Revelation 12:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This signifies the male offspring and the perfect Christ, the Son of God, God and man, proclaimed by the prophets. It is precisely Him Whom the Church eternally brings forth and about Whom she teaches all nations. The expression, "her child was caught up to God and to His throne," means that the One Whom she eternally brings forth is the heavenly King, not an earthly one. David also proclaims this in the words: "Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies the footstool of Your feet" (Ps 109:1).

The mystery of the becoming man of the Word was fulfilled long before the Apocalypse, while John narrates present and future things. Moreover, Christ, born long before this, was not caught up after birth to the throne of God out of fear that the serpent might harm Him.

Rather, He was born and came down from the Father’s throne for this very purpose: to tame the dragon by enduring his assaults upon the flesh. Thus you too must acknowledge that the Church has those being baptized in her womb.

The Church continually gives birth to Christ in the persons of those baptized, in whom He is formed, according to the Apostle, “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:13). The male child signifies the children of the Church, not weakened by passions. Through them Christ God shepherds the nations with the strong hands of the Romans, firm as iron.

After the resurrection of the dead, He will shepherd them by appointing those strong in faith as judges over the weak and infirm vessels, the Gentiles who through unbelief did not receive the new mystical wine.

And who is this boy who was born? You reveal Him to us with complete clarity, O John. He says: “Who is to shepherd all the nations with a rod of iron.” O Godlike one, you have openly named our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

For His own Father declares to Him: “Ask of Me, and I will give Thee the nations for Thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Thy possession. Thou shalt strike them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt break them like a potter’s vessel” (Ps 2:8-9).

Here are meant the newborn children of the Church of Christ, who were converted to faith in Christ through the apostolic preaching. During their earthly service, these children constantly strove with their souls toward God. When that service was completed, they were caught up to Him and to His throne.

“And she gave birth to a male son.” The image is taken from the birth of Jesus Christ by the Virgin, when She had to flee into Egypt from Herod’s persecution. The infant Himself is depicted here with features belonging to Jesus Christ.

In this flight into the wilderness, some see an indication of the flight of Christians from Jerusalem to Pella in Perea during the siege of Jerusalem, of which Eusebius speaks (H.E. 3:5). The very time of the woman’s stay in the wilderness, 1,260 days, as before, corresponds to the time of the Jewish war.

It is evident that this is the Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom the Psalmist speaks in exactly the same way (Ps 2:8-9). Below, the seer John himself notes that He is the One Who shepherds the nations with a rod of iron (Rev 19:15).

“And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” Thus the Lord Jesus Christ was caught up into heaven on the day of His glorious Ascension. Accompanied by angels, He came, according to the expression of the prophet Daniel, to the Ancient of Days. He was brought before Him, and to Him were given authority, glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, tribes, and tongues should serve Him (Dan 12:13-14). Above, the Lord Jesus Himself depicts His royal majesty in the same way (Rev 2:27, 28; 3:21).

The third vision, described in chapters 12-14, depicts three stages in the struggle of powers hostile to God against the Kingdom of God, the Church of Christ. The Church is portrayed as a woman clothed with the sun, laboring to give birth to believers in Christ, “regenerating the soulish into the spiritual, and transforming them in form and image according to the likeness of Christ” (Methodius’s interpretation, cited by St. Andrew).