02.36. LECTURE No. 36 -- Rev_12:1-6
LECTURE No. 36 -- Revelation 12:1-6 The Ark Comes into View Which Indicates That We Are Entering Upon Jewish Ground In Our Present Study - God Will Remember His Covenant with Israel - The Great Wonder or Sign Which John Saw in Heaven - The Woman Clothed with the Sun a Sign of Things to Follow - The Events Indicated by This Sign to Occur Upon the Earth - Who the Woman is Not - She Is Not the Church - She Is Not the Virgin Mary - The Woman Symbolic of National Israel - Christ, Who Was Born of the Race of Israel, to Rule the Nations - The Prophecy of Israel and the Statement of the Apostle Paul - Israel’s Future Travail - The Great Red Dragon Was Another Wonder in Heaven - The Red Dragon Symbolic of Satan - Satan the Enemy of Christ As Prophetically Announced in Genesis 3:15 - The Seven Heads and Ten Horns Symbolic of Seven Successive Empires and Ten Kings Who Will Arise - The Man Child Symbolic of Christ - The Church Is the Mystical Body of Christ - Application of This Truth - A Wilderness Refuge Provided for Israel
Against every denial of unbelief, and the criticism of those who insist that the Book of Revelation is a closed Book, and that it has no message for those of us who live today, we are nevertheless finding our study of this book to be both interesting and helpful, and also instructive.
As we continue our study, we claim once more the benediction and the blessing pronounced in Revelation 1:3, where it says: “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”
Review In our last lesson, based upon Revelation 11:15-19, we considered those things which will come to pass under the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet.
We pointed out that the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet will cover a considerable period of time, and that our last lesson was only a prophetic foreview, or synopsis of those things which will come to pass upon the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet.
Upon the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet, we learned that the combined voices in heaven will say,
“The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and that He shall reign for and ever.”
They will say this, because they know from what is about to take place that this will become an accomplished fact when the judgments of God, indicated under the sounding of Seventh Trumpet, shall have been accomplished.
Why the Elders Will Worship in Heaven When this divine announcement goes forth we are told that the four and twenty elders, which sat before on God their seats, or Thrones, will fall upon their faces and worship God! They will have much reason to do this because in Revelation 11:18, it says,
“And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldst give reward unto Thy servants the Prophets, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; And shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”
These things, therefore, are the stated objectives of God to be accomplished under the sounding of the 7th Trumpet. The Ark Comes into View
Now, in keeping with these objectives in Revelation 11:19, it says,
“And Temple of God was opened in heaven and there was seen in His Temple the Ark of His Testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”
In the closing remarks of our last lesson, we reminded you of the fact that the reference here to the Temple of God in heaven, and to the Ark of His Testament, signify the fact that we are entering upon Jewish ground in the ongoing drama of events and the prophetic unfolding of the marvelous Revelation, which we are now studying.
God Will Remember His Covenant The fact that the Ark of His Testament was seen in the Temple, assures the fact that at this stage in the ongoing of events, God will remember His covenant with Israel.
The fact that there were lightnings and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake and great hail indicate the fact that the impending judgments of God will be poured out against the wicked, who are the enemies and the oppressors of the Children of Israel, who are God’s chosen and covenant people.
Revelation 11:19, therefore, is perfectly in keeping with what we are about to study in Revelation 12:1-17. Our Lesson Text In Revelation 12:1-6, it says,
“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the Sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars, and she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
“And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads, and his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the Dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
“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. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days.”
Now, I do not know how much of our lesson text we will be able to cover in our present lesson, but we shall begin our study by considering the woman clothed with the Sun. A Great Wonder in Heaven In Revelation 12:1-2, it says, “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the Sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: and she being with child cried, travailing in birth and pained to be delivered.” A Sign
First of all we must remind you that the language used here is symbolical. The word “wonder” is given in the marginal reading as meaning a sign. In other words, there appeared a great sign in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.
