We started this guided excursion through Rev. 12 with the crucial point that this central chapter gives us important clues as to the nature of Christ’s coming, the rapture of the Church, and the destiny of the Jewish people. Understanding the unusual births found here and in the Old Testament prophecies helps us smooth out the rough places in the end-time highway of our God.
     First, Rev. 12 cannot be about Jesus’ past ascension since it describes future events that have not yet been seen. Second, it confirms that the Church is not on the earth for the wrath of that Day, including the mark of the beast and the call to worship the image, because we are in Heaven releasing the judgments as the raptured heavenly court.
        Third, it confirms that there is no secret coming, for every eye sees Him come, including those who pierced Him (the Jewish remnant). Our rapture ascent to Heaven triggers their acceptance of the Messiah, who empowers them to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and persevere. It confirms that we are in Heaven, releasing Michael to go to war with Satan and His angels.
            End-Time Lesson: In Daniel’s vision of the Ancient of Days and His throne room, Daniel foresaw the rapture and its purpose (Dan. 7). He described a multitude of a thousand thousands, the innumerable company of the 144,000s, being seated as the heavenly court. Daniel sees a  beast led by a “horn” that spoke with pompous words, blaspheming the Godhead. It is the Antichrist who comes against Israel for a “time, time, and half a time” [the same 3½-year war for Jerusalem].
          Daniel informs us that the court is seated at the rapture, at this appointed time, in order to take away the Antichrist’s dominion. In fact, our ruling declarations make sure that Israel prevails. We send Michael, the archangel over Israel, to go to war and prevail against the evil spiritual forces in the heavenlies behind the invasion. The beastly army is consumed and destroyed through the trumpet/bowl judgments that we declare as the heavenly court.
         The chapter also clears up the false teaching that when the Church is raptured that no one else can be saved on the earth. This comes from a misinterpretation of Paul’s end-time teaching in 2 Thess. 2. The Greek wording for the falling away (v. 3) is not believers leaving the Church. It must be interpreted in the context of why the son of perdition (the Antichrist) came in the first place—because of Israel’s transgressions, particularly reinstating the sacrifices in the Temple. The falling away is the apostasy, which refers to breaking a covenant, particularly in terms of the woman’s unfaithfulness. That is, Israel rejecting Jesus as God’s Anointed One (Messiah/Christ).
         Paul tells us that the mystery of lawlessness comes compliments of the lawless one, both in terms of Satan and his front man, the Antichrist (v. 9-10). Verse 6 is crucial because it highlights the appointed time in God’s prophetic timetable of the great Week. Something is restraining the appearance of the lawless one. He cannot come until the appointed time.
      When Israel rejected the Messiah and missed her time of visitation, the archangel Michael was told to stand up, which in the original language meant to stand still. He was commanded to do nothing. He could not go to war on her behalf against their oppressor at that time—the Roman Empire. It was the just consequence of their apostasy.           
         When the Antichrist dares to enter the future rebuilt temple, he even defies God by entering the holy of holies. In ancient times, this would have resulted in instant death. Yet this foul-mouthed lawless one lives. Why? Because God is not in this rebuilt temple because of the animal sacrifices. For it is an apostasy to the blood of Jesus shed for all mankind. He is the final sacrifice for all mankind.
         When the Jews finally accept Jesus as the Savior after witnessing the rapture of the Church shortly thereafter, God comes to the rescue and goes to war on their behalf. Jesus, now their Savior, splits Mt. Zion, making a way of escape for them. Their archangel, Michael, is commanded to go to war to bring down the spiritual forces behind the Antichrist. Michael is the difference-maker. He is the restrainer (2 Thess. 2:5-7). To see why people can still be saved after the rapture, stay tuned! 

      A careful reading of Isaiah 66 in relation to Rev. 12 actually reveals three births. Two are obvious: the birth of a Male Child while the Woman is in pain (Rev.) and the birth of a male child while the Woman gives birth without pain (Isaiah). The latter caused Isaiah to ask, “Who has heard of such a thing?” But then he adds another question that is much more cryptic. “Who has seen such things?” The first question is about a singular thing while the second is about things, plural.
     We know the Spirit inspired Isaiah to write these things. So it’s important that we stop to see why, partly because not doing so has led to the erroneous interpretation of this prophecy. Some teach that this prophecy concerns the “rebirth” of Israel as a nation in 1948 after being scattered as a result of her rejection of God’s Son and Anointed One.
       Yet Isaiah goes on to pose three more questions that are meant to give us the clue to understanding the prophecy. “Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children” (v. 8).
       We’ve already seen that Zion is the Woman in labor in Rev. 12—the nation of Israel. We know from the prophets that this scene reveals the rapture of the Male Child, the Church, as part of the ruling heavenly court with Christ. It also reveals that it happens when the Antichrist invades Israel and makes war against the Woman’s offspring. Because of the rapture and the Jews subsequent recognition of the Messiah, they are now born again, having accepted the salvation that it is Christ. This latter birth is the unheard of singular thing.
       So what is the plural things? It has to do with the birth of the Male Child. We know this birth has to do with the One who shall rule with a rod of iron. That is, Christ and His joint heirs who likewise overcome death through resurrection, being born from the dead.
      End-Time Lesson: Peter described the results of these things (plural) in 1 Pet. 2:8-10. The context is Israel’s rejection of the Christ, having stumbled over this “rock of offense” because they did not rightly divide the Word of God from their own prophets concerning the Messiah.
        Writing to the New Covenant believers, however, Peter explains: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people [Gentiles] but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”
        You may recall that the Revelation began with this New Covenant affirmation: “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Rev. 1:5-6). That is, the Church, His Body. As kings and priests, we are a royal priesthood. Like Esther, we were chosen for such a time as this. We are the end-time generation who shall witness our Lord’s return.
        As with Esther, we shall be His beloved bride who shares up to half the kingdom with Him. We rule and reign as joint-heirs with our King (the King of kings)—and we’re the kings! This creation of a new nation born at once through the rapture is the third cryptic birth buried in this amazing end-time prophesy. Our ruling judgments are the Stone that crushes the 10 toes of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue to dust. This is our heritage of faith, having believed without having seen Him in person. We are fashioned after the chief Cornerstone, being “in Christ.”
       “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:19:22).

