This is not the literal wilderness, though the metaphor comes from the actual wilderness. The wilderness is mentioned many times in both the Old and New Testaments, and it is almost always the literal wilderness. But in Revelation 12: 6, 14 and Revelation 17: 3 the wilderness is metaphoric; it is not literal.
The narrow way in Matthew 7: 13-14 is the way of the Remnant. Paul talks about the Remnant in Romans 9: 27 and Romans 11: 5. And in the Old Testament the Remnant of Israel is defined in Zephaniah 3: 12-13. In Matthew 7: 13 "...broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat;" Broad way theology has pretty much taken over the present day "church."
"A Facebook Friend talked about Lone Ranger Christianity. Lone Ranger Christianity? It is lonely out here in the wilderness. But In the story grammar of the Western, the white hat cowboy who is regenerated by living in a physical wilderness overcomes transgressive behavior. And in the formula range war Western, this cowboy of the wilderness defeats the villain who is a society insider and is respected as a banker, business man or big rancher - which can also be metaphors for the Remnant in the wilderness.
In the movie, Shane, the cowboy, rides slowly down from the wilderness of the Grand Teton mountains to a settlement of the Western frontier. There, in what is a sort of civilization,the cowboy regenerated by the wilderness defeats the insider who is the respected villain in the range war going on against the settlers.
I don't mean to imply a legalistic view in this metaphor of the cowboy hero regenerated by living in the literal wilderness in saying the cowboy overcomes transgressive behavior. The point is that the cowboy hero is regenerated by the wilderness experience and one expression of this regeneration is his higher morality. Another expression is the cowboy's competence and cognitive clarity. Of course, I am talking about the cowboy of fiction, but there were real cowboys who did live in the wilderness behind that little man with the big hat of fiction.
Metaphorically the Remnant is camped out in the wilderness, where we build a camp fire, and sit around it. The fire is to cook the metaphoric food that has been provided for us by the Lord and to keep away the predators. There could be serpents and scorpions around.
Another Facebook Remnant Christian said that "In the Wilderness, there are many snakes and scorpions, they will introduce destructive heresies such as "Christians are not God's chosen people"
But "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." Luke 10: 19
Comment By A Member of the Remnant On Facebook
- 4:51 AM, 6/16/2011
"This was a good dose of "encouragement medicine" for me this morning, just what the doctor ordered. So I think I'll have seconds, and even stoke the fire some."
"I appreciate your comment. As a boy in South Texas I was imprinted on camp fires."
"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 twelve stars:
2. And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." Revelation 12: 1-6.
You might say the man child is Christ. The woman is a metaphor; its not the literal Mary, the physical mother of Christ. But the metaphor of the man child is not limited to Christ. There is more to it. Its also about a group of Christ's followers, who are called "the remnant" in verse 17..
Then Revelation 12: 14-17 says "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
16. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
In verse 17 the dragon makes war with the Remnant. The Remnant is in the metaphorical wilderness.
In my use of the formula range war western, where the cowboy regenerated by living in the wilderness overcomes the transgressive behavior of the leader of a range war, this is a picture of corrupt civilization, or man's reign without being reborn in Christ. The insider villain is respected by the people of civilization. But this parable is not limited to the morality part of the white hat cowboy of fiction defeating the "civilized" big banker who is the insider villain. Its also about the fictional cowboy of the wilderness seen as the Remnant battling false doctrines of the "civilized" church. The "church" is the "civilized" settlement where the false prophets (Matthew 24: 11) are the insiders and respected "villains."
The Remnant of Revelation 12: 17 has obeyed Revelation 18: 4, "Come out of her, my people,..." And "her" is that Babylon mentioned in Revelation 17: 1-11 who represents false religion. The metaphoric wilderness is being out of the "church," with its false doctrines, called "Mystery Babylon the Great."
Clever parable, especially the part about being in the Lord's camp, with the enemy all around, but we are protected, and the fire being the presence of G-d.
The manchild of Revelation 12 is not Jesus Christ, but a body of overcomers in Christ, both male and female, made one with Him and with one another as they are led by God�s Spirit, and as they manifest His love to each other and the world. These believers escape the great tribulation, although some of them will suffer as martyrs before the Great tribulation. Their escape as the living will come when they are �seized toward the throne of the God� after the birth from the womb of the visible church.
Their distinctive qualities are:
1. Love for the truth (i.e.-God Himself through His Word and Spirit
2. Love for one another
3. Perseverance
4. Watch and pray
5. They have a love for Jesus Christ that is �hot�; like a bride for her groom - (See Song 6:8-10)
6. They won�t deny His Name
7. Have a little power, and an open door for ministry.
8. They have the same attitude as Jesus had; to be servants, meeting needs wherever the opportunity provides
The manchild is a direct contrast to the lukewarm Laodicean church that is weighed down by the cares of life, and so misses the upward calling in Christ. These Laodiceans are the same as the �remnant� of the woman�s seed, or the same as the two witnesses, upon whom the beast with seven heads wages war. They had the same opportunity as the manchild to be caught up, but they were foolish, and they hated their own brethren who were following the truth; this hatred was fueled by envy and jealousy.
