Revelation 12 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:

2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

3 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.

4 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.

5 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.

Commentary:

The ‘child’ is the True Church of Jesus Christ, the ‘children’ of God / Jesus. The ‘dragon’ is Satan (or the Devil). The ‘woman’ is Israel. Christians are birthed from the Judeo-Christian faith. The ‘birth’ is the completion of the gestation of the True Church from its ‘conception’ at Pentecost (over 2,000 years ago) until its ‘birth’ at the right time (Pentecost 2020?), deemed by God. The dragon (Satan) knows that the child or True Church is almost finished growing or maturing and is about ready to be born or birthed. HOWEVER, even he does NOT know the day or the hour of the birth or rapture. Only God, the Father knows the exact hour and day. None-the-less, Satan is forced to wait in succeeding in his plan to devour or kill the child (True Church). Instead, God ‘catches up’ (rapture/harpazo) the child, to heaven, BEFORE Satan can succeed in his planned attempt to devour the child.

1. The coronavirus (COVID 19) could prophetically represent Satan’s physical attempt at killing or devouring true Christians, as Priscilla Shirer suggests. My discernment is that the current reality of the epidemic is a very real physical threat to many Christians, around the world. True, I believe that there have been many ‘true’ Christians affected and or killed by the virus, in many countries. I am not dogmatic about this as the virus appears to affect everyone, saved and unsaved alike. As we don’t know what the ultimate outcome or effect of this virus will be on the world, it is virtually impossible to estimate how many Christians will have been affected. In any case, Revelation 12 is absolutely clear that Satan will NOT succeed in his attempt to devour the child. God will rescue or ‘catch up’ the true corporate church on earth.
2. The Bible is clear, throughout the end-book of Revelation, that the ONLY sin that can cause eternal damnation is for men to take the ‘Mark, Number or Name’ of the beast. AND, to worship either the beast or his image directly. These are the five (5) eternal sins that God / Christ will not forgive men. I am dogmatic about this. Verses supporting this doctrine will follow. My point in bringing this up is that Satan’s attempt or plan to ‘devour or kill God’s children’ may be spiritual instead of physical. How so? I have well documented (as have other watchmen) the world’s trend towards monitoring, surveillance, marking people (as in India), and perhaps creating a type of luminescent, digital tattoo that would confirm or verify details about a person’s health. It has also been well documented that any type of digital or artificial embellishment (mark) can also easily be utilized by government authorities to verify and authenticate a person’s identity in order to be able to re-enter non-virus zones to buy and sell and to receive government benefits. So, what is the point? The point is that it is possible, that if Satan knows he COULD force Christians to receive the ‘mark, number or name’ of the Man by Satan (MbS), he could force them to eternal damnation and lose their salvation. This could be Satan’s deception. However, the Bible is clear that once a person becomes a Christian by accepting Christ’s offer of forgiveness and eternal salvation through Christ’s death, shedding of blood and subsequent resurrection, that the person is ‘sealed’ by the Holy Spirit and considered to belong to Christ. None of Satan’s attempts can succeed in stealing away that which belongs to Christ. If a person does not belong to Christ, by not having faith in his death and resurrection, then that person is ‘fair game’ to Satan. The ‘mark, number or name’ is Satan’s plan to devour ALL of humanity, both the ‘saved’ and ‘non-saved.’ However, God says otherwise and catches up’ or rescues his children before Satan can succeed in his plan. In either case, physical death from the virus or via spiritual death from ‘marking’, Satan will not … and does not succeed in devouring God’s children, the child or the true church.

Seven (7) Verses: Child / God’s Children / True Church / Bride of Christ Spared from God’s Wrath:

 Romans 5:8-10. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

Romans 12:19. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 1:10. And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

1 Thessalonians 5:9. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Romans 8:35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Jeremiah 30:7. Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.

Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Priscilla Shirer coronavirus warning; Satan will use COVID-19 to attack God’s people. ‘Just prior to the rapture, the Devil seeks to devour the child.’ Revelation 12 was a ‘sign post’ of the season for the ‘child(ren) of God.’

Nate Flannagan  Sun 26 Apr 2020 Christian Today

Priscilla Shirer has issued a warning to Christians, saying that Satan is using the coronavirus pandemic as a “tactic to discourage God’s people”.

Shirer, founder of Going Beyond Ministries and also a popular Christian speaker and author, has encouraged Christians to stand firm against the works of Satan, and to use the current Covid-19 outbreak as a period to “stand firm against the schemes of the enemy”.

