Continue with God's Kingdom Is Born!

About eight centuries earlier, Jehovah had addressed this symbolic wife, saying: "All your sons will be persons taught by Jehovah." (Isaiah 54:5, 13) Jesus quoted this prophecy and showed that these sons were his faithful followers, who later formed the congregation of anointed Christians. (John 6:44, 45) So members of his congregation spoken of as God's sons, are also children of God's symbolic wife. (Romans 8:14) The apostle Paul adds the final piece of information when he says: "The Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother." (Galatians 4:26) The "woman " seen by John, then, is "the Jerusalem above."

Exactly what, though, is Jerusalem above? Since Paul spoke of her as "above," and John sees her in heaven, she is clearly not an earthly city; neither is she the same as "New Jerusalem," since that organization is the bride of Christ, not Jehovah's wife. (Revelation 21:2) Notice that she is crowned with 12 stars. The number 12 is associated with completeness in an organizational setting. Hence, these 12 stars seems to indicate that she is an organizational arrangement in heaven, just as ancient Jerusalem was on earth. Jerusalem above is Jehovah's universal organization of spirit creatures that acts as his wife, both in serving him and in producing offspring.

John sees this woman as being robed with the sun and having the moon beneath her feet. When we add her crown of stars, she is completely surrounded by heavenly lights. God's favor shines upon her day and night. What fitting symbol of Jehovah's magnificent heavenly organization! She is also pregnant, enduing labor pains. Her cries for divine help show that her time has come to give birth. In the Bible, labor pains often symbolize the hard work needed to produce an important result. (Compare Psalm 90:2; Proverbs 25:23; Isaiah 66:7, 8) No doubt labor pains of this kind were experienced as Jehovah's heavenly organization prepared for this historic birth.

Next time: A Great Fiery-Colored Dragon