Trumpet Ministries, Revelation 12:1
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And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
(Revelation 12:1)
As we understand the Book of Revelation, the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth chapters are closely related. They have to do with the voice of the seventh angel, the sounding of his trumpet (Revelation 10:7).
Revelation 10:8-11:1 describes the preparation of God’s elect, the members of the Body of Christ, to bear the end-time, latter-rain anointing of the Spirit of God. They will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to every nation under the heaven as a witness of the coming of the rule and Glory of God to the earth, an event soon to take place (Matthew 24:14).
The seventh trumpet will provide the opportunity for every person on the earth to behold the power of the Kingdom of God and to hear the Good News. The Good News is that Christ died for our sins; was raised again so we who believe may be declared to be righteous in the sight of God; and is coming again to rule over the nations of the earth, bringing glory to Israel and justice to the Gentiles (Luke 2:32).
The final act of the seventh (last) trumpet will be the clothing of the saints with immortality.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (I Corinthians 15:52)
Chapter 11 of the Book of Revelation describes the actual end-time testimony of the Body of Christ which—with Christ as the Divine Head and Lord of all areas and aspects—is God’s Lampstand. There are two Lampstands because the reference is to Christ and His Body, as we understand the symbolism.
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks [lampstands] standing before the God of the earth. (Revelation 11:4)
The two Lampstands portray Christ the Lord and His Body, His "Wife." The two olive trees speak of the double portion of the Holy Spirit.
We now are in the hour of the double portion of God’s Spirit. Christ has kept the "good wine" until now.
The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts. (Haggai 2:9)
Chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation describes the forming of Christ in the members of the Christian Church. This event also is associated with the voice of the seventh angel and the sounding of his trumpet.
Chapter 12 describes the birth of the Son (man child), which we understand to be the forming of Christ in the Christian Church.
This is the Body of the ruling Son that is being formed and brought to birth. This is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
The Son of God who is being formed in the members of the Body of Christ will crush Satan and all his works with a Divine rod of iron.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise [crush] thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)
And the God of peace shall bruise [crush] Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. (Romans 16:20)
Note carefully the following:
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. (Revelation 10:7)
What is the "mystery" that will be finished "in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound"?
The mystery is, "Christ in you, the hope of glory."
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (Colossians 1:27)
It is obvious only our Lord Jesus Christ can be the Son who is destined to rule all nations with a rod of iron (Psalms 2:9).
Who, then, is the "woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown (tiara) of twelve stars," of the first verse of Revelation, Chapter 12?
From our point of view, the woman is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only in the Christian Church, the Body of Christ, that Christ is formed.
No travail of the nation of Israel or the Christian Church brought forth the Baby in the manger. The Son, Christ, was born before Zion travailed. He is God’s answer to God’s enemies.
Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. (Isaiah 66:7)
But there will come a time when Zion does enter labor. Then the Son will be formed in the Church, in the heavenly Jerusalem, which is the "mother of us all."
Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. (Isaiah 66:8)
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, (Hebrews 12:22)
The twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation is describing the forming of God’s Conqueror, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Church, the heavenly Zion, by means of the travail of the ministries of the Church. This mystery (Christ in you) will be finished at the time of the seventh trumpet.
My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, (Galatians 4:19)
"Until Christ be formed in you."
There are two aspects of the Christian redemption taking place now: (1) the saints are being prepared and encouraged to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit so they may go forth in power as Christ’s witnesses; and (2) Christ is being formed in the saints and they are growing up in Him in order that the Body of Christ may be perfected.
The saints are being prepared and encouraged to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Christ is being formed in the saints.
When the Body of Christ has been perfected, the Head can return and Christ—Head and Body—can perform the work of the Servant of the Lord.
The following verse describes the work of Christ, the Servant of the Lord:
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment [justice]to the Gentiles [nations]. (Isaiah 42:1)
Before the Head can return and bring justice to the nations of the earth, the Church, the Body of Christ, "Zion," must be built up.
When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. (Psalms 102:16)
One of the two great works of the Church Age is the building of the Church, the Body of Christ.
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying [building up] of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Ephesians 4:12,13)
As we have stated, the two purposes of the Christian Era are (1) the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom to every creature; and (2) the perfecting of the Body of Christ.
