THE GREAT SIGN IN HEAVEN - WOMAN IN LABOR - PART I

The BIGGEST Topic in Bible

Prophecy ... HERE IS WHY!! 

Revelation 12 | September 23, 2017

 ~Scott Clarke

Colossians 1:18 (AMP) He (Messiah) is the Head of the Body, the Church - He is also the head [the life-source and leader] of the body, the [a]church; and He is the beginning, [b]the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will occupy the first place [He will stand supreme and be preeminent] in everything.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 (AMP) The Head Meets the Body in the Clouds that hasn't happened yet.  - Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth] will simultaneously be caught up (raptured) together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord!

Revelation 12:1-2 (AMP) The Woman, Israel
And a great sign [warning of an ominous and frightening future event] appeared in heaven: a [a]woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.  She was with child and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

Revelation 12:5 (AMP) The Male Child, the Church being Born and Raptured to the Throne - And she gave birth to a Son, a male Child, who is destined to rule (shepherd) all the nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was [a]caught up to God and to His throne.

Revelation 2:26-27 (AMP) Iron Rod given to the Body of Messiah (the Church)

And he who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] and he who keeps My deeds [doing things that please Me] until the [very] end, to him I will give authority and power over the nations; and he shall shepherd and rule them with a rod of iron, as the earthen pots are broken in pieces, as I also have received authority [and power to rule them] from My Father;

Genesis 1:14 (AMP)  Heavenly Signs of the Feast Days...means pay attention

Then Elohim said, “Let there be light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be useful for signs (tokens) [of God’s provident care], and for marking seasons, days, and years;

Luke 21:11 (AMP) He put them up there for Signs

There will be violent earthquakes, and in various places famines and [deadly and devastating] pestilences (plagues, epidemics); and there will be terrible sights and great signs from heaven.

Luke 21:25 (AMP) The Return of Christ - And for Appointed times Hebrew Word Moedim  “There will be signs (attesting miracles) in the sun and moon and stars; and on the earth [there will be] distress and anguish among nations, in perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea and the waves,

Colossians 2:16 (AMP)  The Appointed Times the 7 Festivals 

Therefore let no one judge you in regard to food and drink or in regard to [the observance of] a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day.

Leviticus 23 (AMP) Prophecies to be fulfilled.  The first 4 have been fulfilled

The Lord spoke again to Moses, saying,  “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The appointed times (established feasts) of the Lord which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles

The Sabbath

‘For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation (calling together). You shall not do any work [on that day]; it is the Sabbath of the Lord [a]wherever you may be.

The Passover and Unleavened Bread  Head Crucified - Head Buried

‘These are the appointed times of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times:  The Lord’s Passover is on the fourteenth day of the first month [b]at twilight.  The Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord is on the fifteenth day of the same month; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation (calling together); you shall not do any laborious work [on that day].  But you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord for seven days; on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work [on that day].’”  (Exodus 12:1-33; Exodus 12:34-5; Numbers 33:1-8)  Twice the first four has been fulfilled.  Both with the Exodus and Gospel.

The Feast of First Fruits - Head Resurrected - Body Conceived at Pentecost 50 days later. - Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am giving you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the [c]sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.  He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord so that you may be accepted; the priest shall wave it on the day after the Sabbath.  Now on the day when you wave the sheaf you shall offer a male lamb one year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord.  Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with [olive] oil, an offering by fire to the Lord for a sweet and soothing aroma, with its drink offering [to be poured out], a fourth of a kind of wine.  You shall not eat any bread or roasted grain or new growth, until this same day when you bring in the offering to your God; it is a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you may be.  Twice the first four has been fulfilled.  Both with the Exodus and the Gospel.

The Feast of Weeks

‘You shall count from the day after the Sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf (tied bundle of grain) of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete Sabbaths (seven full weeks).  You shall count [e]fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord.  You shall bring in from your places two loaves of bread as a wave offering, made from two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven as first fruits to the Lord.  And you shall offer with the bread seven unblemished lambs, one year old, and one young bull and two rams. They are to be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings. It is an offering by fire, a sweet and soothing aroma to the Lord.  And you shall sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering and two male lambs, one year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings.  The priest shall wave them before the Lord as a wave offering, together with the bread of the first fruits and the two lambs. They are to be holy to the Lord for the priest.  On this same day you shall make a proclamation, you are to have a holy convocation (calling together); you shall not do any laborious work [on that day]. It is to be a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you may be.  ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the edges of your field, nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the poor and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God.’”

The Feast of Trumpets - Messiah's Birthday, September 11 - Body of Christ Born and Raptured - Needs to be Fulfilled to the Very Day - Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Say to the children of Israel, ‘On the first day of the seventh month (almost October), you shall observe a day of solemn sabbatical rest, a memorial day announced by the blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any laborious work [on that day], but you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord.’”  Gospel: Will be fulfilled by the Body of Messiah being born and caught up to the Throne.  His the head, we are the Body.

The Day of Atonement - Head and Body Return - Needs to be Fulfilled to the Very Day - The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Also the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall [f]humble yourselves [by fasting] and present an offering by fire to the Lord.  You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God.  If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].  If there is any person who does any work on this same day, I will destroy that person from among his people.  You shall do no work at all [on that day]. It is a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you may be.  It is to be to you a Sabbath of complete rest, and you shall humble yourselves. On the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening you shall keep your Sabbath.”

