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Because the church has not attained to God’s purpose, God will choose a group of overcomers who will attain to His purpose and fulfill His demand; this is the principle of the man-child — 12:1-2, 5, 10-11; 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 20-21:
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The universal bright woman represents the totality of God’s people, and ultimately, the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15 is enlarged to include the overcoming believers, the stronger part of God’s people, signified by the man-child — Rev. 12:1-2, 5, 10-11.
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The resurrected Christ as the life-giving Spirit is the transfigured descendant of the woman, the seed of the woman, dispensed into us to bruise the serpent’s head in us and make us the corporate seed of the woman, the overcoming man-child, to carry out God’s judgment on the ancient serpent and to be God’s dispensational instrument to change the age and usher in the manifestation of God’s kingdom — v. 5.
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Psalm 2:8-9, Revelation 2:26-27, and Revelation 12:5 indicate that the Lord Jesus as God’s Anointed, the overcomers in the churches, and the man-child will rule the nations with an iron rod, thus proving that the Lord Jesus, the overcomers, and the man-child are one; the Lord as the leading Overcomer (3:21) is the Head, center, reality, life, and nature of the man-child, and the man-child as the following overcomers is the Lord’s Body.
Morning Nourishment
Gen. 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed; he will bruise you on the head, but you will bruise him on the heel.Rev. 12:1-2 And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon underneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child, and she cried out, travailing in birth and being in pain to bring forth.
The Lord Jesus, the seed of the woman, has bruised the head of the serpent. The Lord has destroyed Satan, the one who holds the power of death. While the Lord Jesus was destroying the serpent on the cross, the serpent bruised His heel. This means that Satan wounded the Lord Jesus by nailing His feet to the cross (Psa. 22:16).
The woman in Genesis 3:15 first is Eve and second is all the people of God, including the virgin Mary, as signified by Eve. Hence, the seed of the woman is mainly the Lord Jesus who was born of Mary. However, more regarding the seed of the woman can be seen in Revelation 12. The woman depicted in Revelation 12 and signified in Genesis 3:15 is a universal woman, and within her is a part called the man-child (Rev. 12:1, 2, 5). In a biblical sense, woman represents weakness, for the woman is the weaker vessel (1 Pet. 3:7). The man, especially the man-child, represents strength. The universal woman of Revelation 12 has two parts: the outer part, which is the woman herself, and the inner part, which is the man-child…. All the people of God are the woman, who is somewhat weak, but among all the people of God is a stronger part, which is the man-child, the overcomers….The man-child is also a part of the seed of the woman. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 252-253)
Today’s Reading
This man-child is not individual; he is corporate. Since the woman herself is not individual, but universal and corporate, her child must also be universal and corporate. This corporate man-child includes the Lord Jesus as the Head, center, reality, life, and nature of the man-child. This can be proved from the Scriptures. Psalm 2:8-9 prophesies that the Lord Jesus, God’s Anointed One, will rule the nations with a rod of iron. Revelation 2:26-27 says that the overcomers in the churches will rule over the nations with a rod of iron. Now in Revelation 12:5 we are told that the man-child will rule all nations with a rod of iron. Therefore, according to the record of the Bible, both the Lord Jesus Himself and His overcomers will rule over the nations with a rod of iron. Thus, the man-child in Revelation 12:5 includes both the Lord Jesus and the overcomers in the churches. Furthermore, Revelation 20:4 says that Christ and the resurrected overcomers will reign as kings for a thousand years. Hence, the man-child in Revelation 12 is neither the Lord Jesus individually nor the overcomers separate from Him, but the Lord Jesus with the overcomers. Christ Himself is the foremost overcomer (Rev. 3:21). As the leading overcomer He is the Head, center, reality, life, and nature of the overcomers. Among the people of God on earth there is a stronger part which includes the Lord Jesus and the overcomers. Thus, the Lord Jesus and His overcomers compose the man-child.On the one hand, we are the woman; on the other hand, we are the seed of the woman. We are the ones who trust in God: this is our source. We also are the seed of this source that trusts in God. Therefore, we can become strong. Only the seed of the source trusting in God can be strong, not strong in themselves, but strong in God. The Lord Jesus Himself took the lead to be such a person. He is the Head of the man-child. Now He is also the center, reality, life, and nature of the man-child. How the enemy, Satan, fights against this man-child! (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 253-255)
Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msgs. 19-20; Life-study of Revelation, msgs. 34-35