Who is the man child in Revelation?

I usually try to avoid contentious issues, but a conversation with someone last night bruoght thjis issue to light. Who is the "man child" refered to in Revelation?Personally I have never given it much thought, so I wanted to hear some theories on the interpretaion of this passge of scripture.Rev 12:1-17 KJV[1] And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:[2] And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.[3] And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.[4] And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.[5] And she brought forth a man child (emphasis added), who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.[6] And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.[7] And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,[8] And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.[9] And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.[10] And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.[11] And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.[12] Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.[13] And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.[14] And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.[15] And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.[16] And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.[17] And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

I'm not really sure. I believe that the woman is Israel. So either the man child is Jesus, because He came out of Israel or the man child is the body/christians becaues we came from Israel.

Ultimately the passage is talking about Jesus. However, the passage can have more than one application.

CJaKfOrEsT this is my understanding of the scriptural passage ... Hope it's helpful ...PAST:Rev 12:1-17 KJV[1] And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: [2] And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.-- The woman = the nation of Israel, the crown of 12 stars = the 12 tribes --[3] And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. [4] And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.-- Great red dragon = satan ... 7 heads and 10 horns = Major world powers ... 3rd part of the stars of heaven = 3rd of fallen angels from heaven ... To devour her child as soon as it was born ... Satans attempt to kill Christ at the slaying of the first borns ...[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.-- Jesus birth, death and resurrection, to being seated at the right hand side of the Father, with all power in His hand ...FUTURE:(At the midpoint of the Trib and Great Trib when satan is permanently ousted from ever appearing in third heaven, before God ever again, anti-Christ being struck a death blow coincides with this time of satan being ousted, and satan literally inhabits, or possesses the body of anti-christ, at which point he breaks his treaty 3 1/2 year treaty with Israel, and defiles the third temple in the same manner as his fore-runner Antiochus Epiphanes) ... If we juxstapose the scriptures chronologically it makes better sense like this ... [7] And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, [8] And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.[9] And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. [10] And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. [11] And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. -- The next verse is the switch from Tribulation to Great Tribulation on earth ...[12] Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.-- Real short! ...[13] And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. [14] And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.-- Which means the same as verse 6 ...[6] And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (Or 3 1/2 years).[15] And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.-- Waters and floods always represent people in scripture, in this case armies ...[16] And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.-- earth opened her mouth = earthquake(s) swallow up the armies ... [17] And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.-- remnant of her seed = 144,000Please saints, may i humbly plead with you to ask the Holy Spirit's guidance and just read the Revelation ... It is Christ love letter to us until His return, and it is the only book in the Bible that promises a blessing to its reading

As far as I see it the Man Child in Rev. is obviously the Lord Jesus Christ. Since the woman is Israel, and the dragon is Satan, then you can tell by the life of Jesus, even when he was born the dragaon(Satan) tried to kill Him from birth through the mad man Herod. Anyways it's interesting that the greek word for 'caught up' their in that passage is 'harpazo' the same word for rapture in Thess 4. Interesting isn't... for some reason the pre-trib guys forgot to mention that. We could be looking at mid-trib rapture...maybe?

