Who Is The Man-Child Of Revelation 12? Part 1

The Man-Child Is Not Jesus

And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron (Rev. 12.4-5)

Though its mention is usually overlooked and under-scrutinized the identity of the man-child is a fairly important prerequisite in laying down a correct sequence of end-time events. In fact, the catching away of this man-child to the throne of God triggers a chain of subsequent events that will forever change the world as we know it. Since this man-child carries so much prophetic weight, we should give the matter its due diligence and not hastily take its interpretation for granted. Just like any other part of Revelation, getting the identity of the man-child right is paramount to understanding the whole of John’s vision.

By many Jesus has been given the nod and proclaimed as the perfect fit for the man-child’s identity. Here’s the main reasons why.

And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron (Rev. 12.5)

At first blush, it’s noteworthy that the scriptures do reveal that Jesus will rule all nations with a rod of iron. Some would thus conclude there is no further need in chasing down the man-child’s identity. Stated clearly in Revelation 19 concerning Jesus it says,

And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron. (Rev. 19.15)

With none else but this verse in view one could rightly presume Jesus to be the man-child. It is significant, however, that Jesus is not the only one that is said to rule all nations with a rod of iron. Rightly so, setting all other criteria aside, the man-child‘s identity comes under question once again. Jesus himself speaks in this behalf while addressing the church in Thyatira.

He that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he (the over-comer) shall rule them (the nations) with a rod of iron (Rev. 2.26-27)

Jesus’ statement here opens the door to numerous possibilities as to the identity of the man-child. True, Jesus will rule all nations with a rod of iron, but as He said, so will any and all who make the grade as an over-comer. The point being, we’re going to have to look elsewhere to find the identity of the man-child.

Holding to a traditional view, some would be quick to point out the next main reason why they hold to Jesus being the man-child. The man-child must be of Jewish decent, and of course, Jesus was Jewish. The background for this argument is that the woman who gives birth to the man-child represents Israel. I have no argument there. The woman of Revelation 12 does represent natural Israel. And the fact that Israel was signified to be the one to bring him forth, it would be unnatural for the man-child to be anything but of Jewish decent. Conveniently, that does weed out all Gentile believers. But still, any and all Jewish believers who overcome would still be potential candidates, excluding any female Jewish believers of course, since the literal translation of man-child from the Greek is male son.

This brings us to another hypothesis concerning the woman. The inference is that the woman in Rev. 12 is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Upon giving birth in Bethlehem Joseph was warned by an angel to flee to Egypt (the wilderness) where they were protected from Herod’s decree to kill all the male children. This interpretation adds an historical element into the scope of a decidedly future prophecy. If true, questions arise as to the purpose behind connecting this historical event with a future one. There would seem to be no particular reason for its mention in the whole of Revelation. And a problem arises as to the order of the historical events of Christ’s birth to the events surrounding the man-child. As in Rev. 12, the woman gives birth, the man-child is caught up, the woman flees to the wilderness where she is protected from the persecution of the dragon (Satan.) Comparatively, that is out of sequence with, Mary giving birth, Joseph and Mary fleeing to Egypt to escape the persecution, and then Jesus being caught up many years later. Further, in Rev. 12 the dragon goes to persecute the woman who brought forth the man-child, unlike the historical record of Herod’s effort to eliminate Jesus and not Mary in particular.

The view of Jesus being the man-child simply does not line up with Rev.12.

Continued . . . Who Is The Man-Child Of Revelation 12? (part 2)

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