REVELATION 12:5 - THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH?

During the Christmas season, the Gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus take center stage.  Besides the fact that His name refers to His role as "The Savior" (Mt. 1:21), one seldom hears the reason the Son of God humbled Himself and become a man, in order to die for the sins of the world (Jn. 1:29; Phil. 2:5-8; 1 Jn. 2:2; etc.).  Another fact about Christ's birth that is totally ignored, is that He came to establish His Church:  "The Body of Christ" (Rom. 7:4; 1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 4:12; etc.).  Which brings me to the subject of this blog post. 

The Word says that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Mt. 1:18; Lk. 2:35).  In other words, His physical body formed in His mother's womb due to work of the Holy Spirit.  This unique conception is very similar to that of the Church.  In Acts 2:1-47, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and the Church was conceived.  It is growing into the fullness of Christ Himself:  Ephesians 4:11-13 says:
 
"And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:  UNTIL 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 FULLNESS OF CHRIST...."

Think of the "Church Age" as being the development of Christ's Body; as each soul is saved and added to the entire Body, it is similar to a cell being developed and added to the maturing child in its mother's womb.  The Body is not compete and ready to be born until all of its parts are connected, including the Head (the Church and Christ together; perfected saints with their perfect Head).  According to Ephesians 4, and 1 John 3:2, that will not occur until the Body meets its Head.  And when does that occur?  At the Rapture of the Church, when we are completely changed into His very likeness!  THAT IS truly the "birth of the complete Body of Christ. 

As a result, I would ask you to consider the "birth" in Revelation 12:5, as being the true "birth of the Church."  When it becomes completed, is when it is raptured [caught up - the same word used for the event of the Rapture (the Greek ἁρπάζω (harpazō), meaning to be taken up by force - see yesterday's blog].  Revelation is divided into three parts:  past, present, and future (v. 1:19); Revelation 12 is set in the future (v. 4:1, long after Christ's Birth, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension). 

And, just in case you believe that Chapters 11-13 all occur at the mid-point of Daniel's Seventieth Week (Dan. 9:27), notice that Chapter 11 mentions the three and one half year ministry of the "two witnesses"; which obviously takes place during the span of time from Chapter 6-13. 

No one should be dogmatic about future prophecy, and I certainly am not.  I am just asking my brethren to consider this as a possible scenario.  God bless as you study His Word!