The Feast of Booths - Tabernacles - Head and Body Reign - Needs to be Fulfilled to the Very Day - Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Say to the children of Israel, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month, and for seven days, is the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) to the Lord.  The first day is a holy convocation (calling together); you shall not do any laborious work [on that day]. For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the Lord. It is a festive assembly; you shall not do any laborious work [on that day].

‘These are the appointed times (established feasts) of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to present an offering by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a grain offering, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its own day.  This is in addition to the [weekly] Sabbaths of the Lord, and in addition to your gifts and all your vowed offerings and all your freewill offerings, which you give to the Lord.

‘On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month (nearly October), when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord for seven days, with a Sabbath rest on the first day and a Sabbath rest on the eighth day.  Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick (leafy) trees, and willows of the brook [and make booths of them]; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.  You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a permanent statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.  You shall live in booths (temporary shelters) for seven days; all native-born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”  So Moses declared to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the Lord.

Psalm 19:2-4 (AMP) The Shamyim Elohim - The Heavens are speaking 

Day after day pours forth speech,

And night after night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there [spoken] words [from the stars];

Their voice is not heard.

Yet their voice [in quiet evidence] has gone out through all the earth,

Their words to the end of the world.

In them and in the heavens He has made a tent for the sun,

Revelation 4:1-2 (AMP) Scene in Heaven

After this I looked, and behold, [a]a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a [war] trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”  At once I was in [special communication with] the Spirit; and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne.

Revelation 21:3 (AMP)  and then I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “See! The tabernacle of God is among men, and He will live among them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them [a][as their God,]

Revelation 17:8-11 (AMP)  “The beast that you saw was [once], but [now] is not, and he is about to come up out of the abyss (the bottomless pit, the dwelling place of demons) and go to destruction (perdition). And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, will be astonished when they see the beast, because he was and is not and is yet to come [to earth].  Here is the mind which has wisdom [and this is what it knows about the vision]. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits;  and they are seven kings: five of whom have fallen, one exists and is reigning; the other [the seventh] has not yet come, and when he does come, he must remain a little while.  And the beast that [once] was but is not, is himself also an eighth king and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction (perdition).

Three Epic Birth Signs in the Heavens - In a 7000 Year timeline which we are in everyone of them took place at about the 2000 year mark.  

Adam - Creation of the Stars - Gen. 1:14

2000 Years from Adam...

Abram - Devouring Stars - Jasher 8 - Nimrod tried to Kill Abram - Name changed to Abraham who became the Nation of Israel - Gen. 14

2000 Years from Abram... 

Messiah - Bethlehem Star - Matthew 2 - Herod tried to Kill Jesus

2000 Years from Messiah the...

Church (Body) - Great Sign - Revelation 12 - Dragon tries to Kill the Church

All three have the same stories, a wisemen, astrologers, a sign in the Heaven, a birth of someone of epic importance.  All due to the threat of someone who was sovereign, of someone who was mighty, of someone who was evil tries to kill them. Every time failing, but every time with wisemen, astrologers, a birth, and a sovereign seeking to destroy the one who was born and failing.  If you are a believer and you have the Holy Spirit inside of you, you are destined to be born a second time. This time an incorruptible seed.

1 John 3:2 (AMP)   When Messiah is Revealed, We Shall Be Like Him - Beloved, we are [even here and] now children of God, and it is not yet made clear what we will be [after His coming]. We know that when He comes and is revealed, we will [as His children] be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is [in all His glory].

1 Peter 1:3-4 (AMP)  Being Born Again

Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant and boundless mercy has caused us to be born again [that is, to be reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] to an ever-living hope and confident assurance through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [born anew] into an inheritance which is imperishable [beyond the reach of change] and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,

Colossians 1:5 (AMP)  because of the [confident] hope [of experiencing that] which is reserved and waiting for you in heaven. You previously heard of this hope in the message of truth, the gospel [regarding salvation]

Galatians 5:5 (AMP)  For we [not relying on the Law but] through the [strength and power of the Holy] Spirit, by faith, are waiting [confidently] for the hope of righteousness [the completion of our salvation].

Matthew 18:1-6 (AMP)  Who is the greatest in the reign of Heaven?  Rank in the Kingdom. The Church as a Baby, the Body of Christ. He is Prophesying here. - At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child and set him before them, and said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever [a]humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives and welcomes one [b]child like this in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble and sin [by leading him away from My teaching], it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 18:10-11 (AMP)  No one is to despise those who believe in Yahshua, Jews included.   “See that you do not despise or think less of one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven [are in the presence of and] continually look upon the face of My Father who is in heaven.  [a][For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]  He is talking to the Jews.  He is trying to save the Jews.

Matthew 15:24 (AMP)  Yahshua's ministry was firstly to the descendants of Abraham through Sarah.  He answered, “I was commissioned by God and sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Matthew 19:14 (AMP)  Do not stop people from entering into the Body and becoming a new child.  But He said, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Revelation 1:6 (AMP)  Because we are to be kings and priests who have the Iron Rod. (Rev. 2:26-27) and formed us into a kingdom [as His subjects], [a]priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the power and the majesty and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 11:6 (AMP)  Without faith it is impossible to please Elohim.  But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.

