PART 7 of The Woman in Travail: How Birth Became the Bible’s Most Powerful End-Times Metaphor
Paul and John — Theological Development in the Epistles and Revelation
Hello brothers and sisters.
In Parts 1-6, we traced the birth pang metaphor from ancient Near Eastern origins through Hebrew prophecy (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah), examined the LXX’s standardized Greek vocabulary (ὠδίνω, τίκτω, ὠδίν), analyzed how this created the linguistic foundation inherited by the New Testament, and saw how Jesus deliberately adopted this centuries-old prophetic tradition in the Olivet Discourse.
If you missed the earlier posts, you can get caught up below:
Now we arrive at the apostolic writers— Paul and John —who take Jesus’ teaching and develop it theologically in profound ways.
Paul will universalize the birth pang metaphor to include all creation groaning in labor, apply it to judgment on the ungodly, and use it to describe his own spiritual ministry.
John will give us cosmic vision: the woman clothed with the sun, in labor pains, giving birth to the Messiah while a dragon waits to devour the child. This is where the metaphor reaches its fullest New Testament expression.
Let’s dive in!
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Part I: Paul’s Three Applications of Birth Pang Imagery
The Apostle Paul uses birth pang imagery in three distinct but related ways across his epistles. Each application reveals a different dimension of this rich metaphor’s theological significance.
1. All Creation Groans in Birth Pangs (Romans 8:18-23)
Romans 8:22-23 (NRSV):
We know that the whole creation has been groaning together as it suffers together the pains of labor, and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Greek Text:
οἴδαμεν γὰρ ὅτι πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις συστενάζει καὶ συνωδίνει ἄχρι τοῦ νῦν· οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τοῦ πνεύματος ἔχοντες ἡμεῖς καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς στενάζομεν υἱοθεσίαν ἀπεκδεχόμενοι, τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν.
Key Vocabulary:
συστενάζει (systenazei) = “groans together”
From σύν (syn, “together”) + στενάζω (stenazō, “to groan”)
Compound verb emphasizing corporate groaning
συνωδίνει (synōdinei) = “suffers birth pangs together”
From σύν (syn, “together”) + ὠδίνω (ōdinō, “to be in labor”)
This is the same root (ὠδίνω) used throughout the LXX for Hebrew חוּל
The double prefix σύν + σύν emphasizes unified, corporate suffering
πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις (pasa hē ktisis) = “the whole creation”
Not humanity alone, but the entire created order
στενάζομεν (stenazomen) = “we groan”
First person plural: Paul includes himself and all believers
Same root as συστενάζει above
The Context: Romans 8:18-25
Paul has just declared that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). He now explains why this is true by showing that creation itself is waiting, groaning, and laboring for this same revelation.
Romans 8:19-21 sets up the metaphor:
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God, for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its enslavement to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Then comes verse 22:
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
Paul’s Theological Innovation
What Paul does here is unprecedented in biblical literature. He takes the birth pang metaphor, which in the prophets was applied to:
Nations under judgment (Isaiah 13:8, Babylon)
Israel in distress (Isaiah 26:17-18, Jeremiah 4:31, Micah 4:9-10)
The coming Day of the Lord (Jeremiah 30:6-7)
The end-times tribulation (Matthew 24:8, Jesus’ teaching)
...and universalizes it to include ALL CREATION.
Paul is saying: It’s not just Babylon writhing in labor. It’s not just Israel groaning. It’s not just humanity suffering birth pangs. The entire created order— sun, moon, stars, earth, plants, animals, the physical cosmos itself —is in labor, groaning, suffering birth pangs as it awaits the revelation of God’s sons.
This is a breathtaking expansion of the metaphor.
Triple Groaning in Romans 8
Notice Paul’s three-fold groaning structure in Romans 8:22-27:
Creation groans (v. 22): πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις συστενάζει καὶ συνωδίνει
Believers groan (v. 23): ἡμεῖς καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς στενάζομεν
The Spirit groans (v. 26): αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα ὑπερεντυγχάνει στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις
All three members of this cosmic drama are groaning. All three are participating in the labor pains of the present age. And critically, all three are groaning together toward the same goal: the redemption and revelation of God’s sons, the liberation of creation from bondage to decay, the final birth of the new creation.
What Is Being Born?
Isaiah’s birth pangs produced judgment and restoration.
Jeremiah’s birth pangs produced deliverance from Babylon.
Micah’s birth pangs produced the Messiah and regathering.
Jesus’ birth pangs produce the Kingdom.
Paul’s birth pangs produce: The glorified sons of God and the liberated new creation.
Romans 8:19 is explicit: creation waits with eager longing for the revealing (ἀποκάλυψιν) of the sons of God.
Verse 21 clarifies: creation will be set free from bondage when the children of God are glorified.
Verse 23: we groan as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
The birth that Paul describes is the final redemption: the resurrection of the dead, the transformation of believers into glorified bodies, the revelation of the sons of God in their full inheritance, and consequently the liberation of the entire cosmos from the curse introduced in Genesis 3.
Old Testament Background: Creation Mourns
Paul’s language of creation groaning has Old Testament precedent, though not in birth pang terminology:
Isaiah 24:4-7:
The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish. The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt.
