The subject of this writing has the purpose of bringing a new understanding
to a portion of scripture which has been
misinterpreted and completely corrupted. My reference is to the twelfth chapter
of the Book of Revelation. This falls
within the context of the end time prophecies of Daniel although it is not
contained in that context. The foundations had to be laid for the purpose of
proving that there is no pretribulational rapture of the church as is held by
those who endorse dispensational theology. The text of I Thessalonians 4:13-17
has been explained to be the description of that resurrection event after the
tribulation when compared with other scripture, (Matt. 24:29-31 and Rev.11:11-12)
and not a description of the so-called rapture. This leads us to our current
topic. Also, it is important to understand that the tribulation is three and
one-half years in duration and not seven as is commonly believed. But it is of
extreme importance to understand that there will be a catching up of a remnant
of God’s very faithful people just prior to the tribulation period as the
remainder will be subject to the tribulation with the object of purifying their
hearts through trouble, persecution and even martyrdom. Chapters eleven (first
12 verses and chapter twelve of Revelation covers that reality in detail.(See
also Rev.3:10-11).
The
text in chapter twelve of Revelation describes a great wonder seen in heaven
consisting of a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and on
her head a crown of twelve stars. (See Rev.12:1). This of course is a metaphor
which needs to be understood. Where then does the metaphor come from and how do
we interpret it? The metaphor is drawn from Joseph’s dream recited from Genesis
37:9-10. From that text we can discern that the sun, moon and stars represent
the whole household of God as they existed at that time and is represented by
the family of Jacob (Israel). So by application of the Revelation text we can
see that the woman along with her offspring represent metaphorically all of
God’s people, then living on the earth i.e. the church. “And she being with child cried travailing in birth, and pained to be
delivered.”(Verse 2). “And she
brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and
her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. Then the text reveals
to us the dragon (Satan) through his instrumentality of the beast having seven
heads and ten horns. This entity is more thoroughly described in Revelation
13:1-2 and we glean from other scriptures detailed in Daniel 7:7 & f that
this beast in both texts is one and the same and represents the final worldwide
kingdom under the control of Satan at the end of the age. In modern vernacular
that is the “New World Order” which will prevail universally at the end of this
age. Then we see in verse four that as the woman who is in travail and ready to
give birth; the dragon seeks to devour her offspring as soon as it is born. But in verse five we see “her child is caught up to God, and to his throne.” We now need to know how to interpret the text
up to this point.
The
woman who is clothed in the metaphor is the entire church living on the earth
at the end of the age. She is in the travail
of birth for within her resides a people who have been perfected and purified
by the workings of the Holy Spirit in them. Through their faithful responses to
Christ he has been thoroughly formed in their hearts. We do not know their
number. We only know that Christ has been formed in them through their enduring
faith. Thus, this remnant out from the
church as a whole is “caught up (to
snatch or seize violently, to take away by force-Strong’s Concor.) to God and to the throne.” Remember
Enoch and Elijah? The preparatory
text for understanding this phenomenon is found at Rev. 11:1-2 in the measuring
of the temple (the house of God, i.e. the church) finding those who are
worshiping in truth therein in contrast
to the court without which is given unto
the Gentiles to be trodden under foot forty and two months. This divides the
people of God into two spiritual conditions and prepares our understanding as
to why a remnant (the man child) is caught to the throne. Then we see in verse
seven that the woman (the church) ‘fled
into the wilderness’ finding a place which God has provided to sustain her
for a thousand two hundred and three score days (the period of the duration of
the tribulation).
This
catching up of the man child precipitates warfare in the heavenly realm.
The Lord has procured the spiritual ground through the
man child to evict Satan from any access to the heavenly realm which he has
retained continuously since the fall of man. “… the dragon fought and his
angels, and prevailed not; neither was there place found any more in
heaven…..he was cast out of heaven, and his angels were cast out with him.”
(Portions of verses 7, 8, and 9). “And I
heard a loud voice. Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our
God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,
which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame hum by the
blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony: and they loved not their
lives unto the death.” (Rev. 12:10-11).
We then see the devil as cast down to the earth having great wrath for
he knows he has but a short time. “And
the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of
her seed (the church remaining on the earth during the tribulation), which keep the commandments of God and
have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”(Rev.12:17).
The
purpose of this series of blogs is again to clarify and explain the extreme
confusion in the church on the subject of resurrection and end time events in
general. And,also, in the case of the ‘man child’ a translation (catching up of
living and faithful saints into the heavenly kingdom) prior to the three and
one-half year tribulation to establish the spiritual ground to bring in the
kingdom.
It is recognized by the writer that this
account of the text in Revelation is very likely entirely new to almost
everyone who will read it. Obtain my book These
Prophets and the Revelation for an entire exegesis of end time prophecy. It
is added to the previous seven blogs to provide a reliable overview of end time
prophetic events coveres in the Book of Daniel.
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