Thank you all for coming today. We will continue in the book of Revelation as we consider Revelation Chapter 12. We spoke last time about the woman who gives birth to the child. Today we will speak about the child in Revelation Chapter 12, the nation that is born. For our text today, let's open to Revelation chapter 12. We remember that just in chapter 11, verse 15, the seventh angel sounded and it was declared that the kingdoms of this world are the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. Chapter 12, then we start seeing visions, a vision of a woman giving birth to a child and the vision of the dragon that seeks to devour that child. So we'll begin in chapter 12, verse 1. And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of 12 stars. And she, being with child, cried, travailing in birth, in pain to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven. And behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman, which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man-child, who was to rule all nations with the rod of iron, And her child was caught up unto God and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath the place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand, two hundred, and threescore days." May the Lord bless the reading of His Word to our hearts today. Last time we spoke about the woman, identifying her as the heavenly Jerusalem. She has the sun, the moon, and the stars, the 12 stars, which adorn her, referencing Joseph's dream, and the sun, moon, and 11 stars that bow down to him, reflecting the family, Jacob saying that he was the sun and the mother was the moon, and the 11 stars being the brothers of Joseph. So here we have 12 stars because all the brothers are present. She is the heavenly Jerusalem, the Jerusalem that we're going to see by the end of the book of Revelation as the bride of the Lamb that comes down out of heaven. And so that is who she is. And as we have spent much time thinking about this already, we have pointed out many verses, including Paul's words in Galatians 4, that she is the heavenly Jerusalem and the mother of us all. And here we see her doing what mothers do. She is about to give birth to a male child. We're going to put aside for the moment the description of the red dragon, and that we want to consider next time in connection with the beast, and we're going to get back into the book of Daniel as we explain the heads and the horns and such matters. So we will set him to the side for the moment. And we want to speak about this child that is going to be born, the child that the dragon wants to devour, a child that will rule the nations and caught up unto God. So, to understand a little bit, the passage speaks about the child, verse 4, about the dragon, and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered to devour her child as soon as it was born. Later, it speaks in verse 5, and her child was caught up unto God and to his throne. And so he is the child of the woman, Jerusalem. But then in verse 5, he's also described as the man-child, according to the King James. The words there are the word son and the word male, as opposed to female. So the male son, or maybe both should be understood basically as nouns, the son, which is a male. Either way, this language here is a very clear evidence of where Revelation is pointing us to, and that is back to Isaiah chapter 66. This goes to prove, yet again, how important it is to understand Revelation in the light all the rest of the prophecies of the Bible, because these other prophecies ground our understanding of what Revelation is teaching us, and we aren't left with all the many various and bizarre theories out there that ultimately will be proven untrue when it comes to the book. Of course, it also takes away much of the mystery, so that we are left with a book that edifying and beneficial to our spiritual understanding, rather than a bunch of questions which leave us disheartened and discouraged to even pick up the book. So Isaiah 66, we'll look at verse 7, where it says, Before she travailed, she brought forth, before her pain came, she delivered a man-child. Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day, or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth, saith the Lord? Shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb, saith thy God? Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her. Rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her, that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breast of her consolations, that ye may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then shall ye suck And ye shall be born upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforted, so will I comfort you. And ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. And when ye see this, your hearts shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb. And the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies. This is the key passage that anchors down our understanding of Revelation chapter 12. And as you see, it also uses the language of Revelation 12 and verse 7. Before she travailed, she brought forth, before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child. Man-child. Now, the word there uses in the Sittuagin, the Greek translation, uses the word male as opposed to female, the same word that we saw in the book of Revelation. So she delivered a male child, a male son. And so the word there, again, points to the same understanding of what Revelation is showing us. And what it clearly points to is the identification of the mother, as verse 8 says, for as soon as Zion prevailed, She brought forth her children, Zion, Mount Zion, and of course Jerusalem being