Lesson 45 — Sun-Clothed Woman, Manchild, Dragon, Beast, and False Prophet

1. 1 SUN-CLOTHED WOMAN, MANCHILD, DRAGON, BEAST, AND FALSE PROPHET

SUN-CLOTHED WOMAN, MANCHILD, DRAGON, BEAST, AND FALSE PROPHET

(Rev. 12–13)

In these passages a complete revelation of the woman, as to her identification, motherhood, persecution, flight and protection, is given. These subjects in conjunction with other scriptures will now be taken up in their logical order.

The symbol of the sun-clothed woman was seen in Heaven by John but what is symbolized by the woman is in the Earth, as is proven by the following:

1. The manchild will be caught up to Heaven at its deliverance and such could not be true if the woman giving birth to the manchild were in Heaven Revelation 12:5.

2. The woman will flee into the wilderness, which is on Earth Revelation 12:6.

3. When the dragon is cast down to the Earth he will persecute the woman Revelation 12:13.

4. The Earth will help the woman by swallowing the flood cast out of the dragon’s mouth to devour her. This could not be said of her if she were in Heaven Revelation 12:15, 16.

The woman is a symbol and we must deal with her as a symbol and clearly differentiate between her and the thing she symbolizes. There is always, unless stated or clearly implied otherwise, only one central truth conveyed by a symbol and the details are not to be stressed. When details are given any attention at all they must harmonize with the main truth conveyed. This will eliminate all speculation on different parts of the symbol which are not explained anywhere and therefore have no particular meaning separate from the main idea. That the woman could not be a symbol of the Virgin Mary, the Church, or Christendom we shall see in the four theories on the manchild in Point II, below.

We firmly believe that this woman symbolizes National Israel. By this term we mean all the Israelites who will be in Palestine during the Seventieth Week and who will form the nation at that time Zechariah 9:10-16Zechariah 12:4-14Zechariah 13:8, 9Zechariah 14:1-21Matthew 24:15-26Daniel 9:27. The Jews in all other lands will remain where they are today and will not be gathered back to their land until the second advent Isaiah 11:11, 12Ezekiel 37:1-28Matthew 24:31. The reasons why the woman symbolizes National Israel are:

1. Israel is often mentioned in the Old Testament as a married woman Isaiah 54:1-6Jeremiah 3:1-14. The purpose of the whole book of Hosea is to show the marriage of Israel and God, Israel’s backsliding in playing the whore and leaving God, her future humiliation and brokenness in the wilderness and her return to her husband Hosea 2:14-23Acts 15:13-18.

2. The Bible recognizes only three classes of people in the world today: the Church, the Jews, and the Gentiles 1 Corinthians 10:32. At the time this woman travails, in the middle of the Week, the Church will have been removed from the Earth leaving only the last two classes, as proven in Lessons Forty-three and Forty-four.

3. If the sun, moon, and twelve stars mean anything, they can only symbolize the same as seen in the dream of Joseph in Gen. 37:9-11, namely, the twelve tribal heads and their parents.

4. Israel is the only one dealt with in Scripture that could fulfill the statement concerning the woman, as is clear from the following studies:

In this passage “travail” is used in a figurative sense, for the woman is a symbol, and therefore, cannot travail literally. The travails of Israel have been numerous in her past history, as is clearly revealed in her bondages and deliverances, which began with Israel in Egypt and in the period of the judges and kings, as we have listed in Lesson Seventeen, Point II. They have continued, more or less, and will finally culminate in the worst period of travail she has ever known Daniel 12:1Matthew 24:15-26. Such passages as Exod. 18:8; Jer. 4:31; 6:24; 13:21; 22:22, 24; Mic. 4:9, 10 record some of the travails of Israel in the past. There is to be a future continued travail of Israel in the Tribulation Week with a two-fold result:

A. The deliverance of the manchild in the middle of the Week Revelation 12:2-5Jeremiah 30:6-9Daniel 12:1Isaiah 66:7, 8. This will be the result of the terrible anguish and sorrow of Israel in the middle of the Week, because the Antichrist (with whom she has made a seven-years covenant as a guarantee of her protection from the great whore and the ten kings of Revised Rome) will have broken this covenant and determined to completely destroy her. At this time of travail, the manchild is to be delivered because that company of Jews symbolized by the manchild is not to go through the great tribulation, which will immediately follow.

B. The deliverance of the woman herself at the end of the Week when the Antichrist, along with many nations, tries to destroy Israel Isaiah 66:7, 8Micah 5:3Zechariah 12:10–14Joel 3:21. The result of this travail will be the conversion of Israel as a nation in one day when Christ comes to defeat the Antichrist, exalt Israel, and set up His kingdom Romans 11:26, 27Revelation 19:11–202 Thessalonians 1:7-10.

The result of the war in Heaven will be the casting out of Satan and his angels to the Earth. “When the dragon saw [actually realized] that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman, which brought forth the manchild.” The dragon’s first move will be to destroy the manchild “as soon as it was born” Revelation 12:4. Having failed in this because of the catching up of the manchild, he will then turn on the woman who brought forth the manchild and will bitterly persecute her by causing the Antichrist to break his covenant with Israel. The dragon will give his “power throne and great authority” to the Antichrist Revelation 13:1, 2 and they together will make war on Israel. This persecution of Israel by the Antichrist is often referred to by the prophets Isaiah 10:20-27Isaiah 14:1-27Jeremiah 30:3-9Daniel 7:21-27Daniel 8:23-25Daniel 9:27Daniel 11:40-45Micah 5:3-15. The Jews will realize that the only way of escape is to flee into some country that is not under the control of the Antichrist Matthew 24:15-24Daniel 11:40-45. This persecution will therefore cause Israel to flee into the wilderness. She will be aided by God in her flight as symbolized by the “two wings of an eagle,” which will be given her “that she might fly into the wilderness into her place where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time from the face of the serpent” Revelation 12:14Deuteronomy 32:11, 12.

When the dragon learns that the woman is fleeing he will cast out of his mouth water “as a flood” to swallow the woman, but the Earth will help her and open its mouth and swallow the flood, thus permitting the woman to escape the dragon. Now a symbolic dragon cannot cast out of his mouth a literal flood nor can a symbolic flood be swallowed up by a literal Earth. The dragon is symbolic of Satan Revelation 12:9, the woman of Israel, and the flood of the armies of the dragon and of the Antichrist, who will pursue after the fleeing Israelites to destroy them. The Earth will open its mouth and swallow these armies as it did the company in Num. 16:29-35. Armies are often symbolized by floods Jeremiah 46:7, 8Jeremiah 47:2, 3Daniel 9:26, 27Daniel 11:21, 26.

There are many other prophecies in the Bible concerning the persecution, flight, and protection of the woman during the last 3½ years of the Week, which we shall now consider briefly as follows:

A. In Isaiah. “Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion . . . For it shall be, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon . . . hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth . . . Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land . . . And in mercy shall the throne be established; and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness” Isaiah 16:1-5.

This is the first prophecy of importance concerning the flight of the woman. It names the very place to which she will flee. It is the rock-hewn city of Sela, or Petra, as it was called by the Romans. It is in Mount Seir, near Mount Hor, in the land of Edom and Moab. This prophecy states that the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon (which is a little stream at the north border of Moab) to welcome the Israelites as they flee into this wilderness city and country.

