The Revelation of John 12

¹And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

² And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

³ And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

⁴ And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

⁵ And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

⁶ And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

⁷ And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

⁸ And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

⁹ And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

¹⁰ And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

¹¹ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

¹² Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

¹³ And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

¹⁴ And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

¹⁵ And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

¹⁶ And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

¹⁷ And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Eve - "The Mother of All Living"

In Revelation chapter 12, the woman represents the fulfillment of the promise made by God to Eve in Eden. Eve is called "the mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20), and the woman in this vision symbolizes all those who have believed and awaited the fulfillment of the divine promise. Although in reality Jesus was born of Mary, she herself was a "daughter of Eve," confirming that this birth fulfills the prophecy about the "seed of the woman" who would crush the serpent's head.

The cosmic elements accompanying the woman have powerful symbolic meanings:

• The moon under her feet represents God’s promise made in Eden.
• The sun enveloping her symbolizes the presence and power of God, which makes the fulfillment of this promise possible.
• The crown of twelve stars represents the angels and celestial beings who witness the fulfillment of this promise.

The Child That Is Born Is the "Seed of the Woman"

The child that is born is the "seed of the woman," the one promised by God, the one who will crush the serpent's head. In contrast, the great dragon, "that ancient serpent, the Devil and Satan," is the enemy of God and the woman ever since Eden. The conflict between them is not accidental but stems from the moment when Eve and Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Contrary to the traditional interpretation of the "fall into sin," this event was not a fall but a profound transformation. God placed the tree in the garden, not the Devil, and He gave the command that implied great responsibility: the knowledge of good and evil brings responsibility and consequences, including death. God did not forbid access to knowledge but clearly explained the risks. Eve knew that even touching the tree would bring death, but when she realized that touching it did not harm her, she was convinced to eat.

After they ate, Adam and Eve "died" instantly in the sense that they transitioned into a new state of existence, with a complete moral consciousness. They were no longer morally limited beings who walked naked in the garden without shame but had become capable of knowing and doing both good and evil. Thus, what happened in Eden was more of an awareness of their newly acquired morality rather than a fall. From this moment arose the enmity between the serpent and the woman, between the serpent's seed and the woman's seed, because Eve instantly became aware that the serpent was her mortal enemy, not a benefactor.

The Enmity Between Good and Evil Manifests Throughout History

The enmity between good and evil manifests throughout history, and the first concrete example is found in the conflict between Cain and Abel. While the serpent and his descendants choose evil, the woman and her seed are called to follow good. This struggle reaches its climax in the person of Jesus, who, to finally crush the serpent's head, must confront the Devil’s most powerful weapon: the fear of death.

Jesus could only overcome by fully assuming the responsibility of the knowledge of good and evil, just like any human. Using this knowledge correctly, He chose to face death—and not just any death, but death by God’s judgment. Ultimately, God is the one who judges and decides who is worthy of life and who is worthy of death. This is the death before which all those who possess the knowledge of good and evil must be aware that they will give an account on Judgment Day.

The Tree of Life

A direct and exclusive link between Genesis and Revelation is represented by the Tree of Life. Nowhere else in the Bible does this symbol appear, emphasizing its importance in the divine plan. In light of this observation, the Tree of Life becomes the key to understanding both the events in Eden and the promised restoration in Revelation.

When the serpent spoke to Eve about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he did not mention the Tree of Life at all. However, we know that on the day Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, "their eyes were opened," and they began to perceive reality in terms of good and evil. They alone, without any divine intervention, decided that it was "evil" to walk around naked and made garments of leaves. This demonstrates that, from that moment on, the consciousness of good and evil became an integral part of their being, consciously activated.

The Serpent Hid a Crucial Part of the Truth

Eve declared that the serpent deceived her because their conversation had not been complete and sincere. She told the serpent everything she knew, but he hid a crucial part of the truth: death was not caused by the Tree of Knowledge itself, but by losing access to the Tree of Life until after the Judgment that would evaluate how they used that knowledge of good and evil.

On the other hand, God clearly stated that "on the day you eat of it, you will surely die." Yet, what happened that day was not their physical death but a profound transformation of their nature—they became different beings, capable of making moral decisions. Only after they ate did God say, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil." The true likeness to God does not consist of physical form but in the ability to think morally, to discern, and to act according to good or evil. This is the key that explains the statement in Genesis that man was created "in the image and likeness of God." Genesis 2 and 3 detail this process, showing that the true "image of God" involves moral freedom and responsibility for the choices made.

Adam and Eve Are "Fully Created" in the Garden

Therefore, Eden is part of the creation process, not a subsequent stage. Adam and Eve are "created" in the Garden of Eden, and everything that follows in the narrative aims to show that the dominion over the earth (the command from Genesis 1) is granted only after humans become capable of moral thinking, having the discernment necessary to make decisions. The Tree of Life was the source of life for humans, and without access to it, their life became limited. Yet, this very limitation gave them the freedom to fully exercise their moral conscience.

In Revelation, Jesus Promises the Restoration of Access to the Tree of Life:

• "To him who overcomes I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7).

• "In the middle of the street of the city, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life" (Revelation 22:2).

• "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city" (Revelation 22:14).

These passages confirm that, in the end, humanity will once again receive access to the Tree of Life through Jesus Christ. This is crucial because it demonstrates that eternal life is not automatic or intrinsic to humans but depends on this access. An important aspect is that, although Jesus grants access to the Tree of Life, He is not dependent on it. Jesus received eternal life directly from the Father after His resurrection, and therefore He declares:

• "Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One. I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever. I hold the keys of death and Hades" (Revelation 1:17-18).

