Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. (For the insertion of Manasses and the omission of Dan, as well as the order of the names of the tribes, see on Revelation 7:5 ) read more
Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand . Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Though Levi was excluded in the partition of the earthly Canaan, he is included among the partakers of the heavenly Canaan. read more
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... read more
Revelation 7:4-8. And I heard the number of them, a hundred and forty and four thousand This single passage, says the bishop of Meaux, may show the mistake of those who always expect the numbers in the Revelation to be precise and exact; for is it to be supposed, that there should be in each tribe twelve thousand believers, neither more nor fewer, to make up the total sum of one hundred and forty-four thousand? It is not by such trifles and low sense the divine oracles are to be... read more
Interval before the seventh seal (7:1-17)God gives John two additional visions before he reveals the vision of the final seal. He wants to reassure his people that he does not forget them during the difficult days when an ungodly world is preparing itself for judgment. God does not allow the winds of judgment to blow across the earth without thought for his people’s security. He knows those who are his and marks them out for his special protection (7:1-3; cf. Ezekiel 9:4-6). The repetition of... read more
were sealed. Omit. twelve. See App-197 . (5-8) These verses: foretell a literal sealing of a literal number of people taken from these tribes of Israel. No Jew now knows for certain his tribe, but the Divine sealers know 144,000 ( App-10 ) are set apart for God's purposes. Dan and Ephraim are omitted, Levi and Joseph taking their places. For the reason, see Leviticus 24:10-16 . Deuteronomy 29:18-21 .Judges 18:2-31 . 1Ki 12:26-38 . Hosea 4:17 . Their restoration to earthly inheritance is... read more
Revelation 7:5. Of the tribe of Judah, &c.— As the spiritual church of Christ was first formed out of the Jewish church and nation, so here the spiritual Israel is first mentioned; but the twelve tribes are not enumerated here in the same method and order as they are in other places of holy scripture. Judah has the precedence, becausefrom him descended the Messiah; Dan is entirely omitted, and Ephraim is not mentioned, because they were both the principal promoters of idolatry; and... read more
5-8. Judah (meaning praise) stands first, as Jesus' tribe. Benjamin, the youngest, is last; and with him is associated second last, Joseph. Reuben, as originally first-born, comes next after Judah, to whom it gave place, having by sin lost its primogeniture right. Besides the reason given above (see on Revelation 7:2), another akin for the omission of Dan, is, its having been the first to lapse into idolatry (Judges 18:1-31); for which same reason the name Ephraim, also (compare Judges 17:1-3;... read more
1. The sealing of 144,000 Israelites 7:1-8The scene continues to be on earth. read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 7:5
Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. There are various lists of the tribes in the Old Testament, no two of which present the same names in the same order. It does not seem probable that any special design underlies the selection and arrangement here. First, with regard to the selection, we observe that Dan and Ephraim are omitted, the number being completed by inserting Levi, Joseph, and Manasseh. Although Ephraim and Manasseh are sometimes inserted instead of Joseph and Levi,... read more