A Series of Important Doctrine Part #2: Two Places of Protection

Written By:  C.R.

Featured image created by Justin Graphics

Welcome to the 2^nd article in this short series!

In the previous article, we saw that Ezekiel chapter 20 describes a place called the Wilderness of the Peoples.  This place is a specific location where the Bride of Messiah is protected from the Anti-Messiah’s short reign on Earth during the Tribulation.  For Yahushua to gather a remnant of His people and protect them, He of course needs a place where He puts them.

Read Part 1 First!

In this article, we will take a look at two places in Scripture where “the woman” is seen and under protection.  They both use the term “wilderness.”  If you have not read Part 1 of this series which looks at the Wilderness of the Peoples in Ezekiel 20, please read it first.  It is critical to understanding the “wilderness” we will be looking at here in Part 2.

Click here if you want to go to Part 1:

In Part 2, we will continue to look at the Woman in the wilderness.  But we will look at another “wilderness” of protection.  Are they in the same place?  Or are they two different places?  How are they related?

For the answer to these questions, let’s turn to Revelation chapter 12.

Scriptural Principles

As we look at Revelation 12, I am reminded of a key principle of Bible Study.   We always need to look at the context of how all verses fit together with the surrounding verses and determine what the original author intended.  Before thinking about our own lives, we need to consider the original audience and their culture.

With prophecy, we want to interpret it in light of all other prophecies and scripture.  Yah’s Word fits together and reveals ongoing truth to all those who seek Him.  He wants to reveal the truth to us and lead us to End Day salvation!

He spoke to His prophets so that we would have truth when we need it. So much of what He promised was intended for our generation.  Stop and ponder this for a moment.  This is quite amazing to realize the significance our days we live in and how Yah has ordained each man/woman for the generation into which they were born.  He makes no mistakes.  He knows who is who.  He knows who He calls and who will listen.

Okay, on to the woman in the wilderness…

The “House of Israel” and the “Woman”

Part 1 of this series focused on Ezekiel chapter 20.  In this chapter, the “House of Israel” is used to refer to YHWH’s people throughout history.  It describes the people who both rebelled and submitted to YHWH’s ways.  When we get to verse 36,  a group from the “House of Israel” are gathered in the “Wilderness of the Peoples.”  This group is composed of scattered people who YHWH will gather from the nations.  He will bring these people into the bond of the covenant.  In other words, they will know and joyfully obey His laws and commands.

In this article, we will focus on Revelation chapter 12.  It uses “the woman” to describe the group of people seen in the Ezekiel 20 wilderness.

Revelation 12:1  And a great sign was seen in the heaven: a woman clad with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

The apostle used imagery written in the Heavens to describe the Woman here.  On the Woman’s head is a crown of twelve stars.  These stars represent the 12 tribes of the House of Israel.

The Woman and the Dragon

Revelation 12 is the continuation of a vision given to John, the apostle and prophet.  In chapter 12, there are three main things shared.  First, the Woman is described and the Dragon is going after her Son.  This male Child will shepherd all nations on Earth with a rod of iron.    Second, a fight takes place in Heaven and Satan is cast down to Earth.  The Dragon and the Serpent are used to describe Satan Himself.  Third, Satan goes after the Woman and her “seed.”  We will look at these three things below.

Revelation 12:5  And she bore a male child who was to shepherd all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught away to Elohim and to His throne.

From other scriptures (Isaiah, Micah, Psalms) we know this son is Yahushua Himself.  Verse 5 fits Mary giving birth to Yahushua when He was born as a man.  Certainly, after His earthly life, death, and resurrection, Yahushua was taken away to Elohim and to His throne. This confirms that it is Yahushua.

However, the remainder of the chapter is certainly not talking about Mary.  The Woman being described here is the one who will flee into the wilderness.  As mentioned above, the Woman (aka the Bride) “gives birth” to Yahushua in the sense that She is the one who causes Him to return for His Kingdom on Earth.  She is the ultimate reason He will come back to judge the nations and set up His righteous Kingdom for 1,000 years.  Because of Her faith to be gathered together, the Woman brings Messiah forth as a woman would do in labor!  This description of “birthing” Yahushua is also used in other scriptures.  (e.g. Jeremiah 30:6)

The Woman escapes Satan (aka The Dragon or Serpent) by fleeing into the wilderness to a specific place that is prepared for her!

Revelation 12:6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by Elohim, to be nourished there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

A few important truths are told to us in this one verse.  The amount of time is given that the Woman will be in this place prepared for her.  It is 1,260 days or 3 ½ years (according to Yah’s calendar).  This vision is confirmed by the prophecy given to Daniel about the same time period.  (Daniel chapters 7 and 12)

The Woman is nourished in this place.  It is prepared (in advance) by Elohim Himself to put the Woman to nourish and protect her.

Fight In Heaven:  Michael vs. Satan

In the middle of this chapter, a huge event occurs in the Heavens.  There is fighting between the Chief Angel Michael and Satan!  Satan is thrown out of Heaven along with all of the angels that have rebelled against YHWH and followed Satan.  This results in rejoicing in heaven!

Revelation 12:7  And there came to be fighting in the heaven: Miḵa’ěl and his messengers fought against the dragon. And the dragon and his messengers fought,

Revelation 12:8  but they were not strong enough, nor was a place found for them in the heaven any longer. 

I used to think this event took place a long time ago.  I thought that is why Satan has been on the Earth and why he was there in the garden with Adam and Eve, the beginning of humanity.  But if this is so, why is it at this point in John’s vision?  Why is this event seen amid the Bride at the End of Days?  Also, if this occurred a long time ago, why is it proclaimed in Heaven that the Kingdom of Messiah is beginning shortly after this event?

