SHE BROUGHT FORTH A
MAN CHILD
The woman is with
child and “travailing in birth . . . 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 his throne.” (Revelation 12:2-3, JST.) If the woman is the Church, then the
child cannot be the Savior, for he occupied the role of husband in the analogy.
Besides, the Church does not give birth to Christ. He is the parent, not the
child. In verse 7, Joseph Smith reveals the identity of the “man child.” The
Church is to bring “forth the kingdom of or God and his Christ.” The name of
the child is Zion. It has been the purpose of the Church in every age to
establish a Zion community on the earth. From the earliest beginnings of the
Restoration, this was the guiding goal of Joseph Smith and his followers. Even
a cursory reading of the Doctrine and Covenants teaches this.
Our knowledge of Lehi’s
dream tells us that the rod if iron with which the man child will rule all nations
is the word of God. Christ promised the righteous Saints of Thyatira that they
would rule “over the nations . . . with a rod of iron,” which Joseph Smith
changed to read “with the word of God.” (Revelation 2:26=27, JST.) Being caught
up to God and his throne may refer to the final translation of the City of
Enoch, but in the general context of Revelation, it more likely refers to the
ultimate destiny of God’s kingdom at the end of the earth.
Isaiah concludes his
prophetic mission by speaking of the future birth of the man child, emphasizing
how quickly it will be established in the latter days: “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 children.” (Isaiah 66:7-8.) This is followed by a
description of her nourishment that will be found in the new nation. All her
children will be “delighted with the abundance of her glory.” Her “peace” will
be “extend[ed] . . . like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing
stream” will augment her prosperity. (Isaiah 66:11-12.)
Brigham Young once
spoke of the speed with which the Latter-day Saints would progress toward the
perfection of a Zion people, comparing them with the City of Enoch: “I believe with
all my heart that the people who gathered around Enoch, and lived with him and
built up his city, when they had traveled the same length of time in their
experience as this people have, were not as far advanced in the things of the
kingdom of God. Make your own comparison between the two people, think of the
tradition of the two. How many nations were there in the days of Enoch? The
very men who were associated with him had been with Adam; they knew him and his
children, and had the privilege of talking with God. Just think of it.” (Journal
of Discourses, 26 vols. [London: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1854-86],
3:319) (S. Michael Wilcox, Who Shall Be Able to Stand? Finding Personal
Meaning in the Book of Revelation [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003], 162-64)