the mother, the city that is on Mount Zion. And so the passage continues to speak of rejoicing with Jerusalem in verse 10 and following. So again, this passage helps direct our clear understanding of Revelation 12. We're not left with the incorrect understanding that Revelation 12 is about Mary giving birth to Jesus, or that that's Israel giving birth to Jesus. Very specifically, the woman is the heavenly Jerusalem, the mother of us all, and the male child is, as this passage indicates, a nation. shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day. And I have to actually correct King James here because it speaks about the earth being brought forth, not that the earth is the one that brings forth. The earth is not the mother, the earth is the child that's brought forth. And I would encourage you to understand again here as the language allows The word earth doesn't necessarily mean the whole earth, the whole planet, but the land. Or in other words, the land of Israel. Shall the land of Israel be brought forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born in one day? Or at once, I'm sorry, at once. So the man-child is the land of Israel, and the man-child is the nation. of Israel. And this we are going to see reflects upon 144,000. By the way, all male, as the book of Revelation indicates, they are all men, and therefore very appropriately represented by a male child in this way. So let's turn back then to Isaiah 49, verse 14. Isaiah 49, verse 14. Isaiah, in these latter chapters, from chapter 40 on, refers often to Jerusalem as a woman, not just in the passage that we just read. And Isaiah 49, verse 14, is one of these passages where she is amazed by the children that she has. She is, as we're going to see, considered barren. At this time that Isaiah is prophesying, she's not considered barren, but she's about to become barren as Babylon's going to come in and cause the land to be desolate. And then later she's going to be barren. after the Romans come in and remove all the Israelites from the land. So it's speaking about the times of dispersion when Israel is no longer a nation and the Jews are scattered from the land. And so when she has children, it's speaking about children being in the land, and she is rejoicing in that fact. So that, of course, must refer to the time after their return to the land. And so Isaiah 49 verse 14 says, But Zion said, The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands. Thy walls are continually before me. Thy children shall make haste, thy destroyers, and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee. Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold, all these gather themselves together and come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee as a bride doeth. For thy waste and thy desolate places and the land of thy destruction shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallow thee up shall be far away. The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too straight for me, give place to me that I may dwell. Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? And who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone. These, where had they been? Thus saith the Lord God. Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people. And they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers. They shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet. And thou shalt know that I am the Lord, for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me." So this passage prophesies of the future return of Israel to the land, but you notice how it does so with Jerusalem being the mother and the children that come in. And there's going to be so many that the place that she has now is just too small for them all. Again, verse 21, Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? And who hath brought up these? Behold, I am left alone. These, where had they been? And so the many that will come and re-inhabit the land of Israel, which ultimately is still future to us. It speaks about the millennial and return of Israel at that time. Let's also look at Isaiah 54, verse 1. Isaiah 54, verse 1. We don't have time to read the whole passage, but it does make reference here and there to the children that Jerusalem has. Isaiah 54 verse 1 says, Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear. Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not prevail with child. For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy inhabitations. Spare not, lengthen thy courts, and strengthen thy stakes. for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited." And so the barren woman, Jerusalem, who doesn't have children because they've forsaken the land and were dispersed, will again be well populated to the point that they need to extend far and wide to to house all the people that are coming. Then let's notice Micah chapter 5. Micah 5. Micah 5, too, is a familiar prophecy about Jesus. But it goes on to speak in ways I think are very clearly a connection to Revelation chapter Micah chapter 5. Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah, so they would know each other's prophecies, presumably. But ultimately, both are written by the Spirit of God, and he knows what he would, what he has already said, what he is saying, and what he shall say, even much in the future in the book of Revelation. So Micah chapter 5, verse 2, the familiar verse. But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto me that is to be a ruler in Israel, whose going forth hath been from of old, from everlasting." Of course, a prophecy of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. But then he continues in verse 3. Therefore will he give them up until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth, then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. She that bringeth forth Jerusalem, bringing forth, maybe a reference to Revelation 12, bringing forth the 144,000, and then the remnant shall return at the time of Christ's second coming thereafter. and fill the land. Verse 4, and he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, and the majesty of the name of the Lord is God, and they shall abide, for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. And of course, speaking of Christ and his reign in the millennium, verse 5, and this man shall be the peace. So that is of Christ, but one that travaileth shall bring forth." Reference to Jerusalem travailing, bringing forth this male child in Revelation chapter 12 in Isaiah 66. And so what we see in Revelation chapter 12 is that the new Jerusalem in heaven brings forth and gives birth to a nation. There are not 12 children born to Jerusalem. There is only one male child that is born in Revelation 1, because it is the birth of the nation, not the birth of 12 different tribes. It is also not the birth of 144,000 children. This is not representing each of the 144,000, but rather the birth of the nation which involves the 12 tribes, which involves all 144,000 men that are counted as that nation. So let's go back to Revelation chapter 7. We've covered this already, but this is the sealing of the 144,000. And we notice very clearly how these men are sealed. because they are part of a nation, part of a nation that is divided into 12 tribes with a very clear number of the 144,000 in each of the tribes. Revelation 7, I'll just begin in verse 2, �And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed, and there were sealed 144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel. of the tribe of Judah were sealed 12,000, of the tribe of Reuben were sealed 12,000, of the tribe of Gad were sealed 12,000, and it continues. So here we have 12 tribes that are present, not the traditional list of 12 tribes, because it does include Levi in this list, verse 7, of the tribe of Levi were sealed 12,000. Levi, as we know, was the holy tribe, in the sense of it was the priestly tribe that was purchased by God in place of all the firstborn in Israel. So God purchased the whole tribe to himself to be set apart to do the work of the temple, and therefore were not considered one of the 12 tribes in the counting of the 12 tribes in that sense. You'll also notice that Manasseh and Ephraim, sons of Joseph, are present in this list. Verse 6, the last phrase of the tribe of Manasseh were sealed 12,000. And then in verse 8, Ephraim, under the name of Joseph, his father, also of the tribe of Joseph, were sealed 12,000. So still, even though... And what I didn't mention is that Dan is not mentioned. Dan is not mentioned. So even though Dan is not mentioned, there are still 12 tribes here present. Now, Dan will be part of the Israel to come. Let's go back to Deuteronomy 33. Deuteronomy 33. In verse 22, this is Moses' prophecy as he's preparing to depart, die, the final prophecy concerning all the 12 tribes. And he prophesies of Dan, verse 22, and of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's wealth, he shall leap from Bashan. Speaking of prophecies related to the millennial times. Even more clearly, we can go to the last chapter of Ezekiel, Ezekiel 48. Ezekiel 48, when we finally get to the end of the book of Revelation and see the description of Jerusalem, and on the gates, on the 12 great gates of the New Jerusalem, Book of Revelation says are written the names of the 12 tribes. Well, Ezekiel actually gives us those names that are written on the gates of the city. In Ezekiel 48, and I'll just read verse 31 and following, �And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel, three gates northward, one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. So Levi is counted among the 12 here. Verse 32, and at the east side, 4,500, and three gates, and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. So Dan is actually present here in the New Jerusalem. Verse 33, and at the south side, 4,500 measures, and three gates. One gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. At the west side, 4,500, and three gates. One gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. It was round about 18,000 measures, and the name of the city from that day shall be The Lord is There. And Christ certainly will be there. So we realize that the list given in Revelation 7 of the 144,000 and 12 tribes is not the ultimate list of the 12 tribes throughout eternity. But nevertheless, still, there are 12 tribes present. And they are considered the nation that is born. male child that is born to Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem, in that day. This then helps us to think about Exodus. The birth of the nation seems to mirror Mount Sinai. When the Israelites came out of the land, they were just a family. The family of Abraham, the descendants of Abraham, were finally released from bondage in Egypt and led by Moses and Aaron out of Egypt to the mountain, Mount Sinai. And that's where God met with them and established them as a nation. He birthed a nation in that sense at Mount Sinai. They were organized as a nation with the law that was given to them, very prominent is commands of God at Mount Sinai. He distinguished them into the 12 tribes, the camps. They were encamped in certain locations around the tabernacle, based on that tribe that they belonged to. And they were numbered at that time. All males were numbered, 20 years old and upward, and they were numbered according to their tribes. And so this, brings us to the thoughts of this nation