Who is the Man Child of Revelation 12

In this article we will determine the identity of the man child of Revelation 12.

Who is the Man Child of Revelation 12

As I discussed earlier, Revelation 12:5 states that the man child will, “rule all nations with a rod of iron.”  As you can see, capitalization of the word Child means the translators also think the male child is Yeshua.  However, I’d like to posit that there is another possibility for the identity of the man child.  According to Revelation 2:26-27,

And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—27 ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—as I also have received from My Father,

Yeshua promises that overcomers will also rule the nations with a rod of iron.  In other words, there will be a group of saints who will rule and reign just as Yeshua will!  For this and other reasons below, I’m suggesting that the man child of Revelation 12:5 is not Yeshua, but a group of people who totally dedicate their lives to His service.  Their walk is so close to the Master’s that they will completely identify with His suffering and exaltation.  They will suffer as He did.  And just as Yeshua was highly exalted after His life of suffering, so likewise, this company of overcomers will be highly exalted and rule and reign with Him.  There is a similar promise made to the overcomers at the assembly of Philadelphia.  Revelation 3:10 states,

Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

This promise means that there is the possibility for a group of people to avoid the trials and temptations of the tribulation.  Again, I believe this group who will escape the trials and temptations of the tribulation comprise the man child.  Let’s take a deeper look at more evidence that the man child is a group of dedicated disciples.

We have discovered that Revelation 12 is the central axis of the book of Revelation.  However, in order to really understand the importance of the central axis, we’ll have to thematically connect it to a passage that will bring out its greater meaning.  Let’s look at the major themes associated with Revelation 12.

• A woman experiencing birth pangs

• An expectant child

• The dragon waiting to devour the child

• A child destined to rule with a rod of iron

• Enmity between the serpent and the woman and her seed

Hopefully, by looking at the major themes revealed in Revelation 12, you have made the connection Adonai wants you to see.  Revelation 12 is thematically connected to Genesis 3:15-16!

Genesis 3:15-16— 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”  16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

As you can see, Genesis 3:15-16 is Revelation 12!  Note how effortlessly we can connect these two passages:

• Genesis 3:16 informs us that Adonai will greatly multiply the woman’s sorrow and conception and that in pain she shall bring forth her children.  Revelation 12 shows us that the woman cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

• Genesis 3:16 states that the woman will bring forth children.  Revelation 12 states that the woman will bring forth a man child as well as other offspring.

• Genesis 3:15 informs us that Adonai will place enmity between the serpent and the woman.  Revelation 12 reveals that the serpent persecuted the woman.

• Genesis 3:15 mentions that there will be enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.  Revelation 12 mentions how the dragon went to make war with the rest of her offspring.

These connections establish the fact that Revelation 12 is a direct fulfillment of Genesis 3:15-16!  Thus, Revelation 12—the central axis of the book of Revelation—is the culmination of and the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy of Genesis 3:15-16!  Most of us have been taught that Yeshua fulfilled the prophecy of Genesis 3:15-16 when He defeated hasatan on the cross.  And I affirm that teaching!  Yeshua is the seed of the woman of Genesis 3:15-16 who, although He suffered the bruising of His heel pictured in His death, crushed hasatan’s head and is alive forevermore through His resurrection.  However, we’ve already shown that the man child of Revelation 12 cannot be Yeshua.  Furthermore, we’ve seen thematically that Revelation 12 is a direct, Holy Spirit–inspired fulfillment of Genesis 3.  So, what are we to make of the fact that Revelation 12, which we know represents the ultimate fulfillment of Genesis 3:15-16, does not actually pertain to Yeshua crushing hasatan’s head through His death on the cross?  Who then will be bruised, if not Yeshua?  And who will crush hasatan’s head at the end of the ages, if not Yeshua? 

I have posited the following:

• The woman of Revelation 12 is the nation of Israel.

• The woman, Israel, will give birth (bring forth) the man child of Revelation 12.

