesus himself gave when the disciples asked “where?” That place is Jordan near Mt Nebo where Moses’ body was buried. (See my blog, “The eagle has landed.”) So all will be gathered there. There will be the believers who have made it through the Great Tribulation and are still alive and the believers in Jordan who have been protected for 1260 days and also the dead in Christ as well at this rapture.