In the Bible there are some crucial signs. One of them is Jacob’s dream at Bethel (Gen. 28:10-22). In that dream Jacob saw heaven opened and a ladder set up on earth extending from earth to heaven. This sign needs the whole Bible for its development. Another sign is Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Dan. 2:1-45). In that dream he saw a great image symbolizing the power of the Gentiles. Although that sign appears simple, it covers the Gentile powers from Babylon to the coming kingdoms of the revived Roman Empire. If we would understand that sign fully and adequately, we need to consider the whole of world history. In Revelation 12 there is still another sign — the great sign of the bright woman with the man-child. In this message I am burdened to give a further word on this great sign.
The view that the woman in Revelation 12 is Mary is entirely too narrow. To say that the woman is merely Israel, the race of the Jews, is also inadequate, for the woman in this vision is not local but universal. The woman in this chapter is not limited to any locality on earth; rather, she occupies the universe. As we have seen in the last message, she represents the totality of God’s people from Adam until the end.
Before God’s people can be the man-child, they must firstly be a woman to Him. This indicates that we in the church today must firstly be the woman to God and then the man-child. By the sign in Revelation 12 we see that God’s intention is to bring forth a man-child through this woman. The woman has been and still is the means by which God can bring forth this man-child, the one whom God will use to defeat His enemy and to bring in His kingdom. In other words, God will use this man-child to fulfill His economy and to accomplish His purpose. This is a great matter. In order to accomplish His purpose, God not only needs the individual Christ but also a corporate Christ, the church, God’s people. We do not agree with the concept that this woman is merely the mother of Jesus or the nation of Israel. She is the universal, corporate body of God’s people. God needs the man-child to defeat His enemy and to bring in His kingdom that His eternal purpose might be accomplished. In order for Him to have such a man-child, there is the need of the woman.
Now we need to see a few crucial matters relating to the position of the woman in the Bible. The Bible reveals that in God’s eyes His people are His wife. In Isaiah 54 God even refers to Himself as the husband to His people. According to the Bible, in order for a woman to be a proper wife, she must submit to her husband. In this universe the unique husband, the unique man, is God. God, the universal man, the universal husband, is our husband. Whether we are males or females by birth, being God’s people, we are females in God’s eyes. God is our husband, and we are His counterpart. As His wife, we must submit ourselves to Him. Although we may say that we are a wife to Christ, we still have our own way and intention. Often, we do not take His will and intention as ours. This means that we do not actually take Him as our husband or submit to Him.
A wife must also receive something from her husband in order to become pregnant. The Bible reveals that submission is to receive something of Christ, just as the woman submits to her husband, not to do something for him but to receive something of him. Nothing that a wife does for her husband is more important than receiving something of her husband. Actually a wife’s duty is not to do things for her husband; it is to receive something of her husband that she may bring forth something for her husband. In the great sign in Revelation 12, the woman is not portrayed as doing anything for her husband; she is pictured as being pregnant. She has been impregnated by her husband in order to bring forth something for her husband. The church’s duty is not mainly to do something for Christ. Her duty is to receive something of Christ that she may be made pregnant of Christ and may bring forth something for Christ.
The woman in this chapter firstly indicates submission to God. Secondly, she indicates that we do not need to do anything for God. What we need is to receive something of God. He does not need anything of us, but we need something of Christ to enter into our being that we might be made pregnant and might bring forth something for Him. The church today needs Christ. This vision is altogether lacking in today’s Christianity. When Christians speak about submission, their concept is to do something for Christ, to perform some work for God. But as the proper woman, we must firstly submit ourselves to our husband, not to do something for Him, but to receive something of Him. If we do this we shall be made pregnant, and something will be brought forth through us.