Hello Saints, this is something I wrote about a week ago and I offer it for your consideration. I think it's extremely important to identify the man child properly, because he "may be us." If so, then he defines the finish line of the race we are called to run._________________________________________________The Man Child of Revelation 12 --- Who, When and Why?The church must correctly identify the man child (male child) of Revelation 12 in order to correctly identify her end-times destiny and role in God’s plan to restore His creation. Although many believe the birth of the man child is a sign of Jesus as an individual birthed 2000 years ago, there is much to suggest that he is a sign of Jesus --- not as an individual --- but as a portion of His corporate body birthed 3-1/2 years before the very end of the age.If he is Jesus as an individual, that means one thing. But if he is a portion of the church --- in the form of the corporate body of Christ --- then we need to understand what that means for us who make up the body of Christ and who are alive at the end of the age. For without that understanding and vision, the church will be unaware of and unprepared for her glorious end-time calling.There are four main individuals or people groups in the great sign of Revelation 12: the woman, the man child, a great red dragon, and the “rest of her children”. The dragon is identified for us in verse 9 as Satan. The “rest of her children” are identified in verse 17 as Christians, because they keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. The woman is harder to identify, but she fits the description of those Israelites blinded for the sake of the Gentiles until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in at which time she will be grafted back in (Romans 11:25-26). That is why she (they) must be protected for 3-1/2 years so she (they) can survive to the end of the age.Revelation 12:8 explains that there was no longer any place in heaven found for Satan. In other words, something had just happened which changed his position of authority. What happened? The man child had just been caught up to heaven. There followed a great war in heaven, and as a result Satan was thrown down to earth. It would seem that Satan being thrown down to earth is a direct result of the man child being caught up to God and to His throne. The phrase “to His throne” implies that the man child has assumed a position of authority in heaven. This suggests that the spiritual authority for throwing Satan out of heaven to earth has been delegated to the man child. And that is consistent with the authority that Jesus has given His church.Jesus Authorizes His Church17   The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 18   And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.19   "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. (Luke 10:17-19 NASB) 18   "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19   "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19 NASB)Jesus can delegate authority to whomever He wants, since He has all authority on heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18). He has chosen to apply His authority over Satan through His corporate body. Jesus living in and through His people is a great and wonderful mystery. The crux of it is that it’s still Jesus doing the work, but He is doing it through His body of saints. And if we refer to Ephesians 3:8-12, we see that it is through the church that God desires to demonstrate His manifold wisdom, which is His eternal purpose in Christ Jesus and the reason He created all things. So although He has delegated authority to His church, it is still Jesus doing the work, for He says, “Without Me you can do nothing.”Luke 10:19 indicates that Jesus has delegated all authority over the devil to His church. Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of the Father waiting until His enemies be put under His feet. In other words, He is waiting for the church to step into the authority that He has given her. And He’s not going to take that authority back because the church has been slow to rise to the occasion. Jesus came to earth and did what He came to do, and now it is the church’s turn to do what she has been called and delegated to do. This is the great testimony of the book of Revelation. The man child has authority to eject Satan from heaven to earth. The saints on earth then overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and by not loving their lives unto death.When the disciples returned after their first successful missionary venture, Jesus rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and He saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. It was the first successful test of their delegated authority. And the test was satisfactory. And I believe that’s why Jesus rejoiced. He knew it was the Father’s plan to defeat Satan through the church, and Jesus came to put the Father’s plan into motion. But did that fall take place 2000 years ago, or did He see a vision of something that would happen in the future in the same way John saw the future events of Revelation? Did He and John both see that event which would eventually take place in Revelation 12:9 at the beginning of the final 3-1/2 years of the age? When does Satan Fall?We are constrained to understand the “time, times and half a time” referred to in Revelation as a literal 3-1/2 years, as it is identified as equivalent terms of 42 months and 1260 days. At the beginning of this final 3-1/2 years of the age, the man child is birthed and caught up to heaven. He is birthed following increasingly intense events which Jesus describes in the gospels as “birth pains.” If there are birth pains associated with the end times, then there will be a birth. Who or what is being born? It is obvious from a overall view of the book of Revelation that the man child and the glorified saints are the product of this birthing. The church is birthed in splendor as a bride without spot or wrinkle.There are a number of clues that indicate his birth is at this 3-1/2 year point before the very end of the age. The famines, earthquakes, wars, and the persecution that Jesus describes as birth pains are events commonly associated with tribulation and/or great tribulation. The birth pains that Jesus describes did not take place 2000 years ago. They take place near the very end of the age. After the birth, the woman goes off into the wilderness to be protected for 3-1/2 years. Satan is then cast down from heaven to earth, and we know from other scriptures he then indwells the antichrist who is immediately revealed at this 3-1/2 year point. Jesus takes us back to the book of Daniel to point this out in Matthew 24:15.There is a crisis of intense events that takes place at this 3-1/2 year point. These last 3-1/2 years represent perhaps the greatest time of testimony on the earth except for the time when Jesus walked the earth 2000 years ago. We remember the prophecy of Elijah when as a result it did not rain for 3-1/2 years. Scholars believe Jesus’ time of public ministry was also 3-1/2 years. The two witnesses of Revelation 11 testify for 1260 days, or exactly 3-1/2 years. This last 3-1/2 years of the age will be an awesome testimony --- the final testimony before Jesus returns. Therefore the book of Revelation covers it repeatedly and thoroughly. It is the final lap of the race the church has been running for 2000 years, and it is the most crucial. It is described in detail that we might understand. One of Satan’s ploys