The previous articles in this series showed that God ordained the Feast of Passover primarily for the preparation of his firstfruits, his overcomers. God decreed fifteen or more specific regulations concerning Passover and, as we saw, each one of these mandates prophetically looked forward to particular spiritual applications in God’s overcomers, the specific overcomes who would one day be chosen as one of the “manchild.” The manchild is that spiritual body prophesied by John in Revelation 12.

And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (Revelation 12:4-6 KJV)

For many years I have thought that the manchild and the Bride of Christ were synonymous, just two terms representing different aspects of God’s overcomers. Yesterday and today God has shown me that these two groups make up separate and distinct groups of overcomers. I believe that Passover relates to the first of these groups, the manchild, and that the Feast of Pentecost relates mainly to the Bride of Christ. I believe the Bride of Christ is the woman who flees into the wilderness in the passage above. Now I will try to show this divisional spiritual concept from the Scriptures.

When Moses first announced Passover to Israel he said, “Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.” (Exodus 11:4-5 KJV)  The Hebrew word translated “firstborn” here comes from בְּכוֺר (bek-ore’) and means “firstborn; hence, chief:—eldest (son), firstborn(-ling)” according to Strong’s. This Hebrew word is a masculine noun and thus refers to the firstborn male of a family, not the firstborn female.

The fact that Passover related only to male firstborns can be further proven by comparing Exodus 13:1 with Numbers 3:39-43. In Exodus 13:1 God announces that every “firstborn” which opens the womb of both man and beast shall be his. In Numbers 3:39-43 God substitutes the consecrated firstborn males of Israel with all the males of the tribe of Levi. The Hebrew word זָכָר zakar zaw-kawr’ which means “male” actually occurs right next to the Hebrew word for firstborn here, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.” (Numbers 3:40) The fact that only males are in view becomes crystal clear in the following passage:

¹¹ “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, ¹² you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord’s. ¹³ Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. ¹⁴ And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand theLord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. ¹⁵ For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ (Ex. 13:11-15 ESV)

Thus those who qualify to rule with the rod of iron as the manchild described in Revelation 12:4-6 fulfill Passover by walking in the fourteen Passover regulations reviewed in part 8 of this series. These will have qualified for rule by a lifetime of testing and tribulation. They will have learned to discern good from evil and have determined to choose good. Although they do not yet live in sinless perfection that is their goal, their deepest heart desire. They yearn to be perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect and they mourn that they still dwell in bodies of sinful flesh. These are the ones of whom Isaiah prophesied in a mystery.

¹⁰ Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ¹¹ “Ask a sign of the Lord your^[f] God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” ¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” ¹³ And he^[g] said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.^[h] 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. (Isaiah 7:10-15)

Jesus, of course, according to Matthew 1:22-23 first fulfilled this prophecy. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and he was in fact “God with us,” which is what the name Immanuel literally means. But, like many prophecies this one too will receive a double fulfillment. A chapter later Isaiah speaks of Immanuel again, saying,

⁵ The Lord spoke to me again: ⁶ “Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, ⁷ therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, ⁸ and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.”

¹¹ For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: ¹² “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. ¹³ But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. ¹⁴ And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁵ And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

¹⁶ Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching^[f] among my disciples. ¹⁷ I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. ¹⁸ Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. (Isaiah 8:5-18 ESV)

The Hebrew word יֶלֶד yeled yeh’-led is translated “children” in verse 18 above, but according to Strong’s literally means “sons.” I in this verse refers to Jesus. I believe the manchild will thus consist of Jesus’ own sons. This is that which Paul prophesied,

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:18-23 ESV)

When I first began thinking that the manchild and the Bride of Christ were two separate groups of Christians the LORD took me to the following passage:

“Before she was in labor
    she gave birth;
before her pain came upon her
    she delivered a son.
⁸ Who has heard such a thing?
    Who has seen such things?
Shall a land be born in one day?
    Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?
For as soon as Zion was in labor
    she brought forth her children.
⁹ Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?”
    says the Lord;
“shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?”
    says your God.

And then I was reminded again of Revelation 12:5, “She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne.” And I thought, “Certainly the “she” in these two passages cannot be the Bride of Christ for she is not yet married! Surely she cannot have a baby until after she is married? And it was after this that the LORD showed me the sign of Immanuel. Just as Mary was not yet married when she became pregnant and just as Joseph and Mary did not consummate their marriage until after Jesus was born, so shall it be with the Bride of Christ!

Today those in the Church who will be called out of that Church do not even now that they are (spiritually) pregnant. When they first see the manifestation of the sons of God (the manchild) they will ponder in their hearts if this truly could be the Sons of God which Paul predicts, because if they are then they would in fact be “God with us.” Remember also that when Mary heard and saw Jesus do certain things she pondered those things in her heart. Mary is a type of the Bride of Christ.

So, yes, it appears from Scripture that the son of the Bride comes to maturity before the Bride! And this occurs before the Bride makes herself ready and before the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!