• This man child is a company of people who Yeshua refers to as overcomers

• This man child is the seed of Genesis 3:15-16 who will crush the serpent’s head

The key passage that helps us weave the above themes together is Romans 16:20, “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”  Note the choice of Paul’s words!  What do you think Paul had in mind when he used the phrase “under your feet”?  Could there be any mistaking?  Of course he was thinking of Genesis 3:15.  Note how Paul has interpreted Genesis 3:15 as a battle between the saints and hasatan instead of Yeshua and hasatan!  Notice how this passage provides the basis for understanding the points I posited above.   I have stated that the man child of Revelation 12 is a company of saints.  I’ve also stated that these people will be the ones who fulfill Genesis 3:15-16 by crushing hasatan’s head.  Roman’s 16:20 confirms this fact.  As you can see, Paul is using the imagery of Genesis 3:15 to describe its ultimate fulfillment through the body of Messiah Yeshua!  You see beloved, Genesis 3:15 is also a prophecy of the final battle of the book of Revelation, not just Yeshua’s victory over the devil!  History has finally approached the final hour where Messiah Yeshua will put down all authority and rule through His body—Ephesians 1:22-23, “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”  And His body will be comprised of the overcomers, the man child of Revelation 12, as well as all the other saints.  The man child will have one particular role to play in this end-time scenario, and those believers not part of the man child will have another role.

Further Identifying the Man Child

Having established the identity of the woman as Israel and the man child as a group of saints who overcome in all things, let’s see if the Scriptures reveal more information about the man child.  Revelation 12:5-6 states that the woman fled into the wilderness after her child was caught up to God and His throne and that the woman had a place prepared for her in the wilderness where she could be fed for 1,260 days.  One thousand two hundred and sixty days is 3½ years.  Subsequently, we are told the devil was thrown to the earth where he persecuted the woman and her offspring because he knew his time was short.  Thus, it appears that the man child is caught up to heaven just before the start of the last 3½ years known as the great tribulation.  So, what are we to make of the phrase that her child, “was caught up to God and His throne”?  The phrase was caught up is derived from the Greek word harpazō, which is Strong’s number G726, meaning to seize, carry off by force, or to snatch away.  It is the same Greek word that appears in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 where it states, “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”  1 Thessalonians 4:17 is a verse often quoted as a proof text for the doctrine known as the pre-tribulation rapture (of the entire church).  The context of Revelation 12 teaches us that the man child will be caught up to God’s throne, i.e., seized, snatched away, or carried off by force from the earth up into heaven itself.  Furthermore, as noted above, the context indicates this will occur before the beginning of the period known as the great tribulation. 

Is there any other place in the book of Revelation that provides evidence of people being caught up to God’s throne?  Yes, there is—Revelation 14:1-5: 

1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.” 

In this passage we read about 144,000 saints who are first fruits unto Adonai.  They were redeemed from among men, taken from the earth to Mount Zion, before the throne of God!  The 144,000 are called first fruits.  The first fruits are a small sampling of the harvest to come.  Furthermore, the first fruits represent the best of the harvest!  Yeshua spoke of a harvest of people, the righteous (wheat), from all ages which would occur at the end of the age (see Matthew 13:24-43).  Of course, with every harvest of grain there is a first fruits harvest followed by the full harvest.  The taking up of 144,000 saints in Revelation 14 is simply the harvest of the first fruits of the larger body of saints that will be harvested at the end of the age.  Thus, we have a very strong connection between the man child of Revelation 12 and the first fruits harvest of the 144,000 of Revelation 14:1-4, in that both groups were taken from the earth into heaven.  Here is a list of connections between the man child of Revelation 12 and the 144,000 of Revelation 14, establishing that indeed, the man child is the 144,000.

• Both the 144,000 and the man child are caught up to God’s throne.

• Revelation 12 teaches us that the man child’s mother is the nation of Israel.  Therefore, those who comprise the man child should naturally have their heritage as Israelites.  This is thematically connected to the fact that the 144,000 are explicitly stated to be from the tribes of Israel.

