Chapter Twenty-Seven/God's Kingdom Is Born! - A Fiery-Colored Dragon - Conclusion

 Thus, two opposing organizations have come clearly into view-Jehovah's heavenly organization as pictured by the woman and Satan's demonic organization that challenges God's sovereignty. The great issue of sovereignty must be settled. But how? Satan, still dragging the demons along with him, is like a vicious beast of prey eyeing a potential victim. He is waiting for the woman to give birth. He wants to devour this expected infant because he knows that it poses an ominous threat to his continued existence and that of the world over when he exercises rulership. - JOHN 14:30. 

Next time: Chapter Twenty-Seven/God's Kingdom Is Born! -A Son, A Male

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Chapter Twenty-Seven/God's Kingdom Is Born! -A Great Fiery-Colored Dragon - Continue

 The dragon has authority also in the spirit realm. With his tail, he "drags a third of the stars of heaven." Stars can represent angels. (Job 38:7) Mention of "a third" would emphasize that considerable number of angels have been misled by Satan. Once these came under his control, there was no escape for them. They could not return to God's holy organization. They became demons, dragged along as it were, by Satan their king, or ruler. (Matthew 12:24) Satan also cast them down to the earth. This no doubt refers to Noah's day before the flood, when Satan induced his disobedient sons of God to go down to earth and cohabit with the daughters of men. As a punishment, these "angels that sinned" have been thrown by God into prisonlike condition called Tartarus. - GENESIS 6:4; 2 PETER 2:4; JUDE 6.

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Chapter Twenty-Seven/God's Kingdom Is Born! -A Great Fiery-Colored Dragon

 What does John next observe? "And another sign was seen in heaven, and, look! a great fiery-colored dragon, with seven heads and ten horns upon its heads seven diadems; and its tail drags a third of the stars of the heaven, and it hurled them down to the earth. And the dragon kept standing before the woman who was about to give birth, that, when she did give birth, it might devour her child." - REVELATION 12:3, 4. 

This dragon is Satan, "the original serpent." (Revelation 12:9; Genesis 3:15) He is a ferocious destroyer-a seven-headed dragon or devourer, that can completely swallow his prey. How strange he looks! Those seven heads and ten horns indicate that he is the architect of the p0litical wild beast soon to be described in Revelation 13. This beast also has seven heads and ten horns. Since Satan has a diadem on each head-seven in all-we can be sure that the world powers represented in that wild beast have been under his rulership. (John 16:11) The ten horns are a fitting symbol of the completeness of power that he has exercised in this world.  

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Chapter Twenty-Seven/God's Kingdom Is Born!

 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 a fitting symbol of Jehovah's magnificent heavenly organization! She is also pregnant, enduring 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 need 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.

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Chapter Twenty-Seven/God's Kingdom Is Born!

 Aboout eight centuries earlier, Jehovah had addressed his 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 this 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 new 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 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 a wife, both in serving him and in producing offspring. 

Next time: Chapter Seven/God's Kingdom Is Born! 

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Chapter Twenty-Seven/God's Kingdom Is Born! - Continue

 For the first time John beholds a woman in heaven. She is, of course, not a literal woman. Rather she is a sign or a symbol. (Revelation 1:1) What does she symbolize? In the inspired prophecies, women at times represent organizations "married" to outstanding personalities. In the Hebrew Scriptures, Israel was spoken of as a wife of Jehovah God. (Jeremiah 3:14) In the Greek Scriptures, the congregation of anointed Christians is spoken of as Christ's bride. (Revelation 21:9-14) The woman John here sees is also married to someone and she is about to give birth. Who is her husband? "Well, later her child is "caught away to God and to his throne." (Revelation 12:5) Jehovah thus claims the child as his own. Therefore, the woman that John sees must be Jehovah's symbolic wife.

Next time: Chapter Twenty-Seven/God's Kingdom Is Born! - Continue

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Chapter Twenty-Seven/God's Kingdom Is Born!

