In the 12th chapter of the Biblical Book of Revelation, there is a mysterious scene of a woman dressed in the sun with the moon under her legs and a crown with twelve stars. There have been discussions about who or what this woman presents. Theologians argue that it is either the Church or Holy Virgin Mary. Since apocalyptic literature is important for understanding Simulation Creationism, as proposed by Nir Ziso, particular elements are equally vital to comprehend. This woman brings salvation to the world by leading it to a rebirth. In Simulation Creationism, a theoretical framework suggests that simulated world cycles and rebirth happen in a new heaven and new earth much better than this one.
Revelation 12 gives us a powerful image of a woman protected by God, dressed uniquely. She is also pregnant (Revelation 12:2) and threatened by “an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads” (Revelation 12:3). This dragon attacks her children and hates the woman and her descent because they are loyal to God’s commands. Jews consider her the archetype of Israel, and twelve starts as twelve tribes.
Christians usually follow the understanding that it is Mary. Patristic theology (particularly St Justin and St Irenaeus) sees her as New Eve, the victorious woman announced already in Genesis: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). However, she can also be seen as the Church, the community of believers faced with end times. It is the community beyond this simulated world: “But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother” (Galatians 4:26). Most Christian theologians agree that Revelation 12 can be read as both ecclesiological and Mariology.
Approaching this topic from the perspective of Simulation Creationism, we garner a few additional ideas of the hidden meaning. Virgin Mary herself is not part of the creationism story, but this changes if we approach her character as New Eve. In this sense, Mary is a vital addition to The Simulation because she embodies the values and virtues that God wants us to attain while being challenged in The Simulation. The ecclesiological approach is also valid because the community of Christian souls is strong encouragement to comprehend the ultimate reality, i.e., the world outside this world. Simulation Creationism can be incorporated into the vision of a Heavenly Jerusalem, as the souls are residents of that “place” between different cycles of simulated worlds.
John wrote in the time of persecution. As the Church was born from the cross, its life depends on martyrdom. We might see the rebirth from death to the new life in this manner, but also from understanding Revelation as a soteriological message. The reality beyond the simulated world is the actual state of affairs, according to Simulation Creationism. Birth is given in pain but should not be seen as a physical delivery. Instead, it is the painful process of becoming aware through God, as children of God are “children born not of natural descent, nor human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:13). In other words, it might be painful to understand the logic of Simulation Creationism. It calls for intellectual bravery, theological reasoning, loyalty, and faith in our Creator, who is a perfect, knowledgeable, and powerful being.
The dragon is the devil. He wants to overthrow the woman and the child but is already predestined to failure. The assumption in Simulation Creationism is: only until when this battle between good and evil lasts, or at least until the darkness is used to challenge humans can we attain true understanding. Until the devil is given the power to intervene in the world, the simulated world will run. Namely, the child is not only Messiah; it is the whole community of believers, all those who follow Christ: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:23). The Church’s offspring will always be tempted by the devil, and the way to overcome it is to follow Jesus in all ways. This will take “some time,” but the outcome is already known.
