Revelation 12:1 (ASV)

Passage

And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars;

Nearby Context

Revelation 12:1 And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars;

Revelation 12:2 and she was the child; and she crieth out, travailing in birth, and in pain to be delivered.

Revelation 12:3 And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "great", "sign", "seen", "heaven", "woman", "arrayed", "moon", and "under". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "great" and "sign", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "and she was the child and she...", so "great" and "sign" should be read forward into that movement. In Revelation context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "great" and "sign" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.