The believers may be overcomers either as the man-child or the firstfruit. Revelation 12:5 says, “She brought forth a son, a man-child, who was about to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” In the Bible the woman signifies the weaker one and the man the stronger one (1 Pet. 3:7). Hence, the man-child in Revelation 12:5 signifies the stronger part of God’s people. The fact that the man-child “was about to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod” indicates that the man-child consists of the overcomers, as mentioned in 2:26-27. Furthermore, “brought forth” in 12:5 signifies resurrection, as in Acts 13:33 and 34.
The man-child is composed of the dead overcoming saints resurrected. This is proved by the words “unto death” in Revelation 12:11. All the overcomers who die will be part of the man-child. By resurrection the man-child will come into full existence. Abel, who was the first martyr, the Apostles, and all the martyrs and deceased overcomers are waiting for the time of resurrection. The resurrection of all the dead overcoming believers will be the delivery of the man-child. Therefore, the man-child is composed of all the overcoming saints who die before the time of this resurrection.
A believer who is an overcomer today and lives until the Lord Jesus comes back will not be part of the man-child but may be among the firstfruit. However, a believer who is an overcomer and dies before the Lord Jesus comes back will be resurrected to be part of the man-child. The man-child in Revelation 12:5 does not represent the overcomers who live until the Lord comes back, but represents all the dead overcomers who will be resurrected before the Lord comes back. This resurrection will be their delivery as the man-child.
The dead overcomers through all the generations will be raptured to God and to His throne. Revelation 12:5 tells us that the man-child “was caught up to God and to His throne.” To be “caught up” is to be raptured. The rapture of the man-child differs from that of the majority of the believers as mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. There, the rapture of the majority of the believers will be to the air, whereas the rapture of the man-child, the dead overcomers resurrected, will be to the throne of God in the heavens.
The dead overcomers will be raptured to God and to His throne before the three and a half years, twelve hundred sixty days, the period of the great tribulation. The rapture of the man-child is in Revelation 12:5. Verse 6b goes on to speak of “a thousand two hundred and sixty days,” and verse 14b of “time, and times, and half a time,” which denotes three and a half years. From this we see that the man-child, comprising the dead overcomers through all the generations, will be raptured before the great tribulation.
Revelation 14:1 says, “I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.” Verse 4b goes on to explain, “These were purchased from among men as firstfruit to God and to the Lamb.” The firstfruit to God and to the Lamb are those of God’s crop who mature the earliest. These early overcomers will be the first ripe ones in God’s field. Hence, they will be reaped before the harvest as firstfruit to God and to the Lamb. According to verses 14 through 16, the harvest will be reaped later. This means that the firstfruit will be raptured to the heavens before the harvest, just as the firstfruit of the good land was reaped and brought into the temple of God before the harvest.
In Revelation 14:1 and 4 there are one hundred forty-four thousand living overcomers. In the past many teachers have debated whether this number is literal or figurative. This number should be an actual number but with a symbolic meaning. Although the number is literal, it has a spiritual significance. One hundred forty-four thousand is one thousand multiplied by twelve times twelve. Twelve is the number of completion in God’s eternal administration. One hundred forty-four (Rev. 21:17) is twelve times twelve, which signifies the completion of completions, the ultimate completion in the fullest way. Here it is one thousand times this ultimate completion. This is the significance of the number one hundred forty-four thousand. The one hundred forty-four thousand firstfruit are believers who are for the accomplishment of God’s eternal purpose.
The crucial matter concerning the firstfruit is the principle that among the believers living on earth at the time of the Lord’s coming back some will ripen early and, being the first to mature, will become the firstfruit in God’s field. We have pointed out that, according to the type in Exodus 23, the firstfruit was brought not to the barn but to the temple and there was offered to God. If we see the principle of the firstfruit, we shall not pay attention to the erroneous teaching that all believers, regardless of their spiritual situation, will be raptured before the tribulation. Revelation 14 shows us that among God’s people growing in His field a small part will be the firstfruit and a great part will be the harvest. Purchased from among men, the firstfruit are those who follow the Lamb absolutely.
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