“What does Revelation chapter 12 mean?”……In Revelation 12:1, the woman is described is described like this "Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head".

Note the similarity between this description and the description that Joseph gave of his father Jacob (Israel) and his mother and their children in Genesis 37:9-11Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. "Listen, I have had another dream," he said. "The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!" This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him. "What kind of dream is that?" he asked. "Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?". But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.The stars refer to the twelve tribes of Israel. So the woman in Revelation 12 is Israel.……Additional evidence is that inRevelation 12:2-5, the passage speaks of the woman being with child and giving birth. While it is true that Mary gave birth to Jesus, it is also true that Jesus, the son of David from the tribe of Judah, came from Israel. In a real sense, Israel gave birth-or brought forth-Christ Jesus. Scripture says that the woman:

She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth. Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born. She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne.

Clearly, this is describing Jesus. Jesus will one day establish His kingdom on earth and He will rule it. This verse also makes reference to Jesus’ ascension to heaven 40 days after His resurrection, speaking of the son “being caught up to God and to His throne.”

Acts 1:9-11After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!"……When it speaks of the woman fleeing into the wilderness for 1,260 days, it is referring to the future time called the tribulation period. Twelve hundred sixty days is 42 months of 30 days each. 42 months is 3 1/2 years. Halfway through the tribulation period, the beast will set an image of himself up in the temple that will be built in Jerusalem. This is the abomination that Jesus spoke of in

Matthew 24:15 "The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about-the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place." (Reader, pay attention!) and

Mark 13:14. "The day is coming when you will see the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing where he should not be." (Reader, pay attention!) "Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. When the beast does this, he breaks the peace pact he made with Israel, and the nation has to flee for safety (also see Daniel 9:27 The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven,but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds,he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.".

…Revelation 12:12-14speaks of how the devil will make war against Israel, trying to destroy her (Satan knows his time is short, relatively speaking. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time." When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. This is the picture of the woman fleeing into the wilderness.…But she was given two wings like those of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness. There she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time.

(a time = 1 year — 3 1/2 years).This wilderness place where Israel will flee to is believed to be a place called Petra.

Then from Revelation 12:15-17 The dragon tried to drown the woman with a flood of water that flowed from his mouth. But the earth helped her by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that gushed out from the mouth of the dragon. And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children-all who keep God's commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.

Revelation 20:1-3, 10Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. He seized the dragon-that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan-and bound him in chains for a thousand years. The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever

But then God will protect Israel while in the wilderness.Revelation 12:14But she was given two wings like those of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness. There she would be cared for and protected from the dragonfor a time, times, and half a time. (a time = 1 year — 3 1/2 years).This wilderness place where Israel will flee to is believed to be a place called Petra.