Revelation 12:1-11 KJV

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:9

And the great dragon was cast out ,.... From heaven, or from power and authority in the Roman empire, namely, the devil, where he had long presided; it is observable that Constantine himself speaks of "the dragon" being removed from the government of the commonwealth by the providence of God, and by the ministry, or means of him F13 Euseb. de Vita Constantini, l. 2. c. 46. ; and he had his own effigies on a table placed before the porch of his palace, with the cross over his head, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:10

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven ,.... Which was a song of praise on account of the victory obtained by Michael and his angels over the dragon and his, or for the overthrow and downfall of Paganism in the Roman empire; for by "heaven" is meant the empire, now become Christian, or the Christian church state in it; and the "loud voice" heard in it by John shows that there was a great number in it, who rejoiced on this occasion, and that they were full of affection and fervency, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:11

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb ,.... The Lord Jesus Christ, by whose blood they were redeemed and ransomed out of the hands of Satan, that was stronger than they; and by which they were justified from all sin, and so all charges and condemnation were of no avail against them, whether of Satan or the world; and by which they were cleansed from all pollution, both internal and external; and by which even their conversation garments were washed and made white; by this they also,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:1

There appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun - That the woman here represents the true Church of Christ most commentators are agreed. In other parts of the Apocalypse, the pure Church of Christ is evidently portrayed by a woman. In Revelation 19:7 , a great multitude are represented as saying, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his Wife hath made herself ready." In Revelation 21:9 , an angel talks with... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:2

And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, etc. - This, when taken in connection with the following verses, is a striking figure of the great persecution which the Church of Christ should suffer under the heathen Roman emperors, but more especially of that long and most dreadful one under Diocletian. The woman is represented as Being with child, to show that the time would speedily arrive when God's patient forbearance with the heathen would be terminated, and that a deliverer... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:3

There appeared another wonder - a great red dragon - The dragon here is a symbol, not of the Roman empire in general, but of the Heathen Roman empire. This great pagan power must have, therefore, been thus represented from the religion which it supported. But what is a dragon? An entirely fabulous beast of antiquity, consequently, in this respect, a most proper emblem of the heathen worship, which consisted in paying adoration to numerous imaginary beings, termed gods, goddesses, etc. The... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:4

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven - It is not unusual in Scripture, as Dr. Mitchell observes, to call the hindmost of an enemy the tail, as in Joshua 10:19 ; : Ye shall cut off the hindmost of them, which is literally in Hebrew, אותם וזנבתם "Ye shall cut off their tail." See also Deuteronomy 25:18 . It is also observable that the word ουρα , in this verse, has been used by the Greeks in the same sense with the Hebrew word זנב already referred to. Thus ουρα... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:5

Revelation 12:5 ; per Adam Clarke And her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne - In Yalcut Rubeni are these words: "Rachael, the niece of Methusala, was pregnant, and ready to be delivered in Egypt. They trod upon her, and the child came out of her bowels, and lay under the bed; Michael descended, and took him up to the throne of glory. On that same night the first born of Egypt were destroyed." Revelation 12:5 ; per John Edward Clarke read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:6

And the woman fled into the wilderness - The account of the woman's flying into the wilderness immediately follows that of her child being caught up to the throne of God, to denote the great and rapid increase of heresies in the Christian Church after the time that Christianity was made the religion of the empire. Where she hath a place prepared of God - See on Revelation 12:14 ; (note). read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:7

Revelation 12:7 ; per Adam Clarke There was war in heaven - In the same treatise, fol. 87, 2, on Exodus 14:7 , Pharaoh took six hundred chariots, we have these words: "There was war among those above and among those below, בשמים חזקה היתה והמלחמה vehammilchamaĥ hayethah chazakah bashshamayim , and there was great war in heaven." Of Michael the rabbins are full. See much in Schoettgen, and see the note on Judges 1:9 . The dragon - and his angels - The same as Rab. Sam. ben... read more

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:9

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:10

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:11

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:1

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:2

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:3

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:4

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:5

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:6

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 12:7

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