Revelation 12:16

And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

Earth helped the woman ... swallowed up the river ... There are two different interpretations of this:

(1) Beasley-Murray illustrated this with Judges 5:20, where it is said that, "The stars in their courses fought against Sisera," also citing the case of the waters of the Red Sea withdrawing and enabling Israel to escape from Pharaoh.[86] Barclay also took a very similar view thus:

Nature itself is on the side of the man who is faithful to Jesus Christ. As Froude the historian pointed out, in the world there is a moral order; and, in the long run, it is well with the good and with the wicked.[87]

It cannot be denied that in nature itself there are many providences that "help the woman."

(2) A second view was expressed by Cox.

When Christ's disciples are of the world, the world loves its own (John 15:19). When the church's tone and life are lowered by yielding to the influences of the world, the earth itself is ready to hasten to her side.[88]

While this is true enough, it is not clear how such a thing would be called a "help" to the woman, except indirectly through providing a less hostile atmosphere for the true Christians resisting worldly influences. Perhaps we should leave the "how" of this with the Lord. "What is certain is that the church is preserved in a wonderful and even miraculous way from the efforts of Satan."[89]

[86] G. R. Beasley-Murray, op. cit., p. 206.

[87] William Barclay, op. cit., p. 86.

[88] Frank L. Cox, op. cit., p. 82.

[89] A. Plummer, op. cit., p. 314.