Fighting the Red Dragon: Revelation 12: 1-9

By Adamm Creel

APA Documentation

When looking at the news, internationally and even, sadly, domestically, there are many

stories that highlight persecution, and atrocities aimed at people belonging to the Lesbian Gay

Bisexual Transsexual and Queer (LGBTQ) community. Many of these persecutors are

Christians, though seemingly in name only. They choose to oppress those not like themselves,

rather than let them exist, much like the Roman Empire persecuted those same Christians around

2,000 years ago. Those that take a stand, like Pope Francis, come under attack as well:

The Pope is under criticism for his seemingly political message. Conservative Catholics
have derided his leadership as of late, some over the papal authority’s open acceptance
toward poor people, LGBTQ people, and non-Catholics… He’s also being labelled as
anti-capitalist and liberal for his other remarks to the Penal Law association, such as his
criticism of the “global financial capital” industry for causing much of the world’s crime
and environmental damage [ CITATION Hol17 \l 1033 ].
When people are killed for being themselves, or having different views, it is these people that

need protection.

The Pericope Revelation 12 shows a woman in need of assistance, which she receives

from God, Michael and the angels of heaven, and even the earth itself, when a great red dragon

attacks her during her labor. Much like the LGBTQ community she needs help because she is

vulnerable. Thesis: Like Michael and the angels, society should work to fight the hatred of the

great red dragon, and protect those that need it.

The composer or redactor: The author of Revelation is widely believed to be John the Apostle.
[ CITATION Eva05 \l 1033 ] “John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of
Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw” (Rev 1:1-2, The New Oxford Annotated Bible) gives
credence to that belief. Adela Yarbo Collins points out that Irenaeus is the earliest writer to claim
John the Apostle was the author of Revelation [ CITATION Col84 \l 1033 ]. Yet there have been
claims that the authorship is not John the Apostle. [ CITATION Frg13 \l 1033 ] A variety of
other possibilities, to include “John” being a name used by an unknown author to provide
credibility, and even a rival of John’s named Cerinthus [ CITATION Eva05 \l 1033 ] exist in the
scholarly world.
The dating of the composition or redaction: The Book of Revelation was written between 68
and 120 C.E. according to most scholars[ CITATION Hig17 \l 1033 ]. There is a split in thinking
between earlier 65-70 C.E. and later between 95-120 C.E. Frigge states it was written “ca. 95
CE, during or shortly after a period of persecution of Christians” [ CITATION Frg13 \l 1033 ].
This was under Roman Emperor Domitian. Others believe that it was written earlier, “a
suggestion of the late 60s has increasing support… marked by Nero’s suicide… and the
imminent destruction of the Jerusalem Temple” [CITATION Car13 \l 1033 ].
The historical circumstances of the composition/redaction: At the time of authorship Christians
were being persecuted by Rome, starting with Nero in C.E. 64 when Nero blamed the Christians
for setting Rome on fire [ CITATION Eva05 \l 1033 ], and continuing through the reign of
Domitian. The author John was at the time exiled to Patmos for being Christian. Throughout the
Roman Empire:
The imperial cult was a huge part of the social glue that held the people of the widespread
empire together. Each city would compete for recognition from the emperor by building
temples, showing loyalty and worshiping through the emperor cult. [ CITATION Hig17 \l
1033 ]
Early Christians were forced to worship the god emperors in order to avoid this persecution.
Around 70 C.E. after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans Judaism began to sever its ties
with Christianity, which to that time has been considered a sect of Judaism. Since Judaism was
considered a legitimate religion of the empire, this separation lead to more seclusion and
persecution of the early Christians [ CITATION Eva05 \l 1033 ].
The original audience: John was writing to the 7 churches of Asia Minor: Ephesus, Smyrna,
Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea (Rev 2:1-3:22). These were all centers of
communication of the time [ CITATION Eva05 \l 1033 ].

The historical challenges or questions the pericope addressed: During the time of authorship of
Revelation early Christians and Jews were being persecuted by the Romans. John wrote
Revelations to “encourage those who are not compromising … to hold firm … prod those who
are compromising… so that they, too, will recognize the spiritual danger they are in and
repent…”[ CITATION Eva05 \l 1033 ].

The final book in the Bible, Revelation is a complicated text, using three types of genre:

“apocalypse, prophecy and letter”[ CITATION Car13 \l 1033 ]. This writing seemingly deals

with the end times and the judgement of humanity. This was written during a time of persecution

of Christians, and there is a wide usage of symbols in representation of reality. These symbols,
such as a dragon, and a beast, add to the wonderment of Revelation and may hide the message in

symbolism to avoid persecution.

The section containing the pericope for Revelation 12 begins a prophecy that follows

other mythological patterns in the ancient Near East and Greco-Roman world:

A.The Dragon Pair, B. The Attack, C. The Champion’s Death, D. The Dragon’s Reign,
E. The Recovery of the Champion, F. Battle Renewed and Victory, G. Restoration and
Confirmation of Order [ CITATION Col09 \l 1033 ]
Revelation 12: 1-9 a pregnant woman appears through a hole in the heavens, and is followed by a

dragon, who is then fought off by the armies of Heaven.

