For many years now I have observed that the signs of moral decay are increasing unchecked and the division of opinion over what is truth is deepening … therefore civil unrest is at an all time high and a clash of war is inevitable.  In other words we are a the “beginning of the end” of the last days for sinful man to reign upon the earth and for the Lord to return and reign!  The signs in the Heavens are also heralding the fact that the “Day of the Lord” is approaching … such as the four blood moon that occurred in 2014 and 2015, the ellipse over America on August 21, 2017 and the great Revelation 12 sign on 23 September 2017!  In fact many Christians, including me and my wife, were certain that the Revelation 12 sign indicated that the rapture of the Church would occur on this day and the seven year Tribulation period would begin.  Obviously, we were wrong in this interpretation and it is also likely that the child who is “caught up” to the throne room of God is NOT “the Church” at all … so what child is this?

“What Child Is This”  is the title of a beautiful song exclaiming how strange are God’s way, that He would send His Son, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, should be born a baby of lowly estate …. in a city of Bethlehem which had no room for Him … lying in a manger, a feeding trough for animals.  Oh how wonderful are the ways of God, to come down to us as a man in order to identify as one of us,  yet not fallen with a sin nature like us, in order to lift us up to Him to be with Him in His Heavenly estate.  And that is what salvation is, God coming down to us, to save us, abide in us and ultimately resurrect us!  Jesus spread His glory over the lowly donkey as He rode into Jerusalem for His final week upon this earth and He will spread His glory over the one who humbles himself and allows Jesus to reign and rule in his heart.

 But the Jews do not recognize this child “Jesus” as the Son of God because this child, when He became a man, claimed to be equal with God and Jews think that the scripture “God is One” means that God is singular in His being.  Yet, the name of God “Elohim” clearly indicates God is plural in His being, a trinity of persons, (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) in perfect unity and harmony.  The three manifested at the Baptism of Jesus when the voice of Father was heard saying “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” and the presence of the Holy Spirit came down like a dove (Matthew 3:17).  Clearly Jesus is the Son of God and the scripture tells us that one day Jesus will be revealed as the Son of God to the Jews and I think this revelation will occur at the time that the male child of Revelation 12:5 is “born and caught up” to Heaven at the mid-way point of the Tribulation period.

Yes, the child born of a Jewish virgin woman named Mary over 2,000 years ago is the Savior of the world and He is able to save anyone who calls upon His name (Romans 10:13).  He is able to put His Spirit into the heart of the believer and “seal” that person with the Holy Spirit … Jesus said you must be “born again” in order to see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3).  Yet, the teaching of Scotty Clark, who championed the Revelation 12 sign in the Heavens, said a Christian is “conceived” at the moment of salvation, not born again.  In other words according to Scotty, a Christian is conceived by the Holy Spirit at salvation but we will not be truly born until we get our resurrected body … like a baby being born.  And this analogy is good to explain the whole transformation process of a Christian into the image of Christ from “salvation to sanctification to glorification” and this analogy is good if the Church is child in Revelation 12 that is caught up to Heaven at the beginning of the seven year Tribulation period.  However, this analogy is not good if the child of Revelation 12 is caught up at the mid-way point!  … so what Child is this?

The Woman, Israel

1A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

The Red Dragon, Satan

3Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

The Male Child, Christ

5And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

I have read and reread Revelation 12 so many times I have lost count and I have prayed to God for revelation about this revelation that He gave to John.  When I first read Revelation 12 many years ago, I took the passage literally, that the child is Jesus Christ, the One who rules with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15) and I thought that both the sign of the Woman and the sign of the Dragon would appear in the Heavens at the mid-way point of the Tribulation as a reminder to the Jews that Jesus is their Messiah who was resurrected “caught up” to Heaven.

And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God, the Almighty. – Revelation 19:15

And to the one who is victorious and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. 27 He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery— just as I have received authority from My Father – Revelation 2:26

Yet, the Church also rules with Christ, with a rod of iron (Revelation 2:16) and the Church is also caught up to meet Jesus in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:17).   Therefore when I heard about the appearance of the Revelation 12 sign, like many others, I associated the child as “the Church” and that the “harpazzo/rapture” mentioned in Revelation 12:5 would occur on September 23, 2017 when the Revelation 12 sign appeared in the Heavens.  Of course that didn’t happen, the Revelation 12:1-2 sign has occurred but the Revelation 12:5, Rapture event, hasn’t occurred yet.

Revelation 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. 17So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

A good indication that the child is the Church is that there are “two” distinct 1,260 day periods that the Jews flee to the wilderness and the child is born “before” the birth pains (click here to read more).  Note, there is a 3 1/2 year period mentioned in Revelation 12:6 and a 3 1/2 years period mentioned in Revelation 12:14.  If you assume these are two different periods then it makes sense that the rapture of the child in Revelation 12:5 and the fleeing event in Revelation 12:6 occur at the start of the Tribulation and the fleeing event in Revelation 12:14 occurs at the mid-way point of the Tribulation.  And this interpretation of Revelation 12 could be true … for some Jews could flee at the start of the Tribulation (the 144,000?) and another group flees at the mid-way point (the believing remnant).  About half the Jews in the world are in the United States and half are in Israel.  Perhaps, the Jews in America flee to Israel at the start of the Tribulation and the Jews in Israel flee to Petra at the mid-way point?

