The End Time Battle Between the Women’s Offspring and the Serpent’s
At the end of the age, we will see the manifestation of the fullness of evil but also the manifestation of the fullness of Christ. We will see the final fulfillment of Genesis 3:15 come to pass as the serpent rises up against the woman and her offspring, and as her offspring crushes her head.
Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
It is important to note that even though the serpent grows into a dragon representing the fullness of satan; so the male child that crushes his head will grow into the fullness of the one new man. As we read Revelation 12 we see that there is a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She is pregnant and cries out in pain because she is about to give birth. This woman gives birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” But it is important to note that the male child that is mentioned further in verse 5 is not a baby, but a mature male child instead.
Revelation 12:1-5 “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. “
According to Revelation 12:1-5, we can see that the great battle at the end of the age won't be between a simple serpent and Christ the individual. As we all know that battle has been already won by Jesus at the cross of Calvary. However, at the end of the age, there will be another battle between an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns on its heads; and a woman who has given birth to a mature corporate male child.
Even though the imagery in Revelation 12:1-5 resembles the story of Mary the Jewish woman who had to flee to Egypt because Herod wanted to kill her son Jesus; and mirrors the story of Jesus growing into maturity and winning the victory over sin through his death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven; this passage actually does not portray single individuals but corporate entities. It portrays a corporate virgin that gives birth to a corporate mature man child that will be persecuted by a dragon made up of kings of nations. This dragon represents a coalition of peoples and kings who will lead and execute the greatest persecution God’s people have ever experienced. This persecution is called the Great Tribulation.
Just as the Father has a Son, and has given him a bride who will bear his offspring; so Satan has a son (the antichrist), a harlot bride (The Great Babylon), and an offspring (a body of people who will execute his plans). Just as Jesus and the Father in heaven and his people are one and are led by the mind of Christ, so satan and his harlot bride and his offspring are one. They are of the same mind and they work as a whole entity in order to fulfill the will of their father the devil. They will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are called, chosen, and faithful will overcome along with him.
Revelation 17:6-14 On seeing her, I was altogether astounded. 7 Then the angel said to me, “Why are you astounded? I will tell you the hidden meaning of the woman and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that were carrying her. 8 The beast you saw once was, now is not, and will come up from the Abyss; but it is on its way to destruction. The people living on earth whose names have not been written in the Book of Life since the founding of the world will be astounded to see the beast that once was, now is not, but is to appear. 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven hills on which the woman is sitting; also they are seven kings — 10 five have fallen, one is living now and the other is yet to come; and when he does come, he must remain only a little while. 11 The beast which once was and now is not is an eighth king; it comes from the seven and is on its way to destruction. 12 The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet begun to rule, but they receive power as kings for one hour, along with the beast. 13 They have one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are called, chosen and faithful will overcome along with him.”
Note that it is the virgin who gives birth to the mature male child. The virgin represents Israel, because Israel is the vessel God chose to carry God’s promises. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all (Romans 9:6). On the other hand the mature male child is God’s spiritual offspring that has been growing and developing inside of her spiritual womb from the beginning of the church age until finally reaching fullness and maturity at the end of times. When the man child becomes fully mature, he will be ready to win the victory over satan and crush his head. That male child has a head, that is Christ and a body that is the church. But in order for the body of Christ to grow into fullness and maturity it has to be ruled by the mind of Christ, and it has to suffer a corporate cross; a corporate martyrdom. This body is the one new man and is no longer an individual but a corporate and mature entity. Because Christ is one with the Father and one with the church, together they will perform the will of God and together they will win the victory.
As we can see the Dragon’s persecution will be against the woman (Israel) and her child (the church). However when the woman’s offspirng dies as a sacrifice for her, he will overcome the Dragon and will redeem the woman. Because it was the woman who was deceived by the serpent, but her offspring will save her. So the church is corporate entity chosen to die for Israel, and as she does that Israel will come to salvation. Because God’s purpose is that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to the eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 3:10-11). So in order for Israel’s to be saved, God’s offspring needs to demonstrate the wisdom of God by surrendering her life for her.
The corporate martyrdom of the church ind her willingness to lay down her life for the sake of Israel, will be the expression of her maturity and fullness. It is then that the male child becomes fully grown. And it is through that loving sacrifice that all Israel shall be saved. (Romans 11:25)
John 17:20-23 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
From the passage of John 17:20-23, we see that in order for the world to believe that the Father has sent Jesus, God’s people have to become one with the Father and the Son and with one another, just as the Son and the Father are one. And that oneness can only be attained when God’s people come into perfect alignment with the mind of Christ in order to perform the Father’s will on earth. And that will happen as they surrender their life for the sake of Jesus during the global Gethsemani that they will have to face as one new corporate man. As God’s people attain this fullness they will be given the authority of the Messiah to crush the head of the serpent corporately. They will become victorious and defeat satan by the power of the blood of the Lamb, the power of the testimony of Christ, and by not clinging to life when facing death.
Revelation 12:10-11 “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
This is the way the mature corporate male child will overcome the dragon. They will become victorious because they have become one with Jesus and the Father and with one another. Also, they have grown into full maturity and to the stature of Christ by corporately experiencing the sufferings of Christ and physical martyrdon during the Great Tribulation.
Ephesians 4:11-15 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.