This pericope opens with a vision in the heavens of “a woman clothed with the sun, with

the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Rev 12:1). This woman is not

named, but she is pregnant, at the point of birth. The sun’s light shines over her to highlight her

importance. The twelve stars in her crown “may represent the zodiac…but more probably the

twelve tribes of Israel”[CITATION Eva05 \l 1033 ]. While the possibility exists that this woman

is Mary, the mother of Jesus, it is more likely that this is a representative version of “the

Heavenly Israel, she is portrayed as God’s spouse, whom he protects…and of all

believers”[ CITATION Col09 \l 1033 ]. Not only does the woman appear, she is pregnant, and in

labor, “crying out in birth pangs” (Rev 12:2). Further showing her need for protection, even as

she is an exalted figure in the heavens.

Following the woman, another figure appears in the heavens to John, that of a great red

dragon. The dragon has “seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads” (Rev

12:3). John names this dragon “that ancient serpent, who is called Devil and Satan, the deceiver

of the whole world” (Rev 12:9). This dragon is preparing to eat the child as soon as it is born,

and his tail “swept down a third of the stars of heaven” (Rev 12:4), which is symbolic of the fight
for heavenly control between God and Satan according to Adela Yarbro Collins [ CITATION

Col79 \l 1033 ]and the casting out of the angels that stood with Satan. The dragon can also

“represent the Roman Empire”[ CITATION Eva05 \l 1033 ] in its quest to destroy the children of

God.

After the dragon appears the woman gives birth to a son “who will rule all the nations

with a rod of wisdom” (Rev 12:5). This child is representative of many possibilities, with

Christians favoring that it is Jesus himself, as the son of God being born again. However, if the

mother is God’s wife, and mother to all believers, the boy can be symbolic of the new church,

struggling in its infancy to fight off the evil around them. Yet, before the waiting dragon has a

chance to eat the child, it is snatched away, and taken to God and his throne. This saving and

bringing to God is another way to show that faithfulness to God even with the Devil waiting to

snatch you up will be rewarded in Heaven with God himself. While the dragon is focused on the

boy, “the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God” (Rev 12:6).

Lastly, a great war in the heavens breaks out to protect the child. Satan and his followers,

and “Michael and his angels” (Rev 12:7) began to battle. The dragon and his followers are

ultimately defeated in heaven and cast out, again alluding to the fall of Satan that Collins

mentioned [ CITATION Col79 \l 1033 ]. They are cast from heaven to earth, where the mother

is hiding, and where all of the followers of God, including John, reside. This is a symbol of

Rome sent to control, and persecute as the false kingdom, while the true kingdom is waiting in

Heaven.

When you look at the entirety of Revelation 12: 1-9, the pericope seems like the telling

of a great fantasy epic, with dragons and angels fighting. Looking deeper at the circumstance of

the audience, an early offshoot of Judaism, persecuted by the Roman empire, and the Jews, who
were separating themselves in order to avoid persecution from Rome for themselves. Going

farther in Revelation 12 the dragon being cast to earth, where the woman is hiding attempts to

attack her, and is turned away by the earth itself, so goes off “to make war on the rest of her

children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus” (Rev 12:

17). This whole pericope is letting the early church know that they will be protected in the

kingdom of heaven, where not even the great dragon can enter. Rome can only persecute them in

this world, stay the course and be with God in heaven.

Today the struggle that is the heavenly woman in the sky, against the great red dragon

can be visualized with a rainbow being shadowed by a red elephant. People in the LGBTQ

community are under constant persecution by the people in power that should be protecting them

yet choose to hate and deny them basic human decency. The mother, ever loving of her child that

is representative of the LGBTQ community, has put her faith in God and Michael, representative

of society and of laws to make her child safe, all the while the red elephant is attempting to

destroy the child.

The red elephant having been denied the child that is the LGBTQ community, by the

earth itself even, through science and research, has just turned its attention to the other children

that are different. All while claiming that God wants them to win, and Jesus is the one that wants

the persecution. Children are being murdered by their parents because “he would rather have a

dead son than a gay son”[ CITATION Ave19 \l 1033 ], night clubs get bombed because the

clientele is LGBTQ. These people need protection from those that wish to harm them, and

society should be the sword of Michael ready to defend and destroy their attackers.

John wanted the members of the early church to keep the faith in God and carry on Jesus’

teachings in the face of Roman persecution, and prophesized their deliverance through God, and
Michael into the Kingdom of Heaven where there would be no further threat from outside

destruction. John wanted his fellow followers in Jesus safe.

Today Jesus’ greatest commandments are being ignored by those that claim to follow

him, in order to justify persecuting the LGBTQ community. “The notion, for example, that a

lesbian couple’s marriage could also be blessed by God is anathema” [ CITATION Gue06 \l

1033 ]. Jesus, when asked the greatest commandments replied

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is
like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all
the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
The most important things to Jesus were love, and respect, not persecution.
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