The Revelation 12 Standard - Part 2

       We are still examining Rev. 12 to see if what we are shown is a past event (Jesus’ ascension) or something in our near future. We see that this particular dragon is poised for action. It wants to devour the Woman’s Child as soon as it is born.
      She does indeed bear a male Child. That word is capitalized because of what the rest of the sentence tells us. This Child was born to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. Sound familiar? It should because this phrase is one of the promises Jesus said His Church would likewise inherit as His Body. This Child is the Body of Jesus, the completed Church united as one at His second coming.
      This in no ordinary birth. We know this because of another peculiar phrase recorded in this vision. In verse 2 we see the Woman (Israel) crying out in labor and in pain to give birth. These are the final transitional labor pains that bring forth the actual birth.  Why include this very obvious aspect of any birth here in this vision of the time of the end?
          Hopefully, you now know the answer. It is because we are meant to make the Spirit-inspired connections. The wording is meant to take us to the cross-reference of Isaiah 66:7-8, where we find the same woman (Israel) about to give birth to a male child. Only here she is in labor and the child is birthed, but there is no pain. No wonder the prophet asks who has ever heard or seen such a thing?
           End-Time Lesson: We are meant to see this comparison to help us identify the time frame here in Rev. 12. The birth in Isaiah foresaw Jesus’ first coming, when Jesus was born  into this world as a baby out of the tribe of Judah. He came to bring a new and better covenant, cut between the perfect man (Jesus) and the perfect God, as opposed to the old covenant cut between God and the rebellious Jewish nation.
         When Israel missed its visitation, their temple was destroyed, and the Jewish people were scattered across the nations.  As a result, Daniel’s timely 70 Weeks prophecy concerning Israel’s future was put on hold. Jesus told them that they would not see Him again until they say, “blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’’ (Mt. 23:39).
          Here in Rev. 12 John shows us the woman (Israel) about to give birth, but this time she is in great pain. She has just suffered a huge loss from the Dragon’s initial invasion. He is dead set on devouring the nation.
           But something just as astounding happens at this second birth. Her Child is caught up to God and His throne in Heaven! The Greek word for being caught up here is harpazo, which describes a catching away to safety in the nick of time, at the appointed time. In short, what we are seeing here is another view of the rapture. Incidentally, this Greek word is never used in the context of Christ’s ascension.
          So what happens to the Woman? The remnant of Israel, those who survived the invasion flee into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God. They finally receive Jesus as the Messiah for they see Him go up and they see Him deliver them from the Antichrist’s armies. This is when they make their “blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” confession of faith. So they are born again.
         In her prepared place she is feed and protected for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. Can you guess how long 1,260 days equals? Yes, 3½ years! So even as the Body of Christ has arisen to our prepared place in Heaven to be seated as the heavenly government, Israel goes to her prepared place on the earth. Stay tuned to see her next assignment.
         The bottom line is this: Did we see all this when Jesus ascended? Absolutely not. So we must conclude that we are not seeing a past event but an event in our near future.