is to try to convince the church that she is not in view in these scriptures.Approximately two-thirds of the book of Revelation is devoted to the last 3-1/2 years of the age --- from about the middle of chapter 6 unto the early part of chapter 20. This is an indication of the importance of what takes place during this brief period of time. The whole plan of God to restore His creation is brought to fruition. Satan is defeated. The church is brought to maturity and glory.The Man Child . . . Why?19   For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20   For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21   that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22   For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. (Romans 8:19-22 NASB)All creation is eagerly awaiting the revealing of the sons of God, for it is the sons of God who will set in final motion the defeat of Satan and the restoration of all creation. If this seems like excess, remember that it is all God’s plan. He will glorify Himself through His church. It’s not that we in ourselves are significant in stature, it’s that He has elected to work through the weak and foolish. It pleases God to do things that way, and whatever pleases God pleases the Son.21   At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, "I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. (Luke 10:21 NASB)26   For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27   but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28   and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29   so that no man may boast before God. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NASB)Characteristics of the Man ChildI believe that Revelation Chapters 11, 12, 13, and 14 are all repeated looks at the final 3-1/2 years from different perspectives. At the beginning of Revelation 14, we see a company of 144,000 in heaven. I believe this is another look at the man child of Revelation 12 after he has been caught up to heaven.1   Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 2   And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 3   And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. 4   These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5   And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless. (Revelation 14:1-5 NASB)We need to carefully and prayerfully consider the description of this company. They are blameless without lie in their mouths. They are chaste. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. They have applied the promises of God as described in 2 Peter 1:3-4 to their lives and have purified themselves. They have taken to heart God’s commandment to “Be holy, for I am holy.”They are seen in heaven before the great tribulation begins. There is nothing that these saints needed to repent of. They are blameless. They had already washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb before the onset of great tribulation. They are contrasted with those of the church at Thyatira who were given opportunity to repent, but did not want to, and as a consequence will find themselves thrown into great tribulation. And during this time all those of the churches will find their hearts and minds searched and will receive according to their deeds. Notice that the man child of Revelation 12 and the overcoming saints of the church at Thyatira are both promised to rule the nations with rods of iron. The man-child company is clearly a portion of the overcoming church.21    'I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.22   'Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 23   'And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 24   'But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them--I place no other burden on you. 25   'Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. 26   'He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; 27   AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father; (Revelation 2:21-27 NASB)The difference between those who achieve man-child status and those who do not and are thrown into great tribulation may simply be a matter of taking or not taking verse 21 to heart: “I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.” It seems clear that there is no victory over Satan short of achieving holiness. As long as he has something in us, we will be compromised and there will be no victory. We will not be a bride without spot or wrinkle.There is still time --- as of this writing --- to make this decision. The whole church does not do so. For the man child is only the first fruits of the final harvest which takes place at the end of Revelation 14. Those who are not first fruits must go through great tribulation to the extent needed to wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. It seems we have the choice to purify ourselves now and avoid the need to be purified during great tribulation. 31   But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. 32   But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:31-32 NASB) The Lord only disciplines those He loves --- if necessary. 6    In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7   so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (1 Peter 1:6-7 NASB)Consequently --- if necessary --- we will find ourselves entering great tribulation because God loves us and insists that we be found without spot or wrinkle when Jesus returns. 13   Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?" 14   I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15   "For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. (Revelation 7:13-15)Notice that these ones are before the throne, whereas those of the man-child company were caught up to the throne. Discipline . . .The Lord is increasing His discipline in these days that we might turn from our sins and our old ways of thinking to be filled with the fullness of Christ and to assume our responsibilities as ambassadors of the Kingdom of God in power. If the kind messenger is not heeded, then a harsh one will be sent, for God will have His church without spot or wrinkle. He is both kind and severe. To the extent we are not walking in holiness, the enemy will have access to our families, our property, our health, our finances, and our minds. When I fall short now in my striving against sin --- which is sometimes far too casual --- I pay a price. The principles of great tribulation are already here. To the extent we choose not to deal with our sins, we will be thrown into situations where the enemy has access to us. God is turning up the heat. The time is short. We must make a choice. Father, discipline us as sons and daughters that we might rise to this call on the wings of Your mercy and grace. Prompt us to repentance as necessary that we might quality as first fruits of Your harvest and that we might wash our robes and make them white now, if possible, before the fires of great tribulation. But if that fire should be needed, then give us strength to endure to the end, that we might glorify You in the process, and that we might ultimately stand before You and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servants.”For more along this line, readers are invited to visit the author’s website at http://www.restoringthevision.com where an on-line book “Restoring the Vision of the End-times Church” is freely available for download or reading on-line.

I have a qustion about Revalation, some people say; that all book except last 2 chapters a writen for 1 ages, what you think?