The city, Petra, is located in Edom proper, but the prophet speaks of Moab as also being the protector of Israel at that time. This country forms part of the great wilderness mentioned so often in Scripture where Israel wandered for forty years. Petra was a commercial center in the days of Solomon and was taken by Amaziah, king of Judah 2 Kings 14:7. It is mentioned several times as “the rock” because Sela means “rock” or “stronghold” Judges 1:36Isaiah 42:11Jeremiah 48:28Jeremiah 49:16. In the first and last reference, the Revised Version translates it “Sela.” It is also called “Bozrah” Amos 1:12Isaiah 34:5, 6Isaiah 63:1-5Jeremiah 48:24Jeremiah 49:13, 22. The ancients gave it the name of “Bozrah of the rock.” In 105 a.d. the Romans conquered this country and called it Arabia-Petra. When the dominion of the Roman Empire waned, this territory fell back into the hands of the Arabians and was completely lost to the civilized world in the seventh century. Burckhardt rediscovered it in 1812.

The city of Petra lies in a large valley and is reached only by one narrow passageway, which is so narrow at places that two people cannot ride abreast. The sides at the top of this passage are so close to each other as to shut out the light of the sun. The mountains that form a great protecting wall for the city on all sides are from 200 to 1,000 feet high. The sides of this canyon are lined with temples, houses, and tombs, all hewn out of rock with great skill and they look as fresh as if they had been cut yesterday. A better idea may be had of the magnitude of the work that was done from the size of the temple, which has accommodation for 3,000 people. Tradition says that Paul visited this city when he went into Arabia Galatians 1:17. (See National Geographic magazine of Feb. 1935 for interesting pictures in detail of this rock-hewn city.)

Isaiah 26:20, 21 also shows that this will be the place prepared by God to feed Israel for the 1,260 days: “Come, my people Israel, enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a moment [3½ years] until the indignation [great tribulation] be overpast.” The setting of this passage is positively identified as being fulfilled in the last days for the next verse states, “The Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.”

Isaiah again predicts that Israel will be hiding in Edom when Christ comes, “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. . . Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? . . . I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment . . . For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come . . . And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me . . . And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in mine fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth” Isaiah 63:1-6. Here is a vivid picture of Christ coming to Earth to destroy the nations at Armageddon, which answers the questions asked in the first part of this passage. In His coming to Earth Christ will pass over Petra, descending from the east Matthew 24:27, and the Jewish fugitives who are hiding in Moab and Edom will see Him coming in clouds of Heaven with power and great glory Matthew 24:15-31. Then will the words of Isa. 42:11-13 be fulfilled, “Let the wilderness and the cities lift up their voice . . . let the inhabitants of the rock [Sela] sing, let them shout in the top of the mountains . . . The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man . . . He shall cry like a man of war . . . He shall prevail against His enemies.” These passages, with Joel 3; Zech. 9:1–14:21; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; Rev. 14:14-20; 19:11-21, picture Armageddon when Christ delivers Israel from the Antichrist.

B. In the Psalms. “Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia triumph thou because of me . . . Who will bring me into the strong city? Who will lead me into Edom? . . . Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? And thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies? . . . Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man . . . Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies.” Psalms 60:8-12. This predicts the preservation of these countries from the Antichrist and God’s protection of Israel in her flight from Judea into the wilderness when Antichrist breaks his covenant with her and seizes Palestine Matthew 24:15-21Daniel 11:40-45.

C. In Ezekiel. “As I live, saith one Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: . . . And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out . . . And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God . . . And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: . . . And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord” Ezekiel 20:33-38. This passage records another prophecy that God will bring Israel back from the nations in the last days and then will bring her “into the wilderness of the people, and there I will plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt.”

God will send the two witnesses with power to do miracles and to bring Israel back to God and to literally fulfill this passage in pleading with Israel like God pleaded with them through the first two prophets—Moses and Aaron, in their first wilderness experience Revelation 11:3-13Malachi 4:4-5. At the time of the flight of Israel the two witnesses will appear and do miracles in protecting them from the devil and Antichrist, and they will lead Israel into Petra and bring them back to their God. Thus, when Christ appears over Edom in His descent to the Earth Israel will look upon Him whom they have pierced and they will say. “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” Matthew 23:37-39Revelation 1:7

D. In Daniel. “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south [Egypt] push at him [Syria] and the king of the north [Syria] shall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over . . . He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many [not all] countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chiefs of the children of Ammon . . . He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape” Daniel 11:36-45. This reveals that at the time of the conquests of Syria under the Antichrist “many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom and Moab, and chief of the children of Ammon.” If Edom and Moab are to escape out of his hand this seems to be the only nearby place where the Israelites in Judea can flee during the great tribulation. God will reserve these countries from Antichrist to use them as a place of refuge for His people, and to show further the “place prepared of God, that they [these countries] should feed her there” for 3½ years. This shows that the feeding is not necessarily supernatural, but that the inhabitants of the wilderness no doubt will feed Israel.

E. In Hosea. “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness. and speak comfortably unto her . . . And I will give her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt . . . And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baal” Hosea 2:14-23. This speaks of the wilderness to which Israel will flee for protection from the Antichrist at which time God redeems Israel and marries her forever.

F. In Matthew. “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:). . . Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: . . . let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: . . . Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes . . . And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! . . . But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: . . . For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time no, nor ever shall be . . . and except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” Matthew 24:15-22. Jesus predicted that at the time the abomination of desolation is set up, that is, when the Antichrist breaks his seven-years covenant with Israel and does away with their daily sacrifices to God in their temple and sets himself and his image in the Holy of Holies to be worshipped during the last half of the Week, that the Jews “in Judea” will flee into the mountains and “there shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” Matthew 24:15-22Daniel 9:272 Thessalonians 2:1-3Revelation 13:1-18.

Thus we have many passages speaking of the persecution, flight and protection of the woman in the wilderness. They all refer to Israel, not to the Church, Christendom, or the Gentiles, as is clear in each passage. Where in Scripture do we find one passage that speaks of the Church or any tribe or nation other than Israel going into the wilderness? Therefore, we conclude that National Israel is the one symbolized by the sun-clothed woman of Rev. 12.

II. The Manchild—Various Interpretations

We shall discuss only briefly the various interpretations of the manchild of Rev. 12:5. This is another symbol and must be treated as such. The following are four theories of the manchild and the reasons why they could not possibly be the idea of the symbol.

1. 1 The Manchild as Christ

It is believed by some that the manchild is Christ because He came from Israel according to the flesh Romans 9:4, 5, because He will rule the nations with a rod of iron Revelation 19:15, because He was translated to God Ephesians 1:20, and because He is called a man 2 Timothy 2:5.

This argument is too general and proves nothing, for every Jew came from Israel according to the flesh. Upon this basis any one son of Israel could be taken as the manchild. The expression “rod of iron” means authority over the nations, and in this sense every raptured saint will have such authority with Christ, as is proven by the following Scriptures in both Testaments.

(1) The Old Testament saints will reign with Christ Psalms 149:6-9Daniel 7:18, 27Matthew 9:11, 12Jeremiah 30:9Ezekiel 34:24Ezekiel 37:24, 25Hosea 3:5.

(2) The Church saints will reign with Christ Matthew 19:28Matthew 20:20-28Romans 8:171 Corinthians 4:81 Corinthians 6:22 Timothy 2:12Revelation 1:5, 6Revelation 2:26, 27.

