Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.
But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only.
And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man.
For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man.
Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left.
Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left.
Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh.
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Our dear heavenly Father, we do praise and thank Thee that we can meet together in the name of Thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, how we praise and thank Thee because we do know that Thy presence is here with us.
So, Lord, we do remove our shoes, for we are standing on holy ground. We do wait upon Thee, listening to what Thou hast to say to us tonight. Lord, speak; Thy servants hear.
We commit this time into Thy hand, and ask Thy Holy Spirit to bring us into the spirit of Thy Word. We ask in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
During the first session that we had on Matthew 24 and Matthew 25, we shared on this matter of the signs of the time. We know that we today are living at the end of the end days.
And thank God, even though we do not know the hour, the day of His coming, yet He does give us many signs so that we may judge these signs, discern these signs, and know how to behave and how to act.
During the second session, we shared together on this matter of the parousia of the Lord, the presence of the Lord. Our Lord today is absent from this world.
Even though His Spirit is here, even though He does come in His Spirit and He dwells in us, He never leaves us nor forsakes us. He is always with us. Yet, in another sense, He is absent today.
But we do thank Him, knowing that He has promised us that He will come back again. He will come back to take us to Himself, and this is our blessed hope.
So, brothers and sisters, we have hope, and that hope is the presence of the Lord. We know that the presence of the Lord is very, very near.
We do desire that we may have within our hearts a real love for His presence, a real longing for His presence. I do hope that daily we will tell Him how much we miss Him. We want Him to come.
This evening, we would like to consider another subject very closely related to the parousia, the presence of the Lord. That is the rapture of the saints.
You will be surprised to find that the word rapture is not in the Scripture. It is a word that has been, and is being, used among believers when we talk about this matter. Yet that word itself is not in the Scripture.
What you find in the Scripture are English words such as “receive,” “take up,” and “caught up.” These are the words that you will find in your Bible.
Even though these are different words, when you go to the original Greek, you will find basically the word lambanō, which means “to receive” or “to take.”
Sometimes it is analambanō, and ana means “up.” In other words, to receive or to take up.
You will find this word in Acts 1:2:
Until the day in which, having given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom He had chosen, He was received up.
And in Acts 1:11:
Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheld Him going into heaven.
Again, in Acts 1:22:
Beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day that He was received up from us—of these must one become a witness with us of His resurrection.
Now, in these three instances that we have just read, the Greek original is analambanō.
But in other places you will find that it is still lambanō, but it is paralambanō. We all know the meaning of para: taking or receiving unto oneself.
That is the word that we find in Matthew 24:40–41, the verses that we have already read:
Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left.
Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left.
The word “taken” there is paralambanō. You can also find it in Luke 17:34–36:
I say unto you, In that night there shall be two men on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
There shall be two women grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
The same word is found in Matthew 24. Another place is John 14:3. You remember our Lord Jesus comforted His disciples, saying:
Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
The word “receive” is paralambanō.
Then we find another Greek word used with more or less the same meaning. That word is harpazō. The word harpazō means “snatch away” or “catch away.”
For instance, it is used in Acts 8. We remember the story about Philip, how in the desert he preached Christ to that eunuch. After that eunuch was baptized, suddenly you find that Philip was snatched away. This is found in Acts 8:39:
And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing.
The same word, harpazō, is also used in 2 Corinthians 12, when Paul was relating an experience that had happened to him fourteen years before he wrote this letter. In 2 Corinthians 12:2, he said:
I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago—whether in the body, I know not; or whether out of the body, I know not; God knoweth—such a one caught up even to the third heaven.
And in 2 Corinthians 12:4:
How that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
In these instances, you find that the word used is harpazō. So, in the Greek, you find there are several different words being used, but all these words carry the same meaning. That is why we have the term rapture, because all these words speak of rapture.
So when we talk about rapture, I hope, brothers and sisters, that you will not say, “Now, it is not in the Bible.” The fact is there. The Greek words are there. But the English translations never use that word, rapture.
I believe all believing Christians believe that the church will be raptured.
We are a heavenly people. We belong to heaven. We do not belong to this earth. We are here as sojourners and strangers. So it is but natural that one day we will be raptured, because that is where we should be.
