I was driving home from work two weeks ago and the Lord started teaching me on what He is doing in His people today. I got home, had dinner with my family, and got the kids ready for bed, and then went for a walk with my bride. I shared with her a little of what He had shown me, but was uncomfortable even recounting it because part of it did not fit neatly into my remembrance of scripture. I was very excited the next morning to open Revelation 12 and see that it did fit perfectly with scripture. I had just forgotten the last verse because I never understood verse 17 or what it meant. But what God showed me explained that verse and thus what is to come in the coming years.
First, I need to explain the major portion of Revelation 12 to the best of my understanding because I don’t remember sharing much on that here before. But even before that, it’s very important that I speak to you the reader about where you fit in and what this means for your life.
The short answer to that is that you fit Right Square in the middle of all of this if you so choose! And the rest of this writing doesn’t matter at all to you if it’s not framed with the fact that God sent Jesus for you! Jesus gave up everything in order that YOU would be raised up as part of His eternal bride and as a mature son of God who represents the fullness of God through Christ to share His glory and love to all of creation forevermore. Everything is available to you and nothing is held back from you if you but choose to lay down your life and follow Him.
Getting caught up in the difference between the Bride & the sons could be a trap that leads you away from the understanding that God is bringing about a oneness and unity in His people unlike anything we’ve seen before (study John 14-17 to understand the level of Oneness that he will bring). You can see this prophesied in Isaiah 62:5 where God shows how He will rejoice at His sons marrying His bride. This is about complete unity in His family. Each member has different roles, but when all lay their lives down for Him, He will bring incredible blessing & fulfillment not only to each member of His whole body, but to all of Creation.
So if you feel disconcerted about this writing and where you fit into it all, please feel free to disregard it and come back to the above paragraphs and stick with that. I plan to write more on that subject in coming posts and that is far more important to you than being able to see the big picture of what God is doing.
Revelation 12 is currently unfolding
We are living in the time that the events of Revelation 12 are happening. A massive shift happened at Passover this year. Revelation 12 is rich with meaning, but in my comments, I will try and focus on only the main point I’m making…
“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2 and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.” (Rev 12:1-2 NASB)
The woman is the Church of today. The labor pains represent a time of great difficulty. There is apostasy, lukewarmness, division, religiosity, & carnality rampant in the western Church of today.
3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. (Rev 12:3-4 NASB)
The dragon is Satan and the third of the stars are the evil angels (rulers, authorities, & powers (Eph 6:12)) who serve him. They are now at work in the closest realm of heaven which is the earth realm. It is below the realm they are used to inhabiting (second heaven) and is not as powerful a position. Still, it is closer to the action of earthly life and so they are/will bring more chaos and suffering to the world around us. For those focused on the world/flesh, it will be a very difficult time. The dragon wants to kill the child because he is very important…
5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. (Rev 12:5 NASB)
The son represents those with insight who will teach many mentioned in Daniel 11:33-35 & 12:3. This son company (Heb 2:10) of people (men & women) have been prepared and are now more quickly being caught up to God. This is a process more than a flash, although God can certainly bring one to His throne room in a flash. But what is happening here is a progressive living reality of the Order of Melchizedek being instituted so that the Kingdom of God/Heaven is reigning on earth through God’s sons (Sonship) as he always intended. We have written in much more detail about these topics at the links above.
6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.”
Again, the woman is the Church. I don’t think there are many that would say the Church of today is a spotless bride. Yet, that is clearly God’s plan (2 Cor 11:2-4 & Eph 5:25-27) and He will bring this about…
“7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” (Rev 19:7-8)
Has the bride made herself ready yet? No, but God is bringing this about. He will transform the desolate woman into the spotless bride. Jesus was made perfect through suffering (Heb 2:10) and the bride and all who follow Him will undergo a similar process (1 Pet 4:17). The son company will have a key role in ministering to her. The trials and tribulations that God has planned for all the world will be instrumental in bringing this about (see Hebrews 12:1-13).
The Church of today is more represented by the desolate woman. The woman in the wilderness/desolate place will however, be transformed into the spotless bride. Many things have to happen. An acceleration of the great apostasy/falling away will occur (2 Thes 2:3). This has been happening for some time in the West (while the Church absolutely flourishes in the East and other places where they must live through suffering for their faith.)
Judgement is here and necessary. The apostasy/falling away will be and must be accelerated. Too many people claim the name of Christ, but refuse to give Him their lives. In fact, the Church so poorly reflects the glory of God that many have no idea that they are even supposed to do this. Too few Christians even understand the gospel. So how can they live a set apart life if they don’t even know it is the life they are called to? God has allowed the tares and the wheat to grow up together, but there comes a time to harvest and separate. That time in beginning.
“13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14 But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth.” (Rev 12:13-16)
The desolate woman (Church) must undergo this suffering in order to be transformed to the spotless bride (Is 1:18). But the Lord will take care of each one who loves Him and complete this metamorphosis in each life that truly wants Him in their lives. He will require that they give up their own lives for Him, but He will reward that by giving a far greater life and reality to each one in the here and now…and in eternity. Those who love their own life more than anything else will have their own life and they will disassociate with the true body of Christ. There will be a very clear line drawn between God’s people and those outside of Him even if there are those outside who still try to claim Him. And it will no longer be the case where there are people who truly love God fellowshipping in places that cast too pale a shadow of His glory.
There is hope for the Desolate Woman
“Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child;
Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed;
For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous
Than the sons of the married woman,” says the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:1)
The desolate woman/Church not only becomes holy (spotless) by shedding herself of people and practices that are contrary to God, but she does so through the birthing of many sons. She who seemed so unworthy becomes the womb of God’s glory (His sons) springing forth! Sarah was a picture of this as Paul shares in Gal 4.
Let’s get to that last verse of Revelation 12…
17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Rev 12:17)
Many more sons/children will spring forth from this woman/Church. This will include current believers and new believers. One must come into the bride before being lifted up as a mature son. These children are not the first fruits, but are an exciting and integral part of bringing God’s plan to fruition. A new generation of sons will spring forth to represent God on earth. His kingdom come. The Garden of Eden restored.
In the beginning of Galatians 4 (starting at the end of 3), Paul talks of the importance of a son of God maturing to actually represent the Father. For too long, we have been immature children who are heirs to everything and yet incapable of fulfilling our purpose in the family. The times of God changing that are at hand!
What does this look like?
“10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12 For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”” (Rev 12:10-12)
The first fruits son company is being taken to heaven now. This is a parallel existence in a kingdom realm while living on earth. It is what and who we are called to be. To bring forth the glory of God into the here and now. Heaven is a living reality here and now and the means by which He will administer His grace to a hungry world in desperate need of Him. And more sons are coming. This living reality as a gateway between heaven and earth is open to all who overcome and do not love their own lives, but willingly lay theirs down so that His reigns supreme in their lives!
God’s Covenant with His sons
“”If your sons will keep My covenant And My testimony which I will teach them, Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever.” For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. “This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it. “I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her needy with bread. “Her priests also I will clothe with salvation, And her godly ones will sing aloud for joy. “There I will cause the horn of David to spring forth; I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed. “His enemies I will clothe with shame, But upon himself his crown shall shine.”” (Psalms 132:12-18 NASB)
See also Isaiah 9.
June/July 2020 Edit: I recorded a message with my local fellowship on this topic and since I have recently begun podcasting bible study commentary, I thought I would also upload that teaching and link it to this post. So here is the commentary…