Woman Clothed with the Sun: Israel's Heavenly Role

John sees a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
The imagery is not invented. Joseph dreams of the sun, the moon and eleven stars bowing to him - his father, his mother, his brothers. John is using a picture his readers already held.
So the woman is the faithful community, the people of God from whom the Messiah comes, existing both before and after his coming. And the signs are genuinely celestial: sun, moon and stars are named as such.
Scripture links:
- Genesis 37:9 - the sun, the moon and eleven stars.
- Revelation 12:1-2 - the woman clothed with the sun, crowned with twelve stars.
She is not a mystery to be decoded. She is a family portrait, drawn in the sky.