Revelation 12:9  And the great dragon was thrown out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who leads all the world astray. He was thrown to the earth, and his messengers were thrown out with him.

Revelation 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in the heaven, “Now have come the deliverance and the power and the reign of our Elohim and the authority of His Messiah, for the accuser of our brothers, who accused them before our Elohim day and night, has been thrown down.”

So what has occurred that has not occurred before?  Well, remember from the Book of Job that it is revealed that Satan is on the Earth tempting and deceiving mankind.  We see him doing this throughout Scripture.  In the Book of Job chapter 1, we see Satan had access to travel to and fro from the Earth and the throne room of Elohim.  In Job’s time, Satan still had access a place he could go and speak with Elohim.  He was cursed in the garden when he tempted Adam and Eve to rebel against YHWH.  But he was also given a role that included access to Elohim at times.  He also requested authority and permission to carry out certain temptations against people as part of their testing.

Heavens Rejoice But Woe to the Earth

When Satan and his messengers are thrown down to Earth, two events will result.  The Heavens will rejoice exceedingly that Satan is finally gone for good.  However, the Earth is warned because things are about to get worse than ever before for a short time.

Revelation 12:12  “Because of this rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has little time.”

The Reign of the Messiah Is Proclaimed!

When Satan is thrown out, the reign of Yahushua is announced from Heaven.  The proclamation of the reign of Messiah occurs either immediately or soon after Satan is gone from Heaven.

Satan Will Pursue the Woman

After Satan is thrown out of Heaven forever, He will be on the Earth for a short time longer, in a period called The Tribulation.  He will know that his time is very short at this point before Yahushua returns.  During a short time, Satan will go after the Woman.

Revelation 12:13  And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.

Revelation 12:14  And the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, to fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.

Here we see again a protection of the Woman in what is called “the wilderness” for 3 ½ years.  It once again says she is nourished in this place.

After Satan attempts to kill the Woman fail, He is enraged and will go after the woman’s “seed.”  John defines what the “seed” is.  It is all the people still alive that guard the commands of Elohim (known collectively as the Torah) and possess the witness to Yahushua.  He is most interested in this one group more than any group on the Earth because it is this group that professes Yahushua AND guards all His commandments that are truly set apart and a threat to him.

What Do We Know About This Second Wilderness Place?

1. It is a place for the Woman/the Bride.
2. It is prepared by Elohim Himself.
3. It is for her nourishment and protection.
4. It is described as “her” place in verse 14.
5. The Woman is shown as “flying” to her place.
6. It is completely protected from Satan.
7. Not all of those who guard YHWH’s commands and profess Yahushua are part of the Woman/the Bride. Those that are not in the wilderness place of protection are open to Satan coming for them after he cannot get to the Bride.

Is This Wilderness Different from the Wilderness of the Peoples in Ezekiel 20?

The answer to this important question is YES!  They are two different locations.  The Woman will be brought to BOTH of these locations during the Tribulation.

The first wilderness, described in Ezekiel 20, will be the gathering place in the first half of the Tribulation.  The first half of the Tribulation is three and a half years.  This part of the gathering is unique to all the people responding to this call.  People will be coming from every nation and each person’s time of arrival will differ.  Some people may be in the Wilderness of the Peoples for the full three and a half years while others might barely make it in with maybe only a day to spare.

In addition, some of those who enter the gathering place may be purged.  Ezekiel 20 specifically says that not all of the group will enter into the Land.  Some are described as “rebels” who will be removed.  The purpose of the Wilderness of the Peoples is for protection, but also judgment.  There is a time when Yahushua Himself will pass each person “under the rod.”  They will be counted and the sheep and goats will be separated.

The Wilderness described in Revelation 20 will be in the second half of the Tribulation.  After being gathered and refined in the first wilderness, the Woman will enter into this place of protection together as a collective group.  She will be in this place for the entirety of three and a half years.  Those who are not in this protective wilderness will face death in the second half of the Tribulation.

This same location is described by the prophet Isaiah as a room with a door that will be shut.

Isaiah 26:20  Go, my people, enter your rooms, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little while, until the displeasure is past.

Isaiah 26:21  For look, יהוה is coming out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their crookedness. And the earth shall disclose her blood, and no longer cover her killed ones.

 Where Are These Two Wildernesses Located?

In our books The Call to Jordan:  An Invitation for Messiah’s Bride and Written In The Heavens: Events on Earth Revealed In The Stars, we explain that the Wilderness of the Peoples is located in the modern-day country of Jordan.  The Revelation 12 wilderness location is not known, at least not to us at this time.  It is speculated that it is either the original Garden of Eden or another hidden place that is only accessible through a portal.  Given that it says the Woman “flies” to her place, perhaps it’s a place where Yahushua takes this group out of the present dimension while He brings judgment to the entire Earth and those that remain.  One thing is for sure, wherever it is, it will be guarded, the door will be shut, and no harm will come to His Bride from that point on!  She will be nourished and cared for and will then reign with Yahushua in His 1,000-year Kingdom!

The False Doctrine About The Wilderness

There is a widespread misunderstanding that you are just taken to the Revelation 12 place of protection from whatever country in which you currently live.  This is simply not true.  The ones who will get there are the ones who were already in the sheepfold (the Ezekiel 20 location); they are already gathered!

Yahushua will arrive to lead the Woman out of the sheepfold and eventually bring the people to the Revelation 12 place of protection. These are two different locations for two different purposes.

Summary Chart

To summarize the two wilderness places of protection, please see the chart below.  I hope this article has been a blessing to you!