The woman of Revelation 12

“A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” Revelation 12:1
There has been much confusion concerning the identity of the woman in Revelation 12. In fact, she is one of two symbolic women who appear in the book of Revelation, the other being Mystery Babylon (Rev. 17). Many have suggested that the woman in Rev. 12 is the church, but this cannot be so. In fact, there is only one entity that she can be, and that is the nation Israel.
The reference to the sun, moon, and stars harks back to Joseph’s dream as a young man. “‘Listen,’ he said, ‘I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’ When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, ‘What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?’” (Gen. 37:9-10). Thus the symbolism of the sun, moon, and twelve stars (eleven plus Joseph) was interpreted for us by Jacob, and there is no need to interpret them as anything different.
There are other clues that this is Israel. “She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron sceptre. And her child was snatched up to God and to His throne” (Rev. 12:5). This child is Jesus, the Messiah, who ascended to God after His resurrection, and who will rule with an iron sceptre (Ps. 2:9, Rev. 19:15-16). The entity that brought Him forth was Israel, not the church.
Understanding this helps us to correctly understand the rest of Rev. 12. In this chapter, we see Satan’s plan through the ages: firstly to attempt to stop Messiah being born at all (Rev. 12:4), and then secondly to persecute the woman, Israel (Rev. 12:13). During the Tribulation, God protects her (Rev. 12:6, Rev. 12:14-16).