The same Israel or something new?
7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel, 5 twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand of the tribe of Gad, 6 twelve thousand of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand of the tribe of Naph′tali, twelve thousand of the tribe of Manas′seh, 7 twelve thousand of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand of the tribe of Is′sachar, 8 twelve thousand of the tribe of Zeb′ulun, twelve thousand of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Benjamin.
From the rising of the sun obviously means from the east. This is a hearkening to the eucharistic prophecy in Malachi chapter 1. From the east is a foundational expression of our Christian faith as coming from that area of the world. From this term, from the east, we get the word Easter.
Atheists seize on the idea of the four winds or corners as showing that Bible believers are flat earthers. Nothing could be further from the truth. First, the language is symbolic and second, it is symbolic of viewing the earth as a Temple, not as a plate. They believed the Temple in Jerusalem was a symbolic representation of the world.
The harm of the earth and the sea and the tree represents the utter destruction starring down this area. The sealing represents the seal of Baptism, the indelible mark of the Christian. If you are waiting today to see an angel with a giant stamper flying down sealing thousands of people, you are going to be waiting a while. This is a huge allegorical depiction of a tremendous miracle. There were over 1 million people killed during the siege on Jerusalem....
but no Christians. All the Christians survived because they heeded the warning of Jesus and fled.
Those who see this as a futuristic restoration of the Old Covenant Israel have to explain something.
The 12 sons of Jacob were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. However, the list here is a little bit different. Dan has been removed and replaced with Mannaseh. Mannaseh was Joseph's son. He was a grandson of Jacob, not a son.
It is true that Joseph's two sons- Manasseh and Ephraim were elevated to the status of full tribes after Jacob's firstborn forsook his birthright after his transgression with Bilhah (Genesis 48:5) but that explanation fails to suffice here for 3 reasons.
While both Ephraim and Manasseh were elevated, in honor of their father Joseph, only Manasseh is listed here.
Joseph is placed back on the list.
The son who transgressed was Rueben but he, also, was put back on the list.
The son removed is Dan.
Is this a mistake? An oversite?
It does not appear to be.
Clearly the early church did not think it was a mistake and there are two foundational principles that are drawn from this. Let's deal with them one at a time.
The promised restoration of Israel is a centerpiece of Dispensationalist and Zionist though. The idea that God intends to restore the nation of Israel before the end of days.
Some people believe this occurred in 1948. The truth is that it occurred in 33 AD.
This first principle is that the Catholic church is this restored kingdom of Israel and Jesus is the Davidic King. Paul puts it so well in Romans Chapter 9:
6 But it is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his descendants; but “Through Isaac shall your descendants be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are reckoned as descendants. 9 For this is what the promise said, “About this time I will return and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebecca had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad, in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of his call, 12 she was told, “The elder will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
Thus, the 144,000 from every tribe symbolizes the completion and perfection and sealing in Baptism of this new Israel, protected from the coming wrath just as the Israelites of the Old Covenant were protected from the plague of the firstborn.
The Second principle is an interesting one for end-timers.
Early church writers such as Jerome and Augustine, gleaned from Scripture that the removal of Dan from the list here, foreshadows that the anti-christ would be descended from this tribe. When we look at Israel's blessing of his 12 sons (Genesis 49), it is easy to see the Messianic prophecy of Judah.
Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion’s whelp;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down, he couched as a lion,
and as a lioness; who dares rouse him up?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs;[d]
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
11 Binding his foal to the vine
and his ass’s colt to the choice vine,
he washes his garments in wine
and his vesture in the blood of grapes;
12 his eyes shall be red with wine,
and his teeth white with milk.
Who could fail to see these words fulfilled in Christ?
Take care then, to heed what he says about Dan.
16 Dan shall judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way,
a viper by the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that his rider falls backward.
Not only is the Paul and the early church implying that the "Nation of Israel" as we understood it, would serve the younger church, we have already seen this. Recall that Jesus told the 7 churches that the Synagogue of Satan would bow before them. Now we have some insight to why they are called this. Not only are these new Jews not of the true and authentic Jewish faith but the antichrist will actually arise from them in the future.
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.”
Isn't it interesting that we have two groups or classes of saints that are shown in heaven. First, we are given a group of 144,000 from the 12 restored tribes. Is this 144,000 a literal number or just a model of perfection- 12 x 12 x 1,000. I don't know.
However, in verse 9, we are shown a different group of saints from every tribe, nation and tongue and this number is such that no one could count it.
What I am going to show you is that the 12 restored sons of Israel represent the 12 Apostles, the 144,000 represent the Priesthood that would follow them by Apostolic succession and the great multitude are the countless millions who would eventually be saved through that church.
This, here, as the immediate events are about to unfold, we are being shown the long-term, future consequences that will eventually culminate in the rise and defeat of antichrist by Jesus' church.
10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!”
The definitive declaration is that the Old Covenant model is through, and the reign of the Father and Son has arrived and those who oppose it are antichrists (1 John 2:22)
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence.16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
There are people who try and get around verses like this by creating a scenario where one set of believers are saved by faith alone but another set are saved by going through, and overcoming the tribulation. The great question is whether we look at this as the great tribulation staring down Jerusalem in 68 AD or the great tribulation of the end times of which we know only sketchy details. The answer is not either /or, it is both /and.
The context of this is important. Concentrate on the what here and not so much the when. God is showing you the bigger picture. There is profound depth here. Concentrate on this profound truth. They have come through tribulation and washed their robes in the blood of the lamb.
That statement should hit you like a ton of bricks.
OUR tribulations apply the blood OF THE LAMB to our robes.
Let me repeat that.
OUR tribulations apply the blood OF THE LAMB to our robes.
They have washed their robes in His blood by their own tribulations.
This cuts to the very core of how we are saved and how the protestant formulations just don't work. Jesus did not come and suffer and die to remove us from the battle and impose salvation on us. Jesus came to join us in the battle and win victory with us. It is just overpowering.
What is absolutely lost on the faith vs works crowd is that Paul and James are both exploring the opposite extremes of facing this question. Opposite extremes that are both manifested by pride. Pride is really an inability to see ourselves truly as we are and how we stand.
On the one hand, we can fall into the trap of believing in our own holiness and commit the sins of boasting and contempt but on the other hand, we can convince ourselves that salvation is given to us like a Christmas present with nothing needed on our part.
The gospels are clear, and so are these passages, that both of those views are very wrong. The true believer becomes crucified with Christ so that He doesn't fight the battle for us nor do we fight the battle for Him but in a mysterious and beautiful synergy and symphony, we fight it together.
Without Him, I can't.
Without me, He won't.
~ Augustine
The nasty boss who has you so stressed out? The unreasonable neighbor? That nagging illness or injury or even death and grief. They have value. They are the scrubbing that washes your robes in His blood. It is just overpowering.
It is very important that you read clearly what is said.
You cannot hunger no more nor thirst, nor be exposed to the sun or the scorching heat unless you have been hungry, thirsty and exhausted and burdened by the heat.
You cannot have your tears wiped away unless you have tears to be wiped away. Suffering is the cost of discipleship.
Matthew 5
5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
God's declaration of salvation is here. We are not saved by our works- independent from God. We are not saved by God- without our cooperation. We are saved by Grace, received by faith and cooperated with by love.
Join us next time for Chapter 8.
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