Jeremiah 4:28:
For this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above be dark.
Jeremiah 12:4:
How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither? For the evil of those who dwell in it the beasts and the birds are swept away.
Hosea 4:3:
Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away.
But Paul does more than say creation “mourns” (as the prophets did). He says creation groans in birth pangs (συνωδίνει). This shifts the imagery from mere lament to productive labor. Creation is not just mourning what it has lost, it is laboring toward what it will gain.
Theological Significance
Paul’s use of birth pang imagery in Romans 8 communicates several crucial truths:
1. Suffering is Universal but Not Meaningless
Every earthquake, every tsunami, every natural disaster, every instance of decay and death in the natural world is part of creation’s birth pangs. Suffering in the present age is not random, it is labor. Something is being born.
2. Believers Share in Creation’s Groaning
Paul says “we ourselves... groan inwardly” (8:23). Christians are not exempt from the groaning. We participate in it. Our suffering, our longing for resurrection, our groaning for redemption; it’s all part of the same cosmic labor in which all creation participates.
3. The Goal Is Resurrection and (Eventually) New Creation
At least one aspect of the birth pangs ends when the sons of God are revealed in glory, which is to say, when believers receive their resurrection bodies. At that moment, the human side of the creation’s pangs will result in the new birth of our glorified bodies. Paul ties this directly with the labor of the creation, which will end in the birth of the new heavens and new earth. But implied here (and made explicit in Revelation) is the gap (the millennial reign of Jesus after His coming) that separates the birth of glorified humanity and the birth of the new creation.
4. It’s Not Just About Souls, It’s About Bodies and Cosmos
Paul’s eschatology is thoroughly physical. He’s talking about bodily resurrection and cosmic renewal. The redemption of our bodies (v. 23) is tied to (though not coterminous with) the liberation of creation (v. 21). The birth pangs will eventually produce a new physical reality.
5. Hope Transforms Suffering
Just as a woman in labor endures the pain because she knows a child is coming (John 16:21), creation endures its groaning in hope (Romans 8:20). The pain is real, but the outcome is certain. This is labor with a purpose.
2. Sudden Destruction Like Labor Pains on the Ungodly (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3)
English Text (NRSV):
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape!
Greek Text (NA28):
Περὶ δὲ τῶν χρόνων καὶ τῶν καιρῶν, ἀδελφοί, οὐ χρείαν ἔχετε ὑμῖν γράφεσθαι, αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἀκριβῶς οἴδατε ὅτι ἡμέρα κυρίου ὡς κλέπτης ἐν νυκτὶ οὕτως ἔρχεται. ὅταν λέγωσιν· εἰρήνη καὶ ἀσφάλεια, τότε αἰφνίδιος αὐτοῖς ἐφίσταται ὄλεθρος ὥσπερ ἡ ὠδὶν τῇ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσῃ, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐκφύγωσιν.
Key Vocabulary:
εἰρήνη καὶ ἀσφάλεια (eirēnē kai asphaleia) = “peace and security”
These were Roman imperial slogans (Pax Romana)
Inscriptions throughout the empire praised Rome for bringing “peace and security”
Paul deliberately invokes political propaganda language
αἰφνίδιος (aiphnidios) = “sudden, unexpected”
Emphasizes the shocking nature of the judgment
ἐφίσταται ὄλεθρος (ephistatai olethros) = “destruction comes upon”
ἐφίσταται = “stands upon, comes upon, arrives”
ὄλεθρος = “destruction, ruin” (not annihilation, but utter devastation)
ὥσπερ ἡ ὠδὶν (hōsper hē ōdin) = “just as the birth pang”
ὠδίν (ōdin) = singular noun, “birth pang, labor pain”
Same word used in Matthew 24:8 (ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων, “beginning of birth pangs”)
Same root as the verb ὠδίνω used throughout the LXX
τῇ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσῃ (tē en gastri echousē) = “upon the pregnant woman”
Literally “to the one having [a child] in the womb”
οὐ μὴ ἐκφύγωσιν (ou mē ekphygōsin) = “they will not escape”
Double negative for strong emphasis: “they will certainly not escape”
The Context: Day of the Lord as a Thief in the Night
Paul is writing to the Thessalonians about eschatology, specifically, about the Day of the Lord. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul has just described the rapture/resurrection of believers. Now in chapter 5, he shifts to discuss when this will happen and what it means for unbelievers.
Key points in 5:1-3:
Times and seasons (χρόνων καὶ καιρῶν) – Paul says they don’t need instruction on this because...
They already know the Day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night – echoing Jesus’ teaching (Matthew 24:43-44, Luke 12:39-40)
While unbelievers say “peace and security” – this is the moment of false confidence
Then sudden destruction – like labor pains on a pregnant woman
They will not escape – the inevitability is absolute
Paul’s Specific Contribution: The Dual Nature of Birth Pangs
What Paul emphasizes here is something implicit but not fully developed in the prophets: Birth pangs have two characteristics that make them a perfect metaphor for eschatological judgment:
1. SUDDENNESS
Labor can begin without warning. A woman can be going about her daily activities when suddenly the contractions begin. There’s no gradual lead-up that she can detect from outside. It just... starts.