The Apostle Peter says that even though we do not see Him, we love Him. Physically speaking, we do not see Him today, and yet we love Him.
Whom having not seen, ye love; on whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Now, brothers and sisters, none of us has seen the Lord physically. Even though spiritually we do see Him, yet we love Him. When we think of Him, we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. That is our situation today.
What will it be when one day we see Him face to face? If today, not seeing Him, we are filled with joy unspeakable, I wonder, when we see Him face to face, what kind of joy that will be.
The Apostle John says:
Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are.
Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if He shall be manifested, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him even as He is.
In other words, today we are God’s children. What a privilege; what an honor it is. But there is something even better waiting for us, because when Christ shall be manifested, we shall see Him as He is, and we shall be like Him.
Sometimes it grieves our heart that we are not like Him. How we long that we will be like Him. One day, when we see Him as He is—because today we always see Him dimly—we shall be like Him. Do you look forward to that day?
The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 3 that our citizenship is in heaven. That is where we belong.
For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of His glory, according to the working whereby He is able even to subject all things unto Himself.
One day, when He shall return, this body of humiliation will be changed into a body of glory. Do you feel that this body really humiliates you? I do. I feel myself so humiliated because this body limits me.
But thank God, one day this body will be changed into the body of glory. Do you look forward to that day?
I think it is but natural for us to be raptured. If there is no rapture, it is not right. Yes, one day we will be raptured. We will be taken and received into His presence, and we shall be with Him forever.
I do not think there is any problem with this. I think we all agree.
But our problem with rapture is that there are so many different interpretations—not concerning rapture itself, but concerning the time and the number of raptures.
Thank God, there is no problem concerning rapture itself. Our problem is only with the time of rapture or with the number of raptures. So really, it is a minor problem.
Basically, there are three different schools of interpretation. Now remember: interpretation is not the Bible; it is interpreting the Bible. So if you happen to hold a different interpretation, it does not mean you do not believe the Bible.
Now, I had this problem, and it happened in South America—not in Brazil, but in Peru. When I was in Peru, in the jungle by the Amazon River, there were believers scattered around.
When I was there, they happened to have a convention. Believers would walk through the jungles and gather together in one place called Yurimaguas. There was no road into it; I flew in. People gathered together to have a convention.
Because I would be leaving the next day, the native brethren asked if I could speak at the first evening meeting. So I agreed.
I lived with a couple who loved the Lord very much, an American couple. They had been missionaries in Peru for many years. I visited them at that time, so I stayed with them.
Before the convention began, another elderly missionary from a neighboring village arrived. He was an Englishman.
Before we were having supper in that house, we began to fellowship. This brother happened to come from an Exclusive Brethren background. So, you know, he tried to find out where I stood. He began to ask me question after question, and of course I tried to answer him.
But I knew that this was just a prelude. I knew what was going to come. Sure enough, after he had asked a few questions, came this question. He said, “What do you think of rapture?”
I tried to avoid the question, because I knew what the Exclusive Brethren held on this matter of rapture, or what they were against. So I said, “I believe in rapture.”
Then he said, “When? How many times?”
Well, I knew he believed in pre-tribulation rapture: one time, and the whole church would be raptured before the great tribulation.
So I said, “Brother, this is the way that I feel today, but I am open for correction.” And I told him how I felt.
Immediately he said, “You do not believe the Bible.”
I said, “Brother, I believe the Bible just as you do. It is a matter of interpretation. Today I have to accept an interpretation that seems to satisfy me. Now, if tomorrow there is a better and more satisfying interpretation, I am ready to receive it. I do believe the Bible.”
But he said, “No, you do not believe the Bible.”
After supper, we were walking to the meeting place, and while we were walking, you know what he said to me? He said, “If you speak, I will not speak.”
Well, he came from a neighboring village. So I told the brother with whom I was staying, “Brother, I do not want to cause any problem. If this is the position he takes, and he is from a neighboring village, then I will not speak.”
So I did not speak. Of course, it caused some problems because the native brethren met together the next morning and wanted to know why I did not speak.
But anyway, I am just telling you this to protect myself.
Thank God, we all believe the Bible. Even though there are three different schools of interpretation concerning rapture, you find dear saints of God in all these camps. They are all Bible-believing saints, so we should love them all.