These two aspects are being emphasized in our day. We are being prepared to bear the end-time anointing so we may be power-filled witnesses of Jesus’ atoning death and triumphant resurrection. Also, Christ is being formed in us in preparation for the rule of the Kingdom of God over the nations of the earth.
The double anointing of power for bearing witness of Christ, and the crucifixion of our personality so we are living no longer but Christ is living in us, are both required for the installation of the Kingdom of God upon the earth.
These two works will take place during the "days of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound" (Revelation 10:7).
As a Christian believer and disciple of the Lord Jesus we have a responsibility to bring the Good News to every creature. The bringing of the Gospel of the Kingdom to every nation requires that we receive a powerful baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The second aspect, the formation of Christ in us, while it is a testimony to the earth today, is also—and primarily—for our eternal service to the Lord God of Heaven as one of His servants (Revelation 22:3).
Isn’t it true that both of these aspects of redemption are working in your life right now? Isn’t the Spirit of the Lord prompting you to turn away from the pursuit of money and material treasures and to give your attention to serving the Lord and bearing witness of Him?
In addition, isn’t the Spirit of the Lord working the circumstances of your life so you are being pressed into Christ’s death and also discovering in yourself the incorruptible resurrection life of the new spiritual man who is coming forth?
Thus we understand that the two principal tasks of the Christian Era are:
The preaching of the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15,16).
The forming of the Body of Christ, the perfecting of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16).
Chapter 10 of Revelation tells us the seventh trumpet is about to sound.
Chapter 11 of Revelation announces the worldwide preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom with unprecedented power. This is the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14 and Mark 16:15,16. Chapter 12 of Revelation portrays the forming of Christ in the members of the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16) to prepare deliverers for the nation of Israel (Romans 11:26), and to bring forth righteous rulers for the Gentile nations (Revelation 2:26,27).
The two aspects of redemption accomplished in the Church of Christ (the Spirit-empowered witness of Jesus as Savior and Lord, and the bringing forth of Christ in the members of the Body of Christ) are portrayed symbolically in the story of Gideon’s 300 men.
The number 300, as used in the Scriptures, symbolizes the termination of one age by judgment and the beginning of a new age. You may recall that Noah’s Ark was 300 cubits long.
Also, the sum of the square cubits of the three hangings of the Tabernacle of the Congregation was 300 square cubits. As soon as one passes the veil which leads into the Most Holy Place he has gone through 300 square cubits, as it were. The Most Holy Place symbolizes the rule of Christ and His saints during the thousand-year Kingdom Age. (The volume of the Most Holy Place was 1,000 cubic cubits, the number of years in the Kingdom Age.)
The number 300 figures prominently in the story of Gideon, indicating that the incident is a type of the coming of the Lord from Heaven to establish His Kingdom upon the earth.
The members of Gideon’s original army were eliminated until only 300 remained—a type of the small remnant through whom the Lord God will bring victory in the Day of the Lord.
Each one of Gideon’s men was given a trumpet (Judges 7:16). There were 300 trumpets. The trumpets, as used here, are a type of the seventh trumpet—the end-time, latter-rain anointing that will enable the saints to announce the coming of the Lord, commanding all persons everywhere to repent and believe the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. This is what is meant by the empowering of the two witnesses of Revelation, Chapter 11. Each one of Gideon’s men was given an empty pitcher and a torch inside the pitcher. There were 300 pitchers containing 300 torches.
The trumpet is a type of the proclamation of the soon coming of the Kingdom of God, with Christ as King and Lord of all.
The torch, the light, is a type of the forming of Christ, the Light of the world, in us. The empty pitcher is our mortal body.
The trumpet of Gideon, and the two witnesses of Revelation, Chapter 11, are symbolic of the preaching of the Gospel witness to every creature—particularly in the last days.
The torch of Gideon, and the Son of Revelation, Chapter 12, portray the forming of Christ in the members of the Body of Christ.
It has been true throughout Church history that the forming of Christ in the saints has been accompanied by the bringing of Divine Life to other people. The deeper the crucifixion the saint is willing to endure, the greater is the Life of Jesus he experiences and the more powerful is the accompanying witness.
