Author: Charlie Garrett

Friday, 11 December 2020

of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed. Revelation 7:8

The list of the servants of God who are of the children of Israel that are sealed in the future tribulation period is completed with this verse. To finish the list, John begins by saying, “of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed.” Zebulun was the youngest son of Leah and his name means “Glorious Dwelling Place.”

John next states, “of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed.” Joseph is the first son of Jacob’s wife, Rachel. He became Pharaoh’s right-hand man in leading all of Egypt. His name means “He Will Add.”

John finishes the list saying, “of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.” Benjamin is the second son of Rachel, and the last recorded of Jacob’s natural sons. His name means “Son of My Right Hand.”

Of note is that Joseph’s youngest son, Ephraim, isn’t mentioned in this sealing of the twelve tribes, but he was given the greater blessing by his grandfather Israel and therefore is certainly represented by Joseph. In other words, where Joseph is mentioned, we can infer that these 12,000 sealed include the tribe of Ephraim. Thus, all of the tribes, with the exception of Dan are mentioned and sealed.

As previously noted, many have tried to insert the church into these verses and claim that what is seen here is the church spiritually representing Israel. Other aberrant cults have claimed that they are the spiritual fulfillment of these sealed Israelites. Such claims are nonsense. Only an extremely poor interpretation, one biased against a literal reading of the Bible, or one that is possibly anti-Semitic, could hold this view.

Here are the blessings given by Israel to these three sons –

“Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea;
He shall become a haven for ships,
And his border shall adjoin Sidon.” Genesis 49:13

“Joseph is a fruitful bough,
A fruitful bough by a well;
His branches run over the wall.
²³ The archers have bitterly grieved him,
Shot at him and hated him.
²⁴ But his bow remained in strength,
And the arms of his hands were made strong
By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
²⁵ By the God of your father who will help you,
And by the Almighty who will bless you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
²⁶ The blessings of your father
Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors,
Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.
They shall be on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.” Genesis 49:22-26

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
In the morning he shall devour the prey,
And at night he shall divide the spoil.” Genesis 49:27

Life application: It is obvious that there are literary tools used in the book of Revelation such as allegory, idiomatic expressions, and so on. These need to be interpreted as best as one can from the context of other such uses in Scripture. There are also things that are clearly not merely literary tools, but they are rather to be taken literally. At times, it may be hard to determine every instance of such things. However, there are some things that are presented that are obvious on the surface.

For example, when the Bible speaks of Israel, it is referring to Israel – not the church. What happened to Israel in the past can be used as examples for the church and its dealings with God through Christ (see 1 Corinthians 10:11), but this does not mean that Israel suddenly becomes the church.

Keeping the theological categories straight, and not mixing what is in those separate boxes, will keep us from great error. The only way to really be sure of such things is to read the word constantly, growing in understanding as what has been read is pondered and stored away for future reference.

Such an attitude should be a self-imposed obligation on each person who claims to follow Christ. The only way to know God personally is to know Jesus Christ. The only way to know Jesus Christ is to know the word of God. Read the word, cherish the word, and meditate on the word at all times. In it you will find peace and soundness of mind. In it you will find proper theology. And, in it you will find JESUS.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your faithfulness to the sons of Israel, even in the midst of their unfaithfulness. Likewise, for those who have called to You through Jesus, You keep every promise and You are ever-faithful in Your dealings with your redeemed. We know that, despite ourselves, You will also keep us in Your grasp, and You will bring us to Your everlasting home. Great and faithful are you, O God. Hallelujah and Amen!

Thursday, 10 December 2020

of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed; Revelation 7:7

The list of the descendants of Israel who are sealed continues in this verse, starting with, “of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed.”

Simeon was the second son of Israel’s wife, Leah. His name means “Heard.”

Next, John says, “of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed.”

Levi is the third son of Leah. His name means “Attached.”

John next continues with, “of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed.”

Issachar means “Wages.”

An interesting note concerning this verse is the mentioning of Levi. Under the Law of Moses, the Old Covenant, Levi had no inheritance of land because they were the priests. Because of this, they were given cities within the land areas of the other tribes. But here in Revelation, they are sealed among the other tribes.