The 144,000 are Messianic Jews who are the same as the woman with the crown of 12 stars who flees into the wilderness to be nourished by God for the 3 � year period of the wrath of the beast. Then, after the two witnesses are killed, the 144,000 are sealed during the wrath of God upon the Gentiles for 3 � years, thus fulfilling the prophecy of the 70 weeks of Daniel to confirm the covenant with Messiah the Prince for one week (i.e. a week of years), help bring in everlasting righteousness, and rule and reign with Christ and His manchild during the Millennium.
"The manchild is a direct contrast to the lukewarm Laodicean church that is weighed down by the cares of life, and so misses the upward calling in Christ. These Laodiceans are the same as the �remnant� of the woman�s seed, or the same as the two witnesses, upon whom the beast with seven heads wages war. They had the same opportunity as the manchild to be caught up, but they were foolish, and they hated their own brethren who were following the truth; this hatred was fueled by envy and jealousy.
The 144,000 are Messianic Jews who are the same as the woman with the crown of 12 stars who flees into the wilderness to be nourished by God for the 3 � year period of the wrath of the beast. Then, after the two witnesses are killed, the 144,000 are sealed during the wrath of God upon the Gentiles for 3 � years, thus fulfilling the prophecy of the 70 weeks of Daniel to confirm the covenant with Messiah the Prince for one week (i.e. a week of years), help bring in everlasting righteousness, and rule and reign with Christ and His manchild during the Millennium."
The second paragraph above is standard dispensationalist end time prophecy. I have no idea where the first paragraph is coming from. "These Laodiceans are the same as the �remnant� of the woman�s seed, or the same as the two witnesses, upon whom the beast with seven heads wages war." Is this supposed to be part of dispensationalist prophecy?
"Broad way theology has pretty much taken over the present day "church.""
The statement in the second paragraph above is part of broad way theology, or dispensationalism, as its
own end time prophecy.
Revelation 11 and 12, like Revelation 20: 1-8 are texts which are very difficult to interpret from what is stated in them. The best we can do to interpret them is to use other scriptures, and not theology, like that created by John Darby, C.I. Scofield and Lewis Sperry Chafer.
But in Revelation 7: 1-8, on the sealing of the 144000, there is information which can be easily related to many other Bible texts - that this group is said to be made up of members from the 12 tribes of Israel.
Using the New Testament, rather than a man made theology, be it from Darby, or from some branch of Messianic Judaism, or Hebrew Roots or Sacred Namers, the 144,000 would be those "Jews" described in Romans 2: 29.
WHO IS THE WOMAN OF REVELATION 12 AND WHO ARE HER OFFSPRING??
Galatians 4:22,23,28,30,31: Abraham had 2 sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the Free Woman. His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a "PROMISE"!....You brother, like Isaac {Sarah's son}, are children of "PROMISE"....The slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the Free Woman's son. Therefore, brothers, **WE** are not children of the slave woman {Hagar} but of the Free "WOMAN"{Sarah}!! According to Galatians 3:16 Jesus is also the offspring of Abraham and Sarah {See Rev 12:5!!}
Just before the coming of 666 and the 1260-day or 42-month Great Tribulation in Revelation 13:1 we read in Rev 12:17; 13:1,5,7: Then the dragon {Satan} was enraged at the woman {Sarah} and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring--THOSE WHO OBEY GOD'S COMMANDMENTS AND HOLD TO THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS!!" And the dragon {Satan} stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw Beast {666} coming out of the Sea {Or Abyss or Hell as per Rev 11:7 & 17:8 & Luke 8:31}.....The Beast will exercise his authority for 42 months..... He will be given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he will be given authority over **EVERY** tribe, people, language and nation.
And so according to Rev 12:6,14 Satan will attack some of God's saints but they will be protected in God's sanctuary in the wilderness for 1260 days. Then in Rev 12:17 Satan will attack the rest of God's saints �WHO OBEY GOD'S COMMANDMENTS AND HOLD TO THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS� **just before** the coming of 666 and the beginning of the 1260-day or 42-month Great Tribulation.
And so Revelation 12 also shows that the pre-trib rapture of God's courageous saints at the beginning of the Great Tribulation is a ridiculous fairy tale. Since some of God's saints will be protected in the wilds for 1260 days and Satan will make war with the rest of God's saints WHO OBEY GOD'S COMMANDMENTS AND HOLD TO THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS JUST **BEFORE** THE COMING OF 666!!
Revelation 12:11: "They {The Tribulation Martyrs} overcame him {Satan} by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.":angel:
WILL ALL ISRAEL BE SAVED BY THE END OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION??
Luke 21:24: Jesus says, �Jerusalem shall be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are complete.� The Times of the Gentiles was from AD 70 to June 7th, 1967 when the Jews again gained complete control of Jerusalem after 1897 years. In 1948 the Jordanian Gentiles destroyed 34 of the 35 Jewish Synagogues in Jerusalem and kicked out almost all the Jews. Obama would like Israel to return to its 1948 borders.