(3) The 144,000 Jews will reign with Christ Revelation 7:1-8Revelation 12:5Revelation 14:1-5Psalms 149:6-9Daniel 7:18, 27.

(4) The tribulation saints and all who have part in the first resurrection will reign with Christ Revelation 20:4-6.

Therefore, in view of the fact that all saints of all ages will reign with Christ, we conclude that the phrase “rod of iron” in Rev. 12:5 does not prove that Christ is the manchild any more than it could be used to prove that any one of the above-mentioned four companies of the redeemed is the manchild. All these saints will not have the same degree of rule, nor will it depend on whether they are in a certain company that they will rule, but all will be given authority in proportion to their degree of faithfulness in the service rendered here on Earth. That will be determined at the judgement seat of Christ Luke 19:11-27Matthew 16:27Romans 14:101 Corinthians 3:11-162 Corinthians 5:10, 11.

The translation of Christ is no definite proof that Christ is the manchild. The angel is not showing John the historical ascension of Christ, which he saw with his own eyes about sixty years previously, but a prophecy that will be fulfilled in the middle of the Week as revealed here, as proven in Lesson Forty-one, Point II. All raptured saints will be caught up to God and His throne 1 Thessalonians 2:191 Thessalonians 3:131 Thessalonians 4:13-181 Thessalonians 5:23Revelation 3:21Revelation 4:4Revelation 7:9-17Revelation 14:1-5Revelation 19:1-10.

That Christ is called a man does not prove that Christ is the manchild, for others are also called men in Scripture. The Church is called a man Ephesians 2:15Ephesians 4:13. Hence, we see that all these arguments are too general and cannot be used as proof that Christ, any other individual, or group of individuals, is symbolized by the manchild.

This theory destroys the plain consecutive order of the book of Revelation, disregards the natural divisions, and inserts historical events in this plain prophecy. If this theory is true, it would make necessary the fulfillment of all of Rev. 1:1–12:4 before the ascension of Christ. Surely it has been proven incontrovertibly that we are dealing with things in the middle of the Week and that all of Rev. 4-22 takes place after the Church Age. The plain statements concerning the woman and manchild could not possibly be harmonized with the events in the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary. Therefore, we conclude that this theory that Christ is the manchild is out of harmony with the thought intended in the “prophecy” and has no part in the “things which must shortly come to pass.”

1. 1 The Manchild as the True Church

(1) It is believed by some that the Church is the manchild, and the professing Christians are the woman. It is taught that the Church will be caught up out of the mass of professing Christians who will be left here to go into the wilderness, because the majority in Christendom will not be in the Church, and therefore will not be ready to go up in the rapture.

This argument is no proof that the Church is symbolized by the manchild and the mass of professing Christians. Then, too, there is no statement or indication to this effect in Scripture. Otherwise it would have been given by this school. Neither does such an argument prove that the Church is caught up in the middle of the Week. We have already proven in Lessons Forty-three and Forty-four that the Church will be raptured before the Week in Rev. 4:1. This being true, the Church cannot be caught up in the middle of the Week, as will the manchild. This theory, like the one about Christ mentioned above, is out of harmony with plain revelation concerning the woman and manchild.

(2) It is further believed that the sun with which the woman is clothed means the righteousness of Christ, that the moon symbolizes the Jewish ordinances superseded by the teachings of Christ, and that the twelve stars in her crown represent the twelve apostles.

This is also without scriptural foundation and really contradicts their own arguments in Point 2, (1), above, for the woman cannot be the mass of professing Christians who are not ready to meet Christ or go up in the rapture and still be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. If the professing Christians were clothed with the righteousness of Christ, they would be Christ’s, and if they were His, they would go in the rapture along with all other Christians 1 Corinthians 15:20-231 Thessalonians 4:16. Instead of clothing professing Christians with His righteousness, Christ condemns such to eternal damnation Revelation 3:14-17Galatians 5:19-21Galatians 6:7-8Romans 8:12-13.

On the same grounds, the twelve stars cannot represent the twelve apostles, for they are the foundation of the true Church and are not in the crowd of backslidden professing Christians Ephesians 2:19-22. Such a theory would have us believe that Christ and the apostles sanctioned hypocrisy and a mere profession of the gospel, but such sanction they never gave. God will never protect a body of professing Christians who trample His Word under their feet any more than He will others who admit that they are sinners. It is absurd to believe that He would do this and at the same time allow the godly tribulation saints to suffer martyrdom without such protection and care. However, in the case of Israel, God has sworn to protect her in the same manner that He is to protect this woman, as we have seen. God, to fulfill His covenants with their fathers, is obligated to protect Israel and bring her back to Himself. The primary purpose of the Tribulation is to accomplish this.

(3) It is argued that Christendom will travail in the middle of the Week because or the persecution of Christians by the Antichrist. This argument cannot be used of Christians, for in no passage do we find any statement that Christendom will travail in the middle of the Week or at any other time. If the woman symbolizes the mass of professing Christians, she does not have real salvation, or she would be raptured. People must have real salvation if they undergo any serious persecution. This need not be the case with Israel, for the Jews are to be persecuted in fulfillment of prophecy. They cannot escape the persecutions by denying some faith as will be possible with Christians during the Seventieth Week, for they will be persecuted because of nationality regardless of their religion.

(4) Some think that the manchild is the Church because the seventh trumpet Revelation 11:14–13, according to their belief, is the same as the “last trump” which is blown at the rapture of the Church 1 Corinthians 15:51-581 Thessalonians 4:13-18. This association of the seventh trumpet with the “trump of God” does not prove that the Church is the manchild. There are many points of contrast between these trumpets as has been proven in Lesson Forty-three, Point I, 2. Even after this seventh, or so-called “last trump” takes place there will be others sounded in the Tribulation Isaiah 27:12, 13Zephaniah 1:16-18Zechariah 9:14, 15Matthew 24:31. In conclusion therefore, it is clear that the Church cannot be symbolized by the manchild, or Christendom by the woman.

1. 1 The Bride Part of the Church as the Manchild

This theory teaches that the manchild represents the bride part of the Church, and that the bride of Christ is not to be the Church, but merely a select company of believers, known better as full overcomers, who are outside of the Church. This theory resolves itself into two questions:

(1) Are the body of Christ and the Church the same? According to this theory they are not the same. However, three definite passages prove that they are the same Ephesians 1:22, 23Colossians 1:18, 24. These passages state that the body of Christ and the Church are the same. There is no plain passage that teaches a difference between the Church and a bride part of the Church. No Scripture ever mentions a difference between the body of Christ and the Church.

(2) Are there two classes of people in the Church, partial overcomers as the Church and full overcomers as the bride part of the Church? This theory teaches that there are two classes of people, and attempts to create within the Church two groups of believers, those who partially live in sin and those who do not, those who partially overcome and those who fully overcome. This class of interpreters uses the seven promises that are made to the overcomer in Rev. 2 and 3, and claim that the full overcomers form the bride who will receive rewards and reign with Christ, and that the partial overcomers are to be finally saved but have no part in Christ’s reign. Let us examine the New Testament books to determine whether there are two groups in the Church or not.

A. Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, leaves no doubt as to whether or not they form a part of the body of Christ, saying, “For as the body is one [not two parts] and hath many members, and all the members of the one body, being many, are one body . . . by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.” If the body is not one then we might say that the Spirit is not one. If we can misconstrue such plain language and divide the one body, we can also divide the one Spirit on the same grounds, for the same terms are used of both. Paul continues, “Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular. And God hath set some in the Church, first apostles, . . .” 1 Corinthians 12:12-28. This passage, at least, does not advance the above theory that there are two parts of the body of Christ.

