Why Are the Dragon & Woman in Revelation 12? | Ian Paul

Exploring the Language of Scripture

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture on Revelation, Daniel Mikkelsen is joined by Ian Paul—Anglican minister, New Testament scholar, and author of the Tyndale Commentary on Revelation—for a wide-ranging conversation on the meaning and message of Revelation 12.

From the strange imagery of the pregnant woman and the dragon to the central question of the problem of evil, Revelation 12 offers both a cosmic drama and a message of hope. Ian Paul explains why this chapter is often seen as the heart of Revelation, unpacks its use of myth and symbol, and shows how it speaks to fragile first-century life and to our world today.

Whether you’ve wrestled with apocalyptic literature before or are new to Revelation, this episode explores what makes this text unique, how it fits within its historical context, and what it means to trust Christ in the face of evil.

Don’t Miss the Next Episode:
A conversation with Steve Walton on whether Acts contains eyewitness accounts.

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Chapters:
00:00 – Coming up...
01:04 – Meet Ian Paul: Scholar of Revelation
02:43 – How Biblical Languages Change the Way We Read Scripture
11:36 – What Exactly Is Apocalyptic Literature?
21:09 – Why Revelation 12 Is the Heart of the Book
27:18 – The Pregnant Woman and the Dragon: Decoding the Imagery
36:54 – Reading Revelation Through Its First-Century World
39:52 – Exile, Exodus, and the Journey from Tribulation to Hope
41:14 – The Woman’s Offspring: A New Kind of Family in Christ
44:48 – Fragile First-Century Life and Revelation’s Message
50:17 – Revelation 12: Past, Present, and Future
57:31 – How Revelation Shapes Our Lives Today

Music Credits:
Music from #Uppbeat
🔗 https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/aspire

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Podcast Keywords:
biblical languages, New Testament, Old Testament, Christ, bible study, Relationship with God, learn biblical languages, Biblical Theology, Christianity, Covenants, New covenant, old covenant, language acquisition, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew.

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1. Coming up... (00:00:00)

2. Meet Ian Paul: Scholar of Revelation (00:01:04)

3. How Biblical Languages Change the Way We Read Scripture (00:02:43)

4. What Exactly Is Apocalyptic Literature? (00:11:36)

5. Why Revelation 12 Is the Heart of the Book (00:21:09)

6. The Pregnant Woman and the Dragon: Decoding the Imagery (00:27:18)

7. Reading Revelation Through Its First-Century World (00:36:54)

8. Exile, Exodus, and the Journey from Tribulation to Hope (00:39:52)

9. The Woman’s Offspring: A New Kind of Family in Christ (00:41:14)

10. Fragile First-Century Life and Revelation’s Message (00:44:48)

11. Revelation 12: Past, Present, and Future (00:50:17)

12. How Revelation Shapes Our Lives Today (00:57:31)