This is Paul’s point about unbelievers: they will be saying “peace and security”— everything seems fine, stable, under control —and then (τότε), suddenly (αἰφνίδιος), destruction arrives.
2. INEVITABILITY
Once labor begins, there is no stopping it. The baby will be born. The process is irreversible. A pregnant woman cannot say, “Actually, I’d rather not do this today. Let’s postpone the birth.” It’s happening. It’s inevitable. She has no control over the timing.
This is Paul’s point with “they will not escape” (οὐ μὴ ἐκφύγωσιν). When the Day of the Lord arrives, there will be no escape. No amount of military might, political maneuvering, wealth, or cunning will stop what’s coming. It’s as inevitable as childbirth once labor begins.
Old Testament Background: Day of the Lord + Birth Pangs
Paul is clearly echoing the prophetic tradition here, particularly:
Isaiah 13:6-8 (Babylon’s judgment):
Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!... Pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.
Jeremiah 6:24 (judgment on Jerusalem):
We have heard the report of it; our hands fall helpless; anguish has taken hold of us, pain as of a woman in labor.
But Paul adds something: the false security that precedes judgment. Isaiah and Jeremiah describe the agony of judgment, but Paul describes the psychological state of the ungodly just before judgment: they think everything is fine. They’re proclaiming “peace and security” (likely a deliberate ironic echo of Roman propaganda). Then, quite suddenly, destruction.
“Peace and Security”: The Political Context
The phrase “peace and security” (εἰρήνη καὶ ἀσφάλεια) was not neutral language in Paul’s day. These were the slogans of the Roman Empire.
Throughout the first century, Roman propaganda emphasized two things the Empire provided:
Pax Romana (Roman Peace) – the “peace” achieved through military dominance
Security – protection from external threats and internal chaos
Coins, inscriptions, and monuments throughout the empire proclaimed Rome’s achievement of “peace and security.” One famous inscription honoring Pompey the Great praised him as the one who “restores peace and security on land and sea.”
So when Paul says people will be declaring “peace and security” just before destruction comes, he’s making a politically charged statement: The Pax Romana is a false peace. Rome’s security is an illusion. When people trust in the empire’s claims of stability and safety, they are setting themselves up for sudden, inescapable judgment.
The true “Day of the Lord” (ἡμέρα κυρίου) will expose all earthly claims to peace as lies.
Comparison with Jesus’s Teaching
Paul’s language directly echoes Jesus in Matthew 24:
Matthew 24:8
πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων αἰφνίδιος
“All these are the beginning of birth pangs“
Focus: Believers enduring tribulation before Kingdom
Birth pangs are progressive, intensifying
1 Thessalonians 5:3
ὄλεθρος ὥσπερ ἡ ὠδὶν
“sudden destruction like the birth pang”
Focus: Unbelievers experiencing judgment at Day of the Lord
Birth pang is sudden, inescapable
Both Jesus and Paul use birth pang imagery for end-times events, but with slightly different emphases:
Jesus: Birth pangs describe the tribulation period that believers will endure, but these are just the beginning. More is coming. The pains will intensify. But this is productive labor leading to the Kingdom’s birth.
Paul: Birth pang describes the sudden onset of judgment on unbelievers, emphasizing that it comes without warning and cannot be escaped once it begins.
Theological Significance
Paul’s use of birth pang imagery in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 teaches us:
1. Judgment Comes When Least Expected
The Day of the Lord will not arrive when people are anxious, fearful, and expecting disaster. It will come when they feel secure. This is the ultimate irony: false peace precedes true destruction.
2. No Human Power Can Prevent God’s Judgment
Rome claimed to provide “peace and security” through military might. But when God’s judgment arrives, all human claims to security will be exposed as worthless. Earthly empires cannot stop the Day of the Lord any more than a woman in labor can stop childbirth once it begins.
3. The Suddenness Should Motivate Vigilance
Paul’s point to the Thessalonians is: Don’t be like those who are surprised. You are “sons of light and sons of the day” (5:5). Stay awake. Stay sober. Be ready.
4. There Are Two Destinies
The birth pang metaphor in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 is specifically about unbelievers. They will not escape. But Paul immediately contrasts this with believers: “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (5:9). The same eschatological event— the Day of the Lord —produces judgment for some, deliverance for others.
3. Paul in Spiritual Labor Pains for His Churches (Galatians 4:19)
English Text (NRSV):
My little children, for whom I am again in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you
Greek Text (NA28):
τέκνα μου, οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω μέχρις οὗ μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν·
Key Vocabulary:
τέκνα μου (tekna mou) = “my children”
Term of deep affection and spiritual parenthood
Paul uses “my children” rather than “brothers” to emphasize his role as their spiritual father/mother
πάλιν (palin) = “again”
Paul went through labor pains for them once (at their conversion)
Now he’s going through it again (because they’re backsliding into legalism)
ὠδίνω (ōdinō) = “I am in labor, I suffer birth pangs”
Present tense: Paul is currently in labor for them
First person singular: “I am in labor”
Same verb used throughout the LXX (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah)
Same verb used in Romans 8:22 (συνωδίνει, “suffers birth pangs together”)
μέχρις οὗ (mechris hou) = “until”
Introduces the goal of Paul’s labor
μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς (morphōthē Christos) = “Christ is formed”
μορφωθῇ = aorist passive subjunctive of μορφόω (”to form, to shape”)
The goal: Christ being formed (shaped, molded) in them
ἐν ὑμῖν (en hymin) = “in you”
Plural: Christ formed in the Galatian believers corporately
The Context: Galatians’ Backsliding into Legalism
Paul is writing to the Galatian churches because they have been influenced by Judaizers, false teachers who insisted that Gentile Christians must be circumcised and keep the Mosaic Law in order to be saved. This is the crisis Paul addresses throughout Galatians.