      Revelation 12 shows us the moment when the woman [Israel, the natural branch of Rom. 11], is restored back into the Vine. It is the moment prophesied by Micah 5:3-5. God gave up the nation of Israel when they rejected the Messiah. We know from the New Testament that they were given up for two great Days, what Jesus called Today and Tomorrow. It is also known as the Church age.
       But since the calling of God is irrevocable, He gave them up only for the appointed time. How would we know when that time ended? Micah said it would last until the “time that she who is in labor has given birth” (v.3). This is what John is showing us in the vision. Note what Micah says next. “Then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel.” This confirms that Jesus’ natural brethren, the Jewish people, shall finally acknowledge Him as God’s Anointed One.  
       Micah declares that Jesus “shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; and they shall abide, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth; and this shall be peace” (vs. 4-5).
        But before this true and lasting peace can come, the 3½-year war for Jerusalem must be fought. John records what happens next in the pivotal chapter 12. It is the ruling court’s first ruling concerning Israel. “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven [the heavenlies above the earth] any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels [see Eph. 6:12] were cast out with him” (Rev. 12:7-9). In short, the Antichrist’s initial invasion turns into all-out war, both physically and spiritually. Of course we know who prevails.
        End-Time Lesson: The next thing John hears is a loud voice in Heaven declaring, “Now salvation, and strength and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death” (vs. 10-11).
        This overcoming power of the blood of the Lamb enables the Church to be caught up to Heaven as His Body and joint-heirs as this Day dawns. Now that same overcoming power of the Savior has come to the revived Jewish remnant who have finally accepted Jesus as the Messiah. This is confirmed both by Daniel (Ch. 7) and John (Rev. 13:10). From now on in the Revelation, the Jewish remnant are called saints, for they are set apart to God and our Lord Jesus Christ. They are the offspring of the Woman (Israel) who now “keep the commandments of God [Old Covenant] and have the testimony of Jesus Christ [New Covenant].
        Everything is in place for the defeat of the Antichrist. (1) Salvation is available to the whole world, to whomever chooses. (2) Strength has come. The Greek word used here is the dunamis power of the Holy Spirit¾the latter rain outpouring. (3) Power has come. The Greek word used here is exousia, which is the authority of heavenly court of Christ and His Church as one, seated at the right hand of the Father in all authority in both heaven and earth. This is how the mystery of God shall be finished (Rev. 10:7).

         The prophetic visions given to Daniel were specifically meant to describe the “time of the end” (Dan. 8:17; 11:35, 40; 12:4, 9). The prophet Joel likewise described the future sudden and devastating invasion by the Antichrist and his coalition of armies recorded in Rev. 12. “Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the Day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand: a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations” (Joel 2:1-2).
            Daniel likewise had a vision of the Antichrist’s invasion. “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who  understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; he shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people” (Dan. 8:23-24). Notice that the invasion happens because of the transgressors. Who are they? We’re told earlier in Daniel’s vision. “Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered” (v. 12).
            It seems that in the push for peace, the world is open to Israel rebuilding a temple as part of their Abrahamic cultural heritage. But it appears that restoring the animal sacrifices is not okay. It certainly isn’t okay with God, which is why He allows the invasion as a consequence of Israel counting the sacrificial blood of Jesus as nothing.
            Isaiah prophesied it this way. “The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like that of many people! A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together! The Lord of hosts musters the army for battle. They come from a far country, from the end of heaven—the Lord and His weapons of indignation, to destroy the whole land. Wail, for the Day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty” (Is. 13:4-6).
            End-Time Lesson: The prophet Zechariah gives even more details of the Day of the Lord invasion in Zech. 14:1-10. It helps us understand why God allows the invasion and the use of an evil force as His weapon of indignation—that is, His righteous anger.
            God is forever merciful and loving. Sometimes, however, because of mankind’s fallen nature, we make bad decisions that violate His will and His ways. As His chosen people, God had carefully laid out the requirements of their covenant with Him—a covenant the Israelites violated over and over. Yet each time they repented, He restored them and blessed them.
            Now, at the appointed time in God’s plan of redemption, the stakes are higher. Satan has conspired to raise up an evil force against Israel. They cry out to their God to come down as He did at Mt. Sinai and deliver them. Zechariah records His response: “Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the Day of battle [see Rev. 16:14]. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west” (Zech. 14:3-4).
            God responds by sending Jesus Christ a second time to the earth. He comes to gather His Body and take us back to Heaven to be seated as the immortal government. The Lion of Judah roars two commands, “Rise and Shine” and the dead in Christ arise and those who are alive at His coming shine. Both are changed in a twinkling of an eye, being clothed in immortality.
            Our resurrection triggers Israel’s “blessed is He” response. The power of His presence causes an earthquake, making a way of escape for His people. They flee to their prepared place for a time, times, and half a time—3½ years (Rev. 12:14). We, on the other hand, reenact Christ’s ascension back to Heaven, only this time the Head and the Body are complete. All the heirs are now before the throne, having all authority, both in heaven and on the earth. Stay tuned to see what we declare from Heaven.