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description of Zion, God's church and people, represented as a
woman, a mother. The context shows that this scripture is a prophetic
allusion to the church of the New Testament age. "Before she
travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered
of a _man child_. Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such
things? Shall the earth he made to bring forth in one day? or shall
a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought
forth her children" (verses 7, 8). Here Zion is represented as a
mother bringing forth a man child, but this is interpreted to be _a
nation born at once_. According to Heb. 12:22, 23, this Zion, or Sion,
represents the New Testament church. There is no doubt, then, that the
man child of Revelation 12 refers to the great host of new converts
with which the early church was blessed. The scripture in Isaiah
just cited met its fulfilment on the day of Pentecost and shortly
afterwards, when thousands were brought into the church in a day. The
apostle Paul also refers to the great company of Jews and Gentiles who
were reconciled to God as constituting _"one new man" in Christ_ (Eph.
2:15).

[Sidenote: The great red dragon]

The next object in the vision to which our attention is directed
is introduced in these words: "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. 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" (Rev. 12:3, 4).

The dragon is the name given by the ancients to a fabulous monster
represented as a large winged lizard or serpent. It was regarded as
the enemy of mankind, and its overthrow is made to figure among the
greatest exploits of the gods and heroes of heathen mythology. The
symbol, being drawn from the natural world, directs us by analogy to
persecuting, tyrannical government. We must not suppose that this is
a literal description of Beelzebub; for there is no proof that the
personal devil has any such appearance as this monster with seven
heads and ten horns, and a tail dragging after him a third part of the
stars of heaven.

In the second verse of the next chapter John describes the rise of a
beast that also had seven heads and ten horns; "and the dragon gave
him his power, and his seat,