Now we need to consider what fornication is. Fornication is to have a husband and to submit yourself to another man. Many Christians today, perhaps including some of us, are committing fornication. We commit fornication when, on the one hand, we admit that Christ is our husband, while, on the other hand, we submit to so many other things. Submitting ourselves to anything other than Christ is fornication. If we have the light, the vision, we shall see that Christianity today is full of this kind of fornication. As a chaste wife, you should not submit to anyone other than your husband, and you should not receive anything from anyone else. To receive something from someone other than your husband is fornication. But look at today’s Christianity! Week after week and day after day, Christians are receiving things other than Christ. We in the church life should be careful not to receive anything other than Christ. We should not receive teachings, doctrines, practices, or forms. To receive something other than Christ, even if that thing is good or even scriptural, is to commit spiritual fornication. We should receive only Christ and allow only Him to make us pregnant.
Only by receiving Christ into our being can we bring forth the man-child. The man-child is formed wholly of the constituent of Christ. In order to produce the man-child, we must first be one with Christ and receive something of Him. When we receive something uniquely of Christ, we shall be made pregnant of Christ to bring forth the man-child. If you see this vision, you will feel sorrowful about the situation in today’s Christianity. Where is the man-child? Christianity has produced many things, but there is nearly no man-child. Because Christianity has been impregnated of things other than Christ, hardly anything that it brings forth is the man-child.
God does not intend for the woman to fight the dragon. God intends to use the man-child to fight against the dragon. The dragon is still active in the heavens because the man-child has not yet been brought forth. Now we can see that this life-study of Revelation is not accidental; it was planned and timed by God that we all might see that we must be the unique woman submitting ourselves only to Christ, not to anything or anyone else, and that we must only receive what is of Christ. When, as this woman, we receive something uniquely of Christ, the man-child will be brought forth.
The man-child is the stronger part of the woman. On the one hand, we firstly must be the woman; on the other hand, we must also be the man-child. It is not adequate simply to be bright and heavenly. We must be fully constituted with the element of Christ. The difference between the woman and the man-child is this: not much of the element of Christ is constituted into the being of the woman, but the entire being of the man-child is saturated and permeated with the element of Christ. Hence, the man-child is the very constitution of Christ. How can this man-child be brought forth? He is brought forth by Christ’s getting into part of the woman to constitute that part of her with all the rich element of Christ. Do not consider this merely as an interpretation, but apply it to your daily experience. Even if you submit yourselves to Christ and receive something of Him, you are still the woman and are not yet the man-child. You will not be strong until you have allowed the element of Christ to be worked into your being. The more the element of Christ is worked into you, the stronger you will become. This is the man-child.
Do not understand the man-child in just a doctrinal way as consisting of the dead overcomers resurrected. Doctrinally speaking, this is correct. But we do not like to understand the Bible simply in a doctrinal way. Rather, we must know the Word in a practical way. Even today, before the time of resurrection, we can be the man-child. If you are not a part of the man-child today, then how do you expect to be a part of the man-child in resurrection?
The principle in becoming the firstfruit or the man-child is the same: we must follow the Lamb wherever He goes (14:4). However, in my early ministry I did not realize that following the Lamb is not an outward matter. We should not say, “Oh, the Lamb was patient and humble, and we must imitate His patience and humility. The Lamb was absolutely for God, and we must also be absolutely for Him. The Lamb is our example, and we must follow Him.” Forty years ago, I gave messages along this line. But later I realized that this is a natural understanding of following the Lamb. If the element of the Lamb does not get into us, we shall be unable to follow Him. We are not a lamb; we are “monkeys” or “donkeys.” How could a “monkey” or a “donkey” follow the Lamb? It is impossible. To follow the Lamb means to allow the Lamb to get into you. When the element of the Lamb is constituted into your being, you will actually be a part of the Lamb. You will be unable to be what you were before because you have been transformed. Our transformed being is the man-child. Now we are the woman submitting to our husband and receiving something of Him into our being. If we allow the element that we have received of our husband to saturate and permeate our being, constituting us with this element, we shall no longer be simply the woman, but the man-child.
