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Through the Lord’s death on the cross, Satan, the old serpent, was judged, cast out (John 12:31; 16:11); that judgment and sentence will ultimately be carried out and executed by the overcomers as the man-child, the corporate seed of the woman; the war waged by the overcoming believers against Satan is actually the executing of the Lord’s judgment upon him for him to eventually be cast out of heaven (Rev. 12:7-9).
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The man-child consists of the overcomers who stand on behalf of the church, take the position that the whole church should take, and do the work for the church — 2:7b, 11b, 17b, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 21; 12:5, 11:
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All of God’s people should have a part in His eternal purpose, but not all assume their rightful responsibility; therefore, God chooses a group from among them — the man-child brought forth by the woman.
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In the Bible the stronger ones among God’s people are considered a collective unit fighting the battle for God and bringing God’s kingdom down to earth — Rev. 12:5, 10-11.
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God will use the man-child to fulfill His economy and to accomplish His purpose — 1 Tim. 1:4; 2 Tim. 1:9; Eph. 1:9, 11; 3:11.
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God needs the man-child to defeat His enemy and to bring in His kingdom so that His eternal purpose might be accomplished; the Lord’s recovery is the practicality of God’s economy today, and His economy can be carried out only by the man-child — Rev. 12:10.
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The rapture of the man-child is a transaction that causes Satan to have no more position in heaven; we must be raptured to fulfill God’s need by executing His judgment upon His enemy — vv. 5, 7-10.
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Those who constitute the man-child overcome the devil (the accuser, the slanderer), who is Satan, the adversary of God, because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they love not their soul-life even unto death — vv. 10-11.
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The entire being of the man-child is saturated and permeated with the element of Christ because they are daily strengthened into their inner man so that Christ may build Himself into their hearts, they are being nourished with the unsearchable riches of Christ, and they put on Christ as the whole armor of God — Eph. 3:16-18, 8; 6:10-11.
Morning Nourishment
Rev. 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels went to war with the dragon. And the dragon warred and his angels. And they did not prevail, neither was their place found any longer in heaven. And the great dragon was cast down, the ancient serpent, he who is called the Devil and Satan, he who deceives the whole inhabited earth; he was cast to the earth...[In Revelation 12:9] dragon indicates greatness, cruelty, and killing; serpent refers to the cunning one who always deceives; devil means accuser, or slanderer; and Satan is the rebellious one.
Satan is cast down at this point because the overcomers, the man-child, are caught up to God. The principle here is that where the man-child is, there is no ground for the enemy. Satan has been judged on the cross of Christ, but this judgment needs to be executed. The church should carry out this judgment, but it has failed, so the overcomers must rise up to take the position of the church to execute God’s sentence on Satan…. After the overcomers are raptured and caught up to God’s throne, there will be no more place there for the enemy.
A seeking believer may deal with his conscience until it becomes a pure conscience. However, when the conscience becomes pure, it is easy for it to be weak….When [it] is weak, the enemy always accuses us, causing us to constantly feel that we are not right…. [So] we have to stand against the enemy by the covering of the blood. We have to not only claim but proclaim the power of the redeeming blood. (CWWL, 1964, vol. 2, “A General Sketch of the New Testament in the Light of Christ and the Church, Part 4—Revelation,” pp. 495-496)
Today’s Reading
All of God’s people have a part in His eternal purpose, but not all assume their rightful responsibility. Therefore, God chooses a group of people from among them. This group is a portion of the whole, a part of the many chosen by God. This is the man-child brought forth by the woman.The rapture of the man-child is not just a matter of some individuals being caught up, but more than that, it is to bring to an end the warfare which has been going on for ages and generations….When this warfare takes place in heaven, Michael and his angels fight against the dragon, who is the old serpent. Formerly he was a serpent, but now he has changed in form to a dragon. He has steadily increased his power. However, once the man-child is caught up, not only is the dragon unable to be enlarged any further, but he is cast down from heaven. The rapture of the man-child is a transaction which causes Satan to have no more position in heaven.
The man-child in Revelation 12 consists of the overcomers who stand on behalf of the church. Therefore, as soon as the man-child is caught up, Satan is cast down from heaven and the kingdom comes.
The reason for the overcomers to be the overcomers is not to receive glory or crowns for themselves, but simply to take the position which the whole church should take and do the work for the church….The church... has failed... [and] has not gained the ground for God. There is only a group of people left to do that work for the church and to take up the church’s responsibility. This group is the overcomers. What they do is counted as the work of the whole church. If there are those who will be the overcomers, God’s purpose is attained and He is satisfied. This is the principle of the man-child.
God’s difficulty is removed by the rapture of the man-child; His problem is solved. It seems that once the man-child is born, God’s purpose can no longer be hindered. This is what God is calling for today; this is what interests Him today. God needs a group of people to attain His original goal. (CWWN, vol. 34, “The Glorious Church,” pp. 75-76, 78, 81, 83-84)
Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 34, “The Glorious Church,” ch. 4; Life-study of Revelation, msgs. 37-38