This means that one tribe, Dan, is left out of these verses. What this appears to indicate is that Levi is to no longer be singled out as a priestly class. Instead, it is on the same level as the other tribes. And considering the tenets of the New Covenant, this makes complete sense. Here are the blessings of these sons by Israel from Genesis 49 –

“Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.
⁶ Let not my soul enter their council;
Let not my honor be united to their assembly;
For in their anger they slew a man,
And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.
⁷ Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;
And their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will divide them in Jacob
And scatter them in Israel.” Genesis 49:5-7

 “Issachar is a strong donkey,
Lying down between two burdens;
¹⁵ He saw that rest was good,
And that the land was pleasant;
He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden,
And became a band of slaves.” Genesis 49:14, 15

Israel noted that Simeon and Levi would be divided in Israel and this is what happened. Levi, as the priestly class, was disbursed among the tribes and Simeon received its land within the borders of Judah. The tribe not sealed in Revelation, Dan, never claimed its intended property inheritance (Joshua 19:40-48) when it was allotted. This may be why they aren’t mentioned here, but the variety of speculation on this goes on and on.

Life application: It has been noted that the listing of these twelve tribes in Revelation 7 is complicated, and the speculation on why they are listed as they are is extensive. What should not be in doubt, however, is that these are actual tribes of the people of Israel. They are not allegorical divisions of the church. Nor do they validate nutty cults who make ludicrous claims that they are the fulfillment of these divine promises.

The Lord faithfully promised to preserve Israel, and He has. He has promised that they, as a nation, will enter into the New Covenant. He has even said explicitly when this will happen in Luke 13:35. His unfailing faithfulness to this unfaithful group of people is because He has covenanted with them. In the New Covenant, believers are given the promise of eternal salvation. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee.

If you are struggling with the Lord’s faithfulness to you because you have committed some great and terrible sin, all you need to do is come back and look at Israel. They remain a people despite themselves, and you will remain saved despite your own failings. Just be sure to ignore any pastor, preacher, or teacher who says you can lose your salvation. That person does not understand what the word “grace” means. Cling to the unmerited favor you have been granted, and trust in the faithfulness of God in Christ to carry you through to His place of promised rest.

Lord, it is so precious to look into Your word and to contemplate the reasons for the mysteries it holds. Open our eyes and our understanding to ensure that what we conclude is proper and aligned with Your intent. Let us not deviate from sound and reasonable explanations of these hidden treasures. Thank You for Your precious word! Amen.

Wednesday, 9 December 2020

of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed; Revelation 7:6

The listing of the servants of God in relation to who their tribe is continues in this verse, beginning with John saying, “of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed.”

Asher was the second son born to Leah’s handmaid Zilpah. His name means “Happy.”

Next, John says, “of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed.”

Naphtali was the second son of Rachel’s handmaid Bilhah. His name means “My Wrestling.”

The verse then finishes with, “of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed.”

Manasseh was the firstborn son of Joseph, Rachel’s oldest son. His name means “Forgetting.”

When Israel moved to Egypt, he took Joseph’s two sons for his own, to be counted as a part of his clan. By doing this, they were elevated to the same level as his eleven other sons and this meant that the double portion which came with the birthright was given to Joseph. Although this may be a bit confusing, it was a way for Israel to honor Joseph. The blessings bestowed upon these three by Israel are:

To Asher –

“Bread from Asher shall be rich,
And he shall yield royal dainties.” Genesis 49:20

To Naphtali –

“Naphtali is a deer let loose;
He uses beautiful words.” Genesis 49:21

To Manasseh (and his brother Ephraim) –

“God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,
¹⁶ The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil,
Bless the lads;
Let my name be named upon them,
And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” Genesis 48:15, 16

Life application: The two sons of Joseph were elevated to the same status among Israel as the sons of Jacob, thus being entitled to the status as tribes of Israel. They had done nothing to merit this, but Jacob decided it would be so. And more, Jacob knowingly guided his hands in order to place his right hand upon the younger brother, Ephraim, elevating him above his brother Manasseh. And yet, it is Manasseh who is named in Revelation as a tribe, and Joseph stands in place of Ephraim.

