Re 12:1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.
Re 12:2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
Re 12:5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.
The woman here is a symbol for the nation Israel. See for yourself.
Israel came from the family of Jacob. Notice below that the family members are symbolized as the sun, the moon and the stars:
Ge 37:5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.
6 So he said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
7 "There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf."
8 And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me."
10 So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?"
Question: "If this refers to Israel, in what way did Israel give birth to the male Child, which refers to the Lord Jesus Christ?"
In this way---Israel is the mother land of the Lord Jesus Christ, so to speak.
Mic 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."
In Hebrew, the words "come forth" carry the meaning of giving birth. Israel, specifically, Bethlehem gave birth to the Ruler of Israel.
