The woman in the vision is Israel. Israel consisted of 12 tribes and produced the Messiah Who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron. The dragon attempted to destroy the Messiah beginning at His birth but He ascended to the throne of God in heaven. The dragon lost his position of power in the heavenlies and sought to destroy Israel (God's people) but she (they) were protected in the wilderness.
The idea that the woman is the church and man child is some "end time ministry" is based on numerous fundamental errors, the biggest one being not understanding the relationship between Israel and the church. Many mistakenly believe the church is a separate entity from Israel. That is incorrect. The church is the 12 tribes of Israel which have entered the new covenant. The church has always been Israel since the Exodus, and still is. Israel is the BRIDE:
Jeremiah 3:12-14 KJV
Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou
backsliding Israel, saith the Lord ; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever. [13] Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. [14] Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord ;
for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
Israel was divorced by God:
Isaiah 50:1 KJV
Thus saith the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.
Jeremiah 3:6-8 KJV
The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. [7] And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. [8] And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
Israel was to be restored under Messiah:
Hosea 1:9-11 KJV
Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. [10] Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. [11] Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
This began to be fulfilled in the first century new covenant ekklesia:
Romans 9:22-26 KJV
What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: [23] And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, [24] Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? [25] As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. [26] And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
So the church is in fact reclaimed Israel, operating under the new covenant:
Ephesians 2:12-13 KJV
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: [13] But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
The church is a part of Israel, it is that part which has entered the new covenant and which holds legal title to the name of Israel as the betrothed of God. It is described here:
Revelation 12:17 KJV
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.
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