• The man child is likened unto a newly-born child.  Newborns are at the stage of innocence, the most sinless state of any human being.  This is thematically connected to the innocence of the 144,000 first fruits harvest of Revelation 14 where they are described as without deceit and without fault before the throne of God.

• The Scriptures thematically equate new birth to resurrection, because thematically, they have many similarities.  The most important theme connecting new birth to resurrection is the bringing forth of LIFE.  Thus, the gospels chiastically equate the birth of Yeshua (at the beginning of the gospel accounts) to the resurrection of Yeshua (at the end of the gospel accounts) by connecting them through similar themes, events and circumstances.  Please note the following connections between Yeshua’s birth and resurrection because they establish a connection between the birth of the man child to the resurrection of the 144,000 offered as first fruits of those to be resurrected.

  • Yeshua was miraculously born of a virgin’s womb which had known no man (Luke 1:34) and He was resurrected from a tomb where no man had lain (Luke 23:53).

  • In both events, Yeshua’s body was prepared by wrapping (the swaddling cloths [Luke 2:7] versus the linen grave clothes [Luke 23:53 and 24:12]).

  • Both narratives are marked by the appearance of angels announcing the good news (Matthew 1:20-21 and 28:5-6).

  • In both narratives, burial spices are brought as gifts to Yeshua (Matthew 2:11 and Mark 16:1).

  • In both narratives, people came in haste to see the sign of new LIFE and believe (Luke 2:12-18 and John 20:3-8).

  • Mary’s travail in labor gave way to profound joy after Yeshua’s birth.  This is thematically connected to how Mary Magdalene’s grief was turned to joy after the realization that Yeshua’s death gave way to resurrection (John 16:20-22 and John 20:11-18).

• The 144,000 are said to have followed the Lamb wherever He went.  The man child, those who overcame in all things, are certainly the ones qualified to be the 144,000.

• The man child was taken from among men (Revelation 12:5) to God’s throne just as the 144,000 were redeemed from among men (Revelation14:3-4) to His throne.

• The overcomers of Revelation 3:12 have been identified as the man child and it is they who 1) were preserved from the tribulation, and 2) have the name of God written on them as well as Yeshua’s new name.  This is thematically connected to the 144,000 who had Yeshua’s Father’s name written on their foreheads (Revelation 14:1).

All these connections establish that the man child comprises the 144,000 of Revelation 14.  Lastly, we know the 144,000 of Revelation 7 are the same as the 144,000 in Revelation 14 as revealed in our chiastic structure where they are equated through elements D and D’.

The Remnant of Her Seed

Having established the identity of the woman as Israel and the man child as the 144,000 who will be redeemed from the earth as stated in Revelation 12 and 14, we are in a position to identify the “rest of her offspring” in Revelation 12:17.  After the man child is caught up to God’s throne in heaven and hasatan can no longer harm him, Revelation 12:13-17 informs us that the dragon persecuted the woman, Israel.  John tells us the dragon then sets his eyes on the woman, but the woman is given great wings of an eagle to be carried into the wilderness where she has a place prepared for her for 3½ years from the presence of the serpent.  Most likely the woman represents a remnant of Jews who flee Jerusalem into the wilderness where Adonai will lead, care, feed and protect them.  John then informs us that the dragon went to make war with the rest of her offspring.  At this point it would be good to compare Genesis 3:15 with Revelation 12:17 using the KJV:

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.

Revelation 12:17—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.

Here we can clearly see the connection between the enmity of the seed prophesied in Genesis 3:15 and its fulfillment in Revelation 12:17!!!  In case you ever wondered who her seed is in Genesis 3:15, the answer is given in Revelation 12.  The seed of the woman is comprised of the man child AND those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Yeshua!  Therefore, the remnant of her seed are simply all remaining believers.  A company of 144,000 saints (12,000) from each tribe, also known as the man child, will be the first to experience resurrection as a first fruits resurrection.  A remnant from the Jewish nation will be taken to the wilderness and protected (Revelation 12:13-17).  And lastly, all other believers will resurrected at the second coming of Messiah (Revelation 14:14-16). 

Shalom,

Tony Robinson