What does Revelation 12:6 mean?

An indeterminate length of time separates the events described in verses 5 and 6. In the middle of the tribulation, the False Prophet in Jerusalem will erect an image to the beast who achieves enormous political power. The false prophet demands that everyone worship the image (Revelation 13:14–15). Failure to worship the image brings the death penalty.

Many Jews will understand this idolatrous act to be the abomination of desolation that Jesus referred to in Matthew 24:15. They will act upon his warning: "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Matthew 24:16). These Jews will escape to the mountains. By doing so they will escape the invasion of "the north"—most likely Russia—into Palestine (Ezekiel 38, Joel 1). The place God has prepared for the fleeing Jews may be Petra, also called Sela, the capital of Edom, in Isaiah 16:1. Whatever the place of safety is, it will provide sustenance for the escapees for 1,260 days. This is three and a half years, or the second half of the tribulation.

These locations are likely candidates due to their combination of terrain. Various biblical references to this event mention both "wilderness"—or "desert"—and mountains, both of which can be found in these regions.