In each of these actions, the sons received what they were given apart from any merit. Thus, what they received was grace. It is important for us to remember that Christ Jesus died for us while we were sinners. We had done nothing to merit the favor of God in Christ, and yet we – through a simple act of faith – are brought into the family of God and are made sons in His family. In fact, Scripture tells us that we are made “heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ” in this relationship (Romans 8:17).

Such is the nature of God’s wonderful hand of grace. Believe the gospel, trust that it is sufficient to save your soul with an eternal salvation, and then be sure to contemplate the love of God in Christ. He is the Heir of all things and He has offered to share that with His people. Great and glorious is He. He is JESUS!

Lord, it is so wonderful to see how You have worked through real people in human history to unfold Your beautiful plan of redemption. Use each of us also, Lord, in the way that will bring You the most honor and glory. We thank You that we can be a small part of Your loving work in and through the people of the world. Amen.

Tuesday, 8 December 2020

of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed; Revelation 7:5

The instruction to withhold judgment on the earth until the sealing of God’s servants has been called out. The total number of them to be sealed is one hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. That number is now further refined.

The amount of analysis and of speculation on the order of the names is immense. Of particular note concerning the tribes is that Joseph is given instead of his son Ephraim, and that the tribe of Dan is also omitted.

Some other relevant facts are that the sons are not listed according to birth order. For example, Reuben was the firstborn. Judah is the fourth son, and yet he is mentioned first. They were both born to Leah.

Also, the twelve names specifically form six pairs. Placing Judah first seems reasonable because it became the prominent tribe, and it is also the tribe Christ Jesus came through. Reuben being second is paired with him.

The next pairings are Gad and Asher who were both born to the maidservant Zilpah and in that order. Next are Naphtali and Manasseh. Naphtali was born to Bilhah and Manasseh was born to Joseph and his wife in Egypt. Next, Simeon and Levi are mentioned. They were both born to Leah and in that order. They are followed by Issachar and Zebulun, they were the last two born to Leah, and they were born in that order. The last paring is Joseph and Benjamin, the two naturally born of Rachel.

In the list, then, six come through Leah, three come through Rachel (because Manasseh is from Joseph who is from Rachel), two come through Zilpah, and one comes through Bilhah.

As all of the four mothers of the children of Israel are represented, the main idea here is that the list does not neglect any of those four main branches. To come to the number of tribes as twelve varies in lists from the first in Genesis to those in Deuteronomy 33 and to those in Ezekiel. In these varied lists, different inclusions or exclusions are made. There are many speculations on why this is so, and none are without their own difficulties. In the end, a listing of twelve is given to retain the Bible’s standard of “perfection of government.”

With that as an all-too-brief accounting for the names, John begins the list, saying, “of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed.” The modern term “Jew” comes from the name Judah. Judah means “praise.”  It is therefore the prominent tribe even today. Here we have a lesson which is seen time and again throughout the Bible – “Let the Praise of God always go first.” This is a great spiritual application that we should apply to our own lives and our prayer time as well.

It next says, “of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed.” Reuben was the firstborn of Israel, but he lost his right to the birthright because he slept with Bilhah, his father’s concubine. Reuben means “See, a Son.”

John next says, “of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed.” Gad was the firstborn of Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah – Jacob’s first wife. Gad means “A Troop” or “Fortune.”

These are the blessings for each of these sons of Israel as given by their father before his death –

 “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s children shall bow down before you.
⁹ Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He bows down, he lies down as a lion;
And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
¹⁰ The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
¹¹ Binding his donkey to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
He washed his garments in wine,
And his clothes in the blood of grapes.
¹² His eyes are darker than wine,
And his teeth whiter than milk.” Genesis 49:8-12

“Reuben, you are my firstborn,
My might and the beginning of my strength,
The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.
⁴ Unstable as water, you shall not excel,
Because you went up to your father’s bed;
Then you defiled it—
He went up to my couch.” Genesis 49:3, 4

 “Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him,
But he shall triumph at last.” Genesis 49:19

Life application: The sealing of those of Israel is a record of the faithfulness of God to His covenant promises. Israel was (and to this day is) faithfully unfaithful to the Lord, and yet their unfaithfulness in no way negates His faithfulness.

