I am burdened that we would all see the vision in Revelation chapter twelve. Do not think that the portrait here is a small picture showing a few insignificant matters. No, it is a great vision regarding what is taking place in the entire universe. The woman in this vision has been representing the people of God since the fall of man in Genesis 3. The woman not only represents God’s people, but also God Himself. In front of the woman is a dragon signifying God’s enemy. Throughout the centuries, the war has been between the woman and the serpent, the dragon.
This vision unveils the true situation in the universe. The worldly people can only see the obvious outward things: commerce, politics, industry, education, war. If you ask them the meaning of all this, they would say that they do not know. They only know to obtain an education that they may have a good job to earn a good living. They do not have the vision of what is taking place in the universe. But we see clearly what is going on. A woman symbolizes God’s people and represents God. In a positive sense, the wife always represents her husband. If your wife does not represent you properly, you will be shameful. But it is wonderful to have a wife to represent you in a good way. This signifies that we, the people of God, are His wife and that we need to represent Him adequately. God is the unique husband, and we, the unique wife, represent Him. But God has an enemy. Firstly, this enemy was a little serpent. Eventually, however, it became a great dragon who is now in front of us. If you do not have this vision, you will be blind, not knowing what is taking place on earth or in the universe. Praise the Lord that it is not simply a matter of education, industry, commerce, diplomacy, etc., but a matter of warfare between the people of God and God’s enemy. This war has been raging throughout the centuries and it is still raging today.
We all must be aware of the fight between the woman and the dragon. Actually, it is not the woman who fights, but the stronger part within her. Of those in the Lord’s recovery, some belong to this stronger part. This stronger part must bear the responsibility to fight the battle. The way to fight is by praying. Through the past four messages the dragon has been exposed and now he is naked. Hallelujah, we know what and who he is, and we know what his destination will be. We all need to preach to Satan about this. This will terrify him.
Most Christians mainly see that man fell, that God so loved the world and sent His only begotten Son to be the Savior, and that sinners need to hear the gospel, repent, and be forgiven of their sins and saved, so that one day they will go to heaven. But we must see something higher. The book of Revelation unveils a universal scene, a universal view. It is not simply that man has fallen—it is that God’s enemy is fighting against Him. In His economy God has selected a people to be a glorious woman. Once we were sinners, but now we are part of this glorious woman. Before I was saved, I was a poor sinner, but after I was regenerated, I became a part of the glorious woman. Look at how bright she is. In her there is no darkness at all. With her, everything is light—the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars. In front of this glorious woman is a blood-shedding, murderous dragon. We have no choice except to fight against him. But, according to the vision, the whole woman does not fight; the stronger part within her does the fighting against the dragon.
There will be war in heaven because of the man-child’s rapture to heaven. Many Christians have a poor concept of the rapture, thinking that rapture is merely for the purpose of giving them a happy time, of taking them to a pleasant place. The rapture is not only for us; it is for God’s economy and for God’s strategy. God’s enemy is still in the heavens. This enemy has been judged and his sentence has been pronounced, but during the past nineteen centuries God has not had those who could execute His sentence upon the enemy. Satan, the enemy of God, was judged by the Lord Jesus on the cross (John 12:31; 16:11). Following that, there is the need of the overcoming believers to carry out that judgment, to execute that sentence. The fighting waged by the overcoming believers against Satan is actually the execution of the Lord’s judgment upon him. Eventually, through their fighting, he will be cast out of heaven (v. 9). Who will go to heaven to execute God’s judgment and command the condemned, judged, and sentenced enemy to depart? The angels will not do this, for they are not qualified. The angels lack the position to do this because, being angels, they are on the same level as Satan who formerly was among them. God needs a man to accomplish this. This man has a Head—the man Jesus. He is the Head of the man-child, the Pioneer of all the overcomers. God needs such a man to execute His sentence upon Satan. God has been waiting a long time for this man. Although God does not have him yet, one day He will have him.
We must be raptured to the heavens to fulfill God’s need. We should not care that much for our own happiness. To care for our happiness is a Babylonian concept. This is also the concept of Catholicism derived from Babylonianism and resembling Buddhism. Religion is for human happiness, for having a good life in a merry land after we die. This thought is devilish. But, alas, this concept has infiltrated all of Christianity. Christians only care for their happiness, saying, “We like to have joy and a happy life. We want to go to heaven when we die, for we shall be happy there.” In Christianity you probably never heard that God has an eternal purpose and that we must fulfill God’s purpose. We need to be raptured to heaven, not for our happiness, but for the fulfilling of God’s purpose. We must go there to execute God’s judgment upon His enemy. God is waiting for this.