being born and all the males of this nation being numbered according to the tribes, as we see in the book of Revelation. Not necessarily is this the rebirth of the 144,000. I'm not exactly sure if they've already been converted or this is the moment of their conversion. when they are birthed as a nation in this sense, but it seems to be most likely connected with Revelation 7, that this is the moment of their sealing with the name of the Father upon their foreheads, in contradiction to the sealing, the naming of the Antichrist upon those that reject God there in the book of Revelation. So this would then seem, if this is accurate as far as the time of the birth, that this passage in Revelation 12 with the woman giving birth to the male child, that this actually goes back beyond the middle of the Tribulation to the very beginning of the seven years of Tribulation when they are sealed with the name of God on their foreheads. Now let's go back to Revelation 12. Verse 5 again, �And she brought forth a man child, the male child, the male son, the who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. We'll speak about that reference. And her child was caught up unto God and to his throne. The child was caught up unto God to his throne. I remember many years ago when my father preached through Revelation that this was a significant piece in identifying the male child with the 144,000. Because in chapter 14, we see that the 144,000 are there in heaven after the male child is said to have been caught up to heaven. So let's turn to chapter 14, again in verse 1, where it says, And I looked, and lo, a lamb stood on Mount Zion. the heavenly Mount Zion, not the earthly Mount Zion, as we'll see, but that's where he's standing. The Lamb is on the Mount Zion in the New Jerusalem up in heaven. The Lamb stood, Jesus Christ stood on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 having his Father's name written in their foreheads. So here's where the 144,000 are, after the male child, the nation, is taken up to God and to his throne. Verse 2, And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder. And I heard the voices of harpers harping with their harps. So these 144,000 are singing to God. That is the voice, the collective voice of the 144,000. And they're using harps because they are obviously in the heavenly temple, because harps are inappropriate outside of the temple, as we've mentioned before. So they are using harps in the heavenly temple. And it says in verse 3, and they sung, as it were, a new song before the throne. And we know where the throne is, according to Revelation 4. That is the throne of God in the midst of the four beasts. as it continues, and before the four beasts and the elders, the 24 elders. So this is the heavenly throne room, and they're singing before God. And no man can learn that song but the 144,000 which were redeemed from the earth. We've got to talk about what does that mean that they were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. In other words, they're not unclean with women, but that implies also that they're all men. Every single one of them is a man, and again, numbered as in Exodus, for the numbering of the nation. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men. being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouths was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God." So here they are, the 144,000, in heaven, before his throne, because they were the male child that was born. They were the nation that was born, and then caught up into heaven before the dragon could devour them. So let us then speak about what does it mean that they are the firstfruits unto God, verse 4. Being the firstfruits unto God and to the land. And this is in relation to them being redeemed from among men. So we'll first talk about them being the firstfruits, and then we're going to talk about them being redeemed. Well, the first fruits is in reference to a harvest. In other words, they are the first portion taken from that harvest before the rest of the harvest is taken. Where is that harvest? Well, if we go further into chapter 14 and we get down to verse 14 of chapter 14, we see when the rest of the harvest occurs. And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle and reap, for the time is come for thee to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped." Then it continues to describe another harvest, which is the Battle of Armageddon. The first harvest here described is the rapture of all of his people up into the heaven with him. The second is the Battle of Armageddon, where he's going to reap all the wicked and cast them into the winepress of the wrath of God, as it describes. So here we have, with the 144,000 being raptured up after they are birthed by the new Jerusalem, they are raptured up in the middle of the tribulation, and they are identified as the first fruits of that harvest. And then, after another three and a half years, Christ returns, and that is when the final harvest is. As you can tell, though, even from the ordering and the chronology of what's being said here, this leads us to a post-tribulation rapture. The rapture of the saints doesn't happen before the tribulation. but it happens rather, according to this timeline, at the end of the tribulation. It would be, for example, very difficult to understand a pre-tribulation rapture, at the beginning of the tribulation, in the middle of the tribulation, There is a rapture of the 144,000. And then at the end of the Tribulation, a third rapture at the Second Coming of Christ. How many people would be coming at the Great Tribulation? Well, I mean, before the Tribulation. Well, that would be a lot of people. All the Old Testament