Basically, there are three schools of interpretation:
So basically, there are these three schools of interpretation. I do not know what school you belong to, but that does not matter.
All these schools base their interpretation upon the Bible. They all quote Scriptures, and sometimes they quote the same Scriptures.
Let me give you some of the arguments used by those who believe in pre-tribulation rapture.
First, they refer to 1 Thessalonians 1:10. The Apostle Paul said that the Thessalonians had turned from idols unto God, to serve a living and true God:
And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivereth us from the wrath to come.
They also refer to 1 Thessalonians 5:9:
For God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The interpretation is that the wrath to come is the great tribulation, or at least includes the great tribulation. Therefore, the great tribulation is the wrath of God, and He delivers us from the wrath of God—that is, He delivers us from the great tribulation.
Second, they refer to Jeremiah 30:6–7, where Jacob’s trouble is mentioned. The interpretation is that the great tribulation is nothing but Jacob’s trouble. Because it is Jacob’s trouble, it is limited to the Jewish people. It has nothing to do with the church, because the church has already been raptured.
Third, they refer to Revelation 4:1–2:
After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, a voice as of a trumpet speaking with me, one saying, Come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must come to pass hereafter.
Straightway I was in the Spirit: and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and One sitting upon the throne.
The interpretation is that Revelation 2 and Revelation 3 speak of the prophetic history of the church from the first century to the coming of the Lord. Because Revelation 2 and Revelation 3 are the prophetic history of the church of God on earth, therefore in Revelation 4, when the voice said to John, “Come up hither,” John was raptured as a representative of the whole church.
After that, you find that the word church is not used until the last chapter. So they say the church has been raptured. John represents the church in rapture.
Fourth, they refer to 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, which we have already read. There will be a shout, there will be the trumpet sound, and then the dead will be raised. Those who live and remain will be transformed, and all will be caught up into the air to meet the Lord there. Now, that is the rapture of the church.
Fifth, they refer to 1 Corinthians 15:50–52:
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed,
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.
Here, you find the dead in Christ and the living are all raised and raptured.
Sixth, they use Luke 21:36:
But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
So, they say, you escape these things. You escape the great tribulation; the whole church has been raptured.
Then number seven is Revelation 3:10. The Lord said:
Because thou didst keep the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
That trial which shall come upon the whole world, of course, is understood to be the great tribulation. So here you find that you are kept out of the hour. In other words, when the great tribulation happens on this earth, you are not there. You are not kept through it, but kept out of it.
These are, roughly, the reasons that the pre-tribulation rapture people believe.
Now let us go through a little of the post-tribulation rapture teaching. They quote Scriptures too.
First is 2 Thessalonians 2:1–9. There you find the Apostle Paul saying:
Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto Him;
to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is now present.
He says there are two things that must happen. One is that there will be apostasy, a general falling away. That is, the church will have a general falling-away apostasy to prepare the way for the appearing of the man of sin, that is, the Antichrist.
So, in other words, the Antichrist has to come first before Christ will come. All you need to do is look for the Antichrist, and then you know when Christ will come.
Now, of course, if that is the case, then the whole church will go through the great tribulation. When the Antichrist, the man of sin, exalts himself as God, there will be a great tribulation to the church. So the whole church will pass through the great tribulation before they will be raptured.
Second, they use the same Scripture, 1 Corinthians 15:50–52. The reason is that in the twinkling of an eye, at the sounding of the last trumpet, the dead will be raised and the living will be transformed.
In other words, when will the dead in Christ be raised? At the last trumpet. Where can we find the last trumpet? If it says the last trumpet, then there must be a series of trumpets. The only series of trumpets we find is in Revelation.
There you find the seven angels blowing seven trumpets. By the time the seventh trumpet is blown, it is said:
The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ: and He shall reign for ever and ever.
So, in other words, the great tribulation has already passed. That is post-tribulation rapture.
Third, they refer to Matthew 24:3. The disciples asked the Lord, “What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the consummation of the age?”
Then, in Matthew 24:13, we read, “He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.” If you connect this with Matthew 28:20, the Lord promised His disciples:
Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
So, in other words, the Lord will be with us all the time until the completion of the age. When the completion of the age comes, that means the tribulation has already passed. Do you get it? So here is another reason why it has to be post-tribulation rapture.
