Revelation 12:5: 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.

The Joseph Smith Translation (JST) re-ordered the verses in the King James Version of the Bible so that the King James Version of Revelation 12:5 became JST Revelation 12:3.¹ In these re-ordered verses the travailing woman who represents the premortal church² in the King James Version of Revelation 12:2³ brought forth a man child.⁴ Many scholars correctly identify the man child as Jesus Christ,⁵ but they fail to recognize that the man child is Jesus Christ in the premortal existence where he was known as Jehovah.⁶ The Joseph Smith Translation of Revelation 12:7, refers to the grand council convened by the Father⁷ and identifies the man child as his Christ, saying, "the woman which was the church of God, who had been delivered of her pains, and brought forth the kingdom of our God and his Christ."⁸

Many scholars correctly observe that the symbol of the man child cannot depict Christ's physical birth and mortal ministry for a variety of reasons.⁹ Nevertheless, some people say the man child represents either Christ's mortal birth¹⁰ or his ancient earthly church.¹¹ Still others say that the man child is the political kingdom that Christ attempted to establish during his mortal ministry,¹² even though Christ made no such attempt.¹³ Others say the man child is an earthly king or manmade kingdom.¹⁴

Interpretations that place the birth of the man child in an earthly context cannot be correct because John saw his image in heaven.¹⁵ His metaphorical birth as the man child occurred during the grand council when he was elevated to the status of God, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.¹⁶ To be clear, the metaphorical birth of the man child is not a symbol of Jehovah's spirit birth as the first begotten Son of God during the spirit creation.¹⁷ That spirit birth happened as a literal event long before he was elevated to Godhood and became the second member of the Godhead¹⁸ during the grand council.¹⁹

Jehovah was metaphorically born during the grand council as a man child, who was to rule all nations²⁰ after he emerged from the body of the premortal church (the woman) by the common consent of church members.²¹ He emerged or was elevated within the church and was given the priesthood power²² to be the physical creator,²³ the Redeemer,²⁴ the Lord of lords, and the King of kings.²⁵ He was given power to rule all nations with a rod of iron that was then akin to the staff of a benevolent shepherd.²⁶ Jehovah began to rule in heaven during the grand council with a rod of iron which is the word of God,²⁷ and, in that same likeness, Christ will begin his rule on earth during the latter-day gathering of saints at Adam-ondi-Ahman.²⁸ Jehovah also ruled all nations with a rod of iron when the war in heaven ended in complete victory,²⁹ just as Christ shall rule all nations with a rod of iron when Armageddon ends with Christ's complete victory over Satan at the Second Coming.³⁰

The Father gave priesthood power to Jehovah at the grand council so that Jehovah could organize,³¹ and then rule forever in,³² the kingdom of our God and of his Christ as stated in the Joseph Smith Translation of Revelation 12:7.³³ The priesthood is an unchanging and eternal principle of power.³⁴ Priesthood offices, by contrast, are appendages to the priesthood,³⁵ which are filled as a need exists.³⁶ The need for priesthood offices came to exist during the grand council when God's spirit children voted by common consent³⁷ to organize the premortal church of God.³⁸ God's premortal church on Kolob³⁹ became the starting point⁴⁰ and pattern for the organization of the earthly church.⁴¹ Jehovah was chosen and ordained first in the premortal church⁴² because he is the Redeemer and holds the highest priesthood office within the plan of salvation.⁴³ Michael (Adam) came next in the organizational hierarchy,⁴⁴ followed by Gabriel (Noah).⁴⁵ After these premortal ordinations were in place,⁴⁶ all lesser priesthood positions and offices were filled⁴⁷ until, as Joseph Fielding Smith has said, "there was an organization there just as well as an organization here."⁴⁸ The overarching organization in heaven was the Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood based on lineage within the twelve tribes of Israel.⁴⁹

Revelation 12:5‒which is the Joseph Smith Translation of Revelation 12:3‒states that after the man child was born he was caught up unto God and his throne.⁵⁰ Many scholars believe that this imagery symbolizes Christ's ascension after his death and resurrection on this earth.⁵¹ Many within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also say this symbolizes the removal of the earthly church, political kingdom, or priesthood from the earth⁵² at the time of the Great Apostasy that followed Christ's crucifixion.⁵³ Once again, however, these are all earthly likenesses in the image of the signs and symbols from John's vision of premortality.⁵⁴ In the premortal context of Revelation 12:5, these signs mean that after Jehovah became a God during the grand council⁵⁵ and the premortal church of God was organized,⁵⁶ he was then caught up unto God and his throne.⁵⁷ In other words, Jehovah organized the premortal church of God on Kolob and then he ascended from that place after the grand council⁵⁸ to the Father's nearby celestial residence⁵⁹ where he sat on the right hand of God.⁶⁰ Jehovah's ascension from Kolob to heaven after the grand council has its earthly likeness in Christ's ascension to heaven from the mount of Olives after he organized his earthly church.⁶¹

Both God and Jehovah had to withdraw their person and presence from Kolob after the grand council because Kolob became a fallen spirit world when Lucifer rebelled.⁶² This also has its earthly likeness when the Father and the Son withdrew their persons and presence from the Garden of Eden⁶³ when Adam fell and earth became a fallen physical world.⁶⁴ Fallen creations cannot be in God's presence⁶⁵ because they are unclean.⁶⁶

From the time of the grand council, Lucifer (the Dragon)⁶⁷ sought to destroy the woman who represented the premortal kingdom of God and his Christ.⁶⁸ In response to this assault, the premortal church (the woman)⁶⁹ also took flight from Kolob with Jehovah‒the man child‒in Revelation 12:6. In this verse, the premortal apostasy in heaven began when the premortal church of God fled into the wilderness. The wilderness symbolically represents the celestial dwelling of God the Father as discussed in the next section.⁷⁰