saints, all the New Testament saints, All the church-age saints, as we live in the church age now, Christ comes back before the Tribulation, and many upon many are raptured up to God. And then we have the first three and a half years of the Tribulation. There are some that come to Christ, and particularly these 144,000. But the 144,000 are snatched up, and so That takes away even from those that are there present through the tribulation. So when the harvest finally comes, if it is the harvest, it's a very, very, very small harvest indeed of only about seven years of those that have come to Christ, whatever that may be. Not really what you would consider the harvest to be. But then we notice As we go back into the passages that we've looked at before, the very clear connection with the rapture at the time of Christ's Second Coming. If we go back to Matthew 24, we'll begin verse 31. Matthew 24, 31. He says there, Verse 29, immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, the moon shall give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. Then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with the great sound of a trumpet. And they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." So here again is the rapture proclaimed in verse 31, sending forth his angels to gather all the elect from all the four corners of the earth. But it's said to be at the time of his second coming and after the time of the tribulation. After the time of the tribulation. And of course, what a great harvest that would be of all the saints throughout that time, minus the 144,000. And we could also say, besides Elijah that's already in heaven and Enoch already in heaven, there surely would be a lot in that harvest at that time. Going to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 13, But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye saw her not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain, unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep, for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord." So this, of course, again, is speaking about Jesus' return. Jesus' return. Those that are asleep in Jesus, those that have died in Jesus, will come back with him. But he connects this with his own resurrection when Paul says, verse 15, "'For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep And then verse 17, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so Paul is speaking about his own resurrection at this time when Christ returns. And so again, if there was a rapture before the tribulation, Paul would have already been caught up. He wouldn't be there to be there when the dead in Christ, those that sleep in Christ, are brought with Him at His return, and when the harvest happens. Again, if this is a harvest, it truly is a great harvest, not a very, very, very small one. Then look at 2 Thessalonians 2, 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 1. Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him. That is a reference to the second coming of Christ. It's the day of the Lord. And here Paul again puts himself in with this gathering. Our gathering together unto him. And then later, well, and so he continues speaking about how that day will not come until the man of sin is revealed. Verse two, that ye be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, where that is worshipped, so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." And so, they're gathering together unto God, the rapture. Paul's gathering with the rest of us. together with God at the rapture. That's going to happen on the day of Christ, but that day of Christ is not going to happen until after the man of sin is revealed, the Antichrist. So again, instead of a pre-trib rapture, before the man of sin is revealed, instead we have the middle of the tribulation where the 144,000 are taken up at the moment. the Antichrist is revealed for who he is. And then three and a half years later, the full harvest after the man of sin has been revealed and Christ comes to destroy him. That is the time of our gathering with Paul to the Lord at the rapture. Then 1 Corinthians chapter 15, 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 23, where he says, speaking about the resurrection, verse 23, but every man in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, and afterward they are Christ at his coming, at his coming. This understands two resurrections. Christ here is considered the first fruits. The book of Revelation speaks about the 144,000, but of course in the sense that in the drawn-out picture of human history, it essentially is connecting the 144,000, or not really reflecting on the 144,000's rapture, but rather the main harvest, which is at the coming of Christ. And so Here, Christ is set out as the first fruits, and afterward, they that are Christ's, at his coming. Everybody else. Again, the book of Revelation clearly shows us that that doesn't necessarily involve everybody else, because the 144,000 are already taken up. But nevertheless, everybody else is gathered at his second coming, and not before. So these passages again, which are the key passages that refer to the rapture and our resurrection, show in agreement with Revelation that this happens after the first fruits are taken in the middle of the tribulation, the 144,000, and then only afterwards the rest of the harvest. Okay, so let's go back then to Revelation chapter 14. Not only are the 144,000 said to be the first births, but in verse 4 it says that they were redeemed from among men. Redeemed from among men. This takes us then to Romans chapter 8. The word redemption, of course, has many applications. We were redeemed by Christ on the cross. We are redeemed as we