John sees two signs in heaven (Revelation 12), a woman and a dragon. Sharply different as they are, John’s language brings out their similarities.
1) Both are called semeion, vv. 1, 3.
2) John uses the passive ophthe to introduce both, vv. 1, 3.
3) Both are signs in heaven (en to ourano, vv. 1, 3).
4) John calls attention to the heads of each (kephale, vv. 1, 3).
5) The woman wears a stephanos of twelve stars on her head (v. 1), while the dragon wears seven diademata on his seven heads (v. 3).
6) The woman is in pain to give birth (teknein, v 2), and the dragon stands before the woman who is going to give birth (tes mellouses teknein, v. 4).
The parallels function to reinforce the contrast: Between woman and monster. Between life-giver and destroyer. Between liberator and enslaver, for the woman struggles to give birth, to send the child out of her body; the dragon waits to devour the newborn, to ingest him into his body.
The scene summarizes the entire Old Testament history, which is about the seed between mother and dragon.
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