We have in the sealing of these people of Israel a listing that demonstrates that the Lord is not through with this group of people, and they will be used in the future to meet His purposes. Over-analyzing the listing may cause us to miss the most important point, which is that Israel has been preserved, they stand today, and they will stand in the future. This is because the Lord is faithful and true to His word.

As this is true with Israel, it is certainly true with each person who has entered into the New Covenant through the precious shed blood of Christ.

You have ordained all things, O Lord, and You have safely protected what You have ordained, including the children of Israel. Thank You for Your everlasting faithfulness to those who have not always been faithful to You. We can know that because of this, we are equally secure in You. Amen.

Monday, 7 December 2020

And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: Revelation 7:4

News Flash: When the Bible says “Israel,” it is speaking of an ethnic group of people who today are the Jewish people, not anyone else. Israel does not refer to the Jehovah’s Witnesses; British Israelism; Black Hebrew Israelites; Israelite Church of God; the Church of God, International; or a litany of other people who falsely claim they are the descendants of the Hebrew people (Israel) found in Scripture, or the “ten lost tribes” (which are not lost at all).

Nor does the church replace the people of Israel to become “spiritual Israel,” as claimed by replacement theologians. These are false claims and/or extremely poor analyses of Scripture. They are to be rejected outright.

Concerning the subject verse, the words of this verse are referring to “the servants of God” who are to be sealed on their foreheads, as was noted in the previous verse. Of them, it now says, “And I heard the number of those who were sealed.”

A specific number of the “servants of God” are to be sealed, and the number is heard by John. There is a specific number decided upon, just as there are a certain number of Gentiles who will be included in the portion of the redemptive narrative known as the church age. This is explicitly stated by Paul in Romans 11:25 (see commentary on Revelation 6:11).

God is building a house out of His people who are “living stones” (1 Peter 2:4, 6). This is “for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). Such terminology means that God has a plan. He is building something out of the redeemed. As this is so, it would hardly be expected that he would be imprecise in numbers. Rather, with God there is only perfection. Every aspect of what He is doing is precise and serves an exacting purpose. Concerning these servants of God to be sealed, the same is true. Understanding that, John hears the number. It is “One hundred and forty-four thousand.”

The number is precise and obviously serves its own particular purpose. That will be analyzed as the verses continue. However, and getting a bit ahead of the narrative, it will be seen that there are twelve tribes mentioned, and there will be twelve thousand from each tribe that are sealed. It calls out for understanding what the number twelve signifies in Scripture. EW Bullinger states that it –

“…is a perfect number, signifying perfection of government, or of governmental perfection. It is found as a multiple in all that has to do with rule. The sun which “rules” the day, and the moon and stars which “govern” the night, do so by their passage through the twelve signs of the Zodiac which completes the great circle of the heavens of 360 (12 x 30) degrees or divisions, and thus govern the year.
Twelve is the product of 3 (the perfectly Divine and heavenly number) and 4 (the earthly, the number of what is material and organic).
While seven is composed of 3 added to 4, twelve is 3 multiplied by 4, and hence denotes that which can scarcely be explained in words, but which the spiritual perception can at once appreciate, viz., organization, the products denoting production and multiplication and increase of all that is contained in the two numbers separately. The 4 is generally prominently seen in the twelve.”

In short, twelve is the number of perfection of government, or of governmental perfection. With this understood, John says, “of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed.”

As noted in the important News Flash above, this is referring to actual descendants of the people of Israel who have been regathered as a people, and who are living in the land of Israel today, with many still living in the nations of the world, but who are identified by their Jewish heritage. As a proof that this is referring to this group of people, and not the church having replaced Israel, one can go to the final Leviticus 26 sermon from the Superior Word which clearly reveals this.