Fourth, they refer to 1 Corinthians 15:25:
For He must reign, till He hath put all His enemies under His feet.
This word is used again in Acts 2:35:
Sit Thou on My right hand, till I make Thine enemies the footstool of Thy feet.
So, in other words, the Lord will sit on the throne until all the enemies are put under His feet. When will this be? Of course, at the very end. Therefore, the tribulation has already passed.
Fifth, they refer to 1 Timothy 6:14:
That thou keep the commandment, without spot, without reproach, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We need to keep His commandment spotless and irreproachable until the appearing—epiphaneia—of our Lord Jesus. In other words, until the Lord Jesus appears publicly upon this earth.
When He appears, it means the great tribulation is already over. So these are basically the Scriptures used to support the interpretation of post-tribulation rapture.
Then you find there is the third school. They use the same Scriptures to support what you may call partial rapture, selective rapture, or whatever it may be. I mean that some will be raptured first and some will be raptured later on.
So basically, there are these three different schools. I will not go into arguments for or against them, but I would like you to go through with me this evening and find out from the Word of God those Scriptures and passages that speak on rapture, and see if we can find something.
Before we do that, let me tell you what I have found. I found that if you really study all the passages in the Scripture concerning rapture, you can find two sets of Scriptural passages. You can put them on two sides.
One set of Scriptures that speaks on rapture is conditional. You find conditions given—conditions given to those who will be raptured.
Then you find another set of Scripture where there is no condition. There is no condition upon those raptured.
Strangely, you find that all those passages that have conditions occur at a time almost always before the great tribulation. But those that are without conditions are always at or after the great tribulation.
Those that are with condition are raptured to the throne. Those without condition are raptured to the air.
Now let me give you these Scriptures so that you can examine them yourself.
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Now, do you find any condition there? Any condition put on either the dead to be raised, or on the living who remain to be changed? No condition is mentioned.
It says the dead will be raised first, then the living who remain. I wonder why the Spirit of God should put that word, “who remain,” there. Is it not a hint that there are some living who do not remain? They have already gone.
When shall this happen? He said, with the trump of God. Now, if you go to 1 Corinthians 15:50–52, it is almost a parallel passage. There He tells us of the last trumpet.
So, when the last trumpet is sounded, the kingdom of God has come and the great tribulation is over. Thus, it is after the great tribulation.
Where are these people caught up to? To the air, not to the throne. Christ shall descend to the air, and they are caught up to the air. This is unconditional.
But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ’s, at His coming.
Then you connect it with 1 Corinthians 15:51–52, which we have already read: the dead will be raised at the sound of the last trumpet, and we shall be changed.
Here again, you find there is no condition given. He says Christ will be raised first as the firstfruits, and those that are Christ’s will be raised at His coming. “Those that are Christ’s” includes all those who are Christ’s. No condition.
And I saw, and behold, a white cloud; and on the cloud I saw One sitting like unto a Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.
And another angel came out from the temple, crying with a great voice to Him that sat on the cloud, Send forth Thy sickle, and reap: for the hour to reap is come; for the harvest of the earth is over-ripe.
And He that sat on the cloud cast His sickle upon the earth; and the earth was reaped.
Of course, we know that the One who sits on the cloud with a golden crown, having a sharp sickle, is our Lord Jesus. He is the One who sits on the cloud because He has come from the throne to the air.
Then the angel said, “Send forth Thy sickle, and reap: for the hour to reap is come.” If you read the preceding verses, beginning with Revelation 14:9, you find the third angel saying:
If any man worshippeth the beast and his image, and receiveth a mark on his forehead, or upon his hand,
he also shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of His anger.
So you can see that when this happens, the beast and the mark of the beast have already appeared. This is after the great tribulation. It is the harvesting, the harvest.
In the same chapter, Revelation 14:1–5, you find the firstfruits. When you have a field of wheat, usually you will find in that field some of the wheat will ripen first because it receives more sunshine. It is ripe first.
Because it has already ripened, the farmer would cut the firstfruits first. According to the Old Testament, they would take a sheaf of the firstfruits and present it to the Lord.