In Galatians 4:8-20, Paul shifts to a deeply personal and emotional appeal:
Verses 8-11: You were once slaves to false gods, but now you know God. How can you turn back to slavery under the law?
Verses 12-16: Remember how you received me? You would have given me your eyes! Have I now become your enemy?
Verses 17-18: These false teachers don’t genuinely care about you. They want to shut you out so you’ll seek them.
Verse 19: And then this stunning metaphor: I am in labor pains for you again until Christ is formed in you.
Verse 20: I wish I could be present with you and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!
Paul’s Shocking Metaphor: Apostle as Mother in Labor
What makes Galatians 4:19 so remarkable is Paul’s choice of metaphor. In the ancient world, masculine authority figures did not compare themselves to women in childbirth. This would have been considered:
Undignified
Shameful (given the “weakness” associated with women in Greco-Roman culture)
Gender-inappropriate
Yet Paul deliberately chooses this metaphor to communicate the intensity and intimacy of his spiritual labor for the Galatians.
He’s not just their teacher. He’s not just their apostle. He’s their mother, and he’s in labor for them.
“Again” (πάλιν): Two Births
Paul says he is in labor again (πάλιν). This implies:
First Labor: When Paul first preached the gospel to the Galatians and they were converted, Paul “gave birth” to them as believers. This was the labor of evangelism, the anguish of seeing the gospel penetrate hard hearts, watching the Spirit bring conviction and faith, witnessing new birth.
Second Labor: Now, because the Galatians have been seduced by legalism and are in danger of abandoning the gospel of grace, Paul is in labor again. This is the labor of sanctification and restoration. It’s the anguish of watching spiritual children regress, the pain of trying to bring them back to the truth, the travail of longing to see Christ formed in them.
“Until Christ Is Formed in You” (μέχρις οὗ μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν)
This is the goal of Paul’s labor. What is Paul trying to “birth” in the Galatians?
The full formation of Christ in them.
The verb μορφόω (morphoō) means “to form, to shape, to mold.” It’s related to μορφή (morphē), “form” or “essential nature.” It’s the word used in Philippians 2:6 (“being in the form [μορφῇ] of God”).
Paul wants Christ’s character, Christ’s nature, Christ’s life to be formed in the Galatians. He wants them to be shaped into the image of Christ, conformed to Christ, transformed into Christlikeness.
This is spiritual formation. This is sanctification. This is what it means to be a mature Christian—someone in whom Christ himself is formed.
And Paul’s point is: This formation process is like childbirth. It involves:
Labor (it’s hard work, requiring effort and suffering)
Pain (there is anguish in spiritual formation, both for the one being formed and for the spiritual parent guiding the process)
Purpose (the pain is not meaningless; something glorious is being born)
Inevitability (once the process begins, it will reach completion; God finishes what He starts)
Old Testament Background: Spiritual Labor
While Paul’s specific application (apostle in spiritual labor for his converts) is unique, the broader concept of spiritual labor and birth has Old Testament precedent:
Isaiah 66:8-9 (Zion giving birth):
Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth? says the LORD; shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb? says your God.
Here, God is the one in labor, bringing forth His people. Paul applies this to his own ministry: he is in labor, bringing forth spiritual maturity in his converts.
Micah 4:10 (Zion told to writhe):
Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you shall go out from the city and dwell in the open country; you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies.
Here, the suffering (writhing, groaning) precedes redemption. Paul’s suffering for the Galatians precedes their spiritual restoration.
New Testament Parallel: 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8
Paul uses similar maternal imagery earlier in his ministry:
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
Paul sees himself as a spiritual mother to his converts, first in labor to bring them to birth (Galatians 4:19), then as a nursing mother caring for them tenderly (1 Thessalonians 2:7).
This is pastoral ministry described in the most intimate terms possible.
Theological Significance
Paul’s use of birth pang imagery in Galatians 4:19 teaches us:
1. Spiritual Formation Is a Painful Process
Becoming like Christ is not easy or automatic. It involves labor, both the labor of the believer being formed and the labor of spiritual mentors who guide the process. Discipleship is costly.
2. Ministry Is More Than Teaching, It’s Spiritual Parenthood
Paul doesn’t just deliver lectures. He doesn’t just transmit information. He is in labor for his people. He suffers for them. He agonizes over their spiritual state. This is what genuine pastoral ministry looks like.
3. Christ Must Be Formed in Believers
It’s not enough to make a decision for Christ. It’s not enough to pray a prayer or walk an aisle. The goal is Christ formed in you. This is the ongoing, progressive transformation into Christlikeness. This is what the Christian life is all about.
