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Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: Dec. 16, 1998
Update	: Jun. 14, 2025
Parts	: 03

Synopsis:



Continuing our discussion from part one, as I mentioned to you at the very beginning of this series, the primary error of the Futurists is that they take ancient prophecies that have already been fulfilled, and they try to apply them to our modern day. Thus, even though I am personally convinced that the previous verses which are found in 2 Thessalonians, the Book of Revelation, and the Book of Ezekiel, are really referring to Herod's temple which still existed during the First Century, and which was later destroyed by Titus along with his Roman legions, the Futurists twist those verses and say that they are talking about an as-of-yet-to-be-built third temple.

Now, I don't want to come across to you as a know-it-all, so let me add the following as a caveat. As a former Futurist, and as someone who has more or less kept abreast of events that transpire in Israel, I am fully aware of the fact that the Orthodox Jews are very desirous to build a third temple on the Temple Mount in East Jerusalem, as explosive as such an event would be, unless the Muslims agreed to it. In fact, I have written about this very topic in a number of my other BBB articles.

Furthermore, there has been chatter since the 1960s or 1970s of prefabricated temple construction materials being secretly stored in warehouses in Jerusalem. I am likewise aware of the fact that certain Jewish organizations -- such as the Temple Mount Faithful and the Temple Institute -- have in the recent decades been taking steps to prepare for the eventuality of a third Jewish temple on the Temple Mount in East Jerusalem.

From what I have read over the years, these preparatory steps include building various pieces of furniture which will be required for the interior of such a temple; constructing the altar for the outside courtyard; making all of the necessary temple vessels; creating all of the required priest garments; training a new Jewish priesthood; raising a pure red heifer which will be required for the sanctification rituals; and even practicing animal sacrifices. If I recall correctly, a number of years ago, some Jews even tried to take the temple cornerstone to the Temple Mount, but were stopped, either by Israeli security, or perhaps by the Jordanian Waqf.

So, it is evident that the Orthodox Jews are indeed quite serious regarding seeing a third temple built on the summit of Mount Moriah. However, the question is this: Will such a feat really come to fruition? While it seems highly likely based on their efforts alone, and on the fact that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doing his very best to subdue Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Palestinians in the West Bank, and even Iran, so that the environment is safer for such a temple, I still have my doubts, based on my understanding of certain Scriptures. But if another temple is built, then I will humbly admit that I have been wrong, and that I need to re-evaluate some of my current positions.

Getting back on track with our primary discussion regarding the 144,000 and the woman in the wilderness, as I explained to you in part one, I am convinced that the obedient Jews who heeded the Lord's warning, and who fled to the mountains and hills that surround the city of Jerusalem in order to escape the wrath of the Roman armies which encompassed that city during the First Century, were in fact the 144,000 sealed servants of the Lord.

Furthermore, I am likewise convinced by the Scriptures that the 144,000 are the same thing as the woman in the wilderness who is described in the twelfth chapter of Revelation, who is "given two wings of a great eagle", so that she might escape into the mountains around Jerusalem, and thus avoid the wrath of the dragon, exactly as Jesus instructed His followers to do. Consider the following group of verses which describe the symbolic woman for us:

"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."


To fully understand why I believe that the 144,000 and the woman in the wilderness are speaking about the same people, let us go back thousands of years to the time of Joseph and his brethren. As you may possibly recall, one of the dreams which Joseph had was the following:

"And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying."


In this dream, Joseph's eleven brethren are represented by eleven stars. Therefore, it is obvious that Joseph must be the twelfth star. In like manner, the Sun represents Jacob, Joseph's father, and the Moon must therefore represent his mother, according to Jacob's own words. In short, this is a symbolic picture of the nation of Israel. Now let's move up several thousand years into the future to the time of the Revelation of the Apostle John.

It isn't difficult to see that the woman in Revelation 12 is represented by the very same three symbols as we see in Joseph's dream. In other words, the Sun, the Moon, and the twelve stars. As such, by simply comparing Scripture with Scripture -- which is the proper way to interpret any Bible prophecy -- I believe that we can safely assume that, even though their accounts were written literally thousands of years apart, the Patriarch Joseph and the Apostle John were both describing the very same thing. That is to say, Israel.

If we apply John's vision to the time in which it was given, we could say that the woman represents Mary, the mother of Jesus. This would indeed be a very fitting interpretation. As we all know, Joseph and Mary were in fact persecuted by evil King Herod when Jesus was about two years old. It may possibly have been at that time when they put the expensive gifts of the three magi to good use by fleeing into Egypt until Herod was dead, as we see by the following verses:

"And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son . . . But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life."


It is also interesting to note that just as we witness this woman being persecuted by the Red Dragon, in the Bible, the Lord does refer to worldly leaders as dragons in the rivers and seas of people. This is because they are merely puppets of the great Red Dragon himself. That is to say, Satan, the Prince of the Power of the Air, and the god of this world, who has blinded the eyes of them that believe not. Thus, it is evident that King Herod was indeed a dragon in Israel who persecuted the seed of the Lord's fledgling Church. Consider the following group of verses which verify these points:

"Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself."


"And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."


"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."


"And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,"


"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"


"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."


