Virgin Mary, Revelation 12, Marian Apparitions
by Ulrich Utiger

The not of a man's hand painted picture of
Our Lady of Guadalupe

Page description
Analysis of chapter 12 of the book of Revelation, which representatively predicts all the apparitions of Saint Mary by the glorious Women clothed with the sun.

Contents of this page
The identity of the Woman
The male Child and the rest of the children
The apparitions of Saint Mary in history
The psychological sense of Saint Mary's apparitions

Short summary of the previous pages
It was pointed out that the whole history of salvation – from the beginning with Adam and Eve up to the Millennium – follows cycles of four typical phases, which take place within four vast eras (see Summary of Salvation History). These phases are the phase of beginning, which is relatively peaceful, the phase of sin, the phase of judgment and the phase of revival, which returns to peace. Then was shown that since Jesus there are a phase of apparition and a phase of Spirit incorporated in the phase of beginning. For the first cycle (Jesus' earth life), these phases are the Annunciation and the virginal conception by the Spirit. For the second cycle (the primitive Church), it is Jesus' apparitions during forthy days and Pentecost. On this page, we analyse chapter 12 of Revelation, which seems to describe an apparition of Saint Mary.

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THE ERA OF THE MILLENNIUM

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THE DAUGHTER OF ZION

Page 16

4.4. SAINT MARY AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

4.4.5. THE WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN

The identity of the Woman

Are there other passages describing apparitions of Saint Mary? Yes! That of chapter 12 of the book of Revelation: "A great portent appeared in heaven, a Women clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Rev 12:1). In 1531, Saint Mary appeared nearly in this manner to an Indian in Guadalupe (Mexico). This is not known because Juan, the seer, described the appearing Virgin like this, but because Mary gave us kind of photography of her: Juan went to the local Bishop to tell him that he has seen the Virgin but the Bishop did not believe him. In order to convince the Bishop, Mary told Juan to go at some place where she would make grow roses in the middle of winter. He did so, picked the roses, wrapped them in his coat and went again to the bishop. At the moment when he unfolded the coat to show the roses to the bishop, the image of Saint Mary was printed on the coat (see picture above). This coat is now exposed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and was analyzed several times, especially also from Nobel-Price winner Otto Hahn, who stated, among others, that the colors are made of unknown chemical substances (Francis JOHNSTON, The Wonder of Guadalupe).

But let us return to Scriptures: some theologians do not admit that Revelation 12:1 truly concerns the Virgin Mary, but claim that the God's people or the Church is aimed. How can one assert that this Woman is not the Mother of God since it is clearly written that "she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron" (Rev 12:5)? Most exegetes admit that Christ is meant with the "male child". Why then hesitate to identify the "Woman clothed with the sun" with Saint Mary?

It is possible that this renunciation of some theologians in identifying the Women with Mary demonstrates a certain egocentrism: their difficulty may consist in the impossibility to imagine that a single Woman can have more importance than the immense people of God, among which they count themselves. Yet everyone knows that quantity does not compensate quality...

The male Child and the rest of the children

What one can wonder is if Revelation 12:1 truly describes an Marian apparition. Why is it not only a description of the glory that Saint Mary received since her Assumption? However, we have already seen that the glory of the daughter of Zion is hard to separate from an apparition. In addition, the place where this glory is situated in the context of Revelation 12 is particularly apt to identify it as an apparition of Saint Mary.

With this aim in view, let’s first examine the parallel between the male Child of the Woman and "the rest of her offspring, who observes the commandments of God and adhere to the testimony of Jesus", against whom the Dragon thrown down on the earth makes war (Rev 12:13-17), for this parallel allows us to establish a bond between the phases of Jesus’ life cycle and the one of the last Saints: if there is a rest, there is also another part that belongs, together with the rest, to an entire group. This group constitutes all the children of the Woman. But only the male Child and the rest of her offspring are mentioned. This is why the two parts of the group are divided in the same manner, although a person against a multitude seems to be, again, an unbalanced division... There is however a fundamental difference between Jesus and the rest of the sons, even if the latter are all Saints.

Since Revelation 12:17 refers to the last Saints (see The last Saints), this passage describes a future time like also the preceding chapters. The description of the birth of the Messiah, which in fact belongs to the past, consequently has nothing to do with this historic context and solely serves to determine the identity of the Woman and especially to draw a parallel between the birth or, more generally, all the life of Jesus with that of the rest of her offspring. This is the same principle we have already met in Is 66:7-8 where the daughter of Zion indicates the same parallel: "...before her pain come upon her she was delivered of a son. [...] For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her sons" (see The Daughter of Zion). This parallel between the birth of the Son and that of the rest of her sons can only be based on the common denominator of the first three typical phases, that is to say on apparition / arrival of the Spirit / growth (see Two New Phases).

This all the more given that the sacrifice of Christ, who has defeated Satan, and that of the last Saints, who will defeat him again (Rev 12:7-12), make part of the same parallel. As we know, the crucifixion constitutes the phase of sin. This is why the sacrifice of the last Saints constitutes the same phase. As for the phase of judgment, it is manifest enough in the book of Apocalypse. The revival will also be similar to that of Christ, for they will resuscitate like him, that is earlier than the rest of mankind at the first resurrection (Rev 20:4-6).

The apparitions of Saint Mary in history

What would still be necessary to recognize in Revelation 12:1 the apparitions of the Virgin? Of course, the last Saints have not yet started their mission and so Revelation 12:1 does not seem to refer to the numerous Marian apparitions that have already taken place in the past centuries and that accumulate in our time. Yet we have seen many times that the four phases of a cycle are composed by many small events largely interposed the ones on the others. It seems that this is the same concerning Mary’s apparitions.

In Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina, there is in my opinion a very important Marian apparition going on since several years, for the Virgin Mary announced there by the seers that at this place she will appear "for the last time on earth" (Robert FARICY / Lucy ROONEY, Mary Queen of peace: Its the Mother of God Appearing in Medjugorje?). She also predicted a punishment with seven growing sorrows preceded by three warnings that will serve for conversion. These ten events will be revealed three days before their achievement and only the visionaries know how they will happen (René LAURENTIN, Apparitions at Medjugorje Prolonged: A Merciful Delay for a World in Danger).

One has tendency to minimize the gravity of the seven announcements and to think that they have no relation with apocalyptic events. Thus, when the catastrophe of Chernobyl happened, one wondered if this was the realization of one of the ten events. However, it was not, neither was the civil war in Bosnia, which was already rather apocalyptic. Correspondingly, the seven events must be worse. If they will have an apocalyptic reach, we shall see. I do not hope that Apocalypse will happen at my live time. In 1917 at Fatima however, Saint Mary announced that World War I would end soon – it effectively ended in 1918 – but that an even more devastating war would break out if humanity continued to live in sin. This prophecy was realized with World War II. Now, in a similar context, that is with admonitions towards a humanity living in sin, insistent appeals to conversion, Mary announces seven events that call to mind the three times seven apocalyptic events. So is it really appropriate to give way to the general tendency to minimize all what is related to Saint Mary's apparitions?

Of course it belongs to the Church to pronounce on the authenticity of Marian apparitions. Before a possible decision yet, one is free to believe what one wants. And if there had never been people who are able to accept a sincere sentiment of faith rising up from the interior of their conscience without waiting for a decision from the Church, which always takes much time and normally pronounces itself not before the end of an apparition, this same Church would never have had to decide anything about apparitions.

It is therefore better to take the apparitions at Medjugorje seriously, for they will not last eternally. They represent a time of grace in the middle of disorder. And if we let go this time without profiting from it and let doubt invade us, we act as Sarah and Zechariah, who did not believe in the persons who appeared to them. If we accept them though, we act precisely as Mary herself did, who replied to Gabriel with a perfect confidence: "I am the servant of the Lord, let it be with me as you say".

The psychological sense of Saint Mary's apparitions

What deserves a small detour as conclusion to Marian apparitions is the question why God wishes that we love Saint Mary so much. Does one not risk that she becomes more important than God? That’s what all those ask who believe that the salvation comes from Christ alone like Protestant Christians and who fear to lose him from the eyes. No need to say that only Christ can save us. But despite this, God extends to Mary "the peace like a river, and the glory of nations like an overflowing stream" (Is 66:12). Why is this?

it is because a large number of persons do not always, in their subjective perception, see God as a source of salvation. There is constantly the risk to associate his image to powerful persons, whom one mostly imagines negatively, that is to say authoritative, savoring the power, impassive to the misery of their subjects, and so on. Who has not already seen God in this manner and in his heart revolted against him at least once?

God remedies this among others by projecting his image upon the Holy Virgin Mary, like the sun reflects its light on the moon1, to send it to us from an unexpected direction, in order to surprise us and to allow us to discover him such as he is truly. So let’s impregnate ourselves from the softness and the clemency of Saint Mary, who is concerned with our well being as no other mother, while being aware that these virtues come from God. And let’s divert our gaze from this false god we often imagine being angry, unjust and indifferent, because the true God of love is quite at another place.

NOTE

The moon is effectively an image of Mary, since the sun is an image of God the Father and Saint Mary is the Bride of God. Therefore the stars prefigure the children of God stemming from this relationship, for images must be understood in a precise frame. In our context, this frame is the sky such as it is seen from the earth. Thus, if the moon is dressed with the light of the sun, the Virgin Mary is "clothed" (Rev 12:1) with the light from God. In addition, she stands on the moon, which emphasizes the analogy. The white light of the moon, which shines in the darkness, also draws to mind Is 60:1-2 describing the light of God reflecting itself on Zion, who thus illuminates the people living in darkness, that is to say in sin. Another interesting detail is this one: I calculated the apparent disc sizes of the sun and of most of the satellites orbiting around our planets. There is nothing that comes as near to the sun as the moon: the sun has a visual angle varying from 0.54° to 0.52°, the moon has one from 0.56° to 0.49°, which means that – according to the percentage the plane of the apparent circles occupies in the celestial vault – the sun can be up to 22.6% bigger than the moon and the moon up to 13.5% bigger than the sun. It seems that it is Callisto orbiting around Jupiter that reaches the closest the solar disc after the moon: if someone stood on Jupiter, he would see the sun in an average visual angle of 0.1028° and Callisto in 0.1540°, which is 126% bigger as the solar disc. It would therefore be an extraordinary coincidence if the discs of the sun and the moon came so close together. This is why the duality sun / moon reflects the one of Creator / creation and thereby man / woman (see here): as the average solar disc seen from earth is slightly bigger than the one of the moon, also the height of the man - and especially the size of his head - is slightly bigger as compared to that of the woman. We can still go further with comparison: one sees stars only during the night and the sun only during day, while the moon is visible day and night, but more during night. The moon is therefore closer to the stars than the sun. This image expresses the fact that the woman is closer to children (see here), and at a higher level that Mary is the Mother of God’s children. We even can recognize prefigurations of Saint Mary’s apparitions in the lunar phases: women have phases of fertility – about twelve days around ovulation – which repeat at almost the same time as the lunar phases, that is to say in a bit more than twenty-nine days. So new moon symbolizes barrenness and full moon fertility, which is a traditional belief of diverse peoples. As we know however, also Marian apparitions signify a spiritual fertility between God and Mary (see Two New Phases). This is why they are also prefigured by lunar phases.