Amen which was triggered by this
“So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
Mark 16:19
“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.
Hello again, Pilgrimshope,
It is important to understand that the phrase "who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron" is shared by three.
* By the church = "And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations.
He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery —just as I have received authority from My Father. And I will give him the morning star.
* The Male Child = And she gave birth to a son, a male child,
who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.
* The Lord = "The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses. And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and
He will rule them with an iron scepter.
First of all, Jesus does not fit the criteria of being the Male Child. Jesus was crucified, buried, resurrected and later ascended up to the right hand of God. In opposition, the Male Child is 'snatched up' to God and His throne and this before the dragon can devour/kill him. The word 'harpazo' translated as 'caught up' is the same word used when the church is caught up, and when Paul said that he was caught up to the third heaven and when Philip was 'snatched away' from the eunuch, etc. The word means 'force suddenly exercised, caught up. seize by force;
snatch up, suddenly and decisively.' This did not happen to Jesus. Where Jesus was crucified, the Male Child is snatched up to God's throne unharmed before the dragon/Satan can kill him.
In Revelation 1:19, the Lord told john to write:
What you have seen = Everything written from Revelation 1:1 thru 1:19
What is now = Represented by the letters to the seven churches, which represents the entire church period
What will take place later = Everything that takes place after the "what is now," i.e. after the church period.
Currently, we are still living in the "what is now," portion of what John was told to write, i.e. the church period. Once the Lord gathers the church, that will end the "What is now" and the "what must take place later" will begin. That said, everything from chapter 4 onwards are future events, including the information regarding the woman, her giving birth to a male child and the war in heaven.
In addition, everything in Revelation 12:1-6 is symbolic:
The woman clothed with the sun, etc. = Not a literal woman, but symbolically represents Israel (see Joseph's dream in Genesis 37:9-10)
She was pregnant = Not a literal woman and therefore not literally pregnant
Male Child = Not a literal male child
Seven headed dragon = not a literal dragon
The Male Child is a collective name representing the 144,000 out of the twelve tribes of Israel, who are sealed in chapter 7. In Rev.14 of them it is said, "These are those who did not defile themselves with women" which would make the 144,000 all males, ergo, the Male Child.
The woman who gives birth to the Male Child, is the unbelieving nation of Israel. Where the Male child will be 144,000 who will recognize Jesus as their Messiah. Therefore, the figurative meaning of the woman giving birth, is referring to those 144,000 believing Israelite's coming out of the unbelieving nation of Israel. They will be serving the Lord during the first 3 1/2 years of that seven year period and they being the Male Child, will be 'snatched up' to God's throne in the middle of the seven years. I will go out on a limb here to say that this is also when their bodies will be transformed immortal and glorified like the living church, since Paul said that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
The teaching that Jesus is the Male Child, is basically a knee-jerk reaction based on the woman representing Israel. However, since everything in Rev.12:1-6 is symbolic, it is not grammatically proper to insert the literal birth of Jesus into the context.
The Woman clothed with the sun, etc. = The unbelieving nation of Israel
The Male Child = The 144,000 believing Israelite's whom the woman figuratively gives birth to
The Dragon and the stars = Figuratively representing Satan and his angels
It is the church in their immortal and glorified bodies, the Male child/144,000, who will rule with Christ during the millennial kingdom with an iron on scepter. The great tribulation saints who are resurrected after the Lord returns to the earth to end the age, will also rule with Christ during the thousand years- (Rev.20:4-6)
All of that said, Revelation 12 regarding the woman and the male child that she gives figurative birth to, as well as the war in heaven, are all future events which will take place in the middle of that seven year period. When Satan is cast out of heaven and restricted to the earth, he will know that his time is short because he will know that he only has 3 1/2 years from the time that he is cast out to the time that the Lord returns to the earth to end the age, where at which time he will be thrown into and restricted in the Abyss during the one thousand year reign of Christ - (Rev.20:1-3)