But the other way to interpret Revaluation 12 is that the Jewish “fleeing” event is “one” event that is told twice.  This is especially true if you consider that the “labor pains” (Revelation 12:2) represent the first 3 1/2 years, then the birth occurs at the mid-way point and then Israel flees and hides for the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation.   In other words, the Revelation 12 story of the conflict in Heaven is “one” story told “twice” from two different perspectives … once as signs of stars and planets that appear in the Heavens and once as the manifestation of Spiritual evil from the Heaven fallen to earth!  

1 Thessalonians 4: 13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words.

A detail that is missing with the Revelation 12:5 rapture of the child is that there is no shout of the Lord, there is no voice of the Archangel and there is no trump of God.  However, there is place in Revelation where the rapture signs of the Church are mentioned and that is in Revelation 4:1 when John before the Tribulation beings.   At this rapture event the voice, the shout and the trumpet are all mentioned.  And John is raptured to Heaven “after” he mentions the seven Churches,  which means the end of the Church Age occurs then the rapture occurs.  This is a good indication that the Church is snatched out of the world right before the Tribulation period begins!

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” – Revelation 4:1

And isn’t it interesting that this fulfills the way a Jewish groom would call his bride to gather His bride to take her to their wedding.   He come unexpectedly when the shout of the groom, the voice of the “best man” (Michael the arch Angel), a trumpet blowing and he “catches up” his bride to take her to his home for a wedding, the place he has prepared for her!  And there are a lot more analogies to how the rapture is like a groom coming for His bride, the Church.  When Jesus says no one knows the day or the hour, He is referring to how this saying was used for when a wedding would occur.  The groom didn’t know the date until the house he built onto His Father’s house for the Bride was complete and the Father was the judge of the completion … only the Father knows the completion date and the start of the wedding.  Jesus said He goes to prepare a place for us, the New Jerusalem in Heaven, our hearts are not to be troubled by this world and the coming wrath but filled with the anticipation of being with our Blessed Hope, Jesus and in our Heaven home!

If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. – John 14:3

The seven year Tribulation period is a time of Jacob’s trouble.  It is the time to complete the last week of the 70 weeks of discipline for the Jews.  The Jewish Dispensation was “cut-off” at the death and resurrection, harpazzo, of Jesus and at this time the Church Age started began.  Then at the rapture of the Church, the Church Age will be completed and the the Jewish dispensation will continue for 7 more years.  During the first 3 1/2 years, the Antichrist will pose as Christ and conqueror and subdue the world as though he is Christ but after 3 1/2 years the Antichrist will commit the Abomination of Desolation in the temple.  At this time the two witness (Moses and Elijah) will have been lying in the streets of Jerusalem dead for 3 and a half days (Revelation 11:11) … then suddenly they will be resurrected into the air to meet Jesus in the air … a mini rapture.  At this point the world will see Jesus, Moses and Elijah in the sky and try to hide in fear while the believing remnant of Jews will morn and flee to the wilderness, Petra where they will be protected for the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation.

While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.  But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;  –  1 Thessalonians 2:4-5

The “labor pains” of the woman, Israel, is a reference to the first 3 1/2 years.  These labor pains come upon “them“, the Jews and the unbelieving Gentiles but the Church is not in darkness concerning the signs of the approaching Day of the Lord and it’s purpose.  The purpose of the Day of the Lord is to execute “wrath” on the unbelieving Gentiles and discipline “Tribulation” upon the believing Jews and Tribulation Saints but the Church is not destined to be on earth for this 7 year period.  In other words, the 7 years are for God to (a) judge the world for sin (b) wake up His remnant Jews and (c) wake up His non Holy Spirit Gentiles who are playing church.  The Tribulation begins with the opening of scroll by Jesus, the first seal, and everything in the scroll is the last will and testament of God for planet earth!  

For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.  – 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

Paul tells the Church believers to encourage one another with the truth that we will escape the coming wrath.   The first 3 1/2 years are the wrath of Satan/Antichrist and the last 3 1/2 years are the wrath of God.  The first 3 1/2 years of the wrath from Satan/Antichrist, “the labor pains”, have not begun for the Jews because the Church is still on earth, restraining evil and restraining the reign and revelation of the Antichrist.  We are currently in the time of sorrow, the period before the real labor pains but also a period of unrest, discomfort, expectation of something big to happen, uncertainty, anxiety, and false labor pains (such as wars rumors of wars, famine and pestilence) which are precursor to the real labor pains when the first 4 seals that are opened at the beginning of the Tribulation period!

Revelation 6: 9When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.

