12 - The Seed of the Woman - David Wills - 2025

The number 12 is interesting, for while it is recognized by many as representing 'perfect governance', given its relationship to:

• 12 Disciples.
• 12 Apostles.
• 24 elders in heaven (12 x 2).

its real significance is more about why the number for these entities is 12 in the first place.

Essentially, if Jesus had commissioned 14 disciples; 14 apostles and 28 elders in heaven, we would simply say that 14 represents 'perfect governance' because anything that Jesus governs will be perfect. However, as will be seen it is not a random number that Jesus has chosen, rather it is a very specific number that symbolically represents the downfall of Satan. This is because in the beginning, when man sinned in the garden and came under the penalty of death, God declared a curse upon each of the participants.

Apart from the fact that Adam and Eve would both now die, the specific curse for Eve related to the sorrow and pain that would be from that time onwards, in relation to Childbirth, along with subservience to her husband. For Adam, it was a cursed ground that would cause him hard labor and sweat, all the days of his life, until he returned to the ground from which he was taken, when God formed him from the dust.

However, preceding the delivery of these imprecations, it is important to note that there was an instigator called the Serpent and in recognition of that, God declared the first curse to be upon the Serpent in Genesis 14-15:

¹⁴ So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. ¹⁵ And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:14-15 (NKJV)

Importantly, while the Serpent 'creature' was physically cursed because it had somehow allowed Satan to possess it to do his dirty work, God also declared to Satan the instigator of all evil that his destruction was going to come from the 'Woman's Seed', who would bruise, or as some translations put it, "Crush" his head. So, this was the first prophecy of God to deal with and essentially reverse the curse and the fall of mankind.

Interestingly, while Adam blamed the Woman that 'God gave him', and Eve blamed the Serpent; the Serpent / Satan gave no reply. This suggests that he either acceptable some of the responsibility for what had occurred, or more probably understood the futility of arguing with God at that time because he had been among the sons of God who (as Job 38 states) had shouted for Joy when creation was completed; and as such he had watched everything that God had declared, during creation, come to pass.

⁴ “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. ⁵ Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? ⁶ To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, ⁷ When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:4-7

The bible also suggests that Satan understood at some level that this was the first prophecy of the Messiah / Christ (the Anointed one) who as the 'Seed of the Woman' would come to destroy him and save mankind.

¹⁵ And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:14-15 (NKJV)

Either way, history shows that he took the declaration about having his head crushed seriously because he instigated the Genesis 6 plot to genetically mess with the 'Seed of the Woman'. No doubt he was hoping that if it was mixed with Angel Seed, then it would not be pure and in that way perhaps the 'Seed of the Woman' could not come to fulfil this prophecy to destroy him and save mankind.

​¹ Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, ² that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. ³ And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” ⁴ There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Genesis 6:1-4

Jesus the Seed of the Woman

In understanding this background of the 'Seed of the Woman', it is significant that the Bible shows the very first recorded words of Jesus (who we know from all of Scripture is the fulfilment of the Genesis 3:15 prophecy because He is the Son of Man or 'Seed of the Woman') at the age of 12 in His Father's House going about His Father's business,

⁴¹ His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. ⁴³ When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; ⁴⁴ but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵ So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. ⁴⁶ Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. ⁴⁸ So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” ⁴⁹ And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” ⁵⁰ But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Luke 2:41-50

And what was His Father's business? - 1John 3:8 and Luke 19:10 tell us:

⁸ He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8

And

¹⁰ for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10

His Father's business was to destroy the curse of sin and death (the works of the Serpent / Satan / Devil) and to seek and save the lost amongst fallen mankind - to Crush Satan's Head.

Bat Mitzvah - Coming of Age of a Woman

Then by noting that in Jewish culture, 12 is the age that they celebrate the Bat-mitzvah, or the 'Coming of Age' ceremony, that rejoices in a girl becoming a woman, we see the true significance of the number 12. 

It is literally the symbolic number of the 'Seed of the Woman' and as such it is a reminder of the Messianic seed-line being passed down through women, starting with Eve (who was only attributed as being deceived, not sinning as Adam did), that would finally culminate in the birth of the Saviour of the world.

Jesus, through the tribe of Judah, one of the 12 Tribes of Israel, was the fulfilment of the ‘Seed of the Woman’, the one who finally destroyed the works of Satan by dying for the Sins of Mankind that started in the Garden of Eden and then by being buried for 3 days and nights before Resurrecting and Ascending to the Right-Hand of the Father in Heaven. While Jesus said it was finished on the Cross, the fulness of this work of Redemption will ultimately occur when He imprisons Satan in the Abyss for 1,000 years, before casting him into the Lake of Fire, completely crushing his head forever; and then the Church, as the body of Jesus, which was founded by the 12 apostles, will reign forever with Jesus in Victory.

The Connection between 12 and the Last Days

Understanding all of this helps one to also comprehend why God stated in Genesis 6 that 120 would be the limit of Him striving with man:

³ And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” Genesis 6:3

Essentially, 120, which is 12 x 10, is the ultimate fulfilment of the 'Seed of the Woman' prophecy, in that Jesus as that Seed (12) came to fulfil the law (10) - symbolized by the 10 commandments. As Jesus stated in Matthew 5:

¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." Matthew 5:17-18

And by extension, understanding that God is redeeming everything in association with Jubilee Years, which are defined as every 50th year in Leviticus 25, and are for the purpose of restoring what has been lost (as the following shows), we can see a new connection.

