The Lord has asked me to share a slightly different view on the imminent "birthing" which will hopefully provide some new thoughts for His people to consider.

The main prophetic image showing what God is about to deliver is the birth of the "manchild" described in chapter 12 of The Revelation of Jesus Christ. This birthing is discussed by Paul in Romans 8:19-22 as well as by many of the prophets. The second prophetic image is the sealing or "harvest" of the 144,000 "firstfruits" described in the Revelation chapters 7 and 14. I have listed background information on these images here but there is a third related prophetic image that God has given to help us understand the purpose of this event and it's relationship to His plan.

This prophetic image is the wall of New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb.

The description of New Jerusalem in the Revelation chapter 21 emphasizes the wall:

21:09 And there came to me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.
21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
21:11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like to a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
21:12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
21:13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
21:15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
21:16 And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
21:17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
21:18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like to clear glass.
21:19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
21:20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
21:24 And the nations of them which are saved will walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
21:25 And the gates of it will not be shut at all by day: for there will be no night there.
21:26 And they will bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
21:27 And there will in no wise enter into it any thing that defiles, neither whatever works abomination, or makes a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

This is not a description of a physical city like we see in this world - this city is the Bride and it is a group of God's people which He inhabits. This description is a spiritual image of the saints who compose the city of God. Each of 12 tribes of Israel are associated with a wall measuring 12000 large units. This is much like the list of 12 tribes in Revelation chapter 7 each of which has 12000 special members selected from it. The length of the edges of the walls adds up to 144,000. The depth of the wall is 144 as men are measured by the angel. The names of the 12 patriarchs (tribes) of Israel are attached to the wall gates and the names of the 12 apostles of the Church are attached to the wall foundations, which means that 24 elders are associated with this wall group.

The wall of New Jerusalem is a picture of the 144,000 firstfruits which shows their purpose and function in the kingdom of God. This group controls access to the city and protects it to maintain purity. The access gates never close (as if there were no walls), yet they block all evil from entering the city. The prophetic scripture passage related to this wall which is of interest here is in Zechariah:

2:1 I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.
2:2 Then said I, Where go you? And he said to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.
2:3 And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him,
2:4 And said to him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem will be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:
2:5 For I, says the LORD, will be to her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

We can see from this passage that God fills the city with His glory and the wall with His fire!

The book of Nehemiah foreshadows the building of the wall of New Jerusalem as a key part of the exodus from Babylon. Note that the "living stones" have already been through the "fire":

Neh 4:1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,
Neh 4:2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble--burned as they are?" (NIV)

144,000 firstfruits

The 144,000 firstfruits are described in the Revelation chapters 7 and 14 :

7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees,until we have sealed the bondslaves of our God in their foreheads.
7:4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
7:5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
7:6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7:7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
7:8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
14:2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
14:5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

Summary of the firstfruits:

1. are the bondslaves (servants) of God
2. have protection from the coming shaking of the earth (the great tribulation)
3. are sealed with the name of God at the start of the great tribulation
4. have a song no one else can learn
5. are virgins (not defiled with women)
6. follow the Lamb perfectly (wherever He goes)
7. are fully righteous (without fault)

The list of tribal names in chapter 7 excludes the name of Jacob's son Dan and includes the name of Joseph's son Manasseh. I won't go into the details here but one of the reasons for this explicit and seemingly incorrect list of names is to tell us that gentiles are included in the firstfruits group.

Mount Zion is the location from which Christ Jesus will rule. Those standing with Him are the closest and most committed of God's people. They are overcomers and will rule the nations with a rod of iron as servants of Christ. They are the "firstfruits" - the first portion of God's harvest to be purified just as our Lord Jesus is pure.

Psa 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

Psa 51:18 Do good in your good pleasure to Zion: build the walls of Jerusalem.

The manchild

The birth of the "manchild" is described in the Revelation chapter 12:

12:4 ... and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
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 to God, and to his throne.
12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole age: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
12:10 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.
12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives to the death.

