Revelation 11:15-19 introduces the topic of the Second Coming. These last five verses in chapter 11¹ symbolically summarize the Third Woe, when the last destroyers of the earth will be destroyed.² Revelation 11:15 states that when this happens "the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ."³ After this brief introduction to the Third Woe, Revelation chapter 12 begins a flashback to the premortal existence,⁴ including John's description of the premortal war in heaven.⁵ The war in heaven ended when Lucifer was defeated⁶ by the "strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ."⁷ John used the same words to describe Christ's premortal victory over Lucifer during the war in heaven and Christ's victory over Satan during the Third Woe because history will repeat itself. The flashback to the war in heaven in Revelation chapter 12 provides the historical context and pattern for Christ's victory⁸ over Satan during the Third Woe at the Second Coming.⁹

Revelation chapter 12 is frequently misunderstood and misinterpreted. Fortunately, the content has been significantly clarified by the Joseph Smith Translation (JST), which extensively modified Revelation chapter 12 from the King James Version (KJV).¹⁰ The first significant JST change (in bold) is found in Revelation 12:1, as seen in this side-by-side comparison:

KJV Revelation 12:1: “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun.”

JST Revelation 12:1: “And there appeared a great sign in heaven, in the likeness of things on the earth; a woman clothed with the sun.”

The Joseph Smith Translation changes a great wonder in heaven from the King James Version to a great sign in heaven.¹¹ This change is consistent with the meaning from the original Greek manuscripts.¹² More importantly, the great sign in heaven, as well as all other signs and events from the premortal existence,¹³ have their likeness of things on the earth.¹⁴ John describes the great sign in heaven and all other premortal signs in Revelation 12:1-12 in strict chronological order. Every premortal sign serves as a likeness of things on earth that John describes in Revelation 12:12-17.

The signs or events in heaven begin with the organization of the church of God during the premortal grand council where Lucifer rebelled in Revelation 12:1-5.¹⁵ This is followed by a great apostasy in heaven in Revelation 12:6, and then the war in heaven in Revelation 12:7-12 in their correct chronological sequence. The war in heaven ended with Lucifer's defeat and the general salvation of God's spirit children who sided with Michael during this premortal conflict.¹⁶

After John describes the premortal signs and events in verses 1 to 12, he describes their likeness of things on the earth in verses 12 to 17. John does not repeat himself when describing these two series of parallel events in heaven and on earth. In other words, the content in verses 1 to 12‒which are the premortal signs that serve as types and foreshadows‒do not overlap with the content in verses 12 to 17‒which are the earthly antitypes. Verses 1 to 12 chronologically depict events from the time of the grand council to the end of the war in heaven and verses 12 to 17 chronologically depict Christ's earthly church and Satan's war on that church¹⁷ from the time of Christ's crucifixion until 70 AD.¹⁸

People frequently fail to distinguish between the premortal events in verses 1 to 12 and their earthly likenesses in verses 12 to 17.¹⁹ This occurs when they misidentify premortal signs in verses 1 to 12 as though they are earthly events.²⁰ For example, in Revelation 12:1, the woman clothed with the sun in heaven is the premortal church of God,²¹ but some people misidentify her as Christ's earthly church.²² John separately and symbolically identifies the earthly church with the image of the woman in verse 12 to 17.²³ She is the earthly version or likeness of the premortal woman in verses 1 to 6. She is the same woman (church), but in two very different settings and time periods.

The great sign of the woman is a dualistic symbol.²⁴ That is, her image represents the premortal church of God, which is also in the likeness of things on the earth.²⁵ Stated differently, the premortal church of God in verses 1 to 6, is a type or pattern²⁶ for the church of Jesus Christ on earth in verses 12 to 17.²⁷ This typology is extremely helpful because the pattern of Christ's earthly church is like a looking glass that reflects the church of God in the premortal past.²⁸

This overview of the woman applies to every other sign in Revelation chapter 12. This means that every premortal sign in heaven from verses 1 to 12 has a corresponding likeness on earth in verses 12 to 17. The premortal signs in verses 1 to 12 and the corresponding earthly events in verses 12 to17 are in strict chronological order as seen in the following summary of both. For ease of reference and consistency of thought, this summary follows the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of Revelation chapter 12, unless otherwise indicated.

