"A great portent appeared in Heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. Then another portent appeared in Heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of Heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. (Revelation 12:1-5)

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The dogma of Mary's assumption into Heaven was officially made a dogma of the Catholic Church in the last century; However, this does not mean that it was unheard of, or was unbelieved in the first few centuries of Christianity. Non-Catholics believe that this woman in Revelation 12 is referring to God's people. This is correct. However, it is also referencing Mary.

 

Just many believe that Elijah ascended body and soul into Heaven by God the Father (see 2 Kings 2); Catholics believe that Mary, the Mother of God, was also assumed into Heaven. Even though we don't read in the Scriptures that Mary was taken up into Heaven, there are a few ideas that give evidence that Mary was taken up into Heaven, body and soul and that it's possible—beginning with the most prominent verse in the Bible. 

 

In John's visions of the new Jerusalem (Heaven) in Revelation 12, a woman appeared, who was about to give birth to a male child, who was to rule. This imagery would only be of Jesus and Mary. We can see that the sign that appeared in Heaven was not just a soul but a body, thus meaning that this woman appeared in Heaven was taken up body and soul. 

 

But how do we know that this is Mary? We understand this from looking back in the book of Isaiah. We read that Isaiah says that the Lord will give us a sign, that a virgin shall conceive a child, (see Isaiah 7:14). We understand that this verse is referring to Jesus and Mary. Interestingly, the small parallels between this verse in Isaiah and Revelation 12, how they both start the verse with acknowledging that there will be or is a sign, before leading us to discover what the sign is, which is an unknown woman giving birth to a saviour. 

 

This dogma of the church combines other Marian dogma such as Mary as the Ark of the Covenant and Mary as Queen of Heaven, which all relate to a figure in Heaven. Earlier, we looked at Mary as the Ark of the Covenant, and how the new Ark of the Covenant appears in Heaven straight before leading into the woman emerging into the scene. 

 

Another clue that Mary did assume body and soul into Heaven is that she's appeared to different individuals worldwide throughout centuries claiming to be from Heaven. As mentioned before, Elijah was taken up into Heaven, and appeared next to Jesus during His transfiguration. In the same way, Mary could have been taken up into Heaven by God's grace and mercy and appear to God's chosen on Earth.

 

We must remember that Mary's assumption into Heaven was done by God and for God's glory. God can do anything that He likes, God is not bound by limits.