From the Editor Jul/Aug 2022
When I was a student at Word of Life Bible Institute, a professor from Dallas Theological Seminary told me one of the main reasons people leave the mission field is because they don’t have enough education and can’t answer difficult questions.
“Like what?” I asked.
“Well,” he said, “I had one man who was working in the bush in New Guinea tell me the natives wanted to know the identity of the woman in Revelation 12. He couldn’t tell them because he didn’t know.”
Many people find the book of Revelation difficult to understand. They concoct all types of scenarios and fanciful allegories to explain what it means, but they miss the main point. God would not have included prophecy in the Bible if He felt we could not understand it. It’s there because the Lord not only wants us to know what will happen in the future, but He also wants us to rest in the assurance that the future is completely under His control:
I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,” calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it (Isa. 46:9–11).
Prophecy demonstrates that the Bible is true and there is only one God: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Revelation 12, God gives us a snapshot of history—Jewish history, in particular—which is why this issue focuses on Revelation 12. When you finish reading it, you’ll know exactly who the woman is; and you’ll be able to identify the child and the dragon.
We hope you enjoy this issue of the magazine!
Waiting for His Appearing,
Lorna Simcox
Editor-in-Chief
