1 A great sign was seen in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
A Woman – this is the same woman mentioned in 2 John 1:1, “the elect lady and her children.” This woman is the Bride of Christ, New Jerusalem, the holy City, who is aided by God, Christ, and the Angels. She gave birth to the “male child,” the firstborn from the dead (Rev 1:5), as we shall see in verse 5 below. There are two women in the Book of Revelation; the other woman is the Great Harlot, the kingdom of the beast (Rev 16:10), the great City.
clothed with the sun – God and the glory of God. From Isaiah 60:1-2, “Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” This describes the coming kingdom of heaven and God as the rising sun. The Spirit of Christ, the body of Christ, being the Kingdom of heaven, has a face “shining as the sun” in Revelation 1:16 (see also Mat 17:2); Paul called this “the glory of God in the face of Christ,” (2 Cor 4:6), “the radiance of the glory of God” (Heb 1:3). In Revelation 16:8-9, the kingdom of the beast is scorched by the sun, by the spirit of God (described as a river of fire in Daniel 7:10.) The light of the natural “sun” in New Jerusalem is replaced by the illumination of “God” (Rev 21:23).
and the moon under her feet – the only comparison to the moon is Christ. The light of the moon in New Jerusalem is replaced by the lamp of Christ (Rev 21:23). Christ is the “moon” who reflects the light and glory of God onto the world; in Rev 18:1, the earth was “illuminated with His glory.” He is in subjection to God in the New Jerusalem (1 Cor 15:28), as being under the sun.
and on her head a crown of twelve stars – stars represent angels in the Book of Revelation, see Rev 1:16,Rev 1:20; Rev 8:11; Rev 9:1; Rev 12:4; and Rev 22:16. Twelve Angels surround New Jerusalem, the holy City (Rev 21:12).
The end time Church is described as “the brightness of the heavens” (NIV) in Daniel 12:3. Jesus called the kingdom of heaven “the light of the world” (Matt 5:14). The sun, moon and stars represent all the light that shines on the world. Jesus’ statement “the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall” (Matt 24:29) refers to the dimming of the kingdom of heaven, and the final deception of Satan that is allowed by God, see Rev 20:7 . The stars, that will fall, are likely angels, see Rev 12:4; Rev 8:10; and Rev 9:1.