Revelation 12:5; She Brought Forth a Man Child

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Revelation 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 

The male child, (“a son, a male”” as the original expresses it) surely represents Christ, who was born to rule (Genesis 3:15; Psalm 2:9; Revelation 12:5; 19:15; Psalm 110:1, 5).

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

Psalm 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. 

Revelation 19:15 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: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 

Psalm 110:1 A Psalm of David.The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 

Psalm 110:5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. 

[Herbert Lockyer, All About the Second Coming, Hendrickson, 2007, 100]

” … and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne” – John writes nothing about the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Lord. But why does John omit these redemptive events? He telescopes Jesus’ earthly life for several reasons. First, he calls attention to Satan’s defeat at the Lord’s birth and ascension. Next, he links Jesus’ ascension to His rule over the nations. Third, He uses the ascension as a prelude to the next segment, namely, warfare in heaven (v7–9). And last, John mentions two main redemptive facts: he stresses Jesus’ birth on earth that includes his ministry and His ascension into heaven that includes His majestic rule.

God is in control, for at the right moment he intervenes to safeguard his Son and causes Satan’s strategies to collapse. God is the agent in the passive voice of the phrase “the child was snatched to God.” When Jesus took his rightful position on God’s throne, Satan and his angels lost their place in heaven.

 Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, p. 358). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.