4. The Labor Continues Until the Goal Is Reached
Paul says “I am in labor until (μέχρις οὗ) Christ is formed in you.” The labor doesn’t stop when conversion happens. It continues through the lifelong process of sanctification. Paul will keep laboring for the Galatians until Christ is fully formed in them.
5. Regression Requires Renewed Labor
Paul is in labor again (πάλιν) because the Galatians backslid. When believers fall into sin, legalism, or false teaching, spiritual parents must labor again to restore them. This is the painful reality of pastoral ministry: the same people may need to be “birthed” multiple times as they struggle and regress.
Part II: John’s Cosmic Vision — Revelation 12:1-6
If Paul universalized the birth pang metaphor to include all creation and applied it to spiritual ministry, John takes it to cosmic, apocalyptic heights. In Revelation 12, the birth pang metaphor reaches its fullest symbolic expression in Scripture.
Revelation 12:1-2 (NRSV):
A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth.
Greek Text (NA28, vv. 1-2):
Καὶ σημεῖον μέγα ὤφθη ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, γυνὴ περιβεβλημένη τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ ἡ σελήνη ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῆς στέφανος ἀστέρων δώδεκα, καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα, καὶ κράζει ὠδίνουσα καὶ βασανιζομένη τεκεῖν.
Key Vocabulary:
σημεῖον μέγα (sēmeion mega) = “a great sign”
Not a literal event but a symbolic vision
John is seeing a sign that communicates truth
γυνὴ περιβεβλημένη τὸν ἥλιον (gynē peribeblēmenē ton hēlion) = “a woman clothed with the sun”
περιβεβλημένη = perfect passive participle, “having been clothed”
Cosmic imagery: sun, moon, stars
στέφανος ἀστέρων δώδεκα (stephanos asterōn dōdeka) = “a crown of twelve stars”
στέφανος = victor’s crown (not royal diadem, διάδημα)
Twelve stars → twelve tribes of Israel
ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα (en gastri echousa) = “pregnant” (literally “having in womb”)
κράζει (krazei) = “she cries out”
Present tense: ongoing crying
ὠδίνουσα (ōdinousa) = “being in labor, suffering birth pangs”
Present participle of ὠδίνω
Same verb used by Paul in Galatians 4:19
Same verb used in Romans 8:22 (συνωδίνει)
Same root as the noun ὠδίν used in Matthew 24:8 and 1 Thessalonians 5:3
βασανιζομένη (basanizomenē) = “being tormented”
From βασανίζω, “to torture, torment”
Emphasizes the intensity of the labor pains
This is not easy labor—this is torment
τεκεῖν (tekein) = “to give birth”
Aorist active infinitive of τίκτω
The goal toward which the labor pains are directed
The Scene: Cosmic Drama
Revelation 12 opens with a sign (σημεῖον) in heaven. John sees:
The Woman (vv. 1-2):
Clothed with the sun
Moon under her feet
Crown of twelve stars on her head
Pregnant, crying out in birth pains and torment
The Dragon (vv. 3-4):
Great red dragon
Seven heads, ten horns, seven diadems
Tail sweeps down a third of the stars
Stands before the woman to devour her child when born
The Birth and Rescue (vv. 5-6):
Woman gives birth to male child who will rule with rod of iron
Child caught up to God and His throne
Woman flees to wilderness for 1,260 days
War in Heaven (vv. 7-12):
Michael and his angels fight the dragon
Dragon cast down to earth
Identified as “the ancient serpent, devil, Satan, deceiver”
Dragon Pursues Woman (vv. 13-17):
Dragon persecutes the woman
Woman given eagle’s wings to flee
Dragon spews water to sweep her away
Earth helps the woman
Dragon wages war on “the rest of her offspring”
Who Is the Woman?
This has been debated throughout church history. The main interpretations:
1. Mary (Roman Catholic interpretation)
Arguments for:
Mary gave birth to Jesus (the male child)
The “woman clothed with the sun” appears in Catholic art and devotion
Arguments against:
The woman flees to the wilderness for 1,260 days, which doesn’t fit Mary’s life in any way
The woman has “the rest of her offspring” (v. 17) whom the dragon persecutes. This goes way beyond Mary’s biological children
The “twelve stars” clearly echo Genesis 37:9 (Jacob, Rachel, and the twelve sons)
2. Israel (Most Protestant interpretation)
Arguments for:
The twelve stars recall Genesis 37:9-11, where sun, moon, and eleven stars represent Jacob, Rachel, and Joseph’s brothers (the twelve tribes)
Throughout the OT, Israel is frequently depicted as a woman (Isaiah 54:1-6, Jeremiah 3:20, Ezekiel 16, Hosea 2:19-20)
The male child is the Messiah, who comes from Israel
Micah 4:10 and 5:3 specifically use birth pang imagery for Zion giving birth to the Messiah
The woman’s “other offspring” (v. 17) are Jewish believers persecuted by Satan
Arguments against:
The woman appears to continue existing after Christ’s ascension, fleeing to the wilderness
The description in vv. 13-17 seems more applicable to the church than ethnic Israel
3. The Church (Some Protestant interpretation)
Arguments for:
The woman continues to exist and be persecuted after Christ’s ascension
The “rest of her offspring” (v. 17) are clearly Christians (”those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus”)
Paul calls the New Jerusalem “our mother” (Galatians 4:26)
Arguments against:
The church didn’t give birth to Jesus; Jesus gave birth to the church
The woman is pregnant, and the church is supposed to be the Virgin Bride
The Genesis 37 allusion points to Israel, not the church
4. The People of God Across All Ages (Mediating interpretation)
This view sees the woman as representing the people of God throughout redemptive history; Old Testament Israel who gave birth to the Messiah, and the New Testament church who continues as the Messiah’s spiritual community.