put our trust in Christ, and the blood of sprinkling is applied to us and to our salvation. So there's many moments of redemption. But Romans chapter 8 shows us the redemption in the sense of our bodies being redeemed, and that aspect is at the point of our resurrection, and again, at the time of Christ's Second Coming. Romans 8 also speaks about the creation and its rebirth at the time of our rebirth. So Romans 8, I'll begin with verse 18. And again, verses that we've looked at before. Verse 18, For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty. of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." So here the word redemption is applied to the resurrection. Our bodies, our flesh and blood bodies, which we cannot inherit the kingdom in these flesh and blood bodies, these bodies will be transformed. They will be redeemed by God. That redemption, you can look back at what the creation experiences in verse 21. So this old earth and heaven is going to be redeemed and become the new heavens and new earth that we see in the book of Revelation, verse 21, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. So redemption, the term speaks about being bought, and of course it's God that's buying us. God is buying us, and He's buying us from the bondage that we're in now. The bondage of corruption which the earth, the old heaven and old earth that we live in now, is going to be redeemed and no longer in that bondage, because it's going to be free and in the liberty of the children of God, as it says here. So we too, our bodies, will be redeemed at the time of our transformation, if we're still alive, or at the time of our resurrection and transformation, if we've died in Christ. We are redeemed from this flesh and blood body that is corrupt and shall ultimately be corrupted if left to itself. Thankfully, we will be given an incorruptible body that shall last forever. So, the 144,000 then, this helps us to understand that they too when it says that they are redeemed from among men and the firstfruits of the harvest, at the moment of their rapture they are already transformed. They are transformed by God, they are redeemed from their corruptible bodies and are given eternal bodies so that in Revelation 14 they can live in the New Jerusalem, in the presence of God at that time. And that is part of the specialness of this nation, of this male child, that it is caught up to God and experiences the transformation and that redemption sooner than the rest of us. And of course, the word redemption then calls our minds to Egypt as well. and Israel, how it was redeemed by God. The great redemption moment in the Old Testament was Israel being redeemed out of the house of bondage, out of Egypt. And so this is the beginning of a nation. It is the renewed nation of Israel, because Israel has been in existence before. This is the birth of the nation. The nation that is represented by the 144,000 that shall be transformed and in heaven for a time, but then surely thereafter at Christ's Second Coming, that kernel and representative body of the nation will be joined with all the rest of us, which will form the nation of Christ, the nation of Israel. that shall come down and defeat the nations of the world." But again, to go back then to Revelation chapter 12, this child is already threatened after its birth, after it's been sealed. The 144,000 are threatened because the dragon knows that the nation is coming. He knows the prophecies, he knows the nation that male child will be born, and he wants to devour it as soon as he is able. But it's by the grace and mercy of God that the 144,000 are snatched up into heaven and kept from the dragon being able to devour it. The dragon being able to devour it, that's a reference to him using the Antichrist to come into Jerusalem and seeking to take the city and the whole nation and to wipe out all the Jews, essentially, and all the Christians. But ultimately, the 144,000 are taken from him and rescued at that time. So let us go back, then, to Isaiah 66. Isaiah 66. We read verse nine already, but a wonderful verse of the promise of God. Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth, saith the Lord, shall I cause to bring forth and shut the womb, saith thy God. God intends that this nation, this male child, the nation of Israel, will be born again. Will be born again. He's not going to prevent the birth, And he's certainly not going to allow the dragon to devour the child after it's born. God will keep his people, the first fruits of that people, but then ultimately all the rest of us when we are raptured up to God at his second coming. Now finally, let's turn to Revelation chapter 12. Again, Revelation 12. Here, the male child is described in verse 5, she brought forth a man-child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. Who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. This is a clear reference back to Psalm 2. Let's go back to Psalm 2. This, of course, is why many understand the man-child to be Jesus Christ, because this is in relation to Psalm 2, which is a prophecy about Jesus and his rule over the world. But as we said last time, this cannot be the interpretation of Revelation chapter 12, because Revelation 4 said that John, from the point in which he received this revelation, was going to prophesy about things much that were to come, things that were to come from the point of his receiving the Revelation in 95 A.D. Of course, Christ's birth happened before 95 A.D., so the things of the Book of Revelation do not refer to the past, and Christ's birth being one of those things, but rather to the future, and as we have understood, that it's a reference to the birth of the nation and the 144,000 that were