Vol.6 No.5

Q. Who is the "woman clothed with the sun" in Revelation 12? Is it Mary?

A. In the Bible, a woman is often used in prophecy to symbolize the church (Jeremiah 6:2). Ephesians 5:22-25 expounds on this relationship between Christ and His church: "'Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church ... Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it..." It is His church as 2 Corinthians 11:2 describes it: "'...for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."

Why is the "woman"'-the church-suffering birth pangs? 2 Timothy 3:12 says that all who live "godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." In Messianic prophecies, Jesus is described as living among us while enduring great suffering (Isaiah 53). We who serve Him will also suffer trials and temptations. It is how the church-the body of believers- brings forth God’s children (Romans 8:19, 22), chief among whom was the Son of God who learned obedience through the things he suffered (Hebrews 2:10).