2 Corinthians 12:2-5 (AMP)  Paul caught up/raptured (harpozo) to the third Heaven.  I know a [a]man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, [only] God knows—such a man was caught up to the [b]third heaven.  And I know that such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, [only] God knows— was caught up into [c]Paradise and heard inexpressible words which man is not permitted to speak [words too sacred to tell].  On behalf of such a man [and his experiences] I will boast; but in my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses.

1 Corinthians 15:1-3 (AMP) The Truth of the Gospel - The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection -  Now brothers and sisters, let me remind you [once again] of the good news [of salvation] which I preached to you, which you welcomed and accepted and on which you stand [by faith].  By this faith you are saved [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain [just superficially and without complete commitment].  For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to [that which] the Scriptures [foretold],

1 Corinthians 15:5-7 (AMP) and that He appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the [a]Twelve.  After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep [in death].  Then He was seen by James, then by all the apostles,

1 Corinthians 15:8 (AMP) Paul was raptured (harpazo) to Heaven and he felt like he was Born Prematurely - and last of all, as to one [a]untimely (prematurely, traumatically) born, He appeared to me also.  Well the Birth doesn't happen till the sign Rev 12.

Colossians 1:18; Rev 12:1,2; Rev 12:5; I Thess 4:17; Rev 2:26-27; Genesis 1:14; Luke 21:11; Luke 21:25; Col 2:16; Lev 23; Rev 4:1-2; PS 19:2-4; Rev 21:3; Rev 17:8-11; I John 3:2; I Peter 1:3-4; Colossians 1:5; Gala 5:5; Matt 18:1-6; Matt 18:10:11; Matt 15:24; Matt 19:14; Rev 1:6; Hebrews 11:6; 2 Cor. 12:2-5; I Cor 15:1-3; I Cor 15:5; I Cor 15:8

THE GREAT SIGN IN HEAVEN - WOMAN IN LABOR - PART II

The BIGGEST Topic in Bible

Prophecy ... HERE IS WHY!! 

Revelation 12 | September 23, 2017 ~Scott Clarke

STUDY NOTES:

Revelation 12:1-2 (AMP)  The Woman - Israel - Astronomically Sept. 23, 2017

And a great sign [warning of an ominous and frightening future event] appeared in heaven: a [a]woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.  She was with child (the Messiah) and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.  Feast of Trumpets 5777/2017

Revelation 2:26-27 (AMP)  Iron Rod given to the Body of Messiah (the Church)

And he who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] and he who keeps My deeds [doing things that please Me] until the [very] end, to him I will give authority and power over the nations;  and he shall shepherd and rule them with a rod of iron, as the earthen pots are broken in pieces, as I also have received authority [and power to rule them] from My Father;

Revelation 12:5 (AMP)  Child caught up (harpazo = rapture)- snatched out of the way.  And she gave birth to a Son, a male Child, who is destined to rule (shepherd) all the nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was [a]caught up to God and to His throne.

Acts 2:1-4 (AMP) Body of Messiah (Church) Conceived by incorruptible seed.  Conception of the Church.  When the day of [a]Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place, and suddenly a sound came from heaven like a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  There appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were being distributed [among them], and they rested on each one of them [as each person received the Holy Spirit].  And they were all filled [that is, diffused throughout their being] with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other [b]tongues (different languages), as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out [clearly and appropriately].
Matt. 1:18,20-23; Luke 1:31&35; John 6:63; Acts 2:1-4

Isaiah 66:9  (AMP)  The Baby is delivered!  We are going to be born. 

“Shall I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the Lord.

“Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?” says your God.

Jeremiah 3:8  (AMP) YHWH Divorced His Wife, Israel

And I saw [that even though Judah knew] that for all the acts of adultery (idolatry) of faithless Israel, I [the Lord] had [a]sent her away and given her a certificate of divorce, yet her treacherous sister [b]Judah was not afraid; but she went and was a prostitute also [following after idols].

Micah 5:1-3  (AMP)  Prophecied Messiah Rejected - YHWH gives up on Israel until the Church is born!  

"Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops;

A state of siege has been placed against us.

They shall strike the ruler of Israel on the cheek with a rod (scepter).

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Too little to be among the clans of Judah;

From you One shall come forth for Me [who is] to be Ruler in Israel,

His goings forth (appearances) are from long ago,

From [a]ancient days.”

Therefore, He will give them up until the time

When she who is in labor has given birth to a child.

Then what is left of His kinsmen

Shall return to the children of Israel.

Isaiah 54:5-7 (AMP)  YHWH will take back His adulterous wife

“For your husband is your Maker,

The Lord of hosts is His name;

And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,

Who is called the Elohim of the whole earth.

“For the Lord has called you,

Like a wife who has been abandoned, grieved in spirit,

And like a wife [married] in her youth when she is [later] rejected and scorned,”

Says your Elohim.

“For a brief moment I abandoned you,

But with great compassion and mercy I will gather you [to Myself again].

Isaiah 66:7-8 (AMP)  Birth of the Male-Child (Rapture) Before the Labor Pains (Tribulation)

“Before she (Zion) was in labor, she gave birth;

Before her labor pain came, she gave birth to a boy.

“Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things?

Can a land [a]be born in one day?

Or can a nation be brought forth in a moment?

As soon as Zion was in labor, she also brought forth her sons.

1 Peter 2:9 (AMP)  The Church is Qadesh (Holy Nation)

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

1 Corinthians 5:4-5 (AMP) The Body consists of sons of the light and sons of the day.   In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I am with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to [a]hand over this man to Satan for the destruction of his body, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.  2 Kings 19

Isaiah 37:3  Tribulation occurs because the children have come to birth  They said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says, ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke and disgrace; for children have come to birth, and there is no strength to deliver them.

Isaiah 66:9 (AMP)  Elohim gives delivery to the children and He is bringing us to Birth which is the Rapture
“Shall I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the Lord.  “Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?” says your God.  We are Israel's Child - Acts 2:1-4; I Peter 1:23; I Cor 15:52 - Tribulation Period of 7 years - The Time of Jacobs Trouble

Genesis 35:10 (AMP)  Jacob's name changes to Israel

Again Elohim said to him,

“Your name is Jacob;

You shall no longer be called Jacob,

But Israel shall be your name.”

So he was called Israel.

Genesis 35:22-26 (AMP)  The 12 Son's (tribes of Israel) of Jacob (9 stationary Stars in Leo plus 3 wandering Stars) While Israel was living in that land, Reuben [his eldest son] went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.  Now Jacob had twelve sons— The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, then Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; and the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin; and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid: Dan and Naphtali; and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob born to him in Paddan Aram.

Genesis 37:9 (AMP)  Joseph (Israel's 7th Son) dreams of 11 stars bowing down to him. Joseph is the 12th star.  But Joseph dreamed still another dream, and told it to his brothers [as well]. He said, “See here, I have again dreamed a dream, and lo, [this time I saw] eleven stars and the sun and the moon bowed down [in respect] to me!”

Jeremiah 30:7 (AMP) The Time of Jacob's Trouble - the 7 year Tribulation  period

‘Alas! for that day is great,

There is none like it;

It is the time of Jacob’s [unequaled] trouble,

But he will be saved from it.

Jeremiah 30:6  (AMP) The Prophecy of Jacob/Israel giving birth to the Body of Christ (the Church)

‘Ask now, and see

Whether a man can give birth [to a child].

Why then do I see every man

With his hands on his loins, as a woman in labor?

Why have all faces turned pale?

This is pointing directly at Rev.12 and Rev.12 points directly at the clock in the heavens.

Daniel 9:24-26 (AMP) Israel's 70 Weeks - Seventy Weeks and the Messiah  “Seventy weeks [of years, or 490 years] have been decreed for your people and for your holy city (Jerusalem), to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make atonement (reconciliation) for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness (right-standing with God), to seal up vision and prophecy and prophet, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.  So you are to know and understand that from the issuance of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until [the coming of] the Messiah (the Anointed One), the Prince, there will be seven weeks [of years] and sixty-two weeks [of years]; it will be built again, with [a city] plaza and moat, even in times of trouble.  Then after the sixty-two weeks [of years] the Anointed One will be cut off [and denied His Messianic kingdom] and have nothing [and no one to defend Him], and the people of the [other] prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.  

Daniel 9:27 (AMP)  The 70th week (7 year Tribulation Period) Peace Covenant confirmed for 7 years.  And he will enter into a binding and irrevocable covenant with the many for one week (seven years), but in the middle of the week he will stop the sacrifice and grain offering [for the remaining three and one-half years]; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until the complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who causes the horror.”  The Prince that comes is going to be the anti-Christ himself and will be destroyed at the end of the 7 years

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (AMP) Peace and Safety declared - 7yrs of Labor pains begin (Daniel 9:27), Time of Jacob's Trouble of course they will be saved out of this.   Now as to the [a]times and dates, [b]brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you.  For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord is coming just as a thief [comes unexpectedly and suddenly] in the night.  While they are saying, “Peace and safety [all is well and secure!]” then [in a moment unforeseen] destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains on a woman with child, and they will absolutely not escape [for there will be no way to escape the judgment of the Lord].  But you, [c]believers, [all you who believe in Christ as Savior and acknowledge Him as God’s Son] are not in spiritual darkness [nor held by its power], that the day [of judgment] would overtake you [by surprise] like a thief;  for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We do not belong to the night nor to darkness.  So then let us not sleep [in spiritual indifference] as the rest [of the world does], but let us keep wide awake [alert and cautious] and let us be sober [self-controlled, calm, and wise].  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night.  But since we [believers] belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope and confident assurance of salvation. For God has not destined us to [incur His] wrath [that is, He did not select us to condemn us], but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died [willingly] for us, so that whether we are awake (alive) or asleep (dead) [at Christ’s appearing], we will live together with Him [sharing eternal life]. Therefore encourage and comfort one another and build up one another, just as you are doing.  Remember the birth happens first and then the labor pains when they say "Peace and Safety" then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a Pregnant Woman.  Pointing to Revelations 12.  The Day of the Lord - Now as to the [a]times and dates, [b]brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you.  For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord is coming just as a thief [comes unexpectedly and suddenly] in the night.  While they are saying, “Peace and safety [all is well and secure!]” then [in a moment unforeseen] destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains on a woman with child, and they will absolutely not escape [for there will be no way to escape the judgment of the Lord].