Note, Paul says “whether we are awake or asleep we live together with Him” (1 Thessalonians 5:10).  Paul also said “we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” – 2 Corinthians 5:8.  Near the end of his ministry Paul said he had fought the good fight and run the race … he was looking for a crown at the appearing of Christ,  not a white robe (2 Timothy 4:6-8).  This sounds like the 24 elders who are before the throne that John sees as he first enters Heaven (Revelation 4:1), they are a representation of the Church Age believers after the Rapture … casting their crowns before the throne (Revelation 4:10-11).  In comparison, the martyred Saints of the Tribulation period, Seal 5, who are under the altar before the throne of God do not seem at peace but “cry out for vengeance” and they are given a white robe.  It is my observation that the Saints under the altar are not the Church Age believers but believers who have died during the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation and their number will be complete at the end of the first 3 1/2 years, the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:14).

Some people call the first 3 1/2 years the “Tribulation” and the last 3 1/2 years the “Great Tribulation”.  Some people call the first 3 1/2 years the “Tribulation” and a few years after that the “Great Tribulation” and the last few months “Wrath”.   And some people call the first 2 years the “Tribulation” and and the last 1 1/2 the “Great Tribulation” and the last 3 1/2 years “Wrath”.  I agree with this last view when you discussing Jesus words of the Olivet Discourse but as I said all seven years are in a sense “wrath”.

As I’ve said, I think the word “Tribulation” primarily refers to the first 3 1/2 years, not the entire 7 year period and the “Great Tribulation” is a reference to last part of the 3 1/2 years when the condition of earth are growing worse and many people will be martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ (the 5th seal).  I think the first 4 seals are opened all at once at the beginning of the Tribulation and the fifth seal is opened up near the end of the first 3 1/2 years to reveal those who have been martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ during this time.  And I think the 6th seal marks the mid-way point of the Tribulation the Antichrist commits the Abomination of Desolation in the temple!

Revelation 6:12I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

At the mid-way point, I think the stars that fall are a reference that Satan and His fallen Angels are cast down to earth as stated in  Revelation 12:9 (this is the second account of stars falling in Revelation 12, the first occurring at the start of the Tribulation).  The stars that fall are also mentioned in both Revelation 6:13 and Matthew 24:29, these are the Fallen Angels being cast out of Heaven and falling to earth to endure the great wrath of God which will occur during the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation period.  In general, I think the 7 seals occur in the first 3 1/2 years, the 7 trumpets at the mid-way point and the the 7 vials in the last 3 1/2 years.  I think the judgements (seals, trumpets, vials) unfold somewhat like the Feast on the Menorah. 

Revelation 7:1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” 

Note, the four winds of Heaven are also mentioned in Matthew 24. 

Matthew 24 29“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, ANDTHE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31“And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. 

Most Bible commentators put this sign of the Son of Man and the gathering of His elect at the end of the Tribulation, meaning the “elect” are the Church but I think it makes more sense that the elect are the 144,000 Jews who are sealed at the mid-way point of the Tribulation for ministry during the last 3 1/2 years.  Therefore, the appearance of Jesus in the Heavens at the mid-way point (Matthew 24:30), may occur at the rapture of the two witness, similar to the way Jesus appeared with Moses and Elijah to Peter, James and John at His transfiguration (Matthew 17:2).  

Revelation 7: 13Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 14I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15“For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. 16“They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

After the sealing of the 144,000, the Saints in white robes in Heaven are mentioned in Revelation 7:14.   These Saints cannot be the Church because they only represent those who are martyred for their faith during the Great Tribulation period, from the time of the 5th seal until the mid-way point of the Tribulation.  Note, John does not recognize who these people are.  If these Saints were Church Age Saints then surely John would have recognized Peter and James and Paul in the group.  This is a good indication that these are the “Tribulation Saints” who John saw crying out to Jesus under the altar (Revelation 6:10) … now they are resurrected in Heaven and serve God in Heaven, while the Church Age Saints will reign and rule with Christ on earth during the Millennium. 

I certainly don’t claim that my interpretation in this article is correct but it makes sense to me based on my study.  I interpret Revelation from a linear and literal view whenever possible.  There are non-linear chapters of Revelation such as Revelation 12 when the Great sign appeared in the Heavens on September 23, 2017.  This was a “sign” that the Tribulation will begin soon, it is not the event itself.  It is a sign that we are currently in the time of sorrow … where the woman is with child having discomfort and “pre-labor” pains because she is pregnant with the child and she will go into labor soon.  When the first seal is opened at the signing of the 7 year peace covenant with Israel that begins the Tribulation period and the birth pains for the the woman, Israel.  The Revelation 12 sign in the Heavens was a warning to watch and be ready, have your lamps full, burning and ready for Jesus’ return … because the “rapture” of the Church could occur suddenly … right before the woman goes into birth pains and then sudden destruction will come upon the world (1 Thessalonians 2:4). 

– Rogersings

By the way here an interesting study about the 1260 days, 42 months and times, times and half times.

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