Revelation 12:16; The Earth Helped the Woman
Revelation 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
The Old Testament speaks of the earth opening its mouth to swallow the Egyptians (Exodus 15:12) and Korah, Dathan and Abiram (Number 16:28-33; 26:10; Deuteronomy 11:6; Psalm 106:17).
Exodus 15:12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
Numbers 16:28-33 And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me. But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.
Numbers 26:10 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men: and they became a sign.
Deuteronomy 11:6 And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that wasin their possession, in the midst of all Israel:
Psalm 106:17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.
It also uses a flood as a metaphor for overwhelming evil (Psalm 18:4; 124:2-4; Isaiah 43:2).
Psalm 18:4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
Psalm 124:2-4 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:
Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will bewith thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
The former appears more likely to be a pattern of the present picture, because the woman is in real physical danger (Moffatt, Mounce). Very possibly, through an earthquake whatever water the dragon may send after the woman drains into underground openings (Seiss). Instances of underground rivers in Asia Minor may illustrate this miraculous delivery (Swete).
Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22, An Exegetical Commentary, Moody Press, 1995, 138-139.
The flight of the Jews from Satan’s forces should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with our Lord’s Olivet discourse. In that sermon on the end times, Jesus warned the Jewish people of the desperate danger they will face:
Matthew 24:15-22 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
The only appropriate response to the imminent danger will be immediate flight; there will be no time even to return home to gather belongings. Pregnant women and those nursing infants will be especially vulnerable, since it will be difficult for them to flee quickly. So severe will the peril be that God will intervene and “for the sake of the elect [both Jews and Gentiles] those days will be cut short” (Matt. 24:22). Were it not for that intervention, even the elect would perish.
Israel’s situation when the storm of Antichrist’s persecution breaks upon them during the Tribulation will be terrifying and tragic.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2000). Revelation 12–22 (p. 29-30). Chicago: Moody Press.