Episode 869
The Divine Feminine: A Woman Clothed in Sunlight
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is presented each day by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller who has a goal of speaking a bit of the bible into two million ears (one million people) in three years (2025-2028).
He is the author of "The A, B, C-1,2,3 Bible Study Guide" Free to you by clicking HERE.
Brad served as a local church pastor for forty years and has a background in radio and podcasting. Moreover, he is a life-long student of The Bible.
He believes in the words of Jesus that “scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21)
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is available seven days a week by 6:00 am ET. The episodes are no longer than ten minutes long and are...
- Understandable: A reading from the New Testament (usually the Gospel) selected from the Revised Common Lectionary using "The Message" translation.
- Relatable: You will have a couple of "points to ponder" from the text which will relate to your life
- Applicable: Every episode includes a way you can take action based on the reading
- A recommended resource to help you go deeper in biblical study and spiritual direction.
- A prayer for your day.
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Remember… “All scripture is God-breathed and useful”(2 Timothy 3:16)
An exploration of Revelation 12:1-12 reveals profound insights into the nature of cosmic struggle and the divine feminine. The imagery presented, particularly the depiction of a woman adorned in sunlight and crowned with twelve stars, invites contemplation on the sacred feminine aspect of divinity. This narrative challenges entrenched patriarchal interpretations, asserting that God’s essence transcends gender, embodying strength and resilience. The woman's experience of childbirth, symbolizing the emergence of new life amidst adversity, serves as a poignant reminder of divine creative power in our faith tradition. Furthermore, the adversarial figure of the dragon epitomizes systemic oppression and domination, resonating with contemporary struggles against racism, environmental destruction, and economic inequality. Thus, Revelation 12 not only narrates a celestial battle but also calls for a collective resistance against the oppressive forces that threaten justice and equity in our modern world.
Takeaways:
- This podcast episode emphasizes the importance of understanding systems of oppression in relation to the Biblical narrative.
- The imagery of the woman in Revelation symbolizes divine strength and challenges patriarchal interpretations of scripture.
- The discussion highlights the significance of collective action in combating societal injustices and oppressive systems.
- Listeners are encouraged to identify personal and community-based dragons that hinder justice and take proactive steps against them.
- The victory over oppression is framed as attainable through solidarity and collective witness rather than individualistic pursuits.
- The episode concludes with a prayer that acknowledges the challenges posed by oppressive systems while invoking a spirit of hope and resistance.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- voiceofgoddaily.com
Transcript
Confronting Systems of Oppression A Study of the Revelation 12:1 12 on the Daily Bible refresh with Dr.
Speaker A:Brad Miller hello good people.
Speaker A:Welcome to Daily Bible Refresh with Dr.
Speaker A:Brad Miller.
Speaker A:So glad you joined me in my quest to get the audible word of God into 2 million years.
Speaker A: That's a million people by: Speaker A:We do that by having a daily reading of the Scriptures, the New Testament.
Speaker A:We make it understandable.
Speaker A:We read from the message.
Speaker A:We make it relatable.
Speaker A:We give you some points to ponder applicable.
Speaker A:We give you an action step to take to have a prayer.
Speaker A:We do all of that in under 10 minutes.
Speaker A:We have a daily reading from the Revised Common Lectionary.
Speaker A:We're in Year C Eastertide and it is all brought to you by voiceofgod daily.com that is the home of the resource the ABC 123 Bible Study Method.
Speaker A:Let's get into our reading today from the Revelation 12:1 12 reading for the message.
Speaker A:The subtitle here or the title is the Woman, Her Son and the Dragon A great sign appeared in heaven.
Speaker A:A woman dressed all in sunlight, standing on the moon and crowned with 12 stars.
Speaker A:She was giving birth to a child and cried out in the pain of childbirth.
Speaker A:Then another sign came alongside the first, a huge and fiery dragon.
Speaker A:It had seven heads and ten horns and a crown on each of the seven heads.
Speaker A:With one flick of its tail, it knocked a third of the stars from the sky and dumped them on earth.
Speaker A:The dragon crouched before the woman in childbirth, poised to eat up the child when it came.
Speaker A:The woman gave birth to a son who will shepherd all nations with an iron rod.
Speaker A:Her son was seized and placed safely before God on his throne.
Speaker A:The woman herself escaped to the desert to a place of safety prepared by God.
Speaker A:All comforts provided her for 1,260 days.
Speaker A:War broke out in heaven.
Speaker A:Michael and his angels fought the dragon.
