And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Were given - by God's appointment, not human chances (Acts 9:11).
Two - `the two wings of the great eagle.' Alluding to Exodus 19:4: therefore the Old Testament Church, as well as the New, is included in "the woman." All believers (Isaiah 40:30-31). The great eagle is the world-power; in Ezekiel 17:3; Ezekiel 17:7, Babylon and Egypt; in early church-history Rome, whose standard was the eagle, turned by God's providence from being hostile into a protector of the Christian Church. As "wings" express remote parts, the two wings may here mean the east and west divisions of the Roman empire.
Wilderness - the land of the Gentiles; in contrast to Canaan, the pleasant and glorious land. God dwells there; demons (the rulers of the pagan world, 1 Corinthians 10:20; Revelation 9:20), in the wilderness. Hence, Babylon is called the desert of the sea, Isaiah 21:1-10 (referred to in Revelation 14:8; Revelation 18:2). Heathendom, being without God, is essentially a desolate wilderness (Jeremiah 17:6). Thus, the woman's flight into the wilderness is the passing of the kingdom of God from the Jews to the Gentiles (typified by Mary's flight with her child from Judea into Egypt). The eagle-flight is from Egypt into the wilderness. Egypt here is virtually (Revelation 11:8) Jerusalem become spiritually so by crucifying our Lord (Hebrews 13:13-14). Out of her the New Testament Church flees, as the Old out of the literal Egypt; and as the true Church subsequently is to flee out of Babylon (the woman become an harlot, the Church apostate) (Auberlen).
Her place - the seat of the then world-empire, Rome. Acts describes the Church's passing from Jerusalem to Rome. The Roman protection was the eagle-wing which shielded Paul, the instrument of this transmigration, from Jewish opponents stirring up the pagan mobs. By degrees the Church gained "her place" until, under Constantine, the empire became Christian. Still, this church-historical period is regarded as a wilderness-time, wherein she is in part protected, in part oppressed, by the world-power, until just before the end of the world-power's enmity under Satan shall break out against her worse than ever. As Israel was in the wilderness forty years, and had forty-two stages in her journey, so the Church for forty-two months, three and a half times [seasons, used for years in Hellenistic Greek (Moeris, the Atticist), kairous (G2540)], or 1,260 days (Revelation 12:6) between the overthrow of Jerusalem and Christ's coming again, shall be a wilderness-sojourner before she reaches her millennial rest (answering to Canaan). Besides this church-historical fulfillment, there may be an ulterior narrower fulfillment in the restoration of Israel to Palestine, Antichrist for seven times (short periods analogical to the longer) having power there, for three and a half times keeping covenant with the Jews, then breaking it in the midst of the week, and the mass fleeing by a second exodus into the wilderness, while a remnant remains exposed to fearful persecution (the "144,000 sealed of Israel," Revelation 7:7, and Revelation 14:1, standing with the Lamb, after the conflict is over, on mount Zion: "the first-fruits" of a large company to be gathered to Him) (DeBurgh). These details are conjectural: cf. the parallel, Daniel 7:25. In Daniel 12:1; Daniel 12:7, the subject is Israel's calamity. That several times do not necessarily mean seven years, in which each day is a year, i:e., 2,520 years, appears from Nebuchadnezzar, seven times (Daniel 4:23), answering to Antichrist, the beast's duration.