While the previous interpretation which points to Mary and King Herod is indeed valid to a certain degree, I believe that it is more in agreement with Joseph's dream to believe that the woman in John's vision represents the spiritual nation of Israel as a whole. That is to say, the Israel of faith, which was born of the seed of Isaac. This is in fact the Israel which brought forth the Savior, of which Mary was indeed a member, because she believed what the Angel Gabriel had spoken to her. By extension, this same seed of faith is also represented by the 144,000 Jews who are persecuted by the Roman Beast, and who thus flee into the wilderness area outside of Jerusalem, in obedience to Jesus' warning.

Returning to the opening verses of the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation, it should be obvious that the man child who was born to the woman, and who "was caught up unto God, and to His Throne", can be none other than Jesus Christ Himself, who now sits at the Right Hand of His Father. This is made perfectly clear by the following verses which are found in the writings of the Apostles Peter and Paul:

"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."


"Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,"


"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God."


"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;...But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?"


"Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;"


"But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;"


"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."


"Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him."


It is at this point that we find an interesting link between the words of the Prophet Daniel, who said that the Saints would be "holpen with a little help", and John's description of the 144,000 sealed servants of the Lord receiving help at the time of this great Roman persecution and war against the Jews. I am also reminded of how Daniel's three companions -- Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego -- came out of the Babylonian furnace without even the smell of smoke on their clothes. Consider the following verses which are found in the Book of Daniel, as well as a few of the other verses I shared with you earlier which are found in the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation:

"He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them."


"Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries."


"And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days . . . And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth."


As you can see, in describing the flight of the woman into the wilderness, John specifically states that "she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her." Then, just a few verses later, John writes that the woman -- meaning the 144,000 -- will fly "into her place". In His Divine Wisdom, the Lord knew that these First Century Christians would be saved in the final hour. Thus, in His Mercy, He had prepared a special place for their protection.

After all, it would not make much sense for the Lord to warn His followers to flee into the hills and mountains outside of Jerusalem if He had not prepared a place for them in advance. As I mentioned earlier, this may be what Daniel meant when he wrote "holpen with a little help". Concerning John's phrase "given two wings of a great eagle", it is interesting to note that throughout the Holy Scriptures, wings are associated with Divine Protection. Some of my favorite verses regarding this subject are found in Psalm 91, as we see below:

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."


Notice how the Psalmist writes "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust." And then we are told a few verses later that His Angels "shall bear thee up in their hands". What a wonderful promise of God's Divine Protection! In fact, as you may recall, the Devil used these very same verses to try to tempt Jesus when the Lord fasted for a period of forty days in the wilderness area of the Jordan River Valley. Consider the following verses which are found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke:

"Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."


"And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."


Equally interesting is the fact that John's phrase "given two wings of a great eagle" not only ties into Psalm 91, but it is also directly related to the following prophetic verse which is found in the Book of Isaiah:

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."


Notice how Isaiah writes "they that wait upon the LORD". My friends, that is exactly what those First Century Christians did as they endured that seven-year First Jewish-Roman War, and patiently waited for the return of Jesus Christ. So what does Isaiah say will happen next? He writes "they shall mount up with wings as eagles". And what did the Apostle John write in the Book of Revelation? He said "given two wings of a great eagle". Thus we see that John's words, Psalm 91 and the words of the Prophet Isaiah all tie in together. But guess what? This amazing prophecy does NOT end there! Oh no! There is still more, and it ties in directly with something that Jesus told His followers in the Gospels. In fact, He said it in the very same chapter we have already discussed, as we see by the following group of verses:

"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together . . . And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."


Personally, I am convinced that in the previous verses, the Lord is referring to Himself as the Carcase which was hung on a Roman cross to die, and to His First Century followers as the eagles who would rise into the sky, and be gathered unto Him in the clouds of Heaven. This is because just as Jesus had mentioned in Matthew chapter twenty-six and John chapter six, they had symbolically fed upon His flesh, and drank His precious blood, which results in the remission of sins, as well as Redemption, Salvation and Eternal Life. Consider the following group of verses:

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die."


"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you."


"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."


The Apostle Paul was likewise fully aware of these amazing events which would soon transpire, and he knew exactly how it would all end. Thus, in his first Epistle to the Thessalonian brethren, he encourages the brethren with the following very inspiring lines in which he tells them to wait patiently for their coming redemption, and their rescue from this present world. Consider the following group of verses:

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are 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 which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them 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."


Thus we see a truly amazing connection between Revelation 12, Psalm 91, Isaiah 40, Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians 4. They are all describing the same wonderful events. In short, just when the situation appeared so dire for those First Century Christians who were running for their lives from the armies of Rome, and miraculously surviving in the wilderness with God's help for three and a half years -- or forty-months, or 1,260 days -- something truy remarkable happened! Something literally out of this world! Jesus kept His word to them as He had given it in John 14! The Lord's elect children of the First Century were miraculously rescued from this world, and the faithful bride-to-be mounted up with wings as eagles so as to join her spiritual Bridegroom in the clouds of Heaven!

One important point which I feel I must clarify for you, is that the woman being given "two wings of a great eagle", so that she can fly safely into the wilderness, and the Saints mounting "up with wings as eagles" at the time of the Lord's return, are not one and the same event. It is very important that you understand this difference. In short, the woman of Revelation flees into the wilderness at the beginning of the three and a half years of Great Tribulation. It is three and a half years later, at the time of the Rapture, that all of the Saints "mount up with wings as eagles" to meet the Lord in the air.

Please go to part three for the conclusion of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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