Speaker A:The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were no match for Michael.
Speaker A:They were cleared out of heaven.
Speaker A:Not a sign of them left.
Speaker A:The great dragon, ancient serpent, the one called devil and Satan, the one who led the whole army astray, thrown out and his angels thrown out with him, thrown down to earth.
Speaker A:Then I heard a strong voice out of heaven saying, salvation and power are established.
Speaker A:Kingdom of our God, Authority of his Messiah, the accuser of our brothers and sisters thrown out who accused them day and night before God.
Speaker A:They defeated him through the blood of the Lamb and the bold word of their witness.
Speaker A:They weren't in love with themselves.
Speaker A:They were willing to die for Christ.
Speaker A:So Rejoice, O heavens and all who live there.
Speaker A:But doom to earth and sea, for the devils come down on you with both feet.
Speaker A:He's had a great fall.
Speaker A:He's wild and raging with anger.
Speaker A:He.
Speaker A:He hasn't much time and he knows it well.
Speaker A:Let's get into some exploration of this dramatic and symbolic vision from the Book of Revelation.
Speaker A:It speaks to about this cosmic struggle with human resistance.
Speaker A:Here are some points to ponder.
Speaker A:The Divine Feminine Power the image of a woman clothed in sunrise presents a powerful feminine aspect of godlike divine strength.
Speaker A:This vision challenges traditional patriarchal interpretations of scripture.
Speaker A:It reminds us that God's presence manifests in all genders.
Speaker A:The woman's experience of childbirth and protection represents divine or godlike creative power and the sacred feminine in our faith tradition.
Speaker A:Another point has to do with the systematic evil and resistance, the back and forth that goes there.
Speaker A:The dragon in this passage can be understood as representing systems of oppression and domination that threaten the emergence of new life and justice.
Speaker A:In our contemporary context, these dragons might be systematic racism, environmental destruction or economic inequality.
Speaker A:The vision reminds us that these systems, while powerful, are not ultimate.
Speaker A:One more point to ponder.
Speaker A:It's about collective liberation.
Speaker A:The victory described isn't won through military might, but through the blood of the lamb and the bold word of their witness.
Speaker A:This suggests that transformation comes through solidarity with the oppressed and speaking truth to power.
Speaker A:The text specifically mentions those who weren't in love with themselves, pointing to the power of collected of collective action over individualistic success.
Speaker A:Let's talk about some action, an action step that you can take.
Speaker A:Identify a dragon in your life that is a system of oppression or something that impacts your community in a negative way.
Speaker A:It takes some concrete action to resist it.
Speaker A:This might mean joining a local environmental justice group, writing your representative about health care access or some other issue that is pressing on the oppressed, or organizing a community discussion about housing inequality.
Speaker A:Remember, like the witnesses in our text today, our power lies in collective action and truth telling.
Speaker A:We'll come back to this in a moment with a closing prayer.
Speaker A:Just a reminder that we have a great resource for you to help to read the Bible of your own accord.
Speaker A:It's called the ABC 123 Bible Study Method.
Speaker A:You can pick it up at our website voiceofgoddaily.com it will help you with your individual Bible study.
Speaker A:Go pick it up voiceofgoddaily.com here's our prayer.
Speaker A:Oh God, you are a source of life and love.
Speaker A:We live in times when dragons seem to lurk around every corner it's systems that want to crush the vulnerable and powers that seem too big to challenge.
Speaker A:Help us remember the woman clothed in sunlight.
Speaker A:Her courage in bringing forth new life despite threat and danger.
Speaker A:Grant us wisdom to recognize oppressive systems, courage to speak truth to power, and strength to stand in solidarity with those who suffer.
Speaker A:Remind us that transformation is possible and that liberation is coming.
Speaker A:That love is stronger than fear and the spirit of hope and resistance.
Speaker A:We pray.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Thank you for joining me today here on Daily Bible Refresh.
Speaker A:We come to you every day to bring you a reading of the of the New Testament that is both understandable, relatable and applicable to your life.
Speaker A:We hope that you'll join us again tomorrow as we have another day of the great to get the audible word of God into 2 million years.
Speaker A: A million people by: Speaker A:Till tomorrow.
Speaker A:Invite you to be here and bring a friend.
Speaker A:And My name is Dr.
Speaker A:Brad Miller.
Speaker A:Encouraging you to always know that God's loyal love doesn't run out.
Speaker A:His merciful love hasn't dried up.
Speaker A:It's created new every sa.