STUDY OF LEVITICUS - A WOMAN IN LABOR

Leviticus 12 Points to Revelation 12

Revelations 12 Reveals Leviticus 12

Leviticus 12 - Woman unclean - 7 days (years prophetically) after birthing of a male child - Pretribulation Rapture - A Prophecy for the Prophetic

PENTECOST = Conception

TRUMPETS = Birth/Rapture

TRIBULATION = 7 years
ATONEMENT = Messiah's Return - The Second Coming 

Leviticus 12: 1-8  (AMP)  Laws of Motherhood

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If a woman conceives and gives birth to a male child, she shall be [ceremonially] unclean for seven days, unclean as during her monthly period. On the eighth day the flesh of the male child’s foreskin shall be circumcised. Then she shall remain [intimately separated] thirty-three days to be purified from the blood; she shall not touch any consecrated thing nor enter the [courtyard of the] sanctuary until the days of her purification are over.  But if she gives birth to a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as during her monthly period, and she shall remain [intimately separated] sixty-six days to be purified from the blood.  ‘When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting a one year old lamb as a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering;  and he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who gives birth to a child, whether a male or a female child.  If she cannot afford a lamb then she shall take two turtledoves or young pigeons, one as a burnt offering, the other as a sin offering; the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

Leviticus 12:7-8  Women's sins atoned for after the days of her cleansing are complete.  ATONEMENT - Messiah's Return - the Second Coming.  After the birth of a male child, a Hebrew woman is unclean for 7 days. ...and he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who gives birth to a child, whether a male or a female child.  If she cannot afford a lamb then she shall take two turtledoves or young pigeons, one as a burnt offering, the other as a sin offering; the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”
Jubilee Bible 3:8-10 After the birth of a male child, a Hebrew woman is unclean for 7 days.  Follow the Study Leviticus with the cross references.

Matthew 24:37  (AMP)  End days as before - as in the Day of Noah 

For the coming of the Son of Man (the Messiah) will be just like the days of Noah.

Luke 17:26-30  (AMP) - End days as before - In the days of Noah and Lot. 

And just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the time of [the second coming of] the Son of Man:  the people were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, [they were indifferent to God] until the day that Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  It was the same as it was in the days of Lot. People were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building [carrying on business as usual, without regard for their sins];  but on the [very] day that Lot left Sodom it rained fire and brimstone (burning sulfur) from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

2 Peter 2:9  (AMP) - YHWH Rescues of the Righteous

Then [in light of the fact that all this is true, be sure that] the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and how to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

Jeremiah 3:1  (AMP) Why is the Woman unclean? The Polluted Land

That is to say, “If a man divorces his wife

And she goes [away] from him

And becomes another man’s [wife],

Will he return to her again? [Of course not!]

Will not that land [where such a thing happened] be completely desecrated?

But you [rebelled against Me and you] are a prostitute with many lovers;

Yet you turn to Me.” says the of the Lord, you arrogant men Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem!  Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol (the place of the dead) we have made an agreement, When the overwhelming scourge passes by, it will not reach us, For we have made lies our refuge and we have the overwhelming scourge passes through, then you will become its trampling ground.

Daniel 9:27 (AMP)  Atonement - The Battle of Armageddon - 

And he will enter into a binding and irrevocable covenant with the many for one week (seven years), but in the middle of the week he will stop the sacrifice and grain offering [for the remaining three and one-half years]; and on the wing of abominations will e concealed ourselves in deception.”... “Your covenant with death will be annulled,  And your agreement with Sheol (the place of the dead) will not stand; Welcome one who makes desolate, even until the complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who causes the horror.”

Revelation 14:19-20 (AMP)  The Great Winepress - So the angel swung his sickle to the earth press of the wrath and indignation of God [as judgment of the rebellious world] just, awake and shout for joy!

For your dew is and harvested the grapevine of the earth, and threw the grapes into the great wi a dew of [celestial] light [heavenly, supernatural],

And .  And the grapes in the wine press were trampled and crushed outside the city, and blood poured from the wine press, reaching up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of sixteen hundred stadia.

Isaiah 26:19-21 (AMP)  Clear Pre-Trib Birth, Resurrection and Rapture of the Son's of Light - The dead of Christ Must Rise First.

Your dead will live;

[a]Their dead bodies will rise.

You who lie in the the earth will give birth to the spirits of the dead.

Come, my people, enter your chambers

And shut your doors behind you;

Hide for a little while

Until the [Lord’s] [b]wrath is past.

Listen carefully, the YHWH is about to come out of His [heavenly] place

To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their wickedness [their sin, their injustice, their wrongdoing];

The earth will reveal the [innocent] blood shed upon her

And will no longer cover her slain.

Isaiah 26:17-18  (AMP) - A Rapture/Trib TIMING CLUE points directly to Rev. 12:1-5 - The Ruach  Hakodesh

As a woman with child approaches the time to give birth,

She is in pain and struggles and cries out in her labor,

So we were before You, O Lord.

We have been with child, we have twisted and struggled in labor;

We gave birth, as it seems, only to wind.

We could not accomplish salvation for the earth,

Nor were inhabitants of the world [a]born.