The exhortation came at the Q 2020 Virtual Summit, which seeks to equip Christian leaders to engage with modern day culture with a Christian worldview.

In her talk, Shirer said, “God is who He says He is. He’s still seated on the throne, and He is not shaken by what shakes us.”

She added, “I don’t know how people who don’t have some sort of foundational bedrock level of truth in their lives are able to make it in these shaky times because everything is changing.”

“So in these changing times, there has to be something that we count on that is true, that is unchanging, that does not shift with the shift in times,” she continued.

The popular speaker urged believers to focus on the word of God: “We’ve got to know our Bibles, we’ve got to know who our God is, and we have to anchor ourselves firmly in those truths now more than ever. That’s what provides us hope, even when other people are hopeless.”

Satan, she said, “will try to use everything that he can to turn it into a scheme or a tactic to discourage God’s people, to dissuade them, to make them feel like they’re defeated, even though we already have the victory. We have to then choose: Are we going to operate like victors or are we going to operate like the victims that the enemy wants to use this situation to make us feel that we are?”

Shirer said, “No matter, pandemic or not, I am who God says I am, and I have access to every spiritual blessing that He has given me the privilege to access in the authority of His name.

“I get to choose: Am I going to let fear run my life? Or am I going to let the hope that comes from the position I have in Jesus run my life?

“Do we make choices out of fear, out of anxiety, out of insecurity about the future, or do we say, ‘Wait a minute, that’s not who we are. That’s not what is wired into my spiritual DNA. I’m not going to let the enemy use this as a scheme to now make me start making decisions out of that place.

“I’m a victor. I have access to all the authority and power of God. What kind of decision does that girl make? And then I make those choices and decisions whether I feel like it or not. I’ve got to stand on the side of victory and operate through that lens.”

She added that Christians should choose to see the pandemic, and indeed any other difficulty in life, as an “opportunity for God to be glorified in a unique way” and “for us to be strengthened, our character built, our spiritual backbone fortified.”

She declared, “How will we know what it is to feel like a victor unless we’ve had these circumstances in our life where there was clear obvious demonic opposition and we saw righteousness become a breastplate for us?

“How will we ever know what it’s like for the Word of God to become the dagger of the Spirit so that the enemy doesn’t stand a chance when he’s trying to come against us and our families?”

She exhorted, “Not today, Satan. Not on my watch, not while I’m here, I’m going to be someone who’s positioned in prayer. And now we’ll get to see what it is to stand firm against the schemes of the devil in prayer for my family.

“What a testimony we have when we literally, physically, practically, put on the armour of God by being righteous believers who gird our minds in the Word of God, who are found on our knees in prayer, who are in the Scriptures so that it becomes a dagger against the schemes of the enemy.”

Paul Rolland

Night Watchman

Night Watchman Ministries

The Great Warning to the World

… “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimestone in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascendath up for ever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosover receiveth the mark of his name.” (Rev. 14:9-11).

Why is God so Intense and Emphatic in Issuing the Three (3) Verse – The Great Warning?

Five-fold Sins Resulting in Men’s Eternal Damnation:

1. Worship the beast. (6X). (Rev. 13:4, 13:8, 13:12, 14:9, 14:11)
2. Worship the beast’s image. (6X). (Rev. 13:14, 13:15, 14:9, 14:11, 16:2, 19:20)
3. Take the beast’s mark. (6X). (Rev. 13:16, 13:17, 14:9, 14:11, 16:2, 19:20)
4. Take the beast’s number. (2X). (Rev. 13:17, 13:18)
5. Take the beast’s name. (2X). (Rev. 13:17, 14:11)

There are a total of eighteen (18) verses that indicate the eternal sins of damnation that result from worshipping the beast, worshipping his image and taking his mark of identification. Three (3) denotes God’s emphasis and intensity x six (6) denotes the evil number of man = 18, or 6+6+6 = 18, or 666 … “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six Hundred and threescore and six (666).” (Rev. 13:18). (Emphasis added). Worshipping the beast, his image and taking his mark are the eternal sins that men commit during the Tribulation.

There are a total of ten (10) combined references of evil men taking the beast’s mark, number or name. These three descriptions are synonymous with being identified with (or belonging) to the beast and his system. Ten (10) denotes God’s allness or physical completeness regarding things on earth. These ten references indicate man’s complete earthly evilness and damnation resulting from taking either the mark, number of name of the beast and his kingdom. These men are so deceived and evil, that they not only allow themselves to worship the beast and his fake image, but they allow themselves to be physically branded or marked in order to be identified with the beast. Evil men obtain this mark, number or name so they can also participate in the global economy in terms of buying and selling. They have to be identified as having this mark, number or name, physically evident on either their right hand or forehead, in order to be allowed to execute a purchasing or selling transaction. Once evil men worship the beast, his image and take his mark (or number, name, they are damned.

