Rev. 12 Rev. 12:1–2 woman clothed with the sun travaileth, Rev. 12:3–4 great red dragon standeth ready to devottr her child, Rev. 12:5–6 She is delivered, and fleeth into the wilderness, Rev. 12:7–9 Michael and his angels fight with the dragon, who is cast out of heaven with his angels. Rev.

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven: I see no reason to doubt, but that John was all this while in heaven, whither he was taken up, Rev. 4:2, where he saw in a vision a great wonder, or a most remarkable thing.

Being with child; not with Christ considered personally, who was long before brought forth by the virgin Mary, but with the truth, and gospel of Christ, or with Christ mystical.

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; there appeared to John, being yet in his vision, another amazing sight, which was a sign or type of something differing from what it appeared like. And behold a great red dragon: see Rev. 12:7, Rev. 12:9, Rev. 12:17.

The tail of the red dragon signifies his followers, his civil and military officers, whosoever were by him employed to execute his commands. By the stars, here, are either meant the ministers of the Christian church, or the professors of it.

By this man-child some understand Constantine the Great; others understand Christ mystical, or many children brought forth unto God. As the Jews multiplied, do Pharaoh what he could to destroy them, so the church increased, notwithstanding all the malice and rage of her enemies.

And the woman fled into the wilderness: as the Israelites, when they fled from Pharaoh, went into the wilderness; and Joseph, watched upon by Herod, fled into Egypt; so the church did hide herself during the antichristian persecutions, every one shifting for themselves as well as they could.

And there was war in heaven: by heaven, in this place, doubtless is meant the church of God; and supposing that the pagan emperors are to be understood by the dragon, ( which is pretty generally agreed), there can be no great doubt, but by this war in heaven, is to be understood those persecutions…

The pagans were at length routed in this battle; the Christians overcame them by the preaching of the gospel, and by their faith and patience; and paganism found no place within the same territories where the church was.

And the great dragon was cast out; the dragon mentioned Rev. 12:3, which typified the pagan emperors. In casting them out, the devil who influenced them, was cast out, who is here called the old serpent, with reference to the form in which he seduced Eve, as well as his malignity to man.

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven: John undoubtedly heard this voice as in the third heaven, whither he was caught; but it is not only expressive of the joy and satisfaction which the glorious angels and glorified saints had, upon their knowledge of what was done upon the earth, but…

And they overcame him; Michael and his angels, mentioned Rev. 12:7, overcame the dragon and his angels: the Christians overcame the pagans. By the blood of the Lamb: some translate δια here, propter, because of, as denoting the meritorious cause, which is true; for Christ’s blood was both the…

Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them: he calls to the angels and saints again to rejoice; some think, to the church also: these tell us, that the inhabitants of the earth, and of the sea, in St. John’s writings, always signify the enemies of the church, earthly, carnal men.

And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth; when the devil saw that he could not uphold his kingdom by paganism, nor further execute his malice by pagan emperors, but was wholly routed and overcome, as to that power.

And to the woman; to the sincerer part of Christians, represented by the woman, Rev. 12:1, and by the temple, and altar, and them that worship therein, viz. in the oracle where the altar stood, Rev. 11:1.

And the serpent; the devil, the old serpent, mentioned Rev. 12:9, being able no longer to execute his malice as a dragon, by the civil power of the heathen emperors, tearing Christians in pieces, but discerning the church secured by the special providence of God, went to work another way.

And the earth helped the woman: there are divers notions here of the earth; to me theirs seemeth most probable, who understand by the earth the Goths and Vandals, &c., who, Anno 410, invaded the Roman empire, and gave it continual trouble, till they had put an end to the western empire, Anno 480.

And the dragon was wroth with the woman: the devil hath been defeated in two designs against the whole church; he could not wholly root it out by the ten persecutions under the Roman emperors, nor by the water thrown out of his mouth, pestilent doctrines which he influenced some to broach; but he…