Revelation 7

Revelation 7
Sealing the 144,000
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GtDDxKyDD4


“For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 7:17)
- Sealed Servants (144,000 from 12 Tribes) (Revelation 7:1-8)
- Saved Servants (from out of the Tribulation) (Revelation 7:9-17)


The 12 Tribes of Israel (Jacob)
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun (from Leah)
Dan, Naphtali (from Bilhah)
Gad, Asher (from Zilpah)
Joseph = Manasseh and Ephraim, Benjamin (from Rachel)


The Myth of the “10 Lost Tribes”
- There is no real Biblical basis for this. In fact, the Bible speaks otherwise: Epistles of James and 1 Peter all refer to the 12 Tribes.
- There are prophecies that speak of the 12 Tribes (If the Tribes are lost, why would the prophecies speak of them?): Genesis 49 (by Jacob); Deuteronomy 33 (by Moses)
- This myth is based on a misconception derived from the misreading of passages, such as 2 Kings 17:7-23, 2 Chronicles 6:6-11.


Israelite Kingdom Divided into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms
- 930 BC: Jeroboam rules the Northern Kingdom from his capital in Samaria (1 Kings 11:43-12:33).
- When Jeroboam turned the Northern Kingdom to idolatry, the Levites (and others who desired to remain faithful migrated south to Rehoboam) (2 Chronicles 11:14-17).
- Even before the Assyrian captivity, substantial numbers from the northern tribes remained loyal to the house of David (1 Kings 12:16-20; 2 Chronicles 11:16-17).
- Many of these people repudiated the Northern Kingdom and united with the Southern Kingdom in a common alliance to the house of David and to worship the Lord (2 Chronicles 19:4; 30:1, 10, 11, 25, 26; 34:5-7, 22; 35:17-18).
- Horrified that Jeroboam set up a rival religion with the golden calf worship at Bethel and Dan, many Northerners moved south, knowing that the only place acceptable to God was the Temple of Mt. Moriah (Deuteronomy 12:5-7; 16:2-6; Isaiah 18:7).
- Just like those who moved to the south for theological reasons, there were also those who favored idolatry that migrated north to Jeroboam.
- There was a lot of co-mingling of people between the different regions that were originally assigned to each specific 12 Tribes of Israel: When Asa reigned as king in the Southern Kingdom, another group of people came into the south from the Northern Kingdom (2 Chronicles 15:9).
- Years after the deportation by Assyria, King Hezekiah of Judah issued a call to all Israel to come and worship in Jerusalem and celebrate Passover (2 Chronicles 30:5-21). The call was to ALL Israel—not the Northern or the Southern Kingdom or the 10 lost Tribes, etc.
- 80 years later, King Josiah of Judah also issued a call, and an offering for the temple was received from “Manasseh and Ephraim and all the remnant of Israel…” (2 Chronicles 34:9).
- The point is, due to the long-term co-mingling of the 12 tribes (that is, for example, people of the Tribe of Manasseh didn’t just stay within the boundaries of their allotted land but moved according to theological, political, or other reasons), there are representatives of each of the 12 Tribes of Israel in the Southern Kingdom.


All 12 Tribes were represented in the Southern Kingdom
- God addresses the 12 Tribes in the south: “Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin…” (2 Chronicles 11:3) That is, all of Israel is represented in Judah and Benjamin (the Southern Kingdom).
- The “Tribe of Judah” is sometimes used idiomatically for the Southern Kingdom (2 Kings 17:18; Cf. 1 Kings 11:13, 32, etc.)
- When encountering tribal designations, it is important to distinguish between 1) the territories allocated to the tribes and 2) the people themselves. For example, a Californian can mean either a person from California or someone who lives in California. The same word is used to describe two people who can have different origins.


The Northern Kingdom Falls
- 724 BC: Shalmaneser V besieged Samaria 3 years (2 Kings 18:2). Note that Samaria is the capitol city of Israel.
- 721 BC: Sargon II seized power.
- The Assyrians implemented their infamous policy of mixing conquered people to keep them from organizing a revolt. Their tactic was to mix cultures and peoples so the entire population as a whole would be less likely to rebel. Israelite captives were mixed with Persians and Gentiles, etc.; strangers from far-off lands were resettled in Samaria. This allowed the mixing of Jews and Gentiles, giving forth to the Samaritans, the “half-blood” Jews that “pure-blood” Jews disdain (John 4) (pictured vividly in the New Testament but disapproved by Jesus).


The Babylonians Take Over
- 722 BC: When the Northern Kingdom went into captivity all 12 Tribes were also represented in the Southern Kingdom.
- 586 BC: When the Babylonians took the Southern Kingdom into captivity, members of all 12 Tribes of Israel were involved.
- Isaiah, prophesying to Judah, refers to them as the “House of Jacob, which is called by the name of Israel…” (Isaiah 48:1, 12-14)


Israelites and Jews
- Even before the death of Rehoboam, God looked upon all as a unity, seeing “all Israel in Judah and Benjamin” (2 Chronicles 11:3)
- After the Babylonian captivity, the terms Jew and Israelite are used interchangeably: Ezra calls the returning remnant “Jews” 8 times, “Israel” 40 times; Ezra speaks of “All Israel” (Ezra 2:70; 3:11; 8:35; 10:24); Nehemiah call them Jews 11 times, Israel 22 times; Nehemiah speaks of “all Israel being back in the land” (Nehemiah 12:47); the remnant who returned from Babylon is represented as “the nation” (Malachi 1:1)


God knows where those “10 lost Tribes” are
- In the New Testament, God is said to have offered Himself to the nation, “the lost sheep of the House of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6; 15:24).
- The New Testament speaks of “Israel” 75 times and “Jew” 174 times, and the two terms are used interchangeably (Acts 21:39; 22:3; Romans 11:1; 2 Corinthians 11:22; Philemon 3:5).
- The 12 Tribes were mentioned in Acts 26:7 and James 1:1. These apostles were not aware of the “10 lost Tribes.”
Israelites know their tribal identity
- Anna knew she was from the Tribe of Asher (Luke 2:30). She was living in Jerusalem, yet she was from a tribe in the Northern Kingdom back in the day.
- Paul knew he was of the Tribe of Benjamin. Paul called himself a Jew and a Israelite (Romans 11:1).
- Peter cries, “Ye men of Judea” (Acts 2:14), “Ye men of Israel” (Acts 2:22), and “All the house of Israel” (Acts 2:36). Peter used these three terms interchangeably.


Israel is prophesied to be re-gathered as one
- The Dry Bones Vision declares Judah and Israel shall be joined as one in the re-gathering (Ezekiel 37:16-17, 21-22).
- This is true today.


The Tribe of Dan is not included in the 12 Tribes of Revelation 7
- Jacob prophesied about the Tribe of Dan as “a serpent” (Genesis 49:17), giving it a hint of Satanic influences.
- Moses prophesied that the Tribe of Dan will “leap from Bashan” (Deuteronomy 33:22). The Tribe of Dan had gone astray from Israel long before being taken over by the Assyrians. For example, because they could not manage the land allotted to them by God (which was originally near the Tribe of Benjamin, in the south), they moved up to the very