REVELATION
SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 12.5
Gleanings
from the Book of Revelation:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
The
REVELATION
TO JOHN
(The Apocalypse)
Chapter
Twelve
The
Great Tribulation
(Parenthesis)
3.
The Man Child - Christ
(Verse 5)
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.
Throughout human history, from the fall
in Eden to the delivery of Christ (Israel’s Messiah), the Great Red Dragon has
planned to destroy His childbirth. Every devious and crafty attempt to prevent the
woman from delivering the Man Child ended in complete failure:
1. Satan could not stop His incarnation
2. Satan could not stop His plan of
redemption
3. Satan could not stop Him from providing
salvation
4. Satan could not stop His Ascension
5. Satan could not stop Him from being
exalted to His Throne
6. Satan could not stop Him from being the
coronated King
7. Satan could not stop Him from ruling
universally with a rod of iron
A Man Child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron
Man
Child is better
rendered as either son or a male child, no doubt Jesus Christ in His human
nature. At His first incarnation, Christ was born in travail, the second
incarnation will be without travail.
The word for rule in Greek is poimainō which means to tend (as in cattle) or shepherd
(as in a flock). But figuratively it means to be a supervisor.
A. As foretold by Scripture:
Psalm
2:9 - Thou shalt break them (the
heathen and godless nations) with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Yet in the future, Christ will
eliminate all enmity, opposition, and rebellion on earth as He reigns with a rod
of iron.
B. As fulfilled by Scripture:
Revelation
19:15 - And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should
smite the nations: and He shall rule them with
a rod of iron: and He treadeth the
winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
A
Rod of Iron
An
iron rod is understood as the scepter of a king and is a symbol of Christ’s
reign. The significance of this rod made of iron speaks of the fierceness and
resoluteness of His rule. It is unbreakable and absolute.
In
the Age of the Millennium, David’s greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, will
swiftly and immediately judge all sin and quell any rebellion. There will be no
inequalities and oppression. The faithful will be blessed and transgressors
swiftly punished. Hence, the rod of iron
is a rod of righteousness and at the same time, one of judgment.
And her (Israel’s) Child
was caught up unto God, and to His
Throne
John’s interest here is explaining the
exaltation of Christ. His Ascension is plainly in view. The Greek word harpazō
used in this passage is the same expression applied to the rapture (cf. 1
Thessalonians 4:17), and when Paul was caught up to the third Heaven (cf. 2
Corinthians 12:4). Its meaning is to vehemently and hastily carry up or
transport something or someone for preservation. So, the contextual reality is
that at His Ascension, Jesus Christ is being exalted up unto God to His Throne.
(Verse 6)
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 threescore days.
The details of the last half of verse 6
are considerably interesting. It seems that between verses 5 and 6, so much
history has already transpired. The Church Age appears and is taken up as was discussed
in the previous chapters of Revelation.
The verse reads: “And the woman
(Israel) already fled (did flee).” In other words, the event has already
happened. She (Israel) escaped to a place God had previously prepared (made
ready) for them.
The Wilderness
The
wilderness [Greek: erēmos; (Strong’s G2048)] denotes
a habitation of complete desolation and solitude, devoid of natural resources.
There are at least three possible
explanations as to where God has prepared an abode for the woman:
1. Some scholars equate this passage with
Jesus’ warning in Matthew’s Gospel that during Tribulation God will shelter a
Jewish remnant. The claim is Mount Seir (called the Shara range today) situated
southeast of Jerusalem around the caves of the Dead Sea and the hills of Moab
and Edom (modern-day Jordan).
Matthew
24:20-21 - 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.
Winter
During wintertime, travel would be impeded
for several reasons. Some include:
1. Roads would be impassable
2. No food would be on the wayside
3. Nursing mothers would severely suffer
Sabbath Day's
Journey
About 2,000 cubits, or less
than half a mile, is the distance to which, according to Jewish tradition, was
allowable travel time on the Sabbath day
without violating the Law (cf. Acts 1:12). This distance had several prior
precedents:
1. It was the distance between the Ark of
the Covenant and the Israelites on the march
2. It was the distance between the tents
of the tribes of Judah and the Tabernacle
3. It is the distance between the village
of Bethany to the Mount of Olives
2. Other Bible commentators dogmatically identify
Petra as their destination.