The truth in all Scripture is that only those that are saved and ready to meet God are a part of the body of Christ. In this connection, there are many passages which teach that there is only one class of people in the Church and that these are the ones who overcome sin and live a holy life. There cannot be two classes of such people. Every Christian is an overcomer, and not one born-again Christian does not overcome, as is amply proven in 1 Jn. 3:8; Rom. 6:16-23; 8:12-13; Gal. 5:17-21; 6:7, 8; Heb. 12:14; Mt. 7:21-23; etc. (See Lesson Twenty-three, Point III, 7, 13, and Lesson Thirty-four.)

These passages clearly state that one is either righteous or unrighteous, saved or lost, holy or unholy, consecrated or unconsecrated. There are no half-breeds in the body of Christ. Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters.” If there were such a thing as living a partial life for God and part for the devil, He would not have made this statement. If there were different degrees of overcoming in the sense the above theory teaches, surely we should have some passage confirming it. If we hold any other standard than “without holiness no man can see the Lord” Hebrews 12:14, to what degree must one overcome in order to be in the rapture? Who is to set the standard and tell whether one is overcoming sufficiently or not? Not one passage holds any promise to those who do not overcome, and, on the contrary, there are numerous rebukes to people for their sins, showing that “they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God,” Galatians 5:17-21Galatians 6:7, 8Romans 8:12-13Revelation 3:15-19.

Paul further likens the Church to a human body with many members 1 Corinthians 12:12-28. It is just as unreasonable and unscriptural to argue that there are two kinds of parts to a human body, and that some members are not in the body because they are not as perfect or mature as some of the others, as to use this same line of reasoning about the Church. It is not a question as to the degree of overcoming according to human standards, it is a question of whether one is walking in all the light he has and is in Christ 2 Corinthians 5:171 John 1:7. Every member does not have the same function and therefore all do not have the same problems to overcome.

B. In Ephesians the Church as a whole is viewed as the body of Christ and this is what Christ is to present to Himself—the entire Church, not just a part of it Ephesians 1:22, 23Ephesians 5:26, 27. In this letter, as always, Paul uses plural words such as “us,” “we,” and “all” in stating truths about the Church, which is one. He speaks of the Ephesians as being “fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God . . . in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth into an holy temple in the Lord” Ephesians 2:19-22, “To make in himself of twain [Jew and Gentile] one new man” Ephesians 2:15Ephesians 3:6. “There is one body, and one Spirit . . . one hope . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” Ephesians 4:4-6. Paul speaks of the ministry being given “for the perfecting of the saints [not a part of them] . . . Till we all come to the unity of the faith . . . unto a perfect man [not one perfect part and one imperfect part] . . . from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” Ephesians 4:7-16. Those who belong to this body are those who are “created in righteousness and true holiness” and have put off the sins of the flesh Ephesians 4:17-32.

Continuing this subject, Paul compares the relation of Christ and the Church to that of a man and wife. “For the husband is the head of the wife [one wife, not of one part of her] even as Christ is the head of the church and he is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 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. . . . I speak concerning Christ and the church.” Christ gave Himself to cleanse every man and if any individual fails to yield to the cleansing process and live in Christ “he is none of his” Romans 8:9Galatians 5:242 Corinthians 5:17, and therefore not a member of the Church. A study of other epistles reveals the same truths. However, the statements above should be sufficient to show that the Church and body of Christ are the same and that the whole Church will be presented to Christ and not just a select few in the Church.

Arguments of this kind are largely based on Old Testament examples of the marriages of some historical characters, which are used as types of Christ and the Church, or on the details of parables that have nothing to do with the subject. Such arguments are not sufficient. Therefore, we conclude that the Church and the body are the same and that there is no such thing as a bride part of the Church, or two classes of saved men in Christ, nor is the Church the manchild. The truth is that not even the whole Church is the bride of Christ, for it is a city, the New Jerusalem, and not the Church according to Rev. 21:2, 9-10, as we shall see in Lesson Fifty-two.

1. 1 The Holy Spirit Baptized People as the Manchild

According to this theory it is claimed that the manchild represents only those Christians who have received the baptism of the Spirit, and that all other Christians compose the woman and the remnant who are left after the rapture to go through the Tribulation. The school supporting this theory uses the parable of the ten virgins and 1 Cor. 12:12, 13 in trying to support their position. Let us examine what they offer as proof.

This passage, 1 Cor. 12:12, 13, does not and could not teach the baptism in the Holy Spirit but a baptism in the body of Christ. It shows just how the body is constituted. It is the particular work of the Spirit to bring the individual into the body of Christ John 3:3-8John 16:7-11Romans 8:1-4, 91 Corinthians 6:111 Corinthians 12:12, 13Ephesians 2:18Ephesians 4:4, while it is the special work of Christ to baptize the members of that body into the Spirit Matthew 3:11Mark 1:7, 8Luke 3:16John 1:33John 7:37, 38Acts 1:5-8Acts 2:1-4Acts 8:15-19Acts 9:17Acts 10:44-48Acts 11:15Acts 19:1-6. If 1 Cor. 12:12, 13 means the baptism in the Spirit, it would read, “For by Jesus are we all baptized into one Spirit,” but it reads “by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.” The baptism of the Spirit does not place one in the body of Christ, neither does it cleanse from sin, as we have seen in Lesson Thirty. One must be in the body before he can be baptized into the Spirit.

In 1 Cor. 12, 13, and 14 the subject is spiritual gifts or things concerning the Spirit, their meanings, manifestations, and operations in the body of Christ, as we have studied in Lesson Twenty-six. Hence, 1 Cor. 12:12, 13, as proven by the context, does not refer to the baptism into the Spirit by Jesus, but refers to the constitution of that body by the Spirit. We are baptized into the body of Christ by the Spirit in the sense of being immersed into Christ as a vital part of His body 1 Corinthians 12:12-28Romans 6:3-6Galatians 3:26-28Ephesians 2:14-22Ephesians 4:1-16Ephesians 5:30. Therefore, we may conclude that 1 Cor. 12:12, 13 does not prove that the manchild represents those who are baptized in the Holy Spirit. For a study of the ten virgins see Lesson Forty-four, which proves that the ten virgins do not refer to present Christians at all.

III. The Manchild—the True Interpretation

We believe that the manchild symbolizes the 144,000 Jews who are the “firstfruits” to God from Israel, after the rapture of all Jews of the Church and the Old Testament saints. The reasons for this belief are as follows:

1. 1 It has been conclusively proven that the woman represents Israel. Since this is true, it follows logically that Israel could not bring forth a company of Gentiles. She is sure to bring forth a company and this company naturally will be from those or her own nationality, the Jews. She could not bring forth an individual person. Only an individual could do that. Thus, the manchild could only represent a company of Jews out of Israel. The woman represents a company of Jews. The “remnant” is a company of Jews, so the manchild necessarily must represent a company of Jews in order to fulfill the plain statements of Rev. 12. This alone would exclude the theory that Christ is the manchild. There is no other company of Jews definitely mentioned in the fulfillment of Rev. 4-19 in Daniel’s Seventieth Week other than the 144,000. Then too, as the salvation and sealing of this company of Jews for protection through the trumpet judgments are the only ones described, it seems clear that these Jews are the ones to be caught up in the seventh trumpet as the manchild.