Although we need to pray more, if we simply pray in a common way, we shall not be supplied. We need to constantly be open to our husband. We must permit the element of Christ, the divine constituent of Christ, to work in us continually to saturate and permeate our whole being. Today, the Lord’s desire is that many of His children realize that, as God’s people, we are His wife for the purpose of bringing forth the man-child. We cannot produce or manufacture this man-child; we must receive something of Christ and be made pregnant of Him. Something of our Christ must enter into our being. It is not a matter of our being humble, patient, nice, or good. It is absolutely a matter of opening our being to His divine element and of allowing this element to be worked into us. For this, we need “nine months.” It takes this long for the man-child to be developed within us.
The apostle Paul said in Galatians 4:19, “I am again in travail until Christ is formed in you.” This indicates that he realized that he was part of this travailing woman to bring forth the man-child, which is Christ formed in us. Then in Philippians 1:21 he said, “For to me to live is Christ.” This indicates that he became a part of the man-child by experiencing Christ. On the one hand, he was a part of the travailing woman and, on the other hand, he was a part of the man-child. Paul was set up by God as a pattern for the believers (1 Tim. 1:16). We all must be like him. On the one hand, we should be part of the woman to travail for the birth of the man-child and, on the other hand, we should be the man-child to defeat God’s enemy and to bring in His kingdom for the fulfilling of His purpose.
The enemy hates this woman and is seeking to devour the man-child. The warfare is due to the enemy’s desire to put this woman out of function. Even today, we in Anaheim are small in number. Sometimes I wonder why people oppose us so much and are doing everything possible to exterminate us. Humanly speaking, it is very difficult to understand this. Even many of the opposers and critics do not know the reason. But the great dragon knows. He realizes that some of God’s people are resuming the true position of the woman. Once we have resumed this position, God has the opportunity to bring forth the man-child. Satan, the subtle one behind the opposers, knows that some of God’s people have taken the position of this woman and that they will be made pregnant of Christ to bring forth the man-child. In this warfare we must touch the throne, call upon the highest authority, and exercise our spirit to fight the battle.
Today, it is crucial for us to realize that we are the woman. As the woman, we must submit to our husband, open to Him, and receive something of Him that His element might be wrought into our being. As a result, we shall not only become pregnant, but, eventually, we shall bring forth a man-child. This is God’s economy. I hope that we all see this simple yet profound sign of the bright woman with the man-child opposed by the great dragon. If we see this vision, our concept regarding our Christian life will be radically changed. What is the significance of being humble, nice, holy, or spiritual as long as the man-child, or even the woman, is not with us today?
As individuals, you and I are not the woman. Only together, as a corporate unit, are we all the one woman. Since there is only one woman, whoever of God’s people is dissenting is finished with this woman. The only way we can be one is to submit ourselves to Christ and to receive something of Christ. If we do not submit to Him, we cannot be one. True oneness only comes from submitting ourselves to our one husband, to the unique headship. Furthermore, we must only receive the unique element of Christ. Although we may have different concepts, we should not receive anything of our concept. If you receive something of your concept, you will be divided immediately.
Satan, the serpent, is very subtle. It has not been easy for me to pass through nearly fifty years in the church life. How many subtle imaginations and concepts there are! At times, even the dear saints are utilized by the enemy to cause questions, to make proposals, and to raise doubts. None of these things is of Christ. Whenever you take these things into your being, you will be divided. But if you have seen the vision, you will never accept any concept, proposal, criticism, suggestion, or doubt. You will only receive something of Christ. Although thousands of concepts may be presented to you, you will say, “I will receive nothing of these concepts. I will only receive something of Christ. If I receive anything other than Christ, I commit fornication.” If we submit ourselves to our one husband and only receive something of Him, we shall be chaste and we shall be one. Otherwise, we shall be fornicators and we shall be divided. Fornication is confusion caused by division. We need to see this controlling vision. Then we shall be one and shall bring forth the man-child to defeat God’s enemy and to bring in God’s kingdom.