This truth is also discussed throughout the Deuteronomy sermons of the Superior Word. One of note is the sermon on Deuteronomy 8:10-20, entitled “And You Shall Remember the Lord Your God.” Sermons such as these clearly reveal that God is faithful to this unfaithful group of people, and that it is they who are referred to in the book of Revelation.

As an example of the lightbulb properly lit on this issue, even scholars of the past – long before Israel was regathered as a nation – were able to deduce this. For example, speaking of the regathering of the people, Israel, Amos 9:14, 15 says –

“’I will bring back the captives of My people Israel;
They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them;
They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.
¹⁵ I will plant them in their land,
And no longer shall they be pulled up
From the land I have given them,’
Says the Lord your God.”

Although most scholars of the past spiritualized or disregarded these words as some type of allegory, several scholars looked to the seemingly impossible, and anticipated a literal fulfillment of them –

“And they shall no more be pulled up – Most certainly this prophecy has never yet been fulfilled. They were pulled out by the Assyrian captivity, and by that of Babylon. Many were planted in again, and again pulled out by the Roman conquest and captivity, and were never since planted in, but are now scattered among all the nations of the earth. I conclude, as the word of God cannot fail, and this has not yet been fulfilled, it therefore follows that it will and must be fulfilled to the fullness of its spirit and intention. And this is established by the conclusion: “Saith the Lord thy God.” He is Jehovah, and cannot fail; he is Thy God, and will do it. He can do it, because he is Jehovah; and he will do it, because he is Thy God. Amen.” Adam Clarke (1762-1832)

“…and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God; by which it appears that this is a prophecy of things yet to come; since the Jews, upon their return to their own land after the Babylonish captivity, were pulled up again, and rooted out of it by the Romans, and remain so to this day; but, when they shall return again, they will never more be removed from it; and of this they may he assured; because it is the land the Lord has, ‘given’ them, and it shall not be taken away from them any more; and, because he will now appear to be the “Lord their God”, the ‘loammi’, Hosea 1:9, will be taken off from them; they will be owned to be the Lords people, and he will be known by them to be their covenant God; which will ensure all the above blessings to them, of whatsoever kind; for this is either said to the prophet, “the Lord thy God”, or to Israel; and either way it serves to confirm the same thing.” John Gill (1697-1771).

First and foremost, to understand sections of the Bible – such as these words in Revelation 7 – there must be an acceptance of God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises. If God were unfaithful to the nation of Israel, there would be no security for the believer in Christ. But God has used Israel as a template for eternal security in the individual believer. When the Bible speaks of Israel, it is referring to this group of people, and none other.

Life application: There is a complete structural unity to the number of people being sealed. And, this is occurring during the tribulation period, which is the 70^th “week” or 7-year period of Daniel’s 70 weeks (see Daniel 9:24-27). This is speaking about the Jewish people and it is centered on Jerusalem, not the church. Only an extremely poor and/or anti-Semitic view of the Bible could come up with a “spiritual Israel” interpretation. Further, only an arrogant but false claim by fringe cults can be made by groups who attempt to co-opt the right to be called something they are not (as noted in those named in the News Flash above).

Rather, those referred to in this verse are the descendants of Abraham, through Isaac, and then through Jacob/Israel. They are Jews who are being sealed for God’s purposes as He deals with the world through the Jewish nation once again.

In accepting this truth, we – as believers in Christ through the New Covenant in His blood – can have the absolute confidence that He will deal with us according to the same covenant faithfulness that He has dealt with the disobedient people, Israel. Their unfaithfulness to Him in no way negates His faithfulness to His word. In Christ, we have the absolute surety of eternal salvation because God – who is ever faithful – has done it.

God in Christ has spoken, and He will perform. He is the embodiment of faithfulness and truth. He is JESUS!

Lord God, help us to not be deceived by those who would purposely or carelessly misapply the clear and concise statements of the Bible for selfish, hateful, or other reasons. May You open our eyes to the truth of Your word and lead us in the proper handling of it so that You will be glorified through our studies. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.