1. 1 We have also seen that the woman cannot be the spirit of Christendom, or the Church, and that the manchild cannot be the Church, overcomers out of the Church, or any Gentile Christians. Thus, by process of elimination, we have only one group of people left from which to draw the personnel of the manchild—the Jews. Therefore, what other company could be represented but the 144,000 Jews of Rev. 7 and 14? The manchild must be limited to one of the four companies of redeemed heavenly saints who are saved in the scope of redemption from Adam to the first resurrection, as enumerated in Point II, 1, above. These companies are saved, dispensationally, in the order in which we give them. When one company is complete then the gathering of the succeeding one begins.

1. 1 The manchild represents a company of living saints only, for the woman will travail and bring forth the complete manchild in the middle of the Week. She will not bring forth a partly dead and partly living child at this time. This seems clear from the very language of the chapter. The dragon will stand before the woman to devour her child as soon as it is born, but the child will be immediately “caught up to God and to his throne.”

How could the dragon kill the manchild if it were composed of dead, or even resurrected people? Such a thing is an impossibility and therefore proves that the manchild must represent living people only, who will be living in their natural bodies and who will have the possibility of being killed. This eliminates the Old Testament saints, the Church saints, and the Tribulation saints. The only remaining company of redeemed that has not been eliminated, and the only one composed entirely of living saints is the 144,000 Jews. They will be sealed to go through the first six trumpet judgments, and will be caught up under the seventh trumpet as the manchild. They are seen in Heaven throughout the last 3½ years so they must be raptured in the middle of the Week Revelation 14:1-5. By catching them up to his throne, God will supernaturally protect the manchild or 144,000 of Israel from the dragon and the Antichrist, when the latter breaks his covenant with Israel in the middle of the Week.

1. 1 An examination of Rev. 7 and 14 proves that the 144,000 of Israel is the manchild. The main facts in these chapters are:

(1) The companies in both chapters are the same because both companies are sealed in their foreheads Revelation 7:1-3Revelation 14:1, both are the same in number Revelation 7:4Revelation 14:1, and both have histories that are complete only when they are considered together. Chapters 7 and 14 of Revelation show the destiny, time of rapture, place or position in Heaven, and the occupation of the 144,000 Jews around the throne. There is nothing in these chapters or in any other Scripture that would lead us to believe that the 144,000 Jews of the two chapters are not the same; therefore, we naturally consider them the same.

(2) The destiny of the 144,000 Jews proves them to be the manchild Revelation 14:15. They will appear “before the throne” in Heaven and “before the four beasts and the elders” who are before the throne. It is expressly stated that they will be redeemed “from the earth” and “from among men.” Therefore, they cannot be earthly people who will go through the last 3½ years of tribulation, and who will form the nucleus around which the twelve tribes will be gathered in the Millennium. The fact that they will be in Heaven between the seventh trumpet and the first vial shows that they will have been raptured. Under these circumstances, if they are not raptured as the manchild in the middle of the Week, when would they be raptured? The three messenger angels immediately following this vision of the 144,000 in Heaven, will proclaim their particular messages from the middle of the Week onward Revelation 14:6-11, so it stands to reason that the vision will be fulfilled in the place it is given which is immediately after the manchild is caught up to God under the seventh trumpet, and before the vials and the ministry of the messenger angels.

(3) The time of the rapture of the 144,000 Jews shows them to be represented by the manchild. If the 144,000 are seen on Earth up to the middle of the Week, and in Heaven immediately after the seventh trumpet which blows in the middle of the Week, then they are sure to be raptured as the manchild in the middle of the Week. We have seen that the Old Testament and the Church saints will be caught up to Heaven before the Seventieth Week and that they will be with God in Heaven, represented by the elders. We have also seen that the Tribulation saints will be martyred principally after the rapture of the manchild, but not caught up until about the end of the Week. The only other place for the insertion of the rapture of the 144,000 is in Rev. 12:5. Therefore, the manchild must be the 144,000 who will be caught up under the seventh trumpet, for, immediately after this trumpet they will be seen in Heaven before God Revelation 14:1-5. In the circumstances, if the 144,000 are not to be raptured as the manchild, then how and when would it be possible for them to be raptured? Then too, where is the account of their rapture in the Bible? If the 144,000 are not the manchild, the history of the manchild is incomplete. Also if the catching up of the manchild is not the rapture of the 144,000, then mystery shrouds the rapture of the 144,000 as well as the destiny and position of the manchild around the throne. But when we once realize that the 144,000 and the manchild are the same, that John saw the 144,000 caught up to Heaven as the manchild in Rev. 12:5 and that the history of the manchild is completed in Rev. 14:1-5, all mysteries and questions cease to be.

(4) The place in which John saw the 144,000 further proves that they will be in Heaven before the second advent of Christ to Earth, and necessarily must be raptured before then. When, if not as the manchild? John appeared to see this company at two places; namely, on Mount Zion, and in Heaven before God. Some argue that this Mount Zion is the earthly one and that the whole scene Revelation 14:1-5 must be earthly, but we are convinced that Rev. 14:1 is heavenly, and refers to the heavenly Mount Zion because:

A. The rest of the verses refer to heavenly things. This cannot be disputed because the scenes in Heaven are pictured in such plain language. The throne, the living creatures, and elders all show a heavenly setting. The throne referred to here does not come down to Earth from Heaven until after the Millennium, and then it is on the heavenly Mount Zion and in the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:22Revelation 22:3-5. If these verses Revelation 14:2-5 picture heavenly things, then Rev. 14:1 does also.

B. The “Lamb” seen on Mount Zion with the 144,000 is never seen on Earth in the Revelation, but always in Heaven, as can be verified by the reader himself. When Christ comes to the Earth He will not be pictured as a lamb, but as a mighty conqueror taking vengeance on the ungodly Revelation 19:11-21.

C. All redeemed peoples who have part in the first resurrection will have their abode in the New Jerusalem, which is always spoken of in connection with heavenly, redeemed people Hebrews 11:10Hebrews 13:16John 14:1-6. Paul states in Heb.12:18-24 that there is a heavenly Mount Zion, so if Rev. 14:2-5 speaks of heavenly things, the Mount Zion of Rev. 14:1 must be the heavenly one.

D. The earthly tabernacle, candlestick, table of shewbread, holy places, Holy of Holies, Ark of the Covenant, cherubims, mercy seat, etc., were all patterned after “things in heaven” Hebrews 8:1-5Hebrews 9:1-5, 23. Is it unreasonable to believe that this Mount Zion is the heavenly one? Certainly the heavenly originals are just as real and literal as the earthly copies of things made from them. Moses was not the only one to see the heavenly originals, for John in the Revelation describes what he saw of them. They are enumerated as follows, but are studied in detail in Lesson Forty-one: the door to the heavenly tabernacle, throne, lamps, sea of glass, golden altar, golden censer, incense, temple, and Ark of the Covenant. Therefore, we conclude that the heavenly Mount Zion is the location of the temple of God in Heaven, as seen in Rev. 4:5; 11:19; 14:15, 17; 15:5-8; 16:1, 17; 21:2–22:7.