⁸ ‘And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. ⁹ Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. ¹⁰ And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. Leviticus 25:8-10

This connection is between the Jubilee (50) and the 'Seed of the Woman', with its symbolic number (12) and God's limit for humanity (120) all pointing to 6,000 (120*50) years of human history, before Jesus returns in the Second Coming to rule and reign for 1,000 years, during the Millennial Age. In this way, it is the ultimate fulfilment of Jesus bruising / crushing the Serpent's head.

The connection between Factors of 12 and the Rapture / Tribulation

Finally, it is interesting to note that the Tribulation is also known 'The Time of Jacob's Trouble' according to Jeremiah:

⁷ Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. Jeremiah 30:7

and amazingly there appears to be a direct connection between the timing of when this will occur and the age of Jacob, at different times, during what is commonly known as his 20 years of trouble. Essentially, Jacob's trouble occurred while He was working for his Uncle Laban, after fleeing for his life from his brother Esau, who had threatened to kill him, after he stole his blessing from their father Isaac.

I have written a whole article on this topic (click here for that), but in the context of this discussion it is sufficient to note that Jacob was 84 years old (12 x 7) when he received his two brides, that are a symbol of the full bride of Christ (Jew and Gentile) and are a possible pointer to the timing of the Rapture. Importantly, if this is valid then the 'Seed of the Woman' prophecy in Gen 3:15, the very first Messianic prophecy in all of human history, given in the Garden of Eden, could literally also be a key factor in pointing to when the Rapture will end the Church Age, otherwise known as the Age of Grace.

The connection between 144 a Factor of 12 and the Last Days

Importantly, God seals this harvest of human souls with a factor of 12:

12 x 12 =144

Essentially, the perfect square of 12 that represents the Messiah as the Seed of the Woman also shows God's heart to save all of fallen mankind because:

• 144 - represents the total hours of the Creation during Creation week with 6 x 24-hour days being equal to 144 hours, after which God declared everything good and then rested.Notably even the 24 hour day is symbolic of Gods desire to defeat Satan and the works of darkness because it is 12 x 2 = 24, or 12 (Seed of Woman) x 2 (Son of Man - Jesus the 2nd person of the Godhead). In this respect the 24 hours represent 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness, with every day defined as beginning with the evening when the is mixed light followed by darkness. This speaks of the mixed light of God's Truth and Satans lies that existed in the Garden before man sin and was plunged fully into darkness, until the Seed of the Woman brough the first rays of light to break the darkness. Ultimately Jesus when He returns will bring the fullness of the Day and will forever end the darkness. As Revelation 22 says, Jesus is the Bright and Morning Star:

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” Revelation 22:16

And as Michah 4 states

^"2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings;" Malachi 4:2

• 144 x 1000 = 144,000 represents the number of Jewish believers who will be sealed during the Tribulation to bring the Gospel to a lost world (both Jew and Gentile), so a multiple of 144, which is a multiple of 12 is again a symbol for saving all of mankind.
• 144 cubits is used in the dimensions of the walls of the New Jerusalem. This shows the heart of God who says in 2 Peter 3:9 that he is not willing that any should perish. Ultimately, people have free will, but the number of 144 which is the perfect square of 12, the number symbolizing the Seed of the Woman, represents His heart to save all of humanity.

⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

• In another hidden connection, the bible supports that mankind walked with God for 98 years before falling into Sin at 99 (see further info here). And given that Jesus stated that He is the way to the Father and that scripture also shows that the Tabernacle and the Temple layouts were a picture of Jesus, it is interesting to note that the height of the two Columns that framed the way for every believer into the Temple, where the presence of God resided, was 23 Cubits each. As there were two of them this totals 46 Cubits, which represents Jesus, as the Son of Man (noting that here the 46 represents the 46 (or 23 pairs) of Chromosomes that uniquely define humanity (genetically speaking).  So again, since Jesus was the way to the Father, or the intermediary for us, who both atoned and redeemed us, then if you add the 98 years when man was still walking righteously with God to the 46 represented by Jesus as the Son of Man, our intermediary, then you get 144, the number for saving all of humanity (both Jew and Gentile), or for at least all who will call on the name of the Lord and be saved. As it says in Romans 10:

⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³ For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” Romans 10:9-13

Final Thought

In this way, the number 12 not only symbolizes the fulfilment of the Seed of the Woman, but its factors also reveal the heart of God from the beginning of time to save all of fallen humanity. Then in another factor 120 that is 12 x 10 and that represents the fulfilling of the law (10), we are reminded that there is a time limit to this offer of Grace. As such, we are also reminded of the urgency of the message of the Gospel, but God is slow to anger and mankind has had thousands of years to repent, so when we see the meaning of 12 and its factors, we can begin to understand that it is, in the truest sense, a sign of God's faithfulness to fulfil prophecy and to bring an end to the Curse and Satan's hold over humanity - it is essentially like seeing book-ends of God's Mercy, at the beginning and end of history.