There are three verses regarding a very specific, powerful and clear angelic warning given to men on earth, to NOT worship the beast, or his image, or take his mark (name, number). Three (3) denotes God’s emphasis and intensity.

… “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Rev. 14:9, 14:10, 14:11) (Emphasis added). Twice (2) the message is directed at men. The angel repeats himself indicating that the message is for men and what behavior is judged eternally sinful (for ever and ever). Men who worship the beast, his image and take his mark will;

1. Experience God’s wrath.
2. God’s wrath will not be diluted, or held back, but given in full strength.
3. They will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone for torment.
4. Their torment will be forever and ever (eternity).
5. Their torment will be witnessed by holy angels.
6. Their torment will take place in the presence of the Lamb.
7. They will have no rest day or night, forever and ever (eternity).

There are seven (7) specific results that stem from men worshipping the beast, his image and taking his mark (name or number). Seven (7) denotes God’s divinely determined completeness as to his purpose or plan. Eternal punishment in the lake of fire and brimstone, day and night is the strongest wrath that God gives evil men (and Satan, beast/antichrist and false prophet). There is a specific mention that this torment takes place in the presence of the Lamb. These men, while in their torment, will see or consciously be aware of the existence or presence of Jesus Christ. This will provide added pain, anguish and misery since they will be painfully made aware of the choice of their decisions (to worship the beast, his image and take his mark). They were warned not to do what they did. The Bible gives plenty of examples of the glory that is given to those who did NOT take worship the beast, his image or take his mark. Yet, despite the angelic warning … despite the 3 ½ year testimony of two witness and prophets … despite the witnessing of Tribulation Saints … despite the flying angel who proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ … evil men still chose to worship the beast, his image and to take his mark, name or number.  They choose to ignore the messages, the warnings, and the testimonies. And now, they are in the lake of fire and brimstone, and will have to pay the price for their evil decision(s), for eternity. They see Jesus Christ, and have become painfully aware of what they could have had through Jesus Christ and instead, they chose the false, empty promises of Satan by worshipping the beast, his image and taking his mark, name or number. Their extreme bitterness and woeful regret will emotionally torment them for eternity, in addition to the physical pain, suffering and torment that they will experience in the lake of fire for eternity.

Through their decision to follow Satan, God gave them exactly what they wanted. They did not want anything to do with Jesus Christ, who paid for their sins with his own blood. As such, God gave them over to Satan, since it was their decision and what they desired while they were physically alive on earth. These evil men did everything humanly possible to ignore warnings, to blaspheme god, to ignore the gospel of Jesus Christ, and instead accepted and believed in lies, worshipped Satan, the beast and his image. Evil men even went so far as to physically defile their bodies (flesh) by taking the branding (mark, number or name) of the beast. All of these actions and behaviors enabled evil men to give themselves totally and wholeheartedly over to Satan through his system of the beast/antichrist and the false prophet.

There are two visions describing what John the Apostle saw, regarding men who were overcomers (them that had gotten victory) by NOT worshipping the beast, his image or taking his mark, number or name).

… “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgements are made manifest.” (Rev. 15:2, 15:3, 15:4). (Emphasis added).

… “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:4). (Emphasis added).

Men who do NOT worship the beast, his image and take his mark are described as;

1. They are in heaven (stand on a sea of glass).
2. They have harps of God.
3. They sing praises and worship Jesus Christ for their salvation.
4. They acknowledge that God’s judgements came to pass.
5. They are given thrones upon which they sit upon.
6. They are given judgement.
7. They live and reign with Christ for a thousand years.

There are seven (7) specific results that stem from men NOT worshipping the beast, his image and taking his mark (name or number). Seven (7) denotes God’s divinely determined completeness as to his purpose or plan. These blessings or glories are the complete opposite of what awaits those men who DID worship the beast, his image and took his mark, name, number.

1. The righteous are in heaven for eternity versus evil men who are in the lake of fire and brimstone for eternity.
2. The righteous are joyful and play harps versus evil men who are bitter, resentful, angry, tormented, cry and wail in anguish.
3. The righteous sing the praise of and worship Jesus Christ versus evil men who once praised and worshipped Satan (through the beast, his image and in taking his mark).
4. Righteous men acknowledge that what God said would come to pass, in fact did come to pass (made manifest) versus evil men who ignored and rejected warnings, the gospel and testimonies of the truth.
5. The righteous are given thrones in heaven versus evil men who are drowning in torment in the lake of fire.
6. The righteous are given judgement versus evil men who are judged.
7. The righteous live and reign with Christ verses evil men who die and fall with Satan.

