FOOD FOR THOUGHT

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

                In a natural and normal birth the head is born first and then the body. So in Revelation 12 we see three characters: A virgin (Israel) gives birth to a man child (Yeshua) and a Dragon (Satan) waits to devour Him, but he is caught up to heaven. So the dragon goes after the woman, (Israel) who keeps the commandments of God and holds to the testimony of Jesus.

                That is the first application of this prophecy as it applies to the birth of the Head.( Yeshua)

                But now, in the book of Revelation we have a second application to this same sign which is the birth of the body. And in this we must begin to realize that Pentecost was not the birth of the church, but rather its conception. Our actual birth will come at the resurrection and catching away of the church.

                The angel said to Mary in Luke 1:35: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High God will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God.” So Yeshua was not born then but rather conceived.

                But the same can be said of us, for when we receive Yeshua as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes upon us and the power of the Most High God overshadows us and for that reason we are His offspring and shall be called the children of God. Acts 2:17 and Acts 1:8. So when we receive the Holy Spirit His seed is conceived in us and we enter into a gestation period while Christ is formed in us. “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you…” Galatians 4:19

                So in Revelation 12 in conjunction with the last days and the forming of the Remnant Body of Christ, it can be said that as soon as this remnant people is born, the dragon will seek to devour her and she will be caught up into heaven. So the dragon will go off to make war with the remnant of her offspring (Seed) who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.

                So if God’s Remnant people are the Body of Christ, what does this sign tell us about when she will be caught up into heaven? Well, it doesn’t specifically say, for this event can still occur either at the beginning of the Tribulation or it could happen just prior to the wrath of God being poured out. (It sort of depends on whether the time of Jacob’s trouble is 7 years or 3 ½ years long.)

                But if the man child represents the Body of Christ and the woman represents Israel, this would imply that the Remnant Body of Christ would be caught up at the beginning of the tribulation and then the Dragon would pursue the woman Israel and as such, this would also represent the ending of the times of the Gentiles and the beginning of the time of Jacob’s Trouble. (Jacob being Israel) Only time will tell.

                As you can see then, these signs are subject to interpretation and we usually tend to interpret them according to our previous doctrines on the subject. Some of us dare to explore the various interpretations while others stubbornly hold to what they have known. It is not that we should abandon one doctrine for another.      What is called for here is a broader understanding of these events. First and foremost is our relationship with Yeshua. If we don’t have that right then our interpretations are meaningless. But if our relationship with Yeshua is one of betrothal and intimacy, then we will be ready for the events no matter which way they turn out.

                But this is where many make a mistake. They say that since no one knows the day or the hour, why bother to study it out anyway. When I try to talk to people about Bible prophecy, they say,
“Oh I don’t need to know any of that stuff, I’m just going to trust Jesus.”

                Well, the book of Revelation is the Revelation of Jesus and the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation is a prophecy of His coming. The Old Testament prophets had more to say about the Day of the Lord and His second coming than they had to say about His first coming. How can we really say that we are trusting Jesus if we ignore His prophetic Word and His agenda?

                Friends of the Bridegroom may not care about His agenda, but the Bride certainly does care. After all she is going to be married to Him and she is going to reign with Him on His throne. Therefore she is intensely interested in every facet of his agenda and His plan. She wants to rule with Him in wisdom and understanding. She wants to share His character and His ways. She wants to overcome even as He overcame. She wants to become one with Him. She is betrothed to Him and she eagerly waits for the wedding day. She wants to be flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. She wants to be His new creation.

                The Bride understands that coming into line with His agenda is all a part of the process of transformation. Prophecy is the unveiling of Yeshua and His Bride as they slowly become one. Think of the Tabernacle of Moses as a church. The bride walks the isle as a Bride adorned for her husband as the Bridegroom removes the veil to meet her in the air. The Groom comes from the Spirit to fill her flesh, while the Bride comes from the flesh to be filled with His Spirit. This is marriage. And this is the picture that the Tabernacle of Moses paints for us. This is the picture that marriage paints for us.

                At the blood moon conferences of 2014 and 2015 the prophets Neville Johnson and Sadhu Selvarage warned at that time that we had entered into a sequence of events that could no longer be stopped. Next we saw the Star of Bethlehem for the first time in 2000 years, now a total eclipse over the entire nation of America as we enter into the Elul 1 through the Day of Atonement and on to the Day of Tabernacles… a 40 day period repentance leading to judgment.

                What will happen following this 40 day period we do not know, but there are hundreds of events just hanging on a cliff and ready to drop upon us. Any one of these events could bring America to its knees and even to its end, but neither the world nor the church is repenting. Only the Remnant is repenting and only the Bride is watching and praying as we see the day drawing near. Are you one of them?

                Now is the time to repent and to turn from every sin and to embrace Yeshua as your Lord and Savior. Walk in His Word and seek understanding of His plans for the day is drawing near in the valley of decision.

                “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness and the Lord roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble, but the Lord is a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel.” Joel 3:14-16.

                “The sun will be turned into darkness before the awesome day of the Lord comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered; for the Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.” Joel 2:31, 32. Read the book of Joel. It is pregnant with meaning for our time and is in fact written for our time.

                “Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble for the day of the Lord is coming; surely it is near. “Joel 2: 1

                “Before them the earth quakes the heavens tremble, the sun and moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness and the Lord utters His voice before His army, Surely His camp is very great, for strong is He who carries out His word. The day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome and who can endure it? Yet even now, declares the Lord, return to Me with all your heart and with fasting, weeping and mourning: and rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the Lord your God for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and relenting of evil.” Joel 2:10-13.