First, JST Revelation 12:2-4 describes the grand council in heaven where the premortal church of God was established among God's spirit children.²⁹ The woman that represents the premortal church was pained to be delivered during the grand council³⁰ because Lucifer, who is represented by the red dragon,³¹ rebelled with a third part of God's spirit children.³² The rebels sought to destroy the premortal church at the time of its organization when God the Father selected Jehovah‒the man child‒to be the future Savior and Redeemer.³³ Jehovah was metaphorically born as the Savior and Redeemer as the woman travailed in pain because of Lucifer's rebellion. Despite her pains, the woman gave birth to the future Savior and Redeemer by the common consent of God's faithful spirit children who were members of the premortal church.³⁴ The birth of the man child does not refer to Jehovah's (Christ's) birth during the spirit creation which occurred long before the grand council. Lucifer's efforts to destroy the man child and the premortal church during the grand council in JST Revelation 12:2-4³⁵ are in the likeness of Satan's efforts to destroy Christ's ancient church on earth in the meridian of time, as described in JST Revelation 12:13.³⁶

In JST Revelation 12:5, the woman representing the premortal church fled into the wilderness for 1260 years. This describes the premortal apostasy in heaven³⁷ that occurred after Lucifer's rebellion during the grand council in verses 2 to 4, but before the war in heaven in verses 6 to 8. The premortal apostasy has a two-fold likeness on earth. First, in JST Revelation 12:14, the woman representing the ancient earthly church fled into the wilderness of the Roman Empire after the death of Christ to be nourished during the apostolic period.³⁸ According to verse 14, this apostolic period lasted for a time, times and half time,³⁹ which is 10 + 20 + 5 years = 35 years.⁴⁰ That time frame is exactly consistent with the history of the ancient church that grew rapidly and thrived during most of the apostolic era in the Roman Empire from the crucifixion until almost 70 AD.

After the woman (earthly church) was nurtured 35 years in the wilderness of the Roman Empire, the Romans turned against the ancient church and the nurturing wilderness became a wilderness of Great Apostasy.⁴¹ JST Revelation 12:15-16 describes this post-apostolic period on earth when Satan (the Dragon) sought to destroy the ancient church with a flood. This flood began when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish nation in 70 AD.⁴² This Abomination of Desolation in 70 AD coincides in time with the start of the Great Apostasy.⁴³ By 70 AD, the great light of the apostolic period was at an end, the Romans were persecuting and killing Christians for sport in the Roman Colosseum, and a flood of spiritual darkness began among the Jews as the Mosaic sacrifices ended with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. From that time, the flood of darkness continued to grow until it universally covered the earth for 1290 years according to Daniel's reckoning of time for the Great Apostasy in Daniel 12:11.⁴⁴

After the premortal apostasy in heaven in JST Revelation 12:5, John describes the war in heaven in verses 6 to 8.⁴⁵ These verses describe Lucifer's expulsion from the premortal spirit world to this physical earth.⁴⁶ The war that began in heaven has continued on earth since the physical creation.⁴⁷ However, John's vision of Satan's continuing war against the earthly church of Jesus Christ begins‒as it must‒with the ancient church in the meridian of time. JST Revelation 12:17 describes Satan's war against the ancient church as it existed in 70 AD.⁴⁸ After this last verse in chapter 12, chapters 13 through 19 chronologically describe the entire history of Satan's war against Christ on earth from 70 AD until Christ's victory over Satan at the Second Coming.⁴⁹

JST Revelation 12:9-12 describes the salvation of faithful spirits that kept their first estate⁵⁰ in heaven at the time Christ prevailed over Lucifer during the premortal war in heaven.⁵¹ The salvation of spirits in their first estate is a pattern for the salvation of saints in their second estate at the Second Coming,⁵² and again after the battle of Gog and Magog at the end of the millennium.⁵³