Petra
Perhaps in Bible times when the Book of
Revelation was recorded, Petra would have been the ideal locale or hiding place
for the remnant of Israel’s refuge. Bordering Israel, it is located north of Mount
Seir and about fifty miles south of the Dead Sea in the land once called the Valley of Moses – The traditional
place where Moses struck a rock and water gushed forth (cf. Exodus 17:6).
The Edomites
The Edomites, descendants of Esau, moved
to this ancient territory named Edom. Located in one of the mountain ranges is
a flat-topped natural rock stronghold and fortification called Petra (the Greek word for rock). Descendants
of modern-day Bedouins, the Nabateans, an Arab people, displaced the Edomites and
made Petra their capital. As Semites, the Edomites however, intermarried and became known as the Idumeans (Both Hebrew and Greek for Edomite).
Herod the Great’s father Antipater II was an
Idumean who became Judaized. It was Julius Caesar who appointed Antipater
procurator of Judea. The title was passed on to his son Herod the Great who maintained
worshipping pagan gods,
causing hatred amongst the people transitioning into New Testament times (cf. Matthew 2:1-22; Luke 1:5. See also Mark 3:8).
Because of its beautifully colored
sandstone cliffs and valleys, Petra’s terrain has many colored shades of red,
purple, and yellow. Consequently, Petra became known as the Rose Red City. Centuries later, after a couple of earthquakes,
the only accessible entrance to Petra is a one-mile long, twelve-foot-wide Siq (Arabic for a pass) by which Arab
tour guides would lead tourists through on horseback or donkey.
Upon entering the city, one can observe
marvelous Roman columned architectural facades protruding from the cliffs and
caves built by Roman emperor Trajan in A.D. 105. In its heyday, the city’s
population once swelled from 20,000 to 30,000, today just a popular tourist
attraction. [Please view Petra on Google or Bing images].
3. The third possibility and most likely
is that the exact location is not revealed by Scripture therefore it remains unknown.
Hoverer, Almighty God can miraculously, stealthily, and instantaneously construct
such a place as He has so past demonstrated. In some instances, for example:
1. God prepared a place for Elijah at the brook
of Cherith where he was nourished by ravens (cf. 1 Kings 17 1-7)
2. God prepared a place under a juniper
tree for Elijah later when he was nourished by an angelic messenger in the
desert (cf. 1 Kings 19: 1-8)
3. God prepared an escape route and refuge
in Egypt for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph after Herod's murderous attempt to
annihilate all the newborn males two years and younger (cf. Matthew 2:16-17)
Food for thought: If God would allow secretive spots such
as Petra to be made known to future generations, would this not be advantageous
to the enemy?
Deuteronomy
29:29 - The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things
which are revealed belong
unto us and to our children for ever…
A place prepared of God, that they should feed her (Israel’s
remnant) there a thousand two hundred and threescore days
The book of Romans informs all Israel who
turns to their Messiah Jesus Christ shall be delivered (called the remnant).
Sadly, those who do not accept their Messiah will go through Tribulation, be
judged, and enter into eternal damnation.
Romans
11:26 - And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer
and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
During the Great Tribulation, however,
God is dealing primarily with His chosen people – The Jews. In the first half
of the Tribulation, two-thirds of the world's population has died, and one-third
remains. One-third includes Gentiles, but mainly Jews, and the 144,000
sealed evangelists. At this time, God will gather those who have not taken the
mark of the beast (cf. Revelation 13: 16-18) and pledge their allegiance to
Him.
Thus, Israel’s remnant is given divine
deliverance to a safe location, heavenly preserved from the dragon. They are
better interpreted in the same sense as in verse 14, “Where she is nourished
for a time.” Israel’s sustenance will be equivalent
to or as in the days when He rained down manna and quail on the Israelites.
Psalm
105:40 - The people asked, and He brought quails and satisfied them with (manna)
the bread of heaven.
1260 Days (3 ½ years) identifies the
period during which the witnesses prophesied, and coincidently, the same amount
of time the dragon is allowed to exercise his authority.
The following lesson will not only
reveal the fourth character of Tribulation but also one of Scripture’s most
important battles. Proving to be an interesting study, the great red dragon
will also be progressively unmasked as to his initial beginnings.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is the Man Child’s role during the Millennium?
2. How many ways were Satan's plans impeded?
3. What does the phrase rule with a rod of iron mean?
4. What does the phrase caught up unto God mean?
5. How does God preserve a remnant of His chosen
people?
6. How has God demonstrated preservation in the past?
7. How long and how does God sustain his people?
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