 THE sacred secret of God has been unlocked. (Revelation 10:7) Jehovah's Kingdom by his Messiah is now a dynamic reality. It rules!  Its presence spells doom for Satan and his seed and glorious victory for the Seed of God's heavenly organization. The seventh angel has not finished blowing his trumpet, however, for he has much more to reveal to us about the third woe. (Revelation 11:14) The signs described in Revelation chapters 12 to 14 will help us to broaden our appreciation of all that is involved in that woe and in bringing God's sacred secret to a finish. 

John now sees a great sign-one of outstanding interest for God's people. In introduces a thrilling prophetic vision, the meaning of which was first published in the March 1, 1925 issue of the Watch Tower in an article entitled "Birth of the Nation" and then again in 1926 in the book Deliverance. This brilliant flash of Bible understanding became a historical marker in the advancement of Jehovah's work. So let John describe the drama as it starts to unfold: "And a great sign was seen in heaven, a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon was beneath her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars, and she was pregnant. And she cries out in her agony to give birth." - REVELATION 12:1, 2. 

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Chapter Twenty-Six/The Sacred Secret-It's Glorious Climax! - Behold the Ark of His Covenant - Conclusion

 The seven angels continue to sound their trumpets, signaling historic events here one earth. Dedicated Christians have a great responsibility to continue proclaiming these announcements to the world. How joyfully they are fulfilling that commission! This is indicated in that, during just ten years, from 1978 to 1987, they more than doubled the hours spent yearly in their global ministry-from 307,272,262 to 739,029,286- a 14o percent increase. Truly, "the sacred secret of God according to the good news" is being made known "to the extremities of the inhabited earth. -REVELATION 10:7; ROMANS 10:18. 

Other visions now await us as God's Kingdom purposes continue to be unveiled. 

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Chapter Twenty-Six/The Sacred Secret- It's Glorious Climax - Behold the Ark of His Covenant! -Continue

 Those first ones who have been resurrected to heaven see this symbolic ark at close range, for they have taken their place as part of the 24 elders around Jehovah's throne.  And the John class one earth have been enlightened by Jehovah's spirit to discern His presence in His spiritual temple. There have also been signs to alert mankind in general to this wonderful development. John's vision speaks of lightnings, voices, and thunders, an earthquake, and hail. (Compare Revelation 8:5) What do these symbolize?

Since 1914 there has been a tremendous upheaval in the realm of religion. Happily, though, this "earthquake" has been accompanied by dedicated voices giving a clear message about God's established Kingdom. Thunderous 'storm warnings' from the Bible have been sounded. Like lightning, flashes of insight as to God's prophetic Word have been seen and publicized. A hard pounding "hail" of divine judgments have been unleashed against Christendom and false religion in general. All of this should have caught people's attention. Sadly, though, the majority-like the people of Jerusalem in Jesus' time-have failed to discern the fulfillment of these Revelation signs. -LUKE 19:41-44. 

Next time: Chapter Twenty-Six/The Sacred Secret - It's Glorious Climax! - Behold the Ark of His Covenant - Conclusion

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Chapter Twenty-Six/The Sacred Secret -It's Glorious Climax! -Behold the Ark of the Covenant - Continue

 Now, after more than 2,500 years, the Ark is seen once more. But in John's vision the Ark in not in an earthly temple. It appears in the heavenly sanctuary of God. Once again, Jehovah rules by means of a king in the royal line of David. This time, however, the King, Christ Jesus, is enthroned in heavenly Jerusalem-the exalted vantage point from which he executes Jehovah's judgments. (Hebrews 12:22) The following chapters of Revelation will unveil these to us. 

In ancient earthly Jerusalem, the Ark was not seen by the Israelites in general, nor even the priests serving in the temple, for it was within the Most Holy which was screened off from the Holy Place by a curtain.  (Numbers 4:20; Hebrews 9:2, 3) Only the high priest got to see it when he entered the Most Holy on the annual day of Atonement. Nevertheless, when the temple sanctuary in the heavens   is opened, the symbolic ark is visible not only to Jehovah's High Priest, Jesus Christ, but also to his underpriests, the 144,000, including John. 

Next time: Chapter Twenty-Six/The Sacred Secret -It's Glorious Climax! - Behold the Ark of His Covenant - Continue 

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