Following the first four seal judgments, we see the manifestation of the fifth seal judgment which speaks of the Church undergoing severe persecution to the point of death for adhering to the Word of their testimony. (If you have entered the site at this page, please read this article from the beginning so that you may understand all that is actually taking place as Christ removes each seal.) And it is just as Christ said it would happen,

9 But look to yourselves; for they will turn you over to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake as a testimony to them. 10And the good news (the Gospel) must first be preached to all nations. 11Now when they take you [to court] and put you under arrest, do not be anxious beforehand about what you are to say nor [even] meditate about it; but say whatever is given you in that hour and at the moment, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12And brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; and children will take a stand against their parents and [have] them put to death. 13And you will be hated and detested by everybody for My name's sake, but he who patiently perseveres and endures to the end will be saved (made a partaker of the salvation by Christ, and delivered from spiritual death).

As we proceed along in our understanding of the Book of Revelation we will discover that John's vision of the woman of Revelation chapter twelve is actually a vision that pictures the "catching away" or "vanishing" (the rapture) of the Bride of Christ, and as she prepares herself and makes herself ready, Satan positions himself before the Bride in an attempt to devour her offspring, which is what we are seeing here at the manifestation of the associated judgment of the fifth seal.

1 AND A great sign (wonder)--[warning of future events of ominous significance] appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and with a crownlike garland (tiara) of twelve stars on her head. 2She was pregnant and she cried out in her birth pangs, in the anguish of her delivery. 3Then another ominous sign (wonder) was seen in heaven: Behold, a huge, fiery-red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven kingly crowns (diadems) upon his heads. 4His tail swept [across the sky] and dragged down a third of the stars and flung them to the earth. And the dragon stationed himself in front of the woman who was about to be delivered, so that he might devour her child as soon as she brought it forth. 5And she brought forth a male Child, One Who is destined to shepherd (rule) all the nations with an iron staff (scepter), and her Child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6And the woman [herself] fled into the desert (wilderness), where she has a retreat prepared [for her] by God, in which she is to be fed and kept safe for 1,260 days (42 months; three and one-half years).

Although we will go into alot more detail and depth on John's vision of the woman of Revelation chapter twelve, it is important to understand a few things about this vision in order to understand Satan positioning himself before the Bride in order to "devour her child",

3Then another ominous sign (wonder) was seen in heaven: Behold, a huge, fiery-red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven kingly crowns (diadems) upon his heads. 4His tail swept [across the sky] and dragged down a third of the stars and flung them to the earth. And the dragon stationed himself in front of the woman who was about to be delivered, so that he might devour her child as soon as she brought it forth.

The word, "woman" comes from the Greek word, "gune" which specifically means "wife", it is derived from the primary verb, "ginomai" which means, "to cause to be" that is, "to become or come into being" and carries with it the sense of, "arising and being assembled", "to have been brought to pass", "coming to pass", "to be completed and fulfilled", "to have caused to grow", and specifically refers to, "the one who is to be taken and married." With that being said, we can substitute the definition of the word "woman" directly into the Scripture.

1 AND A great sign (wonder)--[warning of future events of ominous significance] appeared in heaven: a woman (a gune--the wife that was caused to be or came into being, arose and became assembled and she was brought to pass, completed and fulfilled; the wife--the one who is to be taken and married) clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and with a crownlike garland (tiara) of twelve stars on her head. 2She was pregnant and she cried out in her birth pangs, in the anguish of her delivery. 3Then another ominous sign (wonder) was seen in heaven: Behold, a huge, fiery-red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven kingly crowns (diadems) upon his heads. 4His tail swept [across the sky] and dragged down a third of the stars and flung them to the earth. And the dragon stationed himself in front of the woman who was about to be delivered, so that he might devour her child as soon as she brought it forth. 5And she brought forth a male Child, One Who is destined to shepherd (rule) all the nations with an iron staff (scepter), and her Child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6And the woman [herself] fled into the desert (wilderness), where she has a retreat prepared [for her] by God, in which she is to be fed and kept safe for 1,260 days (42 months; three and one-half years).

And the woman (the gune--the wife that was caused to be or came into being, arose and became assembled and she was brought to pass, completed and fulfilled; the wife--the one who is to be taken and married) was pregnant and she cried out in her birth pangs, in the anguish of her delivery.

Then another ominous sign (wonder) was seen in heaven: Behold, a huge, fiery-red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven kingly crowns (diadems) upon his heads. His tail swept [across the sky] and dragged down a third of the stars and flung them to the earth. And the dragon stationed himself in front of the woman who was about to be delivered, so that he might devour her child as soon as she brought it forth. Revelation 12:3-4 Amplified Bible Artwork Used By Permission © Pat Marvenko Smith

And she brought forth a male Child, she brought forth the image of Christ that was within her, which is the fulfillment and completion of one of the seven divine mysteries, the mystery of Christ in us and among us, the hope of glory.

26The mystery of which was hidden for ages and generations [from angels and men], but is now revealed to His holy people (the saints), 27To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory.

As the Bride of Christ is preparing herself and making herself ready, Satan stations himself before her in order to devour her child (the image of Christ within her) and this we see coming into manifestation at the fifth seal judgment.

9 When the Lamb broke open the fifth seal, I saw at the foot of the altar the souls of those whose lives had been sacrificed for [adhering to] the Word of God and for the testimony they had borne. 10They cried in a loud voice, O [Sovereign] Lord, holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgment and avenge our blood upon those who dwell on the earth? 11Then they were each given a [a]long and flowing and festive white robe and told to rest and wait patiently a little while longer, until the number should be complete of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed as they themselves had been.