The Firstfruits Rapture: Part 3
In Part 1 I began to discuss the concept of the Firstfruits Rapture while tying it into the first 5 verses of Revelation chapter 12. There we see a woman, (a great wonder in heaven), that is crying out from labor pains as she is getting ready to deliver a man child. We see a great red dragon whose tail has drawn a third part of the stars of heaven down, and have all been cast to the earth. We also see the dragon, (who is Satan), standing in front of the woman eagerly wanting to devour her child as soon as it is born, but the child is caught up unto God, and to His throne.
Revelation 12:1 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 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.
The Greek word translated as “caught up” in verse 5 is the verb: “Harpazo” [G726]; it is found 13 times in the New Testament and it means: to pluck out; take out; or catch up. It is the word used to convey the concept of being “Raptured”, as is used in 1 Thessalonians 4.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [G726] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Now let’s analyze verse 6 of Rev chapter 12.
Revelation 12:6 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.
Bible teachers interpret the identity of this woman in many different ways, for example: some say that she is the Virgin Mary, some say she is national Israel, or the New Testament church, or the constellation Virgo, and I am sure there are many more interpretations. First of all, the identity of this woman needs to meet 4 criteria which are: she is a “great wonder in heaven”; she is “clothed with the sun”; she has “the moon under her feet”; and has a “crown with 12 stars upon her head”. By process of elimination I was able to eliminate all the interpreted identities mentioned above, but when I interpreted this woman to be Mother Earth, I noted that it was able to meet all the criteria. The planet Earth is a “great wonder in heaven”, it is clothed with the sun, has the moon under her dominion, and has the 12 constellations of the Zodiac above her head. Mother Earth is also able to meet the criteria of groaning with labor pains to deliver the man child, as we read in Romana 8.
Romans 8:22-23 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 Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Moving on to verse 6, we read:
Revelation 12:6 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.
The event described in verse 6 is completely supernatural in nature and is very difficult to conceptualize with an everyday carnal mentality. To begin with, this event will be a global supernatural event, much like in the day when God passed judgment on Adam and Eve and supernaturally transformed planet Earth from what it was in the Garden of Eden and globally transformed it into the decaying and cursed planet that we are familiar with from our birth. The events described in Rev 12 are events that the world has never seen before in history, which also make it very difficult for me to convey. But to give you a slight concept of the supernatural nature of this event, I would like to quote from Matthew 17.
Matthew 17:1-4 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves, and he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light; and behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
In this passage, Moses and Elijah were clearly alive and visible to Peter, James, and John, however, they appear to be alive in a different dimension. This is exactly similar to the supernatural nature of what is occurring in Rev 12, where the woman has “fled” into a different dimension, a fifth dimension where she will be very much alive and protected in a place prepared for her by God, and where she will be fed there for 3.5 years; it is the same "place" that Jesus referring to in Luke 17.
Luke 17:34-38 I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left." And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?" So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."
The ones that are taken are the Firstfruits of God; the man child; they will enter into a fifth dimension, into a place prepared for them by God, where they will be gathered around human bodies that are still living in the third and fourth dimensions, and here the woman, which is the fifth dimensional aspect of Mother Earth, will be fed there for 3.5 years. That is the best way that I have of explaining Rev 12:6, and now I will move on to analyze Rev 12:7-11.
Revelation 12: 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
In this passage we see there is a war taking place between Michael and his angels, against Satan and his angels, and when Satan and his angels are defeated, they are cast down into the earth. We can know that the word “heaven” here is referring to the vaulted expanse of the sky, which is where Satan has been ruling over the world for thousands of year as the “prince of the power of the air”.
Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now operates in the children of disobedience.
It is at this definitive moment, the moment when Satan and his angels are defeated by Michael and his angels, and the moment when they are cast out from the sky and down into the Earth, that a loud voice in heaven is heard making the following declarations: #1. Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ (verse 10). #2. The accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night (verse 10). #3. The true believers have overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
It is at this moment when the Apocalypse will begin and the Son of Man will return as lightning to Rapture the Firstfruits. This is when the Son of Man will be revealed from heaven; the day of the revealing of the revelation; the Apocalypto[G601] of the Apocalypsis[G602].
Luke 17:29-30 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed[G601].
1 Corinthians 1:6-8 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: So that ye lack in no gift; waiting for the revelation [Apokalypsis-G602] of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also establish you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:6-7 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the revelation [Apokalypsis-G602] of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation [Apokalypsis-G602] of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed [Apokalypsis-G602], ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
We can know that the Lord will be revealed on the same day that the Satan is revealed from comparing the following 2 passages.
Luke 17:30-32 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back; Remember Lot's wife.
Mark 13:14-16 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take anything out of his house; and let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
As you can see when comparing Luke 17:30-32 to Mark 13:14-16, the Son of Man and the abomination of desolation, (which is the day when Satan and his angels are defeated by Michael and his angels and are cast out into the earth) will both occur on the exact same day, and the man child will be caught up to the throne of God (the Rapture of the Firstfruits). This is the day when there will be great rejoicing in heaven, but also the day that a great Woe will begin to the inhabitants of the Earth.
Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he hath but a short time. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14 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.
Revelation 12:1 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 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.
The Greek word translated as “caught up” in verse 5 is the verb: “Harpazo” [G726]; it is found 13 times in the New Testament and it means: to pluck out; take out; or catch up. It is the word used to convey the concept of being “Raptured”, as is used in 1 Thessalonians 4.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [G726] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Now let’s analyze verse 6 of Rev chapter 12.
Revelation 12:6 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.
Bible teachers interpret the identity of this woman in many different ways, for example: some say that she is the Virgin Mary, some say she is national Israel, or the New Testament church, or the constellation Virgo, and I am sure there are many more interpretations. First of all, the identity of this woman needs to meet 4 criteria which are: she is a “great wonder in heaven”; she is “clothed with the sun”; she has “the moon under her feet”; and has a “crown with 12 stars upon her head”. By process of elimination I was able to eliminate all the interpreted identities mentioned above, but when I interpreted this woman to be Mother Earth, I noted that it was able to meet all the criteria. The planet Earth is a “great wonder in heaven”, it is clothed with the sun, has the moon under her dominion, and has the 12 constellations of the Zodiac above her head. Mother Earth is also able to meet the criteria of groaning with labor pains to deliver the man child, as we read in Romana 8.
Romans 8:22-23 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 Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Moving on to verse 6, we read:
Revelation 12:6 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.
The event described in verse 6 is completely supernatural in nature and is very difficult to conceptualize with an everyday carnal mentality. To begin with, this event will be a global supernatural event, much like in the day when God passed judgment on Adam and Eve and supernaturally transformed planet Earth from what it was in the Garden of Eden and globally transformed it into the decaying and cursed planet that we are familiar with from our birth. The events described in Rev 12 are events that the world has never seen before in history, which also make it very difficult for me to convey. But to give you a slight concept of the supernatural nature of this event, I would like to quote from Matthew 17.
Matthew 17:1-4 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves, and he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light; and behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
In this passage, Moses and Elijah were clearly alive and visible to Peter, James, and John, however, they appear to be alive in a different dimension. This is exactly similar to the supernatural nature of what is occurring in Rev 12, where the woman has “fled” into a different dimension, a fifth dimension where she will be very much alive and protected in a place prepared for her by God, and where she will be fed there for 3.5 years; it is the same "place" that Jesus referring to in Luke 17.
Luke 17:34-38 I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left." And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?" So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."
The ones that are taken are the Firstfruits of God; the man child; they will enter into a fifth dimension, into a place prepared for them by God, where they will be gathered around human bodies that are still living in the third and fourth dimensions, and here the woman, which is the fifth dimensional aspect of Mother Earth, will be fed there for 3.5 years. That is the best way that I have of explaining Rev 12:6, and now I will move on to analyze Rev 12:7-11.
Revelation 12: 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
In this passage we see there is a war taking place between Michael and his angels, against Satan and his angels, and when Satan and his angels are defeated, they are cast down into the earth. We can know that the word “heaven” here is referring to the vaulted expanse of the sky, which is where Satan has been ruling over the world for thousands of year as the “prince of the power of the air”.
Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now operates in the children of disobedience.
It is at this definitive moment, the moment when Satan and his angels are defeated by Michael and his angels, and the moment when they are cast out from the sky and down into the Earth, that a loud voice in heaven is heard making the following declarations: #1. Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ (verse 10). #2. The accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night (verse 10). #3. The true believers have overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
It is at this moment when the Apocalypse will begin and the Son of Man will return as lightning to Rapture the Firstfruits. This is when the Son of Man will be revealed from heaven; the day of the revealing of the revelation; the Apocalypto[G601] of the Apocalypsis[G602].
Luke 17:29-30 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed[G601].
1 Corinthians 1:6-8 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: So that ye lack in no gift; waiting for the revelation [Apokalypsis-G602] of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also establish you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:6-7 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the revelation [Apokalypsis-G602] of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation [Apokalypsis-G602] of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed [Apokalypsis-G602], ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
We can know that the Lord will be revealed on the same day that the Satan is revealed from comparing the following 2 passages.
Luke 17:30-32 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back; Remember Lot's wife.
Mark 13:14-16 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take anything out of his house; and let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
As you can see when comparing Luke 17:30-32 to Mark 13:14-16, the Son of Man and the abomination of desolation, (which is the day when Satan and his angels are defeated by Michael and his angels and are cast out into the earth) will both occur on the exact same day, and the man child will be caught up to the throne of God (the Rapture of the Firstfruits). This is the day when there will be great rejoicing in heaven, but also the day that a great Woe will begin to the inhabitants of the Earth.
Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he hath but a short time. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14 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.
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