27 Aug '14 17:13>1 edit
Originally posted by RJHinds
The text of Revelation 12:5 does not say her son or male child was caught up to the throne of God immediately.
It is not necessary that it say he was caught up "immediately".
It is not necessary that it says he was caught up head first, or on a slant, or perfectly vertically or any number of miscellaneous and arbitrary things.
There is no profit in making is a requirement that the word "immediately" has to be used.
The sequence of events makes the facts immediately follow one another.
The woman brings forth. (v.5)
The child is raptured. (v.5)
The women flees to the wilderness. (v.6)
The war commences in heaven. (v.7)
Satan and angels are defeated an driven down. (v.8,9)
Proclamation is made in heaven that the ovecomers have prevailed. (v.10)
The facts following one another and making an issue that the word "immediately" HAS to be used is arbitrary.
You are adding to the words of this prophecy by adding the word
Your insistence that the appearance of word "immediately" mandatory is arbitrary.
You must not forget that Jesus was the first overcomer and has all authority to grant the honor to other overcomers of shepherding the nations with HIM.
Far from "forget" we establish the truth. That is the point, that some are destined to be like Him in that regard.
We do not partake in any of His work of redemption. We are called to partake in overcoming through Him. That is exactly what the chapter establishes - that a remnant, a minority will be the stronger part of the majority and overcome.
I also see nothing in the text that implies the son or male child is a group of people.
That is too bad. But that is your shortsightedness.
The fact of the matter is that even if you do not see it in the symbolism, the plain non-symbolic teaching of New Testament establishes the same as far as co-reigners with Christ.
To reign over our old selves is no small thing. We were saved to reign in life.
"For if by the offense of the one death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)
There is a reward for reigning in life through Christ. The reward is dispenses in the millennial kingdom.
Why should not the Bible portray in symbolic pictures the plain teaching that "If we endure we will also reign with Him ..." (2 Tim. 2:12) .
What possible cause for alarm could there be?
What ground of presumption should there be?
We will not know WHO will be thus rewarded until the time.
So why should we not lay hold of the promise as an incentive?
Proverbs 16:32 says "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city."
To exercise self control through the Holy Spirit today is to be faithful over a few things. Jesus' parable was that he who was faithful over a few things would be given authority over many things (Matt. 25:21).
We shall be as those who capture a CITY of we through grace capture our fallen natures today.
Christ, with the government upon His shoulders, will assign authority over cities to His overcoming faithful servants.
"And he said to him, Well done, good slave. Because you have become faithful in the least, have authority over ten cities." (Luke 19:17)
"And he said to this one as well, And you, be over five cities." (v.19)
It is not insignificant to "reign in life" in the church age. And it is not insignificant to overcome, standing upon the promise that in Christ we are "more than conquerors" (Rom. 8:37)
The interpretation of the symbols in Revelation 12 is reliable as I have presented. But even if one does not agree with a rapture of a minority of overcomers, the plain teaching of the NT confirms that overcoming saints will reign with Christ as are reward.
I also see nothing in the text that implies the son or male child is a group of people.
That's shortsighted of you. And you cannot see it because you are probably too inundated with traditional thoughts which lack depth in appreciating God's full economy.