(5) The privileges of the 144,000 in Heaven show them to be a distinct company of redeemed from the Earth who will have part in the first resurrection. When, if not as the manchild? They will form one of the wonderful choirs of Heaven and sing a secret song that no man knows “but the hundred and forty and four thousand” Revelation 14:1-3. The thought is not that others will not understand the words of the song, but not having had the particular experience it will describe, they will not be able to sing its particular message. The song will be accompanied by harps and sung before the throne and all heavenly inhabitants, but, apart from this, we know nothing about it. This is the only mention made of a song and no reference is made to the words or the nature of it. It is to be a new song, by a new company and with a new theme, which further indicates that those who sing it are saved and translated as a living company after the rapture of the Church. They will have undergone the same trials, will have been protected from the same judgments, and will have been translated from the wrath of the dragon at the time that the woman travails, in the middle of the Week. Therefore, only the 144,000 will be able to sing this song.

It is further stated of the 144,000 that they will “follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.” This indicates their fellowship with Christ and the ability to follow Him anywhere in the universe as special “servants” of God and therefore they must become heavenly people in order to do this Revelation 7:3Revelation 14:1-5.

(6) The character of the 144,000 further shows them to be a special company of redeemed saints, saved and translated after the rapture of the Church, and before the dragon is cast out of Heaven, in the middle of the Week, for the first 3½ years is the only time they are seen on the Earth. Whenever they are seen after this, they are seen in Heaven before the throne of God. They “were not defiled with women: for they are virgins” Revelation 14:4. This has no reference to celibacy, but to the pollutions connected with the great religious system dominating the nations of Revised Rome during the first 3½ years, until the Antichrist rises to absolute power over the ten kings who together destroy Mystery Babylon in the middle of the Week Revelation 17:14-18. The 144,000 will not be a company of natural virgins, but having abstained from fornication of Mystery Babylon, will be recognized as pure virgins and chaste in the same sense as in 2 Cor. 11:2. They are not mentioned in connection with Antichrist or anything that he does in the last 3½ years, which seems to indicate that they will be translated before the Antichrist makes war on the saints.

“In their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” Revelation 14:5. This passage shows that the 144,000 must abide by the same rule of conduct to which the Church and all other redeemed have been subjected Ephesians 5:26, 27Philippians 4:8Colossians 3:5, 16. This verse Revelation 14:5 can be taken literally while Rev. 14:4 cannot possibly be taken so. This is true because Rev. 14:5 shows that the 144,000 have not been defiled with woman (indicating, if literal that the 144,000 were all men). On the other hand, Rev. 14:4 cannot be taken literally for this passage says the 144,000 are virgins (indicating, if literal, that they are women—Editor’s Note: The Greek word used in Rev. 14:4 for “virgin,” parthenos, means “a maiden” or “an unmarried daughter.”) Both meanings cannot be true. Hence, we take both passages to mean purity of life and conduct.

(7) The 144,000 are “firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” Revelation 14:14. This definitely proves their salvation and translation after the rapture of the Church. The “firstfruits” were always mentioned in connection with Israel in the Old Testament, speaking of the first gathering of the harvest, whether corn, wheat, or any other crop. Such “firstfruits” were offered to the Lord together with the tithes, as a recognition of earthly blessings from the hand of the Lord Numbers 15:20Numbers 18:12Nehemiah 10:35-37Proverbs 3:9, 10. In the New Testament the first converts are spoken of as “firstfruits” 1 Corinthians 16:15. James, in writing to the twelve tribes scattered abroad, says “that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures” James 1:1, 18. Christ is referred to as the “firstfruits” of the resurrection 1 Corinthians 15:20-23. From all these passages in both Testaments we gather that the “firstfruits” mean the first of the harvest gathered, or the first of mankind saved in any particular period. The 144,000 will be “firstfruits” and “of all the tribes of the children of Israel”; that is, the first Jews saved after the rapture of all Jews and Gentiles in Christ when the Church is caught up 1 Thessalonians 4:161 Corinthians 15:23.

Now the question arises as to how the 144,000 will be firstfruits to God from Israel. It has already been proven that they will be saved and sealed after the rapture of the Church and the Old Testament saints who will be caught up in Rev. 4:1, as we have already proven in Lesson Forty-three. It cannot be denied that they will be living Jews all sealed in their foreheads after the sixth seal and before the first trumpet in the first 3½ years as plainly stated in Rev. 7:1-8. If this is true, then they cannot be the firstfruits to God from Israel of the Old Testament period or of the Church saints of this age, for the first Jews saved in these companies died centuries before and will have been raptured at Christ’s coming in the air 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. These 144,000 will be the first Jews saved between the rapture and the first trumpet, after all saved Jews are caught up in the rapture of the Church. The awful wars, bloody persecutions, devastating famines and noisome pestilences in the first six seals, together with the closer knowledge of God and of the fulfillment of the rapture, will serve as powerful incentives in converting thousands of Jews and Gentiles. Hence the 144,000 Jews and the great multitude, which will be two different bodies of people, are seen in Rev. 7 between the sixth and seventh seals. The 144,000 will be sealed for protection through the trumpet judgments, and the great multitude will suffer martyrdom in the Tribulation.

If the manchild, which represents a company of Israelites, as is now clear, were to be raptured before the 144,000, which is a company of Israelites, then the manchild would be the “firstfruits” to God from Israel and not the 144,000. But such cannot be true, for it is the 144,000 who are firstfruits to God from Israel. This proves that the 144,000 are the ones symbolized by the manchild, for the manchild will be the first company raptured after the Church is raptured in Rev. 4:1. There is only one company of believers raptured after the Church, until the rapture of the Tribulation saints, which occurs about the end of the Tribulation, and that company is symbolized by the manchild. Therefore, as the manchild and the 144,000 are both Israelites, and there is but one rapture for both, and since they are both seen in Heaven before the throne immediately after the seventh trumpet, they must be identical.

The 144,000 will be the firstfruits to God from Israel whereas the real harvest of Israel will be at the end of the Tribulation when the nation is born at one time Isaiah 66:7, 8Romans 11:26, 27. Since the firstfruits of the harvest in the Old Testament belonged to God and were used at His discretion, so these firstfruits of all Israel are dedicated especially to God and His service. In the harvest of grain after the gathering of the firstfruits, what remained was left to sustain natural life. In this manner, God will leave the harvest of Israel as an earthly people to continue their own nation and to help replenish the Earth with natural people forever Isaiah 9:6, 7Luke 1:32-35.

Thus all the facts mentioned above concerning the 144,000 in Rev. 7 and 14 seem to prove unquestionably their oneness with the manchild. If they are to be caught up before the manchild they must be translated after the fifth and sixth trumpets, for they will still be on Earth and protected during their fulfillment Revelation 9:4. If they are not the same, then there are two translations and the first or 144,000 is not seen while the other is. The history of the 144,000 is resumed while the other is not. Thus mystery after mystery appears unless the 144,000 are recognized as the manchild.

