Revelation CHAPTER 7
1. After these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, in order that the wind would not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any (all) tree(s).
2. and I saw another (different) angel, ascending from the rising sun (the East), having the seal of the Living God; and calling out in a huge voice to the four angels to whom power had been given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3. saying, “Do not hurt the earth nor the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God, upon their foreheads”.
4. and I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:
5-8. of the tribe of Judah 12,000, of the tribe of Reuben 12,000, of the tribe of Gad 12,000, of the tribe of Asher 12,000, of the tribe of Naphtali 12,000; of the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, of the tribe of Simeon 12,000, of the tribe of Levi 12,000, of the tribe of Issachar 12,000, of the tribe of Zebulon 12,000, of the tribe of Joseph 12,000, of the tribe of Benjamin 12,000 who were sealed.
This is a break between the 6th and 7th seals. It is a picture of the faithful 144,000 to be sealed, and the faithful without number who have gone through the Great Tribulation. Verses 1 and 9 both begin with meta tauta, after these things (Rev. 1:19; 4:1)
Who are the 144,000? 1) The Church (Matt. 19:28; Lk 22:30; Rom 2:29; Gal 6:16; Jms 1:1; 1 Pet 2:9), 2) A representative group of Christian Martyrs (14:4; 15:2-4), 3)The Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists, Millennial Dawnists, the Flying Roll, etc., etc., etc., or 4) Twelve thousand out of each of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. The term 12 tribes is used 14 times in Scripture. The only time anyone questions whether it is Israel is James 1:1; this passage, and Rev. 21:12. The phrase children of Israel is used 655 times in the Scriptures. Look them up! They all, without exception, refer to Israel. The term Israel is used over 2,200 times in Scripture. Look them up too, if you can take the time. Only here, and Galatians 6:16 does anyone have the temerity to question the obvious, that Israel means Israel. Placed together, twelve tribes of the children of Israel, it seems the Author is trying to make the meaning crystal clear. Billy Graham argued these are 144,000 Jewish followers of Jesus who are what he calls “super evangelists”. Whether they are “super” I don’t know, but they are definitely Jewish. And still there are some who say this is the Church, or some other group. For those arguments, you’ll have to read another commentary.
v 1 After these things . . . as stated in comments on Revelation 1:18, this phrase is structural for John. We are looking at a fresh view in his experience of the Throne in heaven. As stated above, this is a break between the sixth and seventh seals. The first six seals were devastating, so this break builds dramatic tension. Like in a film, when the hero is just about to meet almost certain doom, the scene changes to see the hero’s friends and their circumstances. We still have to wonder, what’s going to happen next, when the 7th Seal is loosed? After these things is repeated in v. 9. See Daniel 7.
v 3 The seal is the same word used for the seven seals of the scroll of chapters 5 through 8:1. A king would set his seal on a document, or a storage area to symbolize his commitment to protect the contents. Notice they are sealed on their foreheads, just as the enemy seals his own on the foreheads in 13:16 (thought the word for seal there is different). Satan always has his counterfeit.
vv 4-8 Dan is omitted, but both Joseph and his son Manasseh are included in the list of the twelve tribes. Also, Levi is an unusual inclusion. The Twelve Tribes of Israel are listed in the bible about a dozen times. Each list is slightly different (you have 14 names to work with because Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were counted as ½ tribes and included in the inheritance by Jacob at the end of the book of Genesis). Do your own study to find out why (try looking at Joshua 18 and 1 Kings 12:29-30).
Identification in Times of Great Tribulation
How are you identified? Many of my clothes I’ve inherited from my son, Jonathan. It’s not that he grew out of them, but that he moved to the US and only had a few suitcases to take with him, so, much of his clothing was left with me in India. Gratefully, we wear the same size in about everything. I’m not one to waste clothing that fits, so, I wear his clothes. For years Jonathan lived in a boarding school. They required that every piece of clothing have the name of the student sewn onto them. So, I often wear a shirt or sock or pant that has a tag on it “Jonathan Henson”. The tag means that item belongs (belonged) to him. God seems to be like that with us. He wants everyone to know we belong to Him. He places His seal on us.
Paul said something like this concerning the Holy Spirit “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)” It seems to me Paul is saying the same thing three different ways. God anoints us (gives His Spirit), sets His Seal on us (His Spirit identifies us as His more than anything else), and put His Spirit in our hearts. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faith, and a sound mind-these are the elements that identify God’s people better than any tag or sewn-in nametag or RFID could.
So I ask you
Do you have your ID, your Nametag, your Seal from God?
Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you” (Luke 11). He wants to seal you with His Spirit. Receive His seal today.
Prayer for Today
Father,
Fill me with Your Spirit. Seal me. Identify me as Your servant. Make it clear to everyone that I am Yours, and belong to You alone.
Fill me with the fruit of Your Spirit-and the gifts of humility, generosity, prophecy, and love that come with it, that all might know I am Yours.
In Your name, You who made me, Who formed me from the dust of the earth.
In the name of Your Son, Jesus, Who bought me with the price of His blood. Twice purchased, I belong to You.
Amen.