John 14:2-3 (AMP)  Yahushua

In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 (AMP)  The Dead Resurrected First

For we say this to you by the Lord’s [own] word, that we who are still alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede [into His presence] those [believers] who have fallen asleep [in death].  For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the [a]archangel and with the [blast of the] trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth] will simultaneously be caught up (raptured) together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord!

Revelation 19:17-18 (AMP)  Birds feast on the destroyed unrighteousness. Supper of the great Elohim - Doom of the Beast and False Prophet

Then I saw a single angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he shouted to all the birds that fly in midheaven, saying, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may feast on the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of powerful and mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all humanity, both free men and slaves, both small and great [in a complete conquest of evil].”

Revelation 12:1-5 (AMP)  Revelation 12 points clearly to the Feasts of Trumpets.  Isaiah pointed the to Rev. 12 as being the Rapture and Tribulation

The Woman, Israel

12 And a great sign [warning of an ominous and frightening future event] appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child (the Messiah) and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

The Red Dragon, Satan

Then another sign [of warning] was seen in heaven: behold, a great fiery red dragon (Satan) with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven royal crowns (diadems).  And his tail swept [across the sky] and dragged away a third of the stars of heaven and flung them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

The Male Child, Christ This refers to the ascension of Christ to heaven following His death and resurrection.

5 And she gave birth to a Son, a male Child, who is destined to rule (shepherd) all the nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was caught up to God and to His throne.

John 3:16  (AMP)  YHWH gave His first born Son for the sins of the World

“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] [a]only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Jeremiah 4:31 (AMP)  Israel gives birth to her first born son before the Tribulation

For I heard a cry like a woman in labor,

The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child,

The cry of the Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem), who gasps for breath,

Who stretches out her hands, saying,

“Woe is me [my judgment comes]! I faint [in fear] before the murderers.”

1 Corinthians 15:51-55 (AMP)  The Epic Hosea Rapture/Labor pains cross reference!  Listen very carefully, I tell you a mystery [a secret truth decreed by God and previously hidden, but now revealed]; we will not all sleep [in death], but we will all be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed], in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at [the sound of] the last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [who believed in Christ] will be raised imperishable, and we will be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed].  For this perishable [part of us] must put on the imperishable [nature], and this mortal [part of us that is capable of dying] must put on immortality [which is freedom from death]. And when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the Scripture will be fulfilled that says, “Death is swallowed up in victory (vanquished forever).  O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Hosea 13:12-13 (AMP)  Regarding the Rapture, Paul pointed to Hosea because Hosea pointed to Revelation 12.  Revelation 12 points clearly to the Feasts of Trumpets.

The wickedness of Ephraim [which is not yet completely punished] is bound up [as in a bag];

His sin is stored up [for judgment and destruction].

The pains of childbirth come on him;

But he is not a wise son,

For it is not the time to delay [his chance at a new birth] as the womb opens [but he ignores the opportunity to change].

Hosea 13:14 (AMP)  The Epic Hosea Rapture Labor Pains Cross Reference

Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol (the place of the dead)?

Shall I redeem them from death?

[a]O death, where are your thorns?

O Sheol, where is your sting?

Compassion is hidden from My eyes [because of their failure to repent].

Jeremiah 49:23-24 (AMP)  Prophecy against Damascus Syria - Damascus Syria destroyed overnight as labor pains of pregnant women

Concerning Damascus [in Syria].

“Hamath and Arpad are perplexed and shamed,

For they have heard bad news;

They are disheartened;

Troubled and anxious like a [storm-tossed] sea

Which cannot be calmed.

“Damascus has become helpless;

She has turned away to flee,

Terror (panic) has seized her;

Anguish and distress have gripped her

Like a woman in childbirth.

Leviticus 12; Rev 2:26-27; Rev 12:5; Acts 2:1-4; Rev 5; Isaiah 66:9; Jeremiah 3:8; Micah 5:1-3; Isaiah 54:5-7; Isaiah 66:7-8; 1 Peter 2:9; I Cor 5:4; Isaiah 66:9; Genesis35:10; Genesis 35:22-26; Genisis 37:9; Jere 30:7; Jere 30:6; Daniel 9:24-27; Daniel 9:27; I Thess 5:1-3; Leviticus 12:1-2; Leviticus 12:7-8; Matthew 24:37; Luke 17:26-30; 2 Peter 2:9; Jere 3:1; Isaiah 28:14-15 and 18; Daniel 9:27; Rev. 14:19-20; Isaiah 26:17-18; Jeremiah 49:23-24; Isaiah 26:19-21; I Thess 4:15-17; John 14:2-3; Rev 19:17-18; Isaiah 26:17-18; Rev 12:1-5; John 3:16; Jere 4:31; I Cor 15:51-55; Hosea 13:14; Hosea 13:12-13

Holy Spirit Spoke, "They are the Spiritual Matriarchs of the Women of the Family Now"

The Spiritual Matriarchs of the Family

Good morning!  I wanted to share with you, something my daughter, told me after Dad's funeral.  Tria said, "While everyone was listening to Pastor Kirk, that God had her look directly at Helen, Janice and I (Debi) and then the Holy Spirit gave her the feeling of overwhelming gratitude for us, as He said, "They are the Spiritual Matriarchs of the Women of the family now".  Isn't that powerful!!!  I told Janice and hadn't told Helen yet, until the Lord brought it to my attention,  on Helen's birthday and was able to share it with her.

