Cyberspace Ministry
Our Mission: Revelation 14:6-12
If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 59
The
Rest of the Woman's Offspring
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Let's ask God to help us:
Our Father,
Now that we know the identity of the pure woman described in Revelation chapter 12, we
humbly ask You to show us the identity of the rest of the woman's offspring.
Please open our hearts and minds to Your truth, through the work of the Holy Spirit within
us.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Revelation 12:1,13
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the
sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. (...)
Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who
gave birth to the male Child.
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In our last lesson, we discovered that the pure woman, described
in Revelation chapter 12, symbolizes the faithful people of God.
Satan tried to destroy this woman during the 1260 years of the Middle Ages, by way of
persecutions and false doctrines.
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Revelation 12:16,17
But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth
and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her
offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
----------------------------------------------------
Following his failure to destroy the woman, that is, the people
of God, Satan now decides to attack the rest of the woman's offspring.
Who is this rest? This is what we will discover now.
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Acts 2:47
The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
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In order to understand what «the rest of the woman's offspring»
means, we must first study what is meant by «the Church».
The word «Church» comes from the Greek word «ekklesia», which means «gathering».
The Bible confirms that God indeed has a Church, a congregation, gathering together those
who are saved.
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Matthew 16:18
[Jesus said:] «And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church.»
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Furthermore, Jesus didn't speak of His Churches (plural), but
rather of His Church (singular): so, there is somewhere a Church which belongs to Jesus.
First, let's look at the foundation of the Church.
An erroneous interpretation of this verse leads many people to the conclusion that the
apostle Peter is the foundation of the Church. But what does the Word of God teach about
this?
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Ephesians 2:20
(...) having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.
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1 Corinthians 3:11
For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
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The one and only foundation of God's Church is Jesus Christ.
He is the only Rock upon which the Church is built.
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Ephesians 5:23
Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
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Colossians 1:18
[Jesus Christ] is the head of the body, the church.
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Christ is the one and only leader of the Church.
He is the head of the Church, and the members are its body, all called to carry out
different functions within it.
God has never appointed anyone to represent Jesus on earth. Jesus has always been and
always will be the only head of the Church.
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John 10:16
[Jesus said:] «Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.»
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Ephesians 4:4,5
There is one body and one Spirit, (...) one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
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Although hundreds of churches claim to be the true Church of God, the Word of God is very clear: only one of them is really the Lord's Church.
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John 17:17
[Jesus said:] «Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.»
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1 Timothy 3:15
The house of God (...) is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
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Since its doctrine rests entirely on the Word of God, the Church of God is really the «the pillar and ground of the truth».
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Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
----------------------------------------------------
The Bible says that, at the end of time, the Church of God will
remain as a remnant, which leads us to the main subject of this lesson.
The notion of «remnant» is found in many places in the Bible.
By studying these passages, we will better understand what is really the «rest of the
woman's offspring».
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Genesis 3:14,15
God said to the serpent:
«Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every
beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of
your life.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He
shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.»
----------------------------------------------------
Right from the beginning, the Bible presents the woman's seed (or
offspring).
After the disobedience of Adam and Eve, sin entered the world, and a war began between the
woman's seed, that is, the children of God, and the serpent's seed, that is, the children
of the devil.
Fortunately, this war will soon come to an end, with the final destruction of Satan and
evil.
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Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring.
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Romans 9:27
Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:
«Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will
be saved.»
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Many times, Satan waged war so severely against the woman's offspring that only a little remnant was spared, a minority of believers remaining faithful to God and His commandments.
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There was a «rest of the offspring» in the days of Noah, Moses, and Elijah:
«The longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the
ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.»
(1 PETER 3:20)
«The carcasses of you who have murmured against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of
you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.
Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means
enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.» (NUMBERS 14:29,30)
«Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against
Israel, saying, "Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and
I alone am left, and they seek my life"? But what does the divine response say to
him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to
Baal."» (ROMANS 11:2-4)
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The «remnant» also designates those who survive the enemies' attacks:
«There will be a highway for the remnant of His people who will
be left from Assyria, as it was for Israel in the day that he came up from the land of
Egypt.» (ISAIAH 11:16)
«I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the
nations, when you are scattered through the countries.» (EZEKIEL 6:8)
«And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward,
and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and those who escape from
Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.» (ISAIAH 37:31,32)
«The voice of those who flee and escape from the land of Babylon declares in Zion the
vengeance of the Lord our God.» (JEREMIAH 50:28)
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Jeremiah 50:18-20 (NIV)
I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the
king of Assyria.
But I will bring Israel back to his own pasture (...). I will forgive the remnant I spare.
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Revelation 12:6,17
Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place
prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
(...)
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her
offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
----------------------------------------------------
Under the Old Covenant, God put an end to the reign of Babylon,
and a remnant of Israel came out of it.
Likewise, under the New Covenant, God put an end to the 1260-year reign of the apostate
Church - spiritual Babylon - and a remnant of spiritual Israel came out of it.
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Romans 11:4,5
But what does the divine response say to him? «I have reserved
for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.»
Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
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Micah 2:12
I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold, like a flock in the midst of their pasture; they shall make a loud noise because of so many men.
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The «remnant» doesn't necessarily mean «very few people»...
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Matthew 7:13,14
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the
way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few
who find it.
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Luke 18:8
Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?
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... but, just as Jesus told on several occasions, the «remnant» necessarily designates a minority of people.
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Isaiah 41:14
«Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you,» says the Lord and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
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Luke 12:32
Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
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Confronted with the majority rejecting God, the «remnant», fortunately, always finds strength and comfort with its Lord and Redeemer, in order to succeed in fulfilling the mission God entrusted it with.
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God is a constant source of comfort and help for the «remnant»:
«Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the
house of Israel, who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the
womb: even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made,
and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.» (ISAIAH 46:3,4)
«Say, "O Lord, save Your people, the remnant of Israel!" (...) I will cause
them to walk by the rivers of waters, in a straight way in which they shall not stumble;
for I am a Father to Israel (...). Say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him, and
keep him as a shepherd does his flock. For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him
from the hand of one stronger than he."» (JEREMIAH 31:7,9-11)
«For the seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give its fruit, the ground shall give
her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew. I will cause the remnant of this
people to possess all these things.» (ZECHARIAH 8:12)
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The remnant's mission is to proclaim the gospel throughout the world:
«I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they
shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and
speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth.» (ZEPHANIAH 3:12,13)
«Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For
behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord
will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your
light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see:
they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your
daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, and your
heart shall swell with joy.» (ISAIAH 60:1-5)
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Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
----------------------------------------------------
After the 1260 years of persecution, from 538 to 1798, during
which more than 50 million people were killed, the Bible indicates that the Church of God,
at the time of the end, will remain as a remnant.
The Bible gives us many clues to help us identify the rest of the woman's offspring, the
remnant Church.
Let's look at these clues.
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Revelation 12:14,17
But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she
might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times
and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. (...)
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her
offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
----------------------------------------------------
First, God's Church, symbolized by the rest of the woman's offspring, appeared after the 1260-year reign of the apostate Church, that is, after 1798.
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Revelation 12:15,16
So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after
the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood
which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
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Revelation 17:15
The waters which you saw (...) are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.
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Persecuted in Europe, a populous place symbolized by the flood,
the woman was helped by the earth, that is, a land which was sparsely populated at that
time: the New World.
So, the remnant Church appeared in America, after 1798.
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Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
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Revelation 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
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The remnant Church believes in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and keeps all the commandments of God, including the fourth one which requires the observance of the seventh day, the Sabbath, as day of rest.
