The woman in Revelation 12 is the nation of Israel, and the man-child she brings forth is Christ.
Les Feldick identifies the woman as the nation of Israel, who brought forth the man-child, Christ Jesus. The dragon standing before her is Satan, who sought to devour the child at His birth through Herod's decree. After the child's ascension, the woman flees into the wilderness where God protects and feeds her for 1,260 days.
Revelation 12:1-6 — This is the passage in question — it introduces the woman, her man-child, the red dragon, and her flight into the wilderness.
Revelation 12 opens with a symbolic vision: 'a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars' who is 'with child' and 'travailing in birth' (Revelation 12:1-2). A 'great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns' stands before her, 'ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born' (Revelation 12:3-4). She brings forth 'a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne' (Revelation 12:5). Then 'the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days' (Revelation 12:6). The text itself does not name the woman — the Bible presents her symbolically without an explicit identifier.
Les Feldick teaches plainly that the woman in Revelation 12 is the nation of Israel. He explains that the dragon — Satan — stood before the woman ready to devour her child as soon as it was born, and this happened at Bethlehem when Herod decreed that all boy babies under two be killed in an effort to stop God's plan of redemption. The man-child she brought forth is Christ, who will rule all nations with a rod of iron at His return, and the child being caught up to God is the Ascension of Acts 1. Les then shows the woman's flight into the wilderness as a remnant of Jews fleeing Jerusalem at the midpoint of the Tribulation, where the triune God protects and feeds her for 1,260 days. He connects the man-child language to Isaiah 66:7, teaching that the man-child always refers to Christ, the Lord Jesus.
Les teaches that the dragon in Scripture is always in reference to Satan, who is cast out of heaven earlier in the chapter. The great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns indicates his power. His tail drew the third part of the angels of heaven when he rebelled, aspiring to be like the Most High — those are the angels who left their first estate, mentioned in the book of Jude. After being cast to the earth, the dragon persecutes the woman who brought forth the man-child.
The man-child is Christ. Les points to Isaiah 66:7 — 'Before she travailed, she brought forth... a man child' — and teaches that the man-child always refers to Christ, the Lord Jesus. The nation of Israel brought forth the man-child, the Christ, who was to rule all nations, which He will do at His return when He sets up His kingdom. Revelation 12:5 describes her child being caught up unto God and to His throne, which Les identifies as the Ascension.
Les explains that the woman fleeing into the wilderness is a remnant of Jews — a cross-section of Israeli society — escaping from Jerusalem at the midpoint of the Tribulation. They flee to the mountains Jesus spoke of, likely to the southeast of Jerusalem; Les mentions the ancient city of Petra as a possibility, though he doubts it would be large enough. There God, the Godhead, has prepared a place to protect them and feed them for 1,260 days, or 3 1/2 years. The dragon then persecutes the woman, who is the nation of Israel.
Les teaches that the dragon standing before the woman, ready to devour her child as soon as it was born, speaks of Christ being born at Bethlehem. Satan's instrument was Herod's decree to kill all the boy babies under the age of two, in order to stop God's plan of redemption. Even so, the child was caught up to God and to His throne — the Ascension.
The Great Tribulation: Israel's Flight & God's Protection Explained
upon their feet." And now you come to verse 12, "...they heard a great voice from heaven saying, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud, and there any of you held them?" Now that's the midpoint. That's the end of the twelve hundred and sixty days. Now you go right into the next verse, and what did it say? "...and the same hour..." See? So we're at the midpoint. "...
The Dragon Stands Before the Woman — Israel
Les identifies the woman in Revelation 12 as Israel, and reveals that the dragon standing before her is Satan, whose tail drew a third of the angels in rebellion. He shows the dragon's posture — ready to devour her child — points to Christ's birth at Bethlehem.
Herod's Decree and the Ascension of the Man-Child
Les explains that Satan tried to devour the Christ child through Herod's slaughter of boy babies under two. He identifies the man-child as Christ, who will rule all nations, and the child's being caught up to God as the Ascension of Acts 1.
The Woman Is the Nation of Israel
Les plainly teaches that the woman is the nation of Israel. The remnant of Jews escaping into the wilderness is the group Revelation 12 describes, protected and fed by the triune God while the dragon — Satan — persecutes them.
The Woman's 1,260-Day Flight at the Midpoint
Les connects the woman's flight into the wilderness to the midpoint of the Tribulation. The woman — Israel — flees to a place prepared by God, where the Godhead feeds her for 1,260 days, while the dragon persecutes her.
Identifying the Woman and the Fleeing Remnant's Destination
Les reasserts that Israel is the woman and calls the great red dragon Satan. He notes the fleeing remnant is a cross-section of Israeli society heading to the mountains southeast of Jerusalem — possibly Petra.
The Man-Child Always Refers to Christ
Les uses Isaiah 66:7 to show that the man-child language always refers to Christ, the Lord Jesus — reinforcing the identity of the woman's child in Revelation 12.
Leaping the Ages From Bethlehem to the Kingdom
Les again identifies the woman as the nation of Israel and the man-child as the Christ child, noting that Revelation 12 leaps two thousand years from His birth to His Kingdom rule.
Revelation 12:1: And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Introduces the woman whose identity the question asks about.
Revelation 12:3-4: And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Describes the dragon (Satan) opposing the woman and her child.
Revelation 12:5: And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Describes the man-child, whom Les identifies as Christ, being caught up to God.
Revelation 12:6: And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Describes the woman's flight into the wilderness, which Les connects to Israel's remnant at the Tribulation midpoint.
Revelation 12:13: And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Shows the dragon persecuting the woman after he is cast to the earth.
Isaiah 66:7: Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
Les cites this to show the man-child always refers to Christ.
The woman is the nation of Israel. Les Feldick is explicit: the woman is the nation of Israel. She brought forth the man-child, Christ, and later flees into the wilderness at the midpoint of the Tribulation where God protects and feeds her for 1,260 days.
The man-child is Christ the Lord Jesus. Les connects the language to Isaiah 66:7 and teaches that the man-child always refers to Christ. He will rule all nations with a rod of iron at His return, and the child being caught up to God is the Ascension.
The dragon is Satan. Les teaches that the dragon in Scripture is always in reference to Satan, who is cast out of heaven and whose tail drew a third of the angels in his rebellion. He stood before the woman ready to devour her child as soon as it was born.
She flees into the wilderness — the mountains Jesus spoke of, southeast of Jerusalem, possibly Petra. Les says this is a remnant of Jews fleeing at the midpoint of the Tribulation, where God has prepared a place to feed and protect her for 1,260 days.
Watch the Teaching: The Great Tribulation: Israel's Flight & God's Protection Explained