I looked up the meaning of matriarch and found a study below by Cheryl Dickon, Women of the Bible Who Are Considered Matriarchs of the Faith.  Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah, who are matriarchs of the faith, provide a remarkable insight into God’s commitment to women and His interest in how women play an integral part in His plan for mankind. These women are often called the “women of the tent” and they embodied what we  might call “feminine genius.”

These incredible women teach us both about the roots of our faith but also how our faith has unfolded so that we, as Christian women today, can live more fully for Christ. For a Christian man, understanding the roles of the matriarchs is no less important because it is through this understanding that the male/female relationships are revealed. 

Sarah was a woman whose life’s goal was to have a child. The Talmud teaches that Sarah, along with Abraham, was a great converter of people to the monotheistic religion of Judaism. She is credited with saving many souls as she converted innumerable people from their pagan beliefs to monotheism.

Additionally, Sarah’s own faith was such that she accompanied Abraham as he answered God’s call to leave Ur and journey to the Promised Land. Abraham heard directly from God but Sarah relied on faith alone to make the journey and thus won great favor from God. Her faith was an admirable and necessary quality as she was to be the woman to whom countless generations would be born.

Throughout her life, Sarah was said to have been a beautiful woman whose generous spirit welcomed neighbors and thus witnessed in such a way that many were converted. Sarah’s spirit teaches us how to extend that same generosity towards others today as we live as daughters of the King. She was the first woman to light Sabbath candles which are meant to bring light to the home—something uniquely inherent in a Jewish woman’s role as wife and mother. Today, as Jewish households light their Sabbath candles, parents often confer the following blessing on their daughters: May God make you like Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah. This blessing shows that Jewish homes understand how powerful a woman can be and remind daughters that when they live their lives serving God, they are always able to bring peace, harmony and “light” to their families and friends.

These incredible women teach us both about the roots of our faith but also how our faith has unfolded so that we, as Christian women today, can live more fully for Christ. For a Christian man, understanding the roles of the matriarchs is no less important because it is through this understanding that the male/female relationships are revealed.

Sarah’s beloved son Isaac grows into a young man who marries Rebekah. We see, quite pointedly in Scripture, that Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah occurs very near to the time of Sarah’s death. Rebekah is meant to carry Sarah’s mantle and continue the line of the Matriarchs. Rebekah is a devoted wife and hers is a marriage filled with loving-kindness, often called chesed. Through Sarah’s marriage to Abraham and Rebekah’s marriage to Isaac we are shown the great value God puts upon the union of a man and a woman and how they are meant to work, as partners, towards God’s goals for mankind.

Rebekah teaches us the value of devotion. She has great faith and courage to leave her family home and journey to Isaac’s land. Rebekah encourages us to embrace our roles as mothers, wives, sisters, and friends. Rebekah’s intuitive nature allows her to understand her own role as a daughter of the King and how to live it most fully.

Rebekah gives birth to twins, Esau and Jacob. While some see her as “stealing” the blessings from oldest son Esau in favor of youngest son Jacob, it is probably more accurate to state that Rebekah “knew” and responded to God’s call upon Jacob — as revealed to her during her pregnancy. “Knowing” such things are, once again, inherently female as witnessed by the matriarchs who, in their “knowing,” were strong and competent women.

Jacob falls in love with Rachel but is tricked into marrying her older sister, Leah. Although Jacob eventually marries Rachel as well, it is Leah to whom God continually blesses as Leah gives birth to more than half of the men to whom the tribes of Israel will issue. The Talmud teaches that each sister, Rachel and Leah, brings a particular aspect of the divine feminine into the lineage of God’s people. Rachel is by all accounts very strong-willed and strong-minded. It is Rachel who cries out from the heavens, generations later, as Pharaoh slaughters infant Hebrew baby boys in Egypt while it is Leah who steadfastly becomes the mother of many of the tribes of Israel.

Leah is a woman whose own interests all came second to God’s. She is sometimes referred to as “teary-eyed” or with “weepy” eyes but mystics point to this more as her being a recipient of the Holy Spirit than her being sad; although some combination of each interpretation is probably most accurate. Leah’s willingness to follow God’s plan allowed her to become the mother of more than half the tribes of Israel and give birth to Judah. It is from the lineage of Judah that the King of Kings would be born!

The Matriarchs, each in her own way, shed light on what it means to live as a woman of God. The Matriarchs were powerful women who were responsive to God and were committed to their families and friends. They were resilient women given their different and unique circumstances and noble in both their joy and in their suffering. They diligently worked with God and were wise in understanding God’s call upon their lives. Ultimately they were loving, self-giving women. When a man honors and respects a woman’s role as matriarch in her own family, he is honoring God’s call upon that woman. Likewise, when a woman honors the man’s role as husband and father; brother and son, she is also bringing the necessary peace, truth and light into her domestic church.