Summary of the "manchild" :

1. has protection from the devouring efforts of Satan in the great tribulation
2. will rule the nations with a rod of iron
3. will sit on the throne with Christ
4. elevation to the throne causes open warfare - Satan vs. Michael and serpent seed vs. seed of the woman in the great tribulation
5. takes over the authority (place) of Satan and his angels in Heaven
6. triggers the casting down of Satan to Earth
7. is "caught up" at the beginning of the 3 and 1/2 years (=42 months=1260 days) of the great tribulation
8. is composed of "overcomers" - but is seen as one child to indicate fulfillment of Jesus' prayer for oneness in John 17

Notice that as soon as the manchild is elevated to the throne there is war because there is no longer a place for the dragon and his angels in heaven! The manchild will have the authority to rule the nations just as Jesus promised to give His overcomers. (Recall that Satan offered Jesus authority over the nations of earth because he has been ruling them.) Christ Jesus is the leader of the corporate manchild group. Jesus and the rest of the manchild will displace Satan and his angels first in heaven and later on earth. When I asked the Lord about the "catching away" of the manchild to the throne I was told that it is a "commissioning" much like the prophets received and does not indicate physical movement. The remnant of the manchild still alive in the flesh will be God's anointed witnesses during the critical period of History known as the great tribulation and will fulfill the prophecies of Daniel, John and Jesus which foretell the kingdom gospel being witnessed to the nations with great power just before the end comes.

Overcomers

Consider the promises that Jesus gave to the overcomers in the churches in the Revelation:

2:07 ... To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
2:11 ... He that overcomes will not be hurt of the second death.
2:17 ... To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows saving he that receives it.
2:26 And he that overcomes, and keeps my works to the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
2:27 And he will rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter will they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
2:28 And I will give him the morning star.
3:05 He that overcomes, the same will be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
3:12 Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
3:21 To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Summary of the Overcomers:

1. eat freely from the tree of life
2. cannot be hurt by the second death (fire of God)
3. have a new secret name
4. will rule the nations with a rod of iron
5. will be clothed in white garments (meaning fully righteous)
6. will be sealed with the names of God, the city, and the Christ
7. will sit on the throne with Christ
8. are a permanent load bearing part (pillar) of God's temple (city)

God desires all of His children to be overcomers, but there is a price to pay:

3:18 I counsel you to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white raiment, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness does not appear; and anoint your eyes with eyesalve, that you may see.
3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

In Conclusion

The manchild, the firstfruits and the wall of New Jerusalem are the same group of overcomers.

Please note:

1. The "male" aspect of the "manchild" symbol does not imply physical gender any more than the bride/woman symbol implies physical gender. It means the offspring of mankind brought forth by God's Spirit.
2. The virgin status of the firstfruits does not imply physical gender and does not exclude women or married people. It means not intimately connected with the systems of Mystery Babylon, the great whore.
3. Being seated on the throne with Christ does not imply physical absence from earth (Eph 2:6 ... and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus).
4. It is God's desire for all of His people to be overcomers, but many are not willing at this time.
5. The people in this group are spread out through time from our perspective. However, we will soon see the manifestation of these things in our time.
6. Nehemiah 6:15 says that the wall will be rebuilt in 52 days.
7. It is worth keeping in mind that earthly things like the labor pains of a pregnant woman are patterned after heavenly things not the other way around. Hence, Jesus did not say that end time events were "like" birth pains but that they "are" birth pains.

This is the purpose of the imminent birth of the "manchild": God is about to replace Satan's demonic control system with the authority of Christ and His servants! This replacement will not happen without great warfare and struggle. The transition time triggered by the birth of the manchild is known as "Jacob's Trouble" (Jer 30:6-8) or the "Great Tribulation".

Christ Jesus will soon take control of the Earth and personally direct the work to finish the building of New Jerusalem - the Bride of the Lamb. The completion of the protective wall will allow all evil to be excluded from the city. The "accuser of the brethren" will be removed and authority will be given to the "protectors of the brethren"! The wheat and tares will be separated.

There is one thing God especially wants us to remember: Being part of the "manchild" birthing is voluntary - We must choose to participate and there is a price to pay to become an overcomer. God will move Heaven and Earth on behalf of anyone who genuinely asks Him to make them like Christ now but there is not much time left to get ready for the birthing! We must be ready in order to be sealed.

(Scriptures from BSV except where noted otherwise.)

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