During the Great Tribulation Moses and Elijah will most likely witness miraculously to people in the uttermost parts of the earth in all 6,000 languages. Presently the Bible has been translated into about 2,000 languages from the inspired Greek and Hebrew manuscripts and faith comes from hearing or reading the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. The Bible still has not been translated into about 4,000 languages and Rev 5:9b and Rev 7:9,13,14 must be completely fulfilled. Surely the courageous tribulation saints will help Moses and Elijah spread God's Word. They will do a fantastic job since according to Rev 7:9,14 there will be a great multitude from EVERY TRIBE AND LANGUAGE who will be �washed in the Blood of the Lamb� during the Great Tribulation.
Rev 6:9-11: When He {Jesus} opened the 5th seal, I saw the souls of those who had been slain {Just like Jesus} because of the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, �How long until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?� The each of them was given a *WHITE ROBE*, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. Rev 7:9,13,14,15a,17a: �After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from *EVERY* NATION, TRIBE, PEOPLE AND LANGUAGE, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb {Jesus}. They were wearing *WHITE ROBES*
�Then one of the {24} elders {Rev 4:4} asked me, �These in *WHITE ROBES*�who are they and where did they come from?�� And he said, �These are they who have come out of the Great Tribulation; {Martyrs just like Jesus} they have washed their robes and made them WHITE in the *BLOOD OF THE LAMB* {Jesus}. They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night... The Lamb {Jesus} at the center of the throne will be their Shepherd.� {See Rev 12:11 & Rev 13:8-10}
This passage in Rev 7:9 above shows that the Great Tribulation will be mainly for Christians in *EVERY Gentile nation and not just Jacob�s Jewish trouble which absolutely contradicts the main thesis of the pre-trib fairy tale. Revelation 14:13: Then I heard a voice from heaven say {During the Great Trib}, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them." Rev 12:11: �They {THE TRIBULATION MARTYRS} overcame him {Satan} by the *BLOOD OF THE LAMB* and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.�
Revelation 7:3,4: The angel said, �Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God,� Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the {12} tribes of Israel.
This event occurred just before the land and sea were harmed by the first 6 trumpet plagues in Rev chapters 8 & 9. Also occurring just before the first 6 trumpet plagues will be the scene in heaven above of martyrs from every nation in Rev 7:9-18. So it is completely obvious that the 144,000 Jews did NOT participate in the evangelizing of the Gentiles from every nation in the world. There are many who believe that the 144,000 Jews will then evangelize Jews through out the world and possibly only Jews will be saved during the rest of the Great Tribulation since Gentiles from every nation of the world will already be saved. According to Zechariah 12;10; 13:8,9: Two-thirds of the Jews will be struck down and perish but one-third will call on my name and will say, �The Lord is our God.�
Presently there are approximately 15 million Jews and about 2 % or 30,000 are Christians. During the Great Tribulation 10 million Jews will die and 5 million will be saved which is and additional 4 million 970 thousand if 30 thousand are now Christians.
Romans 11:25-29: I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part **until the full number of Gentiles has come in **{As per Rev 7:9,14 above}. ***AND SO ALL ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED***, as it is written: {In Jeremiah 31:33,34} �The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob {Israel}. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.� As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned they are loved on account of the patriarchs {Moses, Abraham, David ,Joseph, Isaiah, Elijah etc etc etc}, for God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. {Read Romans 11:11-32 and Hebrews 11:39-40}
Acts 1:6-8: The Jewish disciples asked Jesus, �Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel??� Jesus said to them: �It is not for you to know the times and dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and to the ends of the earth.!!� Matthew 24:14: Jesus says {During the Great Tribulation} �This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to **ALL NATIONS** and **THEN** the **END** will come!�
God also inspired 40 Jewish men to write every Word in God's Word in both the OT and NT. Jesus was 50 % Jewish and is called the King of the Jews 12 times in the NT and the 12 Apostles including Paul were all Jewish who brought the Gospel to the Gentiles in the 1st Century. The Israelites are called Jews 80 times in the OT beginning with the book of Esther about 600 BC and the Israelites are called Jews over 200 times in the NT.
Acts 2:5: �Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.� And on the day of Pentecost 3,000 Jews were saved as per Acts 2:5,14,41. John 4:22b: Jesus says, "Salvation is from the Jews.!" Matthew 2:1,2: Wise men from the East asked, �Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews?� Matthew 27:11: Pilate asked Jesus, �Are you the King of the Jews?� �Yes it is as you say,� Jesus replied!
God said to Abraham, in Genesis 17:8: �The whole land of Canaan I will be give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you.�
Quotes from Obama on May 20th, 2011: �Israel must learn do defend itself **BY ITSELF**!!� �Israel must return to **PRE-1967 BORDERS**!!� Nations from all over the world have heartily agreed with King Obama's 2 statements including the European Union, Russia and the United nations. Obama has also stated that he does not have to abide by the War Powers Act or the Constitution in declaring war thus making Obama a King with the power to make war against anyone he desires as long as he desires!