Therefore, if this which John saw was a sign, it was intended to teach something beyond the literal statement of the text. Our rule for the interpretation of this, as well as every other book in the Bible, is that we are to accept the language of the Bible literally, unless we have reason to do otherwise. And in every case where a symbolic meaning is intended, the lesson text itself will indicate this, just as it does in this very instance.
The importance of this passage is indicated by the fact that John said, “There appeared A GREAT WONDER (or sign) in heaven!”
This would indicate that it was more than an ordinary sign. If so it well deserves our prayer and careful consideration. The Sign in Heaven: The Events Upon Earth
It is well for us to notice just here that the sign appeared in heaven. Nevertheless, the events referred to under this sign relate to both heaven and the earth, as we shall see.
We are now ready to ask the question as to who this woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and with a crown of twelve stars upon her head, and who is represented as being in travail, really was, as John beheld her in the vision.
She Is Not the Church
Perhaps it would be well, first of all, to deal with this subject negatively, by stating who this woman was NOT. Some have assumed the position that she represents the Church of Jesus Christ; but just a little reasoning will prove that this could not be true because this woman, according to our lesson text, gave birth to a child, and that child, as we shall see, was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. We all know that the Church did not give birth to the Lord Jesus Christ, but that Jesus Christ Himself was the one who founded the New Testament Church. Not the Virgin Mary
Others believe that the woman clothed with the Sun, represents the Virgin Mary; but this interpretation also breaks down at every point, because we have no reason to believe, or scriptures to substantiate the fact that the Virgin Mary has ascended into heaven, and is now clothed in the manner described in our lesson text.
Then Who Is She?
If this woman does not represent the Church, or the Virgin Mary, who then does she represent? For an answer to this question all we need to do is turn to Genesis 37:9-11, and there we find a passage where the Sun the Moon and the Eleven Stars are mentioned in a prophetic sense, concerning Joseph and the future of Israel. This passage says,
“And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the Sun and the Moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou dreamed? Shall I and thy mother, and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to see to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.”
Upon Jewish Ground This statement is all we need to show that we are here upon Jewish ground. The fact that eleven stars were mentioned in the passage in Genesis 37:9, is no hindrance in applying this verse to the truth set forth in Revelation the 12th chapter, because Joseph was himself the twelfth Star.
This being true, in Genesis 37:9 have mention made of the Sun, and Moon and eleven Stars, but including Joseph you have 12 stars. And in Revelation 12:1, mention is made also of the Sun and the Moon and crown of Twelve Stars.
In the Old Testament, Israel is time and again referred to as a married woman. An example of this is found Isaiah 54:1, where it says,
“Sing O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.”
Temporarily Set Aside
We all know that at the present time Israel has been temporarily or judicially set aside by the Lord during this age of grace, while the Church is being called out.
The reason for this is that Israel proved to be spiritually unfaithful to God. This is confirmed in Jeremiah 3:1, where God, speaking to Israel, said,
“They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? Shall not that land be greatly polluted? But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord.”
This passage reveals among other things that Israel must be looked upon as the wife of the Lord God. To Be Restored
Also in Hosea 2:19-20, the Lord said to Israel,
“I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord.”
Thus, my friends, we see that Israel, who has been an unfaithful wife will be betrothed again to her Lord in faithfulness and in righteousness.
These things could not be said of the Church, however, because the Church, which is now being called out, is represented everywhere in the New Testament, as a Virgin.
This is confirmed in 2 Corinthians 11:2, where the Apostle Paul said,
“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
Also in Ephesians 5:25-27, it says,
“Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
Travail
Now, we remind you again of the fact that the woman described to us in Revelation 12:1-2, was not only clothed with the Sun, with the Moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve stars, but it says, “She being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.” Not the Church
Now, having discovered that the Church is represented as a Virgin, even as a chaste Virgin, espoused to Christ, we cannot possibly apply this passage to the Church. But having learned that Israel, nationally, is spoken of as the wife of God, under the symbolism of a married woman, it is perfectly permissible and legitimate for us to apply what is stated in Revelation 12:1-2 to Israel! In other words, the woman referred to here in this passage is none other than National Israel.