The firstfruits are the best of the crop. Not only are they the best of the crop, but they also guarantee the harvest.
So, in Revelation 14, the first few verses tell us of the firstfruits. You find 144,000 standing on Mount Zion. That is not Mount Zion on earth; it is Mount Zion in heaven. They are the firstfruits. They are the best of the crop, and they are presented to God.
Then, after a certain period, you find the rest of the field is ripened. So the hour of harvesting has come.
There you find no condition. It is simply that the whole field will be harvested. This is after the great tribulation, and it is harvested to the air because the One who harvests sits in the cloud.
Basically, these are the three passages, though there are others.
Now let us look at the Scriptures concerning rapture with conditions.
This is the promise that our Lord Jesus gave to the church in Philadelphia:
Because thou didst keep the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Here you find a condition, and the condition is: “Thou didst keep the word of My patience.”
You know, the word of Christ today is the word of patience. Why? Because when our Lord was on earth, He was humiliated.
Even though He is now ascended on high and in glory, yet He has not appeared in glory upon this earth. Therefore, you find that we who believe in the Lord Jesus, this is the day of our humiliation, not the day of our glory.
We cannot be different from our Lord today. Because of this, it requires much patience, much endurance.
He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
You read Matthew 5, Matthew 6, and Matthew 7, and you can see that it is the word of the patience of Christ. It is not a word of His judgment or His vengeance; it is the word of His patience.
People will not know that He is the Lord of glory. But if we keep the word of His patience, then by faith and patience we inherit the kingdom.
On condition that you keep the word of His patience—how patient we are! We want to be glorified today. We want to receive honor today.
You know, just like the disciples in the early days: they wanted to sit on the right hand and the left hand of our Lord Jesus. They did not know that they should drink the cup and be baptized with the baptism with which our Lord was baptized.
Dear brothers and sisters, the Lord Jesus said that to sit on His right or left was not for Him to give; it was for the Father to give. But He said:
Are ye able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
Of course, John and James were so anxious to sit on the right and left that they would promise anything. They did not know what they were saying.
Dear brothers and sisters, this is the day of the patience of Christ. The word that He has given us is the word of His patience. Humble ourselves, and one day He will exalt us.
If we keep the word of His patience, then He promises us that He will keep us out of the hour of trial that is to come upon the whole habitable earth, upon those who dwell upon the earth.
Who are the dwellers of the earth? We are sojourners, not dwellers. But unfortunately, many Christians become dwellers upon the earth.
They do not keep the word of the patience of Christ. They dwell upon the earth and try to get what they can get out of this world.
If this is the case, then they will have to go through the hour of trial that has come upon the habitable earth. Only those who keep the word of the patience of Christ—He promises them that He will keep them out of the hour. When the hour comes, they are no longer there.
Now, this is with condition. Brothers and sisters, do all Christians keep the word of the patience of Christ? We can judge ourselves.
But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Here you see the condition: watch; pray at every season. Do all Christians watch? Do we pray at every season? Are we accounted worthy to escape?
Go back to Luke 21:34:
But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly as a snare:
for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth.
If we live today eating and drinking, and the cares of life occupy our whole being, then that day will suddenly come upon us as a snare, and we will be caught. We cannot escape.
Only those who are accounted worthy to escape, because they are watching and praying, are worthy to escape those things that are coming. You can look at the preceding verses.
After they escape, where will they be? They will stand before the Son of man. Where is the Son of man today? At the throne—on the throne. So here you find it is conditional.
And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto His throne.
Here you find a man child, a male child, born out of the travail of that woman. We will not go into interpretations, because we do not have the time today.
But here you find that the woman was in travail to bring forth a son, a male child. Then you see the dragon waiting there to devour that man child.
In other words, at that time the woman did not mean too much to that dragon. He did not seek to swallow that woman, but that man child was very important to the dragon. So he was waiting there, trying, when that man child should be born, to devour him.
There is a reason for it. But thank God, when that man child is born, he is taken up right to the throne.
Because of this, the dragon was very angry and frustrated. So he turned to persecute the woman and the rest of her seed, those who keep the word of God and who have the testimony of Jesus.
But God keeps the woman for 1,260 days. That means three and a half years, and we know that the three and a half years is the great tribulation.