And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman that had given birth to the male child. And two wings were given to the woman, so that she might fly into the wilderness, to her place where she is nourished there for a time and times and half a time from the presence of the serpent.
And the serpent cast from his mouth water like a river after the woman, in order to make her flooded by the water. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had cast from his mouth. The dragon was angry at the woman, and went away to make war with the remaining ones of her offspring, the ones keeping the commandments of God and having the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 12: 13-17
The interlude of Rev. 12: 7-12 gave us the reason for Satan’s anger against the woman (God’s people). He couldn’t defeat Christ so he went against Christ’s church. In verses 13-17, we now are returned to the scene of the dragon’s attack on the woman/church.
God did with the woman what He had done with Israel. Israel’s exodus from Egypt to the wilderness was symbolically viewed as being carried on an eagle’s wings (Exodus 19: 4). In this instance, God protects and sustains the woman by also flying her, symbolically, on eagle’s wings to sparse and remote places.
The woman’s stay was for a time (1 yr.), times (2 yrs.) and half a time (half a yr.), which, by counting biblical months of 30 days, amounts to 1,260 days. Under the prophetic day for a year principle, that is really 1,260 years. That span of time covered the persecutions and inquisitions of God’s people by the medieval church from A.D. 538 to A.D. 1798.
Relentlessly, the serpent pursued his intent on destroying the woman/church. He let loose against her with what he does best – a persecuting river consisting of physical force and deceptive persuasion. However, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river. That imagery brings to mind the earth opening and swallowing those who rebelled against Moses’ authority and leadership (Numbers 16: 32; 26: 10). The serpent’s rebellious force and false teachings were swallowed up by the Protestant Reformation and America’s freedom of religion.
That, though, only served to increase the dragon’s rage and fury. So he went a way for a while and regrouped. Now, his focus is on attacking the remaining ones of the woman’s offspring. Her offspring, of course, is Jesus (Rev. 12: 5). The remaining ones, then, are Jesus’ end-time followers. And the dragon has had success with most of them. They have been seduced by the serpent. Because he has convinced them that God doesn’t mean what He says about keeping his commandments, he has managed to slickly divert their allegiance and loyalty to himself.
These duped end-time followers, no longer called the woman, have become daughters of the apostate woman/church of Rev. 17. However, there is a remnant of the true church. They are identified in two ways. They are the ones who are faithful and obedient in keeping the commandments of God (all ten) and who are faithfully holding fast to the testimony of Jesus, given through the spirit/gift of prophecy (Rev. 19: 10). They too, however, remain under the dragon’s attack.