This statement shows that Jesus received eternal life after the resurrection, not before. While He was on earth as a man, He was subject to death and did not have eternal life "in Himself." If He had possessed it, He would not have been able to die. Therefore, the statement in John 5:26 ("For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself") must be understood in the context of His state after the resurrection.

In Conclusion:

• The Tree of Life is essential in understanding human history and the plan of salvation, as eternal life is possible only through access to this tree.

• In Eden, the loss of the Tree of Life led to death, not the knowledge of good and evil. Death became inevitable with the restriction of access to the source of life.

• In Revelation, the restoration of access to the Tree of Life is the final reward, but only for those found worthy.

• Jesus is the one who reopens this access.

This interpretation provides a clear and coherent explanation for both Genesis and Revelation, without introducing the concept of original sin or a "degraded" human state. Instead, it emphasizes human moral responsibility and the necessity of restoring access to the Tree of Life, offered by Jesus Christ.

What Is a Human Being?

An evident aspect is that Revelation presents a different theology from that of Paul, which focuses on the idea of a "fall" into sin and the concept of a "sinful nature" inherited from Adam.

In Paul's theology, this "sinful nature" is, on the one hand, condemned and "crucified" through Christ, but on the other hand, it continues to exist, so that humans must constantly fight against it. Here arises a major confusion: if the old nature is dead, how does it still act? If the new nature exists only when doing good, but when doing evil it is attributed to the old nature, how can one clearly understand what a human being truly is? Moreover, this complicated perspective is also extended to Jesus, who is attributed two natures—human and divine—that seem to function selectively: when He died, only the human nature died because the divine nature could not die. This theology leads to confusion that has generated endless debates throughout Christian history.

In contrast, the theology that connects Genesis and Revelation is clear: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil had a visible effect on humanity—every human being has the capacity to do both good and evil, depending on their own choices. There are not two "natures" struggling within a human, but a single human nature capable of both actions. This is confirmed as early as Genesis 4:7, where God tells Cain that it depends on him how he will be accepted and that he must master his evil desires. The same rule applies to every human being.

Jesus Did Not Have a "Dual Nature"

In this understanding of Genesis, Jesus did not have a "dual nature" but was the Anointed One of God who chose to do good absolutely. This was His merit, and as a reward, He received eternal life from the Father at His resurrection. Likewise, those who "wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb" receive, through Jesus, access to the Tree of Life, just as Revelation states.

A significant detail is that the Tree of Life is clearly mentioned both in Genesis and in Revelation. While Revelation offers a coherent vision of the restoration of humanity through Jesus and the regaining of access to the Tree of Life, Paul introduces concepts foreign to this narrative, based on a Greek philosophical interpretation of human existence, in which "sin" becomes a metaphysical entity affecting all humankind.

The Remnant of Her Seed

The dragon, enraged with the woman, went to make war with the remnant of her seed, those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:17). This detail is very clear and makes a distinction between the woman and her offspring. The dragon is not concerned with the woman herself, but with her seed and her descendants.

The remnant of the woman's seed represents the apostles and all those who believe in Jesus. They are the real target of the Devil, not the woman. That is why the text explicitly specifies that these descendants are the ones who "keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus." If the woman were the ultimate target of the Devil, then the dragon would direct his war against her. However, things are different: the dragon is enraged with the woman because she gave birth to the child, but he directs his attack against her offspring.

In this context, it becomes evident that verse 17 contradicts verse 13, which says:

"When the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child." If we only had this verse, we would have to believe that the dragon pursues the woman and attacks her directly. However, verse 17 shows that the real target is the remnant of her seed, not the woman herself. This discrepancy suggests that the text may have been altered to support certain dogmas. Over time, certain insertions have been made in the sacred texts, as in this case in Revelation, to support the idea that the woman giving birth might be the "Holy Virgin Mary" or the "Church."

However, if we remove these artificial influences, the text becomes clear and coherent:

• The woman represents Eve, to whom the promise about the "seed" that would crush the serpent's head was made (Genesis 3:15).
• The dragon is enraged with her because she gave birth to the child, but the real conflict shifts to those who believe in Jesus.
• The remnant of her seed are the spiritual descendants of the child, those who follow God's way and are persecuted by the Devil.

The Twelve Stars in the Woman's Crown

Regarding the twelve stars in the woman's crown, the classic interpretation associates them with the twelve apostles or the twelve tribes of Israel. However, this interpretation does not fit the context:

• The twelve apostles did not exist at the time of the child's birth. They were chosen by Jesus much later, and Mary (if she were the woman in the vision) had no connection with them at that time.

• The twelve tribes of Israel had no connection with the woman and her seed. Israel had its own expectations of a nationalistic Messiah, and when Jesus came, they rejected and crucified Him.

Instead, the stars are best understood as symbols of angels. In the Bible, stars are often associated with angels:

• In Genesis, angels appear as witnesses and messengers of God.

• At the birth of Jesus, angels announce the good news to the shepherds.

• At the crucifixion and resurrection, angels are witnesses to the moment of resurrection.

• In Revelation, angels are present in all essential events, acting as witnesses and messengers of the divine plan.

If we accept this interpretation, we see that the angels were witnesses to the birth of the child and to the entire history of salvation, which is why they appear as stars in John's vision.

In Conclusion:

• The dragon is enraged with the woman because she gave birth to the child, but he attacks her offspring, not her.

• The remnant of the woman's seed are those who keep God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

• Verses 13 and 17 are contradictory, suggesting possible insertions in the text.

• The stars in the woman's crown are symbols of angels, who are witnesses to the unfolding of God's plan.