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. (II Corinthians 4:10)
The inner death and resurrection of the saint reveal the Life of Jesus to other people.
The coming of the Lord Jesus is at hand. It seems we are approaching (or else are in) the days of the sounding of the seventh angel. Therefore we can expect an emphasis to be placed on both the Spirit-empowered preaching of the Gospel to every creature and also the building up and sudden "birth," or revelation, of the Body of Christ (Isaiah 66:7,8).
Each member of the Body of Christ has a temporary ministry and also an eternal spiritual ministry. The first has to do with our labors during the present hour in the Kingdom of God. The second concerns our rulership over the creation as one of the Lord’s kings and judges.
The eleventh chapter of Revelation emphasizes the earthly, temporary ministry of the saints. The twelfth chapter of Revelation emphasizes the preparation for the eternal rule of Christ in the saints during the ages to come.
And there appeared a great wonder [sign] in heaven; (Revelation 12:1)
Here is a marvelous sign and wonder. It is a sign and wonder in the heaven, in the spirit realm. The woman, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, is a wonder in the heaven. How much time and energy is misdirected among Christians because we do not understand clearly that the Church of Christ is not a social earthly institution! The Church is in Heaven and of Heaven. The Kingdom, the rule of God comes from Heaven. This is why Matthew refers to the Kingdom of God as the Kingdom of Heaven.
All that is of eternal value in the building of the Church, and in the activities of the Church, comes directly from Heaven. That which originates in the strength and wisdom of the flesh is of no eternal value. The flesh profits nothing.
Perhaps one of the greatest insights we shall gain into the Kingdom of God in these last days is that the Church is of Heaven and is in Heaven. Nothing can be accomplished on the earth of eternal, spiritual value until it has been fashioned first in the heavenlies (Colossians 2:20; 3:1,2).
The Christian churches are not limited to the employment of human wisdom, energies, and talents in a man-directed attempt to construct the Kingdom of God. Our adversary is a spirit. We are wrestling against wicked spirits, fallen angels, evil princes who govern the world activities from their thrones in the air above us (govern as God permits and oversees).
The weapons of our warfare must not be of the fleshly abilities of people. Our weapons must be "mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds" (II Corinthians 10:4).
The Church of Christ is a "great wonder in heaven." The Church is not of the physical world. The Church was born, "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13).
When we refer to the Church, in this booklet we are not speaking primarily of the local churches. The Church is not seen as such on the earth. The true Church is viewed only in the spirit realm, in Heaven, in the present hour.
It appears the majority of church people throughout the two thousand years of the Church Age have not been part of the true Church of Christ. Most church work proceeds from the human soul, not from the Spirit of God.
It is no small matter to be a part of the true Church, the true Body of Christ, the true Bride of the Lamb.
Several forces will be brought to bear upon Christian believers in the near future. There will be much deception, persecution, and an unprecedented pouring out of God’s Spirit. After that will come the great tribulation spoken of in the Scriptures, followed by the appearing of the Lord from Heaven accompanied by a multitude of militant saints.
These forces and events will serve to separate the true Church from the majority of believers of the local churches and bring the Church to the unblemished perfection promised in the Scriptures. The love of the majority will grow cold during the hour of temptation (Matthew 24:12).
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:27)
The Church is not merely a human, social institution made up of well-intentioned members of the local community. The Church of Christ is the expression of the Word of the living God, of the body and blood of Christ, of the resurrection Life of Christ, of the priestly anointing of the Holy Spirit of God.
The Christian Church, with Christ as the illustrious Center, is the Lampstand of God in the earth. The Christian Church is the Prophet of God among men. The Christian Church is the Body of Christ, of Messiah, of the Anointed King.
The Christian Church is the Substance and Spirit of Christ. Its glorious Head, Christ, is in the Church, with the Church, and also in Heaven at the right hand of the Father in the present hour.
Because the Church is the expression of the resurrection Life and Glory of the ascended Lord Jesus Christ, its true Life being Christ who is at the right hand of the Father, it is a sign in the heaven.
A woman clothed with the sun, (Revelation 12:1)
Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners? (Song of Solomon 6:10)
The face of the angel of Revelation 10:1, who marks the opening of the era of the seventh and last trumpet, "was as it were the sun."
