Re: https://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bib...ure-in-rev-12/

Quote Originally Posted by gracethrufaith.com
If there is not a partial rapture can you help me with Rev. 12:5 and those who are caught up here and possibly the timing of this event?

In Revelation 12, John is reviewing the relationship between Israel and Satan, beginning with Jacob and his 12 sons and continuing on into the Great Tribulation. Israel is characterized as the woman, which is consistent with a dream Joseph had in Genesis 37:9-10, and Satan is the dragon, which is explained in verse 9.

Since Israel gave birth to the Messiah, it’s clear that the woman’s child is Jesus. The child is also described as being one who will rule the nations with an iron scepter. This is a reference to Psalm 2:9, viewed by scholars as pertaining to the Messiah. Satan waited to devour Jesus, and succeeded in having Him killed, but God raised Him from the dead and snatched Him up to Heaven in the ascension.

There’s a 2000 year gap between verses 5 and 6. Then the story picks up again with Israel being protected in the desert for 1260 days (3 1/2 years) during the Great Tribulation, which begins when Satan is expelled from Heaven and confined to Earth.

He tries to destroy Israel, but God provides the same kind of supernatural protection that He gave Israel in the wilderness wanderings (the wings of an eagle is a reference to Exodus 19:4). Furious and knowing that his time is short, Satan unleashes his full fury on Earth and especially on Tribulation believers.

In summary, Rev. 12:5 describes the Lord being taken up to heaven after His Resurrection, not some group of believers who missed out on the initial rapture of the Church. There is no partial rapture. Everyone goes at once, and then the Church Age is over.
Revelation 12.5 is not a group that miss out in the first rapture, but they are included in the first rapture.

"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" (Rev. 12.5). The woman is the eternal will of God in verse 1. By the time we get to verse 6, after the child is raptured, the woman is Israel which flees to the city of Petra.

I read your response to whether there is a partial rapture, and you said there is a 2000 year gap between Rev. 12.5 and 12.6. That I disagree with adamantly. The cross was addressed in Rev. 5. Rev. 6 is the past 20 centuries. Rev. 12 to 19 give the details of the major points of the Tribulation chapters 7 to 11.

Watchman Nee writes in "Come, Lord Jesus",

Who, then, is this man child? He must be the overcomers: for example, (1) some Christians in the church in Smyrna, since “Be thou faithful unto death” (2.10) coincides with the last clause in 12.11—“they loved not their life even unto death”; (2) some Christians in the church in Thyatira, for “he shall rule them with a rod of iron” (2.26,27) agrees with “a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron” (12.5); (3) some Christians in the church in Philadelphia, because they are kept out of “the hour of trial” (3.10) just as the man child is “caught up unto God” (12.5); and (4) some Christians in the church in Laodicea, since they will “sit” on the “throne” (3.21) just as the man child “is to rule all the nations” (12.5).

Accordingly, those represented by the man child are not the whole church but are the overcomers within the church. In our discussion of chapter 7 we have already listed eight points of similarity between the great multitude spoken of there and the man child mentioned here. For the man child represents a portion of that countless number. (Please note that chapter 7 deals with the general topic of rapture, whereas chapter 12 gives the details of some part of those raptured.)

http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/satanstrinity.htm (Revelation chapter 12)
http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/Revelation_7.htm
http://www.watchman-nee.nl/partial.htm (Robert Govett)
http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/Partial_rapture.htm (Partial Rapture Proof)