Revelation 12: The Epic War Of The Ages Series

This woman is Israel. The sun represents her shining glory of God; her brilliance and dignity of God’s glory to the nations. The mood is a symbol of her eternal covenant relationship and the covenant cycles found in the moon and her feasts. The ‘Stephanos’ or victor’s crown is the symbol of her victory over intense struggle. And, of course, the 12 stars on her crown are the 12 tribes of Israel.

Some may ask, why isn’t this the Church? This brings me to the idea of ‘Replacement Theology’ or Supersessionism - the idea that when Israel rejected Christ as the Messiah, she forfeited her covenant promises with God and was replaced by the Church. Thus, in some respects, the Church became a ‘spiritual Israel.’ This is widely held by those who do not study prophecy or those who try to justify “Kingdom Now” theology

Nowhere in the Bible, does God ever say that He was ever going to replace Israel with Gentile believers. In fact, Scripture says the opposite: that because of Israel, Gentiles will join Israel, but Israel will eternally be God’s chosen people. Israel is mentioned mo less than 75 times in the New Testament and every time Scripture refers to Israel as a nation (not typology). Romans (Romans 9, 11) make it absolutely clear that God is not finished with Israel.

God has a special love for Israel, even in their rebellion. In the everlasting Abrahamic Covenant, God told Abraham that He would bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse them (Genesis 12: 3). This covenant is explicitly given by God as one that is unbreakable by God. In like manner, He told the prophet, Zechariah, that he who touches Israel, “touches the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8).

“But,” say the Amillennialists, “all these promises were annulled by the Jews’ rejection of Jesus as their Messiah.” This assertion explains why chapters 9 through 11 of Romans have been the most ignored and despised chapters of the New Testament throughout Church history. Often, these chapters are simply dismissed as an “irrelevant parenthesis” in the book of Romans.

But the truth is that they are anything but that. In these chapters, Paul uses the Jewish people as the quintessential example of God’s grace. Jeremiah 30, 31, and 33 all tell us that despite Israel losing their land, God promises a restoration of them as a nation as we saw in 1948.

Despite their history of rebellion against God’s will, and their continuing rebellion, Paul teaches that God still loves them, still has a purpose for them, and is still determined to bring a great remnant of them to salvation in Jesus.

?For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16 ESV)

Is there any nation in all the world that Satan wants to destroy more than Israel? As we will see, as we continue on, Israel is still very much the covenant people of God. There are clear differences between the Church and Israel in Scripture.

3. The Woman Giving Birth (Revelation 12:2)