The sun, in the Scriptures, speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ. The sun is a fire. It is pure. It is perfect. It is as a "bridegroom" Psalms 19:5). It governs the Day of the Lord. Christ is the "Sun of righteousness" (Malachi 4:2). There is "healing in his wings."
In the Day of the Lord the righteous will "shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matthew 13:43). The countenance of Christ that John saw "was as the sun shineth in his strength" (Revelation 1:16).
The sun with which the woman is clothed is the fiery righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Body of Christ is covered by the Lord’s righteousness and reveals the Lord’s righteousness in Heaven and upon the earth. An unrighteous church is not the light of the world, and can never become the light of the world until it puts on the Lord Jesus Christ and makes no provision for the fleshly lusts of the present age.
The horribly destructive error in Christian thinking is that Christ clothes the Church with imputed (ascribed) righteousness while the actual behavior of the believers is of interest but not a crucial aspect of the Divine salvation. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The righteousness of Christ indeed does cover the repentant sinner. But then, as the converted individual walks with Christ, the blazing righteousness of Christ begins to bring forth a new creation of godly behavior. If no new creation begins to be apparent, if no moral transformation is occurring, then the person is not being saved. He has a head knowledge and belief but is not part of the true Church. He eventually will turn the grace of God into immorality, as is happening so often today.
And the moon under her feet, (Revelation 12:1)
The moon speaks of God’s creation. The moon has no light of its own. It is dead. But the light of the sun reflects from it and therefore the moon is able to give light and govern the night.
The created realm, including ourselves, is dead apart from Christ. But when His glory is reflected from us, we of the Church are able to give light and to rule in the midst of darkness and death (II Corinthians 3:18; 4:6).
The world of itself is a place of darkness. The light that enables mankind to distinguish good from evil is that which is reflected from the people of God as Christ shines from Heaven in them.
Moonlight is a pale light. We see partially—"through a glass, darkly." But moonlight is better than no light at all. When the Day of the Lord dawns and Christ comes to us "as the morning" (Hosea 6:3), the world will understand how dark the present age actually has been.
The created realm, the material universe, is under the feet of the woman, the Church, the Body of Christ.
Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; (I Corinthians 3:22)
The two witnesses of Chapter 11 are given authority and power over the entire earth for a season as a preview of the rule of the Church during the thousand-year Kingdom Age; but then the witness is overcome by Antichrist.
When the Lord Jesus Christ appears in and with His Body in the Glory of the Father, the whole earth will be ruled by God in Christ in the saints. This is the beginning of the eternal government, the Kingdom of God.
Christ is that Adam who is in the image of God and who has been given dominion over all the works of God’s hands (Psalms 8:3-8). As Christ is formed in us we too are assigned our Divinely ordained places of fruitfulness and dominion.
This world belongs to the saints.
To mankind has been assigned the dominion over all things—all is "in subjection under him" (Hebrews 2:8).
And upon her head a crown [garland] of twelve stars: (Revelation 12:1)
The twelve stars represent God’s "stars," His heroes of faith, His mighty men, His conquerors, His kings and judges of the ages to come.
And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12:3)
What do the stars do? They guide travelers at night.
Are we dividing the Body of Christ, that seamless robe of Christ, into the Church and the "stars"? Not at all. The heroes of faith are as a crown on the head of the Church.
The Church of God always has produced outstanding men and women of God. We think of Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Job, Paul, Peter, Elijah, David and so forth. Are they separate from the Israel of God?
There is but one Church, one Body of Christ, one Wife of the Lamb, one holy city of God. These are different terms applied to the one Israel of God.
At different times and for varying reasons God may emphasize one person or a small group of people. But, as in the case of Gideon’s 300, as soon as the victory has been won all Israel joins in the victory (Judges 7:23).
An army may consist of many different kinds of units but it is one army.
A kingdom may contain rich people and poor people, nobility and working class, but it is one kingdom.
The Gospels speak of those who are greatest and those who are least in the Kingdom of God. But it remains one kingdom.
God’s stars, His heroes of faith, are an adornment on the Church. But they are not separate from the Church just as David and his mighty men were not separate from the rest of Israel, and Gideon and his remnant of warriors were not a group of people apart from Israel.
