Revelation 7:5

Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Judah (praise) stands first, as Jesus' tribe. Benjamin, the youngest, is last; with him is associated second last, Joseph. Reuben, as first-born, comes next after Judah, to whom it gave place, having by sin lost primogeniture right. Another reason (note. ) for the omission of Dan is, its having been the first to lapse into idolatry (Judges 18:1); for which "Ephraim" also (cf. Judges 17:1; ) is omitted, and Joseph substituted. Long before, the Hebrews say (Grotius),...

1-8 In the figurative language of Scripture, the blowing of the four winds together, means a dreadful and general destruction. But the destruction is delayed. Seals were used to mark for each person his own possessions. This mark is the witness of the Holy Ghost, printed in the hearts of believers. And the Lord would not suffer his people to be afflicted before they were marked, that they might be prepared against all conflicts. And, observe, of those who are thus sealed by the Spirit, the seal must be on the forehead, plainly to be seen alike by friends and foes, but not by the believer himself, except as he looks stedfastly in the glass of God's word. The number of those who were sealed, may be understood to stand for the remnant of people which God reserved. Though the church of God is but a little flock, in comparison with the wicked world, yet it is a society really large, and to be...

Verse Revelation 7:5. _OF THE TRIBE OF JUDA_, c.] _First_, we are to observe that the tribe of _Levi_ is here mentioned, though that tribe had no inheritance in Israel but they now belonged to the spiritual priesthood. _Secondly_, That the tribe of _Dan_, which had an inheritance, is here _omitted_; as also the tribe of _Ephraim_. _Thirdly_, That the tribe of _Joseph_ is here _added_ in the place of _Ephraim_. _Ephraim_ and _Dan_, being the principal promoters of idolatry, are left out in this enumeration....

OF THE TRIBE OF JUDA WERE SEALED TWELVE THOUSAND - That is, a selection was made, or a number sealed, as if it had been made from one of the tribes of the children of Israel - the tribe of Judah. If the remarks above made are correct, this refers to the Christian church, and means, in connection with what follows, that each portion of the church would furnish a definite part of the whole number sealed and saved. We are not required to understand this of the exact number of twelve thousand, but that the designation would be made from all parts and branches of the church as if a selection of the true servants of God were made from the whole number of the tribes of Israel. There seems to be no particular reason why the tribe of Judah was mentioned first. Judah was not the oldest of the sons of Jacob, and there was no settled order in which the tribes were usually mentioned. The order of the...

EXPOSITION REVELATION 7:1 AND AFTER THESE THINGS. Μετὰ τοῦτο, or, as some cursives read, μετὰ ταῦτα_, _is generally regarded as denoting the close of the sixth seal and the commencement of a new subject, interjected by way of episode between the sixth and seventh seals. But, even if not looked upon as an integral part of the revelations made under the sixth seal, the connection is so close that the two must be regarded practically as one. The incidents of the seventh chapter are evidently the complement of those narrated in the closing verses of the sixth. They take up the question with which that chapter closes, "Who is able to stand?" and afford comfort and help to those suffering Christians who were so sorely in need of a renewed assurance of the certainty of their final reward. It seems better, therefore, on the whole,

OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH [WERE] SEALED TWELVE THOUSAND,.... Judah is mentioned first, because Christ sprung from that tribe, and the pure worship of God was preserved in it; and that itself was preserved a distinct tribe until the coming of Shiloh; its name signifies "praise God", Genesis 29:35; and shows, that it becomes all the sealed ones, all true believers, and every member of the church of God, to praise him for all favours and blessings, temporal, spiritual, and eternal. OF THE TRIBE OF REUBEN [WERE] SEALED TWELVE THOUSAND; Reuben was Jacob's firstborn, but by his sin he lost the honour and privilege of birthright, and therefore is mentioned after Judah, who prevailed above him and the rest of his brethren; his name signifies "see the Son", Genesis 29:32; and shows that the Son of

Revelation 7:1. _And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree._ A perfect calm there must be till God's people are saved. Not a leaf shall stir to do them damage. Not a dash of foam upon the waters no movement of wind, or sea, or tree. Revelation 7:2. _And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with aloud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea. Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads._ Everything exists for the servant of God. Creation is

CHAPTER 7 Revelation 7:1 . This is the first parenthesis. It must not be taken chronologically. The six seal judgments extend over the entire period of the ending age. The rider upon the white horse will be on the scene to the end, wars will continue to the end, and culminate in the battle of Armageddon, and so do the famines and pestilences. And the sixth seal brings the end in view. We shall see the correspondence with the seventh trumpet and seventh vial later. The trumpet and vial judgments are more intense and more terrible than the seal judgments. In a certain sense they are parallel; the effect of each is continuously felt. The parenthetical vision of the seventh chapter also covers the entire period of the last seven years and brings before us even the vision of what will be after the great tribulation. How much confusion would have been avoided if expositors an

THE SEALING OF THE HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR THOUSAND. Revelation 7:1. Four angels are here represented as holding the winds, which are to bring disaster upon the world, in leash, until the seal of protection has been placed upon the Christians. Revelation 7:2. The object of the sealing may be to protect against (_a)_ physical dangers, or (_b_) apostasy, or (_c_) demoniac activity. Probably all are included, for all may be connected with the breaking of the last seal. _Cf._ Ezekiel 9:4 *, where the mark on the foreheads protected from death. Revelation 7:4. 144, 000, _i.e._ 12, 000

THE FOUR WINDS WITHHELD. While the sixth seal may be styled the seal of _Revolution,_ the mighty changes of this period are not all violent. If the reader will turn to the seventh chapter he will find that it is. record of visions witnessed by the apostle which precede the opening of the seventh seal. The events of this chapter, however, belong properly to the period embraced by the sixth seal. We quote the beginning of Chap. VII.: And after these things. saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And. saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with. loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed t...