.

3. This brings us to the third thought connected with this theme.
_When and how will the purchased possession be redeemed by the power of
God_? We are not left to speculation on this matter, for while we have
here just a few words concerning this great event we have in another
part of the Bible a revelation, which may be termed the complete
history of the redemption of the purchased possession. There we have
the when and the how we have asked completely answered. That book is
our great New Testament Book of Prophecy, the Revelation. The parts in
which the redemption of the purchased possession by the power of God is
revealed are chapters xii and xx.

The twelfth chapter is one of the great chapters in this marvelous
book. It is not only a great chapter, but also an important one. In
examining any exposition of the Book of Revelation one does well to
turn to this chapter and read what the expositor has to say on it. If
he is straight here his book is well worth reading; if not he must be
wrong in the greater part of the book. The great vision is the woman
travailing in pain to be delivered of a manchild. The catching away of
that manchild, which the red dragon was ready to devour. The casting
out of Satan after the manchild is with God and in heaven, the
persecution of the woman and her seed by the serpent. The erroneous
interpretation always concerns the woman. Many make her to be the
church, and then the manchild is a select company of the elect church,
overcomers, first fruits, or as some call them the 144,000.

The woman has nothing to do with the church. She typifies Israel and
this is easily verified from Old Testament passages. The manchild
destined to rule the nations with a rod of iron is Christ who,
according to the flesh, came from Israel. Satan hated Him and would
have devoured Him, but could not. The man-child is caught away and
then after He is in the presence of God all the other events come
rapidly to pass.

We notice that a number of important things are passed over entirely in
the beginning of this chapter. They are implied, of course. Nothing
is said of the earthly life of Christ, nothing of His death and
resurrection. They are implied in His being caught away unto God.
There is nothing said of this present age and nothing of the church,
but she is likewise implied in this scene. The manchild does not stand
for the person of Christ alone, but for the completed Christ, I mean