The Church is no where spoken of in the scriptures as a Mother, but we do know that Israel, as the wife of God, was expected to bring forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. The Prophecy of Isaiah
Isaiah prophesied, in Isaiah 7:14, saying,
“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel (which means, God With us).”
The Prophet Isaiah also looked forward to the time when Israel could say,
“Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the Government shall be upon His shoulders: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” That this Child would arise and rule over the nations is confirmed in the very next verse, where it says,
“Of the increase of His Government and peace there shall be no end, upon the Throne of David and upon His Kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.”
What Paul Said
Also in Romans 9:4-5, the Apostle Paul speaking of the seven fold privilege of Israel, said,
“Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God and the promises; whose are the Fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all.”
Thus we see that Paul acknowledges that Christ was born in fulfillment of Isaiah 9:6-7, and that He came through the race of Israel. We are not surprised therefore to read in Isaiah 66:7, where it says of Israel: “Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.”
Israel’s Travail Is Yet Future
Every student of prophecy knows that the time of Israel’s suffering as a nation is still future, and will be during the time of the great tribulation, spoken of by Daniel in Daniel 12:1, and referred to by our Lord in Matthew 24:21.
The miracle, therefore, is that nearly two thousand years ago, before Zion travailed nationally, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child, and that man child was Christ, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost and was born of a Virgin Mother, who was herself of the race of Israel and of the House of David!
What the Sun Clad Woman Represents
Now, to summarize what we have said thus far, we are ready to say that the woman of Revelation 12:1-2, was clothed with the Sun, with the Moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve Stars, who travailed in birth and pained to be delivered, was none other than Israel, through whom Christ, who is the Son of God, and the Messiah of Israel, came nearly two thousand years ago!
We may say also that the Moon under her feet represents the glory of the Old Covenant, while the Sun with which she was clothed, reflects the glory of the New Covenant, which God has promised He will make with Israel, and we may assume, without fear of contradiction that the Twelve Stars upon her head, with which she was crowned represent the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
Another Wonder in Heaven
Now, let us give attention to what is stated in Revelation 12:3-4, where it says,
“And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his head. And his tail drew the third part of the Stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the women which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”
Satan
I think that no one will question here but what the Red Dragon refers primarily to Satan, who as we know opposed and sought to hinder the birth of the Christ Child. We know also that when Christ was born, Satan sought to have Him destroyed. The fact that he is here described as the Red Dragon indicates his ferocity. A Reason for Satan’s Hatred
You will recall that in Genesis 3:15, God said to the serpent, that is to Satan, as represented by the serpent,
“I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.”
It is no wonder, therefore, that Satan hated the seed of the woman, and that he made every effort to hinder the birth of the Christ Child, and thereby tried to thwart the purposes of God in redemption, for the virgin born man, according to the prophecy, was to be the world’s redeemer, and the ONE who would bruise the serpent’s head.
Satan Tried to Hinder the Birth of Christ
Satan first sought to make the birth of the Redeemer impossible by bringing about a state of moral corruption, which necessitated the destruction of almost the entire human race, under the judgment of the flood!
As we know, he also hindered the birth of Isaac, who was the promised seed, until both Abraham and Sarah were old, and if it had not have been for the divine intervention of God, Isaac would never have been born.
Other instances could be referred to such as the murder of the royal family by Athaliah, when only Joash of the royal family was saved by being hid in the house of the Lord for six years.
Later, Satan brought about a curse upon Jehoiachim of the royal line! And last of all, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, he so moved upon the art of Herod, that he sent forth and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coats thereof, from two years old and under.