1. 1 The 144,000 will be sealed for the purpose of being protected through the trumpet judgment only, for immediately after the seventh trumpet, which includes the last verse of Rev. 13, we see them in Heaven as in the first five years of Rev. 14. It was said to the first four trumpet angels, who are to hurt the Earth, trees, and seas, “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God [144,000 Jews] in their foreheads” Revelation 7:1-3. After the 144,000 are sealed the trumpets will begin. They will be immune from the first four plagues. They are not mentioned in connection with that time, but in the fifth trumpet, or first woe, a special directive is given to the demons of that woe not to hurt the 144,000 Revelation 9:4. This protection also plainly applies to the demons of the sixth trumpet, or second woe, which immediately follows. The way God will protect the 144,000 under the seventh trumpet or third woe, when Satan is cast out of Heaven, will be by translating them, thereby thwarting the dragon in his purpose of devouring the manchild “as it is born.” The dragon will be full of wrath because God will have protected them from the first six trumpet plagues so he will try to destroy them. But he will be defeated by God, who will translate the 144,000 to His throne. Then the dragon will turn on the woman who will have brought forth the manchild, but God will defeat him in all his machinations, as we have already seen. We find no mention of the 144,000 on Earth after the trumpet and after the catching up of the manchild. The very next view places them in Heaven Revelation 14:1-5. Therefore, they are the company symbolized by the manchild, who will be protected from the wrath of the dragon, Antichrist, and the vial plagues of the last 3½ years of the Week by being translated.

1. 1 It seems clear from the previous studies that the woman, manchild, and the remnant of the woman are all Jewish, and that these three are the only companies in Revelation that are Jewish. If this is true then the 144,000 must be one of the three companies since they are also Jewish. That the 144,000 are Jewish is clearly stated in Rev. 7:1-8; 14:1-5. Since they are Jewish and must be one of the three Jewish companies referred to by the woman, manchild, and remnant, which ones are they? They cannot be symbolized by the woman and they cannot be the remnant because of the following contrasts:

(1) The woman will be National Israel or all the Jews in Judea in the last days, while the 144,000 will form a group sealed out of Israel.

(2) The woman and the remnant will be earthly peoples, while the 144,000 will be heavenly.

(3) The woman and remnant will be in travail, while the 144,000 will not be.

(4) The woman will bring forth the manchild, while the 144,000 will not.

(5) A company will be taken out of the woman but not out of the 144,000, for they themselves are a company taken out of the woman.

(6) The woman will flee to the wilderness and the remnant will be left in Judea, while the 144,000 will be caught up to Heaven before the throne.

(7) The remnant will be left on Earth after the flight of the woman, while the 144,000 will be taken to Heaven as “firstfruits” of the woman before she flees. They will be the first of Israel to be translated to Heaven during this period.

(8) Neither is the number of the woman nor of the remnant given, while it is given in the case of the 144,000.

(9) Neither the woman nor the remnant will be sealed for protection, while the 144,000 will be Revelation 7:1-8Revelation 9:4.

Now, therefore, since the woman or the remnant cannot be the 144,000 or the manchild, the 144,000 and the manchild must be identical. The 144,000 form the only company that can possibly fill the requirements of the language of Rev. 12. The manchild represents a small company of Israelites out of all Israel. The 144,000 are a company from all Israel Revelation 7:3. The manchild is caught up to the throne Revelation 12:5 So are the 144,000 (Rev.14:1-5). The manchild is delivered from the dragon at the time of the travail of the woman Revelation 12:1-6. So are the 144,000 Revelation 14:1-5. The manchild is the object of the vengeance of the dragon Revelation 12:1-6. So are the 144,000, for otherwise they would not be protected by God from the demons Revelation 9:4. The manchild is not mentioned on Earth after the seventh trumpet; neither are the 144,000 Revelation 14:1-5. The manchild is to rule the nations Revelation 12:5. So are the 144,000 as well as all saints, as we have seen in Point II, 1, above. The manchild is a heavenly company Revelation 12:5. So are the 144,000 Revelation 14:1-5. The manchild is a baby in size compared to the woman Revelation 12:5. So are the 144,000 compared to all Israel Revelation 7:1-8. These and other correspondences prove that the manchild and the 144,000 are the same.

1. 1 Daniel also pictured the rapture of the manchild saying, “At that time [beginning of the great tribulation] shall Michael stand up [as in Rev. 12:7-12 when the manchild is delivered], the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people [Israel] and there shall be a time of trouble [3½ years of Dan. 12:7-13; Rev. 11:1-3; 12:5, 6, 14-16; 13:1-7], such as never was since there was a nation [Mt. 24:15-26; Jer. 30:7] even to that same time; and at that time [that Michael stands up to cast out Satan and deliver the manchild] thy people [Israel] shall be delivered [from Hebrew malat, meaning “to escape” or “to be rescued,” implying a translation of Israel], every one [144,000] that shall be found written in the book” Daniel 12:1. Such passages as Exod. 32:32, 33; Ps. 56:8; 69:28; Isa. 4:3; Ezek. 13:9; Lk. 10:20; Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:11-15 show that the reference in Dan. 12:1 refers to those found written in the Book of Life among Daniel’s people at the middle of the Week who will escape the great tribulation. Christ plainly reveals to John that there will be 144,000 written in the Book of Life at that time Revelation 7:1-8.

1. 1 In Isa. 66:7, 8 we have another definite passage showing that Israel is to bring forth a manchild before she herself is delivered at the end of the Week. This passage reads, “Before she [Israel] travailed [for her own deliverance at the end of the week, Zech. 12:10-14], she was delivered of a manchild” Isaiah 66:7. That the pain and travail of Israel here is the one which results in her own deliverance at the end of the Week is the one referred to is clear from verse 8, which reads, “Who hath heard such a thing? . . . shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.” But before this birth of a nation in one day “she brought forth a manchild” Isaiah 66:7-8. This is also made clear in Rom. 11:25-27. Who is the manchild that Israel is to bring forth before her own deliverance if not the 144,000 or “every one found written in the book” among Israel in the middle of the Week, as is referred to in the above passages in Dan. 12:1 and Rev. 7:1-8; 12:5; 14:1-5? The manchild in Isaiah must be the same as the one in Revelation, for both passages are fulfilled at the same time and concern the same class of people. Because both passages refer to Israel as a whole and to the manchild as being a smaller group out of Israel and because neither the woman nor the remnant of the woman can be the manchild, the only others left to make up the manchild are the 144,000 Jews out of Israel. Therefore, we conclude that the manchild referred to in Daniel, Isaiah, and Revelation is a symbol of the 144,000 Jews who are caught up to God as an heavenly people in the middle of the Week.

IV. The Dragon Revelation 12:1-17Revelation 13:1-4Revelation 16:13-16Revelation 20:1-10

The word “dragon” is used thirteen times and only in Revelation. It is a symbol of Satan, the chief adversary of God Revelation 12:9. This is the first time Satan is mentioned in Revelation. We must distinguish between the symbol and the thing symbolized, as in dealing with all other symbols. The “great red dragon” is a fit symbol of Satan in his role as the relentless persecutor and murderer of multitudes of unfortunate people John 8:44. In Job 41 and Isa. 27:1 he is portrayed as “leviathan, the piercing serpent . . . That crooked serpent . . . the dragon that is in the sea.”

The seven heads and ten horns symbolize the same seven world kingdoms as the seven heads and ten horns on the beast in Rev. 13:1-4; 17:1-18, as we shall see in Lessons Forty-seven and Forty-eight. The heads being crowned shows that Satan has reigned and will reign over these seven kingdoms until he gives his power to the Antichrist Revelation 13:1-7. He has tried to destroy Israel under the first six kingdoms and will try to do so under the seventh and eighth kingdoms of the future, but he will meet defeat by God as he has met it on all previous occasions.

The beast out of the sea will have his ten horns crowned, but not his seven heads. This shows that he has not existed through the length of the seven kingdoms symbolized by these seven heads. The beast will come out of the seventh head made up of the ten kingdoms and he will become the eighth kingdom which will fight against Christ at Armageddon.