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Isaiah 58:12-14
Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall
raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the
Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and
call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not
doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you
shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the
earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
----------------------------------------------------
The Word of God had foretold that the remnant Church would rediscover the Sabbath, which has its origins in Creation, thus raising up «the foundations of many generations».
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Revelation 14:6
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth - to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.
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The remnant Church is a worldwide movement, proclaiming God's
message throughout the whole world.
And what is this message?
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The remnant Church must proclaim this triple message, whose content is:
To announce the judg- | To
announce the | To warn everyone not to wor-
ment, and to call | fall of Babylon,a | ship the beast,
nor to re-
everyone to worship | religio-political | ceive its mark on the
fore-
the Creator: | apostate
system: | head or on the hand:
----------------------|-------------------|------------------------------
«Fear God and give | «Babylon is fall- | «If anyone worships the
beast
glory to Him, for the | en, is fallen, | and his image, and
receives
hour of His judgment | that great city, | his mark on his forehead
or
has come; and worship | because she has | on his hand, he himself shall
Him who made heaven | made all nations | also drink of the wine of the
and earth, the sea | drink of the wine | wrath of God, which is poured
and springs of wa- | of the wrath of | out
full strength into the
ter.»
| her fornication.» | cup of His indignation.»
(REVELATION 14:7) | (REVELATION 14:8)
| (REVELATION 14:9,10)
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Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
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Revelation 19:10
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
----------------------------------------------------
The remnant Church also has the testimony of Jesus Christ, which
is the spirit of prophecy.
We studied this subject in our lesson entitled «The
Testimony of Jesus».
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So, here are the seven clues allowing us to identify the remnant Church:
- It appeared after 1798 (Revelation 12:14,17).
- It arose in a place which was then sparsely populated, that is, the New World, America (Revelation 12:15,16; Revelation 17:15).
- It believes in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Revelation 14:12; Ephesians 2:8,9).
- It keeps all the commandments of God, including the fourth one which requires the observance of the Sabbath, the seventh day, as the day of rest (Revelation 12:17; 14:12; Isaiah 58:12-14).
- It is a worldwide movement (Revelation 14:6).
- It proclaims the three angels' message (Revelation 14:6-12).
- It has the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 12:17; Revelation 19:10).
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Luke 11:9
[Jesus said:] «Seek, and you will find.»
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A serious study of all Christian churches will reveal that only
one presents all the characteristics of the remnant Church: the Seventh-day Adventist
Church.
Founded in the United States in 1863, this Church has in 2001 more than 12 million
members, in 208 countries out of 224, representing about 700 languages and 1000 dialects.
It believes in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, keeps all the
commandments of God, and proclaims the triple message of Revelation 14.
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John 10:16
[Jesus said:] «Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.»
----------------------------------------------------
The Seventh-day Adventist Church does not teach that only its
members will be saved.
It rather teaches that there are many sincere believers in every church, and that those
believers, when they discover the truth clearly revealed in the Word of God, will join
God's remnant Church.
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Genesis 19:12,13
Then the men said to Lot,
«Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have
in the city - take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the
outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord.»
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Luke 17:28,30
Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot, (...) even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
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God warned Lot before destroying Sodom.
He does likewise today.
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Revelation 18:2,4
Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a
habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and
hated bird! (...)
Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her
plagues.
----------------------------------------------------
Here is God's solemn call to each one of us today.
He urges us to come out of Babylon, that is, out of all the churches unfaithful to His
will, and to join His people, the remnant Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Will we respond to His call?
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Let's pray together:
Heavenly Father,
With the help of Your prophetic Word, more valuable than fine gold, You have shown us
where we can find Your Church, which keeps all Your commandments and has the faith of
Jesus.
Please give us the courage we need to come out of Babylon, and join Your Church, while it
is still time to do so.
May we be efficient and humble instruments in Your hands, so that Your message of
salvation may be proclaimed throughout the whole world, and so that we may be one body and
one Church.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ our Savior we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 59 is waiting for you!