sealed. But Psalm 2, verse 9 gives us the prophecy, Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. And so, Revelation 12, 5, this child that was to rule all nations with the rod of iron Some have said this must be Jesus. But let us go back to Revelation 2. Revelation 2, verse 26. We're speaking to the church of Thyatira, and in verse 26, And he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron. As the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers, even as I received of my Father." Jesus, again, is the one in the midst of the seven golden lampstands speaking to the angels of these churches. He is the one that says, to the one who overcomes, you're going to rule the nations, and you're going to shepherd them or rule them with the rod of iron, just as I have received of my father. And so when Revelation 12 comes, and it speaks about this male child that's going to rule the nations with the rod of iron, it is referring to Psalm 2, But it's referring not only to Psalm 2 as Jesus receiving this rulership over the nations, but as he extends his rulership to us, and we are the ones, the saints of Christ, are the ones that also rule these nations with a rod of iron. And this reminds me of the language of Daniel in particular. If we go back to Daniel chapter 7. The fact that God in his prophecies speaks not only of himself ruling and of Jesus ruling, but emphasizes the fact that we as his saints are going to be ruling with them is very prominent in this prophecy, Daniel chapter 7. So let's look at verse 18. We'll just pick out the verses that mention this. Verse 18 of Daniel 7, "'But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.'" So instead of saying the Son of Man, who was just mentioned in this prophecy as coming down and receiving the kingdom, as the one who's taking the kingdom, here in verse 18, He specifies the saints as the ones who have the kingdom. Of course, not disregarding Jesus himself in saying so. Verse 22, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. It's the saints that possess the kingdom. And the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. So of course the kingdom is God's, but he gives it to us, and therefore we also are possessors of this kingdom. Or as other passages in Paul will say, we are co-heirs with Christ. of the things still to come. And so that is what is being expressed here in Revelation chapter 12, not that the man-child is Christ who shall rule over the nations, but that the man-child is the nation of Israel, and that the nation of Israel shall rule over the nation. And thankfully, we as the saints are a part of that nation, and shall rule the nations as well. So, let us bring together all that we've talked about today. At the beginning of the Tribulation, the 144,000 Israelite males are sealed with the name of the Father. And that, to me, is the understanding of them being birthed by the new Jerusalem in heaven. The nation of Israel is born to the heavenly Jerusalem in one day. That event of them being sealed certainly occurred in one day, and the nation was born in that one day that they were sealed on their foreheads. Though the nation is now present, though, it does bring up many questions about what political standing this nation really has in a world full of unbelievers. When, for example, the Antichrist sets up the peace treaty with Israel, he's certainly not setting up the peace treaty with all these redeemed, sealed Christians that are sealed with the name of the Father on their head. So there still must be the nation of Israel, an unbelieving nation of Israel, even as we see it present today, that makes this peace treaty with the Antichrist at this time. But the 144,000 as a nation will exist even while the Gentiles tread down the earthly Jerusalem, as we saw in the passage referring to the two witnesses, that the Gentiles will tread down Jerusalem for three and a half years. I presume that the two witnesses will be the leaders, the spiritual leaders of this nation. They will be the prophets, just like the prophets spoke to the nation in the times past. So these two witnesses will be the spiritual guides to these 144,000 throughout the time that they're a nation here on Earth. And as we notice, They are sealed in part to protect them from the plagues that come down on the world in the first half of the Tribulation. And so they are sealed and protected as a nation, every single one of them, from those plagues. But the dragon knows that this nation is coming. It wants to devour them. It sends the Antichrist to devour them in the middle of the seven years. and breaks the peace treaty that was established. But in that moment, God will snatch them up and bring them to heaven. So this nation then becomes the first roots of the rest of us, who ultimately will join this nation in our resurrection at the rapture. And so they become the representatives of this nation of Israel that is guaranteed to And therefore, I believe they will also serve as an encouragement to the saints, those that remain on earth, as they go through the Great Tribulation. They will know that the promises of God are sure, as these 144,000 have been taken up and secured in heaven. And though they continue to suffer in the present time, fighting against the Antichrist, they will be confident that promises of God are certain, and they need to endure those three and a half years until they see Christ return with 144,000 and all the angels, and they will join that great army in the clouds to establish the Kingdom of Israel here on Earth at the Battle of Armageddon. So what a wonderful future we have. And what a wonderful revelation of this first beginning of the nation of Israel being reborn and redeemed by God.