This symbol, the dragon, is also seen in Heaven and is represented as drawing one-third of the stars from Heaven and casting them to the Earth. The stars have reference to the angels of God, and the casting down refers to one-third of God’s angels who fell with Satan as recorded in Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:11-17; Lk. 10:18. These “stars” are called “his angels” in Rev. 12:7-12. In the New Testament both men and angels are called stars Revelation 1:20Revelation 9:1Revelation 20:1-3.

The reference cannot be to literal stars, for they are generally larger than our Earth, hence the stars seen in the universe could not Fall to the Earth. The tail of the dragon pictures Lucifer’s power and influence in causing the angelic rebellion.

“The dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered [literally, “is about to bring forth,” showing that the manchild is delivered in the middle of the Week, and therefore, cannot possibly refer to the historical ascension of Christ], for to devour [same word as in Rev. 20:9 and “eat up” in Rev. 10:9, 10] her child as soon as it was born.” The dragon will try first to destroy the manchild before he turns on the woman. The following outlines briefly the actions of the dragon in Revelation after he is cast to the Earth at the rapture of the manchild.

The first thing he does is to join forces with the Antichrist and give him his power, throne, and great authority Revelation 13:1-4, and then they both will turn on the woman which brings forth the manchild. By this action Satan will continue his age-long animosity toward Israel. He will make war on her and she will flee into Edom and Moab with the armies of the dragon and the Antichrist pursuing her. God will intervene and the pursuing armies will be swallowed by the Earth. This will aggravate the dragon and he will come back to war with the remnant of her seed, or the remaining Jews who do not flee into the wilderness. But God will intervene again and stir up enemies in the north and east of the kingdoms of the old Roman Empire, who will keep Antichrist occupied in war for the last 3½ years. However, he will finally conquer them about the end of the Week and lead them against Jerusalem as he intended to do in the middle of the Week. Then he will suffer defeat at the hands of Christ who will come at the end of the Week to deliver Israel and set up His earthly kingdom. Satan will be in full cooperation with the Antichrist and back his every move in the destruction of men throughout the last 3½ years and at the end, will inspire the nations to fight against Christ Revelation 16:13-16. At Armageddon he will be taken and thrown into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years to deceive the nations no more until the thousand years are fulfilled. Then he is to be loosed for a little season to deceive the nations again, leading them in rebellion against God. He will try again to destroy the Holy City and the saints, but fire will come down out of Heaven and will devour his armies. He will then be taken and cast into the Lake of Fire where he will be tormented for ever and ever Revelation 20:1-10. This will end Satan’s career on Earth as the enemy of God and man.

The heavens are inhabited by multitudes of spirit-beings of different orders and kinds, as we have seen in Lesson Six and Rev. 12:12; 13:5. These beings are of three classes:

1. God’s subjects Hebrews 1:6-14Hebrews 2:5-9Revelation 12:7-12.

2. Satan’s angels who are loose with him Revelation 12:7-12.

3. Demons who are loose and working with Satan Matthew 12:24-26.

This war in Heaven will be the last desperate struggle between spirit-beings in the heavenlies for and against the majesty and kingdom of God. It will be the culmination of the struggle in Heaven between God and Satan. The first struggle began when Lucifer attempted to exalt his kingdom above the angels of God and dethrone God from His universal kingdom over all other kingdoms in the universe. In his rebellion against God and in his ascension into Heaven, above the clouds from the Earth Isaiah 14:12-14, he was cast out of Heaven back down to the ground and was dethroned. Although deprived of his kingdom and exalted position, he was not deprived of the power which was his by nature, for he still has great power in the heavenlies and over the Earth that was usurped from Adam Ephesians 2:2Ephesians 6:12John 12:31John 14:30John 16:11Matthew 4:1-11. He still has access to Heaven and accuses the saints before God day and night Job 1:6Job 2:1Revelation 12:10-12Zechariah 3:6.

Facts Concerning War in Heaven Revelation 12:7-12

1. There is to be a war in the middle of the Week Revelation 12:7.

2. The place of the war will be Heaven Revelation 12:7.

3. The combatants will be Michael, the archangel, in command of the angels of God, arrayed against Lucifer, the archangel, in command of his angels that fell with him when he sinned and was dethroned. How angels fight is not known, but surely this will be a real combat. How angels do all the many things that are listed in Lesson Six, Point 6, can only be explained from the fact that they are real personal beings capable of real combat as plainly taught in Scripture. They must be real or they could not fight and defeat each other as stated in the Bible. How spiritual beings can be bound in chains and be confined to the Earth and to material places in the Earth is clear when we see that they have bodies that are capable of such treatment.

With these facts in mind we can better understand the war between these two armies of angelic hosts which prevail, one against another. Michael, at the head of God’s army, is mentioned in Dan. 10:13; 12:1 and Jude 9 from which we must gather all information about him, except what we gather from statements made of other angelic beings of the same order. The word “prevailed” Revelation 12:8 implies strength to wrestle or struggle against one another Acts 19:16 thus showing actual combat.

4. The result of the battle will be that the devil and his angels will be cast down to the Earth, never to have access to Heaven again Revelation 12:8, 9.

5. A voice from Heaven will cry the following because of the defeat of Satan:

(1) To God he will state, “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ” Revelation 12:10.

(2) To the saints on Earth he will state that “the accuser of our brethren [this voice is one of a redeemed man, for he classes himself with other redeemed] is cast down which accused them before our God day and night” Revelation 12:10. This gives the reason for Satan’s present access to God Job 1:6Job 2:1. Now, he states the method of overcoming Satan. “It is by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony” and loving “not their lives unto death” Revelation 12:11. The overcomers referred to in Rev. 12:10-11 are not those of the Church, for they have all been raptured, but are those of the Jews and Gentiles who have been saved since the rapture of the Church in Rev. 4:1.

(3) To the inhabitants of Heaven he will cry, “Rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them” because of the casting out of Satan Revelation 12:12.

(4) To the inhabitants of the Earth he will say, “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth he hath but a short time” Revelation 12:12. This third woe will no doubt affect men in a physical way as much as the first two woes Revelation 12:12. This seems to be required by Rev. 8:13; 12:12. He will vent his wrath on the woman, remnant, and many other classes of people during the last 3½ years. His wrath will be great for he knows he will have but a short time.

VI. The Remnant of the Woman Revelation 12:17

We have already discussed the remnant with the woman and manchild so little needs to be said here. The remnant is not a personage or a symbol, but literally some Jews who will be saved after the rapture of the manchild and who do not flee into the wilderness when the woman or main body of Israel does. In nearly all previous invasions of Judea and Jerusalem there has been a remnant left and the same is true at the future time in the middle of the Week when the dragon and the Antichrist determine to destroy Israel. The word “remnant” in Scripture is never used of the Church or Gentiles, but to the contrary, always of Israel Isaiah 1:9Isaiah 10:20Isaiah 11:16Joel 2:32Micah 2:12Micah 5:3-9Zechariah 8:6-12. The remnant was not saved at the time the manchild or the 144,000 Jews were translated, or those of the remnant would have been translated also Daniel 12:1. They get saved after the rapture of the 144,000 and during the flight of Israel into the wilderness, hence, they are saved by the time the dragon wars on them after he fails to destroy fleeing Israel.