Before electronic technology came into being people often were directed by the stars. It was a star that led the wise men to the Baby Jesus.
When we teach in the church we use God’s stars to guide us: Daniel, Job, Abraham, Jacob wrestling with the angel, Joseph and his coat of many colors, John the Baptist, Elijah, Enoch who walked with God, and many others. These are the "stars" whose faith and experiences have pointed the way through the "night" of our pilgrimage on the earth.
It is the lives of individual saints, rather than the history of the nation of Israel or of the Christian Church, that provide the inspiration and example we need. The "stars" point the way toward the righteous Kingdom that is coming from Heaven.
The moon shines by reflected light but the stars give their own light.
When we are immature Christians we live and minister by an external grace, for the most part. The Holy Spirit is in us. Christ is in us. But the Divine Life is small and undeveloped. The Lord carries us along by means of externally-applied grace.
Externally-applied grace continues to be necessary. But as we mature in Christ the Life of Christ is formed in us. The Day Star arises in our heart. An inner transformation takes place. A new creature becomes increasingly prominent in our life, in our decisions, in our attitudes. Christ is growing in us, as portrayed in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-23; II Peter 1:19).
Every member of the Body of Christ can become one of God’s stars by laying down his or her own life, taking up his cross, and following the Lord Jesus. Every believer can pass from the ranks of the many who are called to the few who are chosen.
The saint who is becoming a "star," in whom there is a constantly-increasing development and shining of the Lord Jesus Christ, is described in Psalms Eighty-four:
Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them [the ways of those who seek God and are able to reach Him in various situations]. Who passing through the valley of Baca [weeping] make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools [the grace and glory of Christ both from within and without]. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. (Psalms 84:5-7)
The beginning saint is blessed and strengthened by the Lord for the particular situation. The mature saint has no strength whatever except the eternal strength of God, of which he has become a part.
The beginning saint is subject to victories and defeats. One period will be gloriously blessed. The next will be filled with doubt and discouragement.
The mature saint through experience has learned how to come to Zion with singing under many varying conditions. He or she becomes increasingly able to reach God regardless of the circumstances and pressures.
The stars do not shine by the reflected light of the sun. They have their own fire. The mature saint has Christ formed in him. That Light cannot be eclipsed. It is the eternal, indestructible, incorruptible resurrection Life of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When the Lord’s heroes of faith come to a place of sadness and weeping they turn it into springs of living water. The Lord then adds to those springs by pouring out rain from Heaven. What would have been a place of sadness (a valley of Baca) becomes a center of glory, of revival, of anointing, of joy and gladness in the Lord Jesus.
God’s saints bring revival with them. Revival has been formed in them.
The Christian churches are subject to times and seasons, being victorious one moment and defeated the next. But the Lord’s mighty men and women pass from strength to strength, from victory to victory, from glory to glory. Each strength leads to new and greater strength. Each victory leads to new and greater victory. Each glory leads to new and greater glory.
The victorious saints always are learning of God, always growing, always pressing forward in Christ. They are following on to know the Lord. They will move from strength to strength until they become filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19).
God’s stars are Mount Zion, the eternal dwelling place of the strength of the Lord God of Heaven (Amos 1:2). As David’s Zion was a fortress city that guarded the larger city of Jerusalem, so God’s conquering saints are a first line of defense of the Church (Micah 4:13).
They appear before God continually because they seek God continually. They pray without ceasing because Christ is being formed in them. The Lord God of Heaven is becoming their prayer, their life, their strength, their praise, their joy, their health, their wisdom, their All in all.
They learn to depend on the Lord Jesus rather than to attempt to resolve their problems by scheming and manipulation. They have discovered that they know nothing at all. They must trust God in all matters.
The woman is not seen in her glory on the earth, she is in Heaven, in the spirit realm. She is clothed with the righteousness of the Sun of righteousness. The created realm is under her feet because she is the Body of Christ and coheir with Christ of the works of God’s hands. Because of her oneness with the Lord Jesus she possesses the keys of the Kingdom of God, the key of David.
The adornment upon her head, her tiara, represents the Lord’s heroes of faith—God’s faithful saints who have sought and pursued the Lord until He has become their life. They shine as the stars of the firmament forever.
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