The Woman And The Man-child

 

What does all this commotion concerning the woman and the man-child mean? Why is there so much being said about this subject? Who has really struck the keynote of this mysterious vision? What could in reality be the

interpretation of the Apocalyptic Seer of the desolate Isle of Patmos?

Mysterious things always invite speculation and multitudes of hypothetical

expositions.

There are many phases of the progress of the church to which this

symbolical wonder has been made applicable by the various writers and

teachers upon this prophetic vision of the Apocalypse. The interpretations

have been almost as numerous as the interpreters.

It is not my intention to present the final conclusion of all these views,

but to see if there can not be a harmonizing of them. By way of application

it can be used to designate any stage of the Church (the ecclesia) from the

call of Abraham until the setting up of “the Kingdom that shall not be

destroyed.” Many of the illustrations used in this attempt are beautiful,

but there is something lacking when we come to look the subject squarely in the face.

From what we can observe the Woman is the Church during God’s final

dealings with the Jewish nation. They were the Church first (Acts 7:38),

and shall be the Church last (Matt. 20:16). The Church today at the close

of the Gentile age is no doubt bringing forth a “perfect Man” who shall

come forth in the power of the Spirit. See Eph. 4:13. These are the

overcomers of the Laodicean age who “shall sit with me in my throne,” Rev.

3:21. But those who fail shall pass on into the “time of Jacob’s trouble.”

During that time the Church, which is no longer Gentile, but Israelitish,

comes to the knowledge of Christ, evidently through the preaching of the

“two witnesses” (Rev. 11:3-12), and becomes “clothed with the Sun,” that

is, the glory of the gospel of Christ. The Law, symbolized by the “moon

under her feet,” loses its force. She rises above it. Her crown of glory is

that the twelve apostles were her own people according to the flesh.

Though she has come to the acknowledging of Jesus as her Messiah, yet she has not come to the full knowledge of the truth as a whole, hence she is in travail to bring forth a “Man-Child” who was to “rule all nations with a

rod of iron.” The Law, during the reign of Christ on earth, shall go out

from Mt. Zion. (Isa.2:3.) If the Man-Child is to rule the nations, he must

rule in Mt. Zion, for there is the place from whence shall come the law. To

confirm the foregoing statement we find “the 144,000” Israelites on Mt.

Zion with the Lamb after the Man-Child is caught up to the throne. See Rev.

14:1. The women here represent the Church in its consummation. The Man-Child is the 144,000 overcomers out of the Israelite Church. The Woman, the Jewish nation (Rom. 11:26), flees into a place God has prepared for her. The remnant of her seed with whom the dragon makes war, are those who were remnants, or left by the church during the close of the Gentile period (Rev. 12:17), and also those who failed to overcome with the 144,000 and became defiled through Babylon, the great, and her daughters. Rev. 17:1-3.

Even though that be so, yet we must not overlook the fact that we must be

overcomers today if we desire to take part with that “perfect man” to which the church is destined to arrive during the Gentile” period of the Church. There are many blessed truths coming forth on this subject and some are seemingly ready to reject them. Let us stand still and see the salvation of our Lord. An honest heart need have no fear. There is no fear in love. If our love is set on Him, He will deliver us. Psa. 91:14, etc.