The Revelation of St. John the Divine

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- Kapitel 12 -

Then something very important appeared in the sky. It was a woman, whose clothing was the sun. The moon was under her feet. On her head was a wreath of victory that was made of twelve stars.

She was about to deliver a child, and she cried out because she was suffering pain.

Something else very unusual appeared in the sky. It was a huge red dragon. It had seven heads and ten horns. On each of its heads was a royal crown.

The dragon’s tail dragged a third of the stars from the sky and threw them to the earth. The dragon set himself in front of the woman who was about to give birth in order that he might eat her child as soon as it was born.

Then she gave birth to a son who is destined to rule all groups of people with complete authority as if he were using an iron rod. God snatched away her child and took him to his throne.

But the woman fled into the wilderness. She has a place there that God has prepared for her in order that he may take care of her for 1,260 days.

The War in Heaven

Then there was a battle in heaven. Michael and the angels that he commanded fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back against Michael and his angels.

But the dragon did not win the battle; nor did God allow the dragon and his angels to stay in heaven any longer.

Instead, God threw the huge dragon out of heaven. The dragon is the ancient serpent, the one whose names are the Devil and Satan. He is the one who deceives people all over the earth. He was thrown to the earth along with all his angels.

Then I heard someone in heaven shout loudly, “Now God has saved his people by his power, and he rules all people! Now Messiah has begun to rule! This is because God has thrown the accuser of our fellow believers out of heaven. He was the one who stood before God day and night and told him that they had done what is wrong.

Our fellow believers overcame him because the Lamb had shed his blood and died for them and because they spoke the truth about him to other people. They did not seek to remain alive, but were willing to let people kill them for speaking the truth about him.

So everyone in heaven should rejoice. But terrible things will happen to you people who live on the earth and on the ocean because the devil has come down to you. He is very angry because he knows that he has only a short time before God judges and punishes him.”

The Woman Persecuted

When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to a son.

But God gave to the woman two wings like the wings of a very large eagle in order that she might fly into the wilderness. There is a place there that God had prepared for her. There God took care of her for three and one-half years. The serpent, that is, the dragon, was not able to reach her there.

Then the serpent poured water like a river from his mouth toward the woman in order to sweep her away with the water.

But the ground helped the woman by opening up and swallowing the river that the dragon poured out from his mouth.

Then the dragon was very angry with the woman, so he went away to fight against the rest of her descendants. They are the people who obey God’s commandments and who speak the truth about Jesus.

A great sign was seen in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

She was with child. She cried out in pain, laboring to give birth.

Another sign was seen in heaven. Behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns.

His tail drew one third of the stars of the sky, and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

She gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. Her child was caught up to God and to his throne.

The woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that there they may nourish her one thousand two hundred sixty days.

The War in Heaven

There was war in the sky. Michael and his angels made war on the dragon. The dragon and his angels made war.

They didn’t prevail. No place was found for them any more in heaven.

The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, the power, and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ has come; for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night.

They overcame him because of the Lamb’s blood, and because of the word of their testimony. They didn’t love their life, even to death.

Therefore rejoice, heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil has gone down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time.”

The Woman Persecuted

When the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.

Two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, so that she might be nourished for a time, times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

The serpent spewed water out of his mouth after the woman like a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream.

The earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon spewed out of his mouth.

The dragon grew angry with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her offspring,(a) who keep God’s commandments and hold Jesus’ testimony.

Fußnoten

(a)12:17 or, seed