The avoidance of doing these five (5) eternal sins is one of the most important themes, in the entire book of Revelation. Men must avoid doing these things, literally at all costs. Even to the point of being beheaded or martyred. Men’s eternal destinies depend on it. Worshipping the beast, his image and taking his mark, name or number result in eternal damnation. There is no way of sugar coating or downplaying this reality.

By taking the beast’s mark, name or number, men in essence have signed their name on the dotted line in blood, in regards to giving their utmost allegiance to Satan, through the beast/antichrist/man of sin. They have completely, unequivocably given themselves over to evil via their mind, heart, body and soul. They have even allowed their flesh to be modified to reflect their satanic status. There is nothing worse that a man can do than WILLINGLY give himself over to Satan. God gives men freewill and a choice. At this point, Jesus Christ can’t provide salvation to lost men. They have made their choice. They chose Satan over Christ. They chose to ignore Christ’s offer of salvation. Christ does NOT force himself on anyone who does not want him, or his offer of free forgiveness of sins through Him, and the shedding of his blood and resurrection. God created man in his image. Men are described as imagers of God. Once man worships the beast, his image and takes his name, number or mark; the body, soul, mind and heart are completely defiled and no longer reflect God’s reflected glory in man. Instead, the evilness of Satan is reflected in the evil men who ignore the angel’s dire warning. There is a major difference between receiving a mark (branding) by the beast/antichrist versus receiving a seal of ownership by God in the forehead. God reserves the forehead on a man for his seal of ownership. A true seal of God’s ownership is spiritual and placed in the forehead of those redeemed by Christ. Conversely, once the beast/antichrist has put a mark/branding on the outside/surface of the forehead, that person is given over to Satan and becomes his property (for future slaughter). This duality between satanic markings and holy sealings in foreheads is very real and denotes a person’s status to angels, to Satan and to God/Christ. Once evil men do the exact things that they are warned not to do, they have forfeited Christ’s offer of salvation, for eternity. The mark of the beast and the seal of God denote a man’s status for eternity from the Tribulation.

Conversely, the Tribulation Saints are those strong and redeemed people in Christ who heed the angel’s warnings and don’t take the mark of the beast, or worship him or his image. Many passages throughout the book of Revelation indicate the glorious future, in eternity, of these redeemed men of Christ who did NOT cave into the beast’s system. They accepted the gospel, they accepted Christ for who he is, they acceptance the forgiveness of their sins through Christ’s shedding of blood and resurrection. They did NOT worship the beast. They did NOT worship the beast’s image. They did NOT take his mark. They did NOT take his number. They did NOT take his name. They did NOT allow their flesh to be defiled.  They did NOT believe the lies and deceit spoken of by the beast and his false prophet or religious leader. However, their redemption came with a great personal price of martyrdom in the form of beheading when they refused to withdraw their belief in Christ at the hands of the beast’s persecution. Pray that you will be strong enough to withstand the beast’s persecution.

God isn’t joking or kidding around when He issues a warning. Men are warned not to cross a line, for their own good. Do they listen? Do they obay? Do they take the warning seriously? These warnings are so serious because they have eternal consequences.

For those “left behind we pray that you will be comforted in knowing that something great and glorious has happened to your spouse, children, family members and friends. We pray that you will not be deceived and believe the lies that are being fanned around the world through the media. We pray that you will understand and accept the truth of what happened, and what is going to happen. We pray that you will recognize the “beast” and false religious leader for who they are, the most vile, evil, lying and deceitful men who have ever walked this earth. They are here for your destruction. Plain and Simple. Literally, don’t believe anything they say. Lastly, and most importantly, we pray that you will accept the offer of salvation from Jesus Christ (the Lamb), through his forgiveness of your sins and shedding of blood, and resurrection. The offer and your response to it is the most important decision you will make in life, and has eternal consequences. For either glory or eternal damnation. Which will you choose? Do not make the mistake of downplaying, discounting, ignorning, postponing or discrediting Christ’s offer.

… “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:15).

… “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

… “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:17)

We pray that you will make the right and correct choice and accept Christ’s offer of salvation, and that you will be strengthened to withstand all the evil, lies and deceit that the beast and his system throws at you. I cannot overstate that you must withstand the beast and his rampant evil at all costs.