In verse eight, it is translated as "for as soon as Zion
travailed, she brought forth her children." Actually, in my
view, this is an important mistranslation; because the word
"children" is translated from the Hebrew word "ben". As the
Hebrew lexicon clearly proves, "ben" shouldn't be translated
as "children"; it should be translated as "son":

----- Begin Quote -----

ben bane

1) son, grandson, child, member of a group
   1a) son, male child
   1b) grandson
   1c) children (pl. - male and female)
   1d) youth, young men (pl.)
   1e) young (of animals)
   1f) sons (as characterisation, i.e. sons of injustice
       [for un- righteous men] or sons of God [for angels]
   1g) people (of a nation) (pl.)
   1h) of lifeless things, i.e. sparks, stars, arrows (fig.)
   1i) a member of a guild, order, class

----- End Quote -----

As you can plainly see, "son", or "male child", is clearly
the primary meaning of the Hebrew word "ben"; thus, those
two verses together should be read as:

"Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain
came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard such
a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made
to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at
once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her
[son]."
Isaiah 66:7-8, KJV

As soon as I read those two verses together, my eyes nearly
popped out of my head, because I was immediately reminded of
very similar phraseology in the Book of Revelation. Consider
the following verses:

"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: And she being with child
cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 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. 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.
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."
Revelation 12:1-5, KJV

As I have explained before, the above Scriptures are widely
believed to be discussing Jesus' birth in Israel, as well as
His subsequent Ascension to Heaven following His Crucifixion
and Resurrection from the dead. Notice how the woman wears a
crown of twelve stars. This may represent the Twelve Tribes
of Israel, or perhaps the Twelve Apostles, who represent the
leadership of the New Nation that was founded upon Christ's
blood. Please notice the similarities between the verses in
Isaiah, and these verses in the Book of Revelation. In both
instances, we have Jerusalem or Israel being described as a
woman in travail; that is, in labor, who then brings forth a
son. The verses in Isaiah, when read together, make it clear
in my mind, that this son is directly linked to the birth of
the prophesied nation. In fact, he seems to be responsible
for its very birth.

It should be clear to you by now that I'm not referring to a
physically-recognized, political nation with earthly borders
like Israel, but rather to a global, spiritual, eternal one,
that is comprised of all Christian believers everywhere, and
for all time.

Based upon these verses, and others I will be sharing with
you momentarily, I am convinced that this is what Jesus was
talking about when He told the Jewish spiritual leaders that
the Kingdom would be taken from them, and given to another
nation. As we saw earlier, He very clearly told them that the
cornerstone which they had rejected, (meaning Himself), would
become the foundation stone for His new nation; which as we
now know, would be born once He died and rose from the dead.

I am convinced that this is the man child, or son, as well as
the nation which would be born "at once", or "in a day", just
as Isaiah had prophesied. This nation perfectly meets all of
the requirements set by Isaiah's prophecy, because it had in
fact never existed before, unlike the nation of Israel which
had already existed for several thousand years.

The reason why I'm so convinced that this nation didn't exist
prior to Christ's Sacrifice and Resurrection, is because the
Bible very plainly tells us, as I have explained before, that
Jesus Christ is the very first member of this new spiritual
nation, and it couldn't possibly have existed until Jesus did
what He did for us. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus is the
first begotten of the dead, the firstborn and the firstfruits
of the Resurrection, as we see here:

"For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth
in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves
also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we
ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption,
to wit, the redemption of our body . . . For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren."
Romans 8:22-23, 29, KJV

"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all
men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead,
and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by
man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the
dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his
coming."
1 Corinthians 15:19-23, KJV

"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to
be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who
hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath
translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we
have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of
sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
of every creature: . . . And he is the head of the body, the
church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he might have the preeminence."
Colossians 1:12-15, 18, KJV

"To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which
are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to
the spirits of just men made perfect,"
Hebrews 12:23, KJV

"Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we
should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures."
James 1:18, KJV

"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the
first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of
the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our
sins in his own blood,"
Revelation 1:5, KJV

"These are they which were not defiled with women; for they
are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb
whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men,
being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb."
Revelation 14:4, KJV

Jesus also made it very plain in His conversation with the
Pharisee Nicodemus, that in order to become members of this
new spiritual nation, we must be born of water, (meaning a
physical birth in the womb, as Nicodemus understood), and of
the Spirit, through our faith in Christ. Consider the Lord's
words to Nicodemus:

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be
born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his
motherŐs womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily,
I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which
is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must
be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou
hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it
cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born
of the Spirit."
John 3:3-8, KJV

There is further proof that the nation of which both Isaiah
and Jesus spoke is really the spiritual nation of worldwide
believers in Jesus Christ. Please consider what the Apostle
Peter wrote to the First Century Christian brethren. Peter
makes it very plain that Jesus Christ, (the Cornerstone who
was rejected by the Jewish Elders, as per the Old Testament
prophecies), is the founder of our spiritual temple. He also
explains that not only are we symbolic living stones in the
Lord's Temple, but we are also a Holy Nation. Peter wrote:


Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS  Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23
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