Thus we see the age long enmity of the Dragon against the promised seed of the woman, and how he sought to destroy the seed of the woman, i. e., the Christ Child, as soon as He was born. Of Political Significance
Now the fact that the Dragon is described here as having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his head, places a political significance also upon this passage.
One writer speaking on this subject says, “His seven heads here crowned signify the seven Empires that he energized to destroy the people of Israel and so prevent the birth of the Messiah. These Empires are Egypt, Syria, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. These powers in turn-notably the Egyptian and the Persian- almost succeeded in annihilating the Hebrew people. The Ten Horns represent the ten kings of chapter Revelation 17:3; Revelation 17:7; Revelation 17:12; Revelation 17:16, and chapter Revelation 13:1.”
Stars: Angels
It is evident from what is stated in verse 4 that in his effort to destroy the promised seed, Satan has not only employed human government, as an instrument to accomplish his purpose, but that he seduced Angels also, to help him for it says, “His tail drew the third part of the Stars of heaven and did cast them to the earth.”
This statement merely reveals what will happen, because in verse Revelation 12:9 we learn that Satan will be cast out of heaven into the earth, and that his angels will be cast out with him.
Now, let us read what is written in verses Revelation 12:5-6, where it says,
“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, and the woman fled into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days.” The Man Child Was Christ
Now in our discussion thus far, we have labored exceedingly to show that the woman clothed with the Sun, with the moon under her feet, and with a crown of twelve stars upon her head, was National Israel and that the man child which she brought forth was none other than Christ, the Son of God and the Messiah of Israel, whose destiny is to rule the nations.
But these facts which we have stated concerning the birth of Christ are a matter of history, while the Book we are studying is declared to be a Book of prophecy. How then are we to apply what is stated here in any way to the future.
The prophetic significance is this, i. e. that Christ is the head of the Church, and the Church which is now being called out from among Jews and Gentiles, is declared to be the Body of Christ, and “the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.” The Mystical Body of Christ
Taking into account therefore, the Church, which is the mystical Body of Christ, and the fact that Christ is the head of the Church, the Body of Christ will not be complete until the Church is resurrected or changed while living, and is caught up to be with Christ, as stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
The resurrection and rapture of the Church, when she will be caught up to be with Christ, is still future. Historically speaking, Christ was caught up unto God and to His Throne nearly two thousand years ago, when He ascended from Mt. Olivet into heaven, as stated in Acts the 1st chapter!
But the time is not far distant when the Church, which is the mystical body of Christ, will also be caught up unto God, and to His Throne, to be joined to Christ, who is the head of the Church.
Therefore, it is the resurrection and rapture and the ascension of the Church that are in the foreview in our lesson text. This is still a future event, and just as Satan, the Old Dragon, stood ready to devour the Christ Child when He was born nearly two thousand years ago, just so will he stand ready, with all of the powers at His command, including the angels of heaven who follow him, and men upon earth who will obey his commands, to hinder the resurrection and the rapture of the Saints of God to heaven, who constitute the mystical body of Christ.
Satan Knows His reason for doing this will be because he knows that the Church, which is the Body of Christ, is destined with Christ to rule all nations with a rod of iron.
This is indicated in the promise which Christ gave in His message to the Church at Thyatira, where He said, “that which ye have already hold fast till I come, and He that overcometh, and keepeth my works until the end, to will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.”
For this reason Satan will hate the Church and will do everything within his power to hinder the resurrection and the ascension of the saints who belong to the Body of Christ. The Wilderness a Place of Refuge The sixth verse (Revelation 12:6) of our lesson text says, “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days.”
This merely states what Israel will do immediately after resurrection and rapture of the Church! Just as soon as the Church is gone, Children of Israel will flee into wilderness where they will be protected by the Lord for a thousand two hundred and three score days, or three and half years, which will be the exact period of the Great Tribulation. We shall have more to say about this in our next lesson.
~ end of lecture 36 ~