Revelation 12:6

Verse 6 "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days."

Now the narration jumps ahead from Christ's ascension, which is basically where Israel's history ended as far as their relationship with God, (the 69th week) to where it is beginning again, in the 70th week. Here we see the 1260 days again. God uses these same numbers so that we will connect the events as being within the same time frame. We know that the witnesses will prophesy for 1260 days. We know that antichrist reigns for forty-two months or 1260 days. Now we see that Israel, (the remnant who was told to flee to the mountains when they saw Jerusalem encompassed by armies, as the abomination of desolation was about to occur, Luke 21) does what they were told to do, even though they are unaware that they have been told to do it as they do not read the New Testament. They flee to the wilderness where they will remain for the second half of the 70th week or 1260 days out of the reach of antichrist. God has prepared a special place for the remnant of Israel where they will be safe from antichrist's reach and be fed for that length of time. To be a little more specific, this happens probably minutes before the abomination of desolation occurs, as people are told to not even go back into the house to get anything. They are to run immediately, as by the time the abomination happens it will be too late to run.

There is some debate as to whether this woman is just the 144,000, or if it includes anyone that flees. I believe it would have to be others besides the 144,000. The majority of the 144,000 seem to include people that are not a part of modern day Israel, as modern day Jews are so-called because they are descendants from the nation of Judah (the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and some of the Levites), not Israel. Israel was the northern ten tribes that were assimilated into the Assyrian Empire and other cultures after their captivity. They never came back to the land as such. Judah on the other hand did come back from the Babylonian/Persian captivity and were dispersed again in 70 A.D. They kept their Jewish heritage intact, though, and have been known throughout the world as the Jews ever since. As the majority of the 144,000 would not be considered Jewish, and therefore probably not be in Israel as a modern day Israeli, it would seem that since the woman flees from Judea in particular (Luke 21), this cannot be the same group. I cannot say that for certain, but the reasoning seems to imply it.

Many people have speculated that one of the places to which Israel flees, considering the topography of the land, is the city of Petra. (For those of you unfamiliar with this, it is in the mountains of Jordan and is an ancient city of the Edomites (descendants of Esau) that was actually carved into the rocks. It is presently a tourist attraction.) There are scriptural reasons for believing this may be true. Before going into that, a quick reconnoitering will determine that the most quickly accessible desert and mountain area (and probably the safest) in which to flee would be the area where ancient Edom, Moab, and Ammon were (present day Jordan). Daniel (chapter 11) tells us that these three areas (or Jordan) will escape out of antichrist’s hand. The only reason for this happening is divine intervention and protection for the fleeing Israelites. Isaiah 16:4 indicates that some will go to Moab, “Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab, be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.” Just before this verse it mentions Sela which is known today as Petra. God is sending the woman into hiding to preserve her. Isaiah 26:20-21 “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” If you have never seen pictures of Petra, google it. It is a marvel. While it may be true that some will run to Petra, that city is not sufficiently large enough to hold the number of Israelites that the scriptures say will be brought through all of this. So the three different areas of Moab, Edom, and Ammon will no doubt be occupied by many Jewish people at that time. As an added note, I heard many, many years ago that some man, who was convinced that they would run to Petra, decided that they would need to understand what was going on. He took boxes and boxes of Bibles over there and left them in the caves. How true this story is, I do not know, but it is certainly an interesting one. At the time that he would have done this, so many years ago, there would have been no problem in him being able to get away with it. Nowadays restrictions would most certainly prevent it.

God does more than feed the woman there for that time. He is doing what He did before, when they spent forty years in the wilderness. They will learn about Him and get their relationship back with Him. Hosea 2:14-23 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi; (husband) and shalt call me no more Baali (master). For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord. And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; and the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel. And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.” This event happens in "that day" (an expression indicating the Day of the Lord) when God will betroth Israel to Himself in righteousness forever (which does not happen until the end), so therefore this must be happening to the woman during the 1260 days wilderness experience "as in the days of her youth.... when she came up out of the land of Egypt." Now the story of the Bibles left at Petra would seem to be Divine intervention if it is so. They will need the New Testament to help them understand what is going on.

As an added note to all of this, those who believe in replacement theology (that the church has supplanted Israel and that there is no future for Israel with God) need to study their Old and New Testament. This verse in particular clearly indicates that Israel will be betrothed to God again, this time forever.