Being a matriarch of a family is a badge of honor and one to be worn with pride and dignity. John Paul II often wrote of a woman’s feminine genius and the ways in which her “gift of self” could be one of the truest way in which mankind could come to know, love, and serve God. During his papacy John Paul II wrote many documents in which he wished to share the divine plan that was placed upon women. When we look to the Matriarchs we see that divine plan in action; we see how serving God brings true joy to our lives because we become who God meant us to be: conduits between heaven and earth.

ARTICLE BY CHERYL DICKOW

Women in Spiritual Leadership

The Dignity of Women in the Bible

A Perspective Ahead of Its Time Upon perusing the pages of the Bible, one is immediately taken with the high value and dignity afforded women in its pages. And considering that these pages were written thousands of years ago, it is that much more enlightening. How must the original readers have perceived its message? For its message regarding women was in stark contrast to philosophies of the times in which it was written (1,400BC—100AD). It was a perspective well ahead of its time. Therefore, when one considers the nature of the relationship between men and women in the days in which the Bible was written, one is allowed to share the awe with which it must have been received by its original readers and contemporaries.

The Dignity of Women in Perspective of the Old Testament

The Old Testament has been accused by some as promoting an unhealthy attitude toward women. However, when read carefully and in its historical context, the Hebrew Scriptures is clearly far and away ahead of its contemporaries. From the prominence of Eve to the political power of Esther; from the prophecies of Deborah and Huldah to the prayers of Hannah; and to the patience of the Matriarchs, the Old Testament stands head and shoulders above any book of its time or claiming to be of its kind.

Divine Design In Human History

The perspective of women as dignified and valuable is seen throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. The Old Testament speaks not only of the high esteem in which women are held in the covenant community, but also of the great contribution of women throughout the history of Israel. Of course, the Bible was written in a real, historical context and certain unfortunate and inexcusable circumstances have been recorded. Some of the recorded relationships between men and women are not always consistent with the idea of women’s dignity and value. But these kinds of relationships are a result of the fall and not of God’s design. Jesus relegated divorce, and by extension, polygamy, to human sin, rather than divine design. Even though the Bible faithfully reports some incidences of unfaithful behavior, it acknowledges such behavior as dysfunctional and dangerous. And even though it records the behavior of fallen people in a covenant community, it also tells of God’s design and, as such, it is clearly more representative of the dignity of all persons than the cultural and societal environment in which its pages were formed.

Mothers In Israel

In the Hebrew Scriptures, women are seen clinging to hope, nurturing lives, developing ministers and preserving communities. Godly women are seen providing environments, encouragement and examples for some the Bible’s most significant figures—whether it’s Rebecca with Jacob or Naomi with Ruth.

The Mother Of All Living

From the earliest stages, women were expected to be co-laborers, co-regents and joint-heirs with men. Eve had as much responsibility to guard and cultivate the Garden of Eden as Adam (Genesis 1:27–31). They were both expected to be fruitful and multiply. They each embodied a mantle of God’s image and, as such, were expected to have dominion over the creation. As surely as woman came from man, man came through woman. There is, by design, a happy and healthy balance. The fall may have disrupted the balance, but Christ’s cross has restored it (Ephesians 5:22–27).

The Matriarchs

Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, sometimes known as the Mothers or Matriarchs, knew what it was like to travel as pilgrims in strange lands. Sarah and Rebecca knew what it was to have their lives and dignity threatened (Genesis 12:13; 20:3; 26:7) only to see God overturn the results of the doubts and fears of their husbands (Genesis 12:17; 20:3; 26:10). Rachel and Leah understood what it was to be devalued by their biological father (Genesis 31:14–15) only to be received as mothers of the covenant community (Genesis 33:1–3). These women patiently traveled with their husbands through untamed wilderness and unfriendly nations, often as the sole means of community and support for the Patriarchs. They waited in hope as they went from barrenness to fruitfulness. As they bore the children of miraculous grace, they became vessels of the covenant promise—nurturing their children in the worship of God and the hope of His faithfulness.

A Virtuous Woman

As the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews said, “Time will not permit” us to acknowledge and extol all of the women mentioned in the Old Testament who personify God’s perspective of the value and dignity of women. From Naomi and Ruth (Ruth 1:16–22), to Deborah and Jael (Judges 5:1–27); from Miriam (Exodus 15) to Abigail (1 Samuel 25) and Esther to Huldah (2 Kings 22:13–14) we can cover the gamut of women who have recognized and realized God’s estimation of their dignity. We could mention Hannah and her example to Samuel (1 Samuel 1) as well as Samson’s mother, who was told directly by God how she was to raise her son (Judges 13:2–7). We could cite the wife of Isaiah or the ideal wife of Proverbs 31. We could mention the Shulamite in the Song of Songs. We should also mention the Shunammite woman in the days of Elisha (2 Kings 4), and the widow in the days of Elijah. This widow was mentioned by Jesus as having been preferred in the days of Elijah over all the house of Israel (1 Kings 17:9–16; Luke 4:26). And this leads us to consider the perspective of Jesus regarding women.

However one chooses to develop, categorize, propagate and live out his or her ideas, everyone should strive toward a biblical understanding of humanity, equity, equality, dignity and liberty. If we do so, then we will see ministry and leadership from God’s perspective—the God who created man and woman in his image and after his likeness that we may exercise authority in his Holy Name. In short, let our prayer and perspective be: “Let justice run like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream” (Amos 5:24).

~Women in Spiritual Leadership