Arguments for:
Explains how the woman both gives birth to Christ (as Israel) and continues to be persecuted after Christ’s ascension (as the church)
Fits the Revelation’s theology of continuity between Israel and the church
The New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:12-14 has the names of the twelve tribes on the gates and the twelve apostles on the foundations—showing the unity of OT and NT people of God
Most scholars today favor interpretation #4: The woman represents the people of God, beginning with Israel who gave birth to the Messiah and continuing as the church who suffers persecution.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that I don’t agree with the majority view.
The two arguments against the woman being Israel are artificial arguments. Israel still exists after Christ’s ascension (especially since the regathering of the nation in 1948), and verses 13-17 perfectly match the image of Israel being protected and in hiding during the 42 months of persecution as shown in Matthew 24, Micah 2, and Daniel 11.
I see no “continuity between Israel and the Church” in the theology of Revelation. Have you ever noticed how the church is not directly mentioned at all, not even once, after the 7 letters? And in those first few chapters, the text has a decidedly gentile feel (in the names of Jesus, for example), but after the 7 letters it takes on a drastically (one might even say exclusively) Jewish tone.
The New Jerusalem having the names of Apostles and Jewish tribes does not in any way correlate to the identity of the woman or a continuity between Israel and the church.
Israel is, has been, and will continue to be persecuted since the ascension of Jesus, so there is no need to assume the woman must represent both Israel and the church.
There is a view that the ascension of Jesus in Revelation is actually an ascension of “The Body of Christ,” as in the entire church. If that is the correct interpretation, if the Rapture is what’s in view here, then that really only leaves Israel on earth for Satan to persecute (along with those who come to faith during the tribulation itself, but that's a topic for another day). Which would mean the woman can’t be the church.
There’s no need for the persecuted believers to be Christians. We are seeing a growing movement of Messianic Jews, which are Jews who also believe in Jesus Christ as their Messiah. And I believe that is what’s in view here. That’s why the woman’s children who hold to the testimony of Jesus would be considered separate from the rest of Israel in this context.
There’s no reason whatsoever to think that referring to the New Jerusalem as “Our Mother” would necessitate any particular identity for the woman. But even if we were trying to build a case for the New Jerusalem being an allegory for the woman, referring to it as “Our Mother,” coming from Paul, would make it more likely that the association being made is that she is Israel.
Who Is the Male Child?
This is much less debated. The male child is clearly Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
Evidence:
He “is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron” → direct quote of Psalm 2:9, a Messianic psalm
He is “caught up to God and to his throne” → Christ’s ascension (Acts 1:9-11)
Revelation 19:15 applies the same language (”he will rule them with a rod of iron”) to Jesus at His return
There is, however, an additional identification that comes with that, and we’ll be exploring it a bit further down
Who Is the Dragon?
Explicitly identified in Revelation 12:9: “the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.”
This connects:
Genesis 3 (the serpent in Eden)
Job 1-2 (Satan as accuser)
Zechariah 3:1-2 (Satan as adversary)
Luke 10:18 (Jesus: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven”)
Revelation 20:2 (the dragon is Satan, bound for a thousand years)
The Birth Pangs in Revelation 12:2
Now let’s focus specifically on the birth pang imagery in verse 2:
καὶ κράζει ὠδίνουσα καὶ βασανιζομένη τεκεῖν
“and she cries out, being in labor and being tormented to give birth”
John uses three verbs to describe the woman’s condition:
κράζει (krazei) = “she cries out” (present tense)
ὠδίνουσα (ōdinousa) = “being in labor” (present participle)
βασανιζομένη (basanizomenē) = “being tormented” (present participle)
The combination of ὠδίνουσα (labor pangs) and βασανιζομένη (torment) is striking. This is not gentle labor. This is not easy birth. The woman is in agony, in torment, crying out in the intensity of her suffering.
Old Testament Background: Zion in Labor
John’s imagery directly recalls the prophetic passages we studied in Parts 2-4:
Micah 5:2-3 (the Ruler from Bethlehem):
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.
Micah explicitly connects:
The birth of the Messiah (Ruler from Bethlehem)
A woman in labor (Zion)
The gathering of the people after the birth
Isaiah 66:7-8 (Zion giving birth):
Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children.
Isaiah’s “Zion giving birth” is transformed by John into the cosmic woman giving birth to the Messiah while the dragon waits.
Jeremiah 30:6-7 (time of Jacob’s distress):
Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale? Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it.
Jeremiah’s “time of distress for Jacob” becomes, in Revelation 12, the woman’s flight to the wilderness and the dragon’s persecution of her offspring.
The Cosmic Expansion of the Metaphor
What John does in Revelation 12 is take all the prophetic birth pang imagery and expand it to cosmic proportions:
Isaiah said Babylon would writhe like a woman in labor.
Jeremiah said Israel would groan in birth pangs.
Micah said Zion would labor and bring forth the Messiah.
Jesus said the tribulation before the Kingdom is the beginning of birth pangs.
Paul said all creation groans in birth pangs awaiting redemption.
John says: All of redemptive history— from Eden to the new creation —is a cosmic birth narrative. Israel a woman in labor. The Messiah is the child being born. Satan is the dragon waiting to devour. History itself is the labor pains. And when the birth is complete, when Christ returns and establishes His kingdom, the agony will give way to joy.
The 1,260 Days: Wilderness Protection
After the child is caught up to God’s throne (Christ’s ascension/the Rapture), the woman flees to the wilderness where she is nourished for 1,260 days (Revelation 12:6).
This period (1,260 days = 42 months = 3.5 years = “a time, times, and half a time” from Daniel 7:25) represents the 3.5 years of the Great Tribulation when the forces of evil do everything the can to destroy the people of God.
During this time:
Israel is in the “wilderness” (not yet in the promised land of the new creation)
They are nourished by God (sustained, protected, cared for)
They are attacked by the dragon (persecuted by Satan)
But they are not destroyed (God preserves His people)
This comes after the period described by Jesus as “the beginning of birth pangs” (Matthew 24:8). The labor continues to grow more severe. The woman is still in the wilderness. The child has been born and caught up to heaven, but the full realization of the Kingdom, the completion of the birth process, is still future.
“The Rest of Her Offspring” (Revelation 12:17)
Then the dragon was angry with the woman and went off to wage war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.
After failing to destroy the woman herself, the dragon turns his fury on “the rest of her offspring” (τῶν λοιπῶν τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς).
Who are these?
Revelation 12:17 defines them: “those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
These are clearly Jewish believers in the Messiah, those who obey God’s commandments and bear witness to Christ.
So the woman gives birth to two groups:
The male child = Christ, the Messiah, whose church is “grafted in” as part of his own body
The rest of her offspring = Messianic Jews, the Jewish believers
The birth pang metaphor thus encompasses:
The labor that produced the Messiah (Israel’s suffering and expectation throughout the OT)
The ongoing labor of the church age (persecution, tribulation, groaning in hope)
The deeper labor that the Jewish believers will suffer during the Great Tribulation
The final birth when Christ returns and the new creation is fully realized
Theological Significance of Revelation 12
John’s cosmic vision in Revelation 12 teaches us:
1. All of History Is a Birth Narrative
From Genesis 3 (the serpent, the promise of a seed) to Revelation 21-22 (the new heavens and new earth), history is labor. The people of God are in labor. The creation is in labor (Romans 8:22). Something glorious is being born: the Kingdom of God, the new creation, the glorified sons of God.
2. The Birth Has Two Stages
In the literal sense, the first birth already occurred: Christ was born, died, rose, and ascended. However, this is one of instances of dual fulfillment that we see throughout Scripture. In this case, the secondary meaning of “male child caught up to God and to his throne” is a symbolic one wherein the woman who is Israel is giving birth to a male child who is the body of Christ (ie: the church), that will then ascend into heaven (ie: the Rapture). So in this sense, the Messiah has not yet ascended.
And the final birth is, of course, still future: the resurrection of the dead and the ascension of the body of Christ, the return of Christ, the complete establishment of the Kingdom (ie: the millennial reign), and the new heavens and new earth. The labor pains continue until this is fully realized.
3. Satan’s Fury Is Focused on Preventing the Birth
The dragon’s goal is to devour the child. He tries to prevent the Messiah from being born (in dozens of different ways throughout the Old Testament). When that fails, he expends incredible time and energy in trying to destroy the body of Christ throughout the church age all the way up to the Rapture, in order to prevent the ascension.
In fact, all of Satan’s activity throughout history— from the serpent in Eden to all the ways he tried to destroy Israel and the messianic line to the persecution of the church, to marrying the church to the world in 380 A.D. (the Edict of Thessalonica that made Christianity the official state religion of Rome) to the continued persecution of both the church and Israel all the way up to the present day —has been an attempt to stop the birth and/or the ascension.
But he cannot. The child is caught up to God. The woman is protected in the wilderness. The offspring, though persecuted, overcome “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11).
4. The Great Tribulation Is the Wilderness Period
Between the ascension of the body of Christ and return of the Messiah in power and glory, Israel is in the “wilderness” (sustained by God but not yet in the promised land). This is the 1,260 days, the time of the woman’s protection and the dragon’s persecution.
Although the most intense of the labor pains are yet future, to be lived by Israel during the Great Tribulation, we live in the labor pains today, as we have throughout history. We are persecuted by the dragon. But we will be snatched up to Heaven, and at that time the remnant of Israel will be nourished, protected, and assured that the birth is coming soon.
5. The Labor Will End in Joy
Revelation 21-22 describes the final outcome: the new Jerusalem descending from heaven, the dwelling of God with His people, the wiping away of every tear, the end of death and mourning and crying and pain, the tree of life and the river of life, the throne of God and the Lamb, and the servants of God reigning forever and ever.
This is the birth. This is what the labor produces. And just as Jesus said in John 16:21, when the birth happens, we will no longer remember the anguish. We will be left with only the joy.
Part III: Synthesis — Paul and John’s Theological Development
Comparing Paul’s and John’s use of birth pang imagery reveals how the apostolic writers expanded and theologized the metaphor Jesus introduced:
Jesus’ Teaching (Matthew 24:8)
Scope: End-times tribulations and persecutions before the coming of the Kingdom
Application: Believers enduring persecution and suffering
Emphasis: Progressive intensification, inevitability, purposeful suffering
Outcome: The Kingdom of God fully realized
Paul’s Expansion
Romans 8:22-23:
Scope: All creation groaning in birth pangs
Application: The entire cosmos, believers, and the Spirit all groaning together
Emphasis: Universal suffering, bodily resurrection, cosmic renewal
Outcome: Glorified sons of God revealed, creation liberated from bondage
1 Thessalonians 5:3:
Scope: Day of the Lord judgment on unbelievers
Application: Those who proclaim “peace and security” falsely
Emphasis: Suddenness, inevitability, inescapability of judgment
Outcome: Destruction for unbelievers, salvation for believers
Galatians 4:19:
Scope: Spiritual formation and sanctification
Application: Apostolic ministry, discipleship, pastoral care
Emphasis: Pain of spiritual labor, Christ formed in believers
Outcome: Spiritual maturity, Christlikeness
John’s Vision (Revelation 12)
Scope: All of redemptive history from Genesis to new creation
Application: Israel giving birth to Messiah (encompassing His body, the Church) and her other offspring, the Messianic Jews, who are pursued by the Dragon
Emphasis: Cosmic warfare, Satan’s attempts to devour the child, God’s protection
Outcome: Messiah born and enthroned, Messianic Jews persecuted but protected, final victory assured
Common Themes Across Paul and John
Despite their different applications, Paul and John share several key themes:
1. Suffering Is Productive, Not Pointless
Every use of birth pang imagery emphasizes that suffering is producing something. The pain is not meaningless. Creation’s groaning produces glorified sons. The tribulation produces the Kingdom. Apostolic labor produces Christlikeness. The woman’s agony produces the Messiah and His people.
2. The Outcome Is Certain
Birth pangs, once begun, will result in birth. The baby will come. The Kingdom will arrive. The new creation will be born. Satan cannot stop it. Rome cannot prevent it. Human sin cannot derail it. The labor will produce the promised outcome.
3. We Are Between “Already” and “Not Yet”
Paul and John both emphasize that we live in the middle of the labor:
The Messiah has already been born and caught up to heaven (Revelation 12:5)
But the symbolic ascension of the body of Christ and the resurrection of the dead are yet future
Similarly, the millennium and the full birth (new creation) are future (Romans 8:23)
We have the “firstfruits of the Spirit” but not yet the full harvest (Romans 8:23)
Israel’s wilderness (Revelation 12:6, 14) and heading toward the promised land are coming
The labor pains have begun but have not yet reached their climax
4. Hope Transforms How We Experience Suffering
Just as a woman in labor endures the pain because she knows a child is coming, believers endure present suffering in hope (Romans 8:20, 24-25). The pain is real, but it’s temporary. The joy is coming, and it will be worth it.
Conclusion: The Apostolic Legacy
In Part 6, we saw how Jesus adopted the prophetic tradition of birth pang imagery and applied it to the end-times tribulation. In this Part 7, we’ve seen how Paul and John took Jesus’ teaching and developed it theologically in multiple directions:
Paul universalized it to include all creation (Romans 8)
Paul applied it to judgment on the ungodly (1 Thessalonians 5)
Paul personalized it to describe spiritual ministry (Galatians 4)
John cosmified it to encompass all of redemptive history (Revelation 12)
Yet through all these developments, the core meaning remains consistent:
The present age is labor. All history has been travail. The people of God, the creation, the cosmos itself are all groaning, suffering, crying out in birth pangs. But this suffering is not the end. It is the means to the end. Something glorious is being born:
The Kingdom of God (Matthew 24)
Glorified sons of God and liberated creation (Romans 8)
Judgment on the wicked and deliverance for the righteous (1 Thessalonians 5)
Christlikeness in believers (Galatians 4)
The complete realization of redemption and the defeat of Satan (Revelation 12)
The labor is long. The pain is real. But the baby is coming.
And when He comes— when the Kingdom arrives in fullness, when creation is liberated, when Christ is formed in us completely, when the new heavens and new earth descend —we will look back on these millennia of groaning and, like a woman who has just given birth, we will no longer remember the anguish, for joy that the Kingdom has been born into the world.
If you’ve found this helpful or insightful, please share it with a friend who loves Scripture as much as you do.
Coming Up Next
In Part 8, the final installment of this series, we will:
Synthesize everything we’ve learned from ancient Near East to Revelation, showing how the birth pang metaphor develops across Scripture
Examine the theological implications for how we understand suffering, eschatology, and hope
Apply the metaphor pastorally to the life of the church and individual believers living in “the labor pains” today
Consider the ultimate question: When the new creation is born and the Kingdom arrives in fullness, what will we have learned from the long labor of history?
Until then, remember: You are living in the labor pains. But labor pains mean a birth is coming. And every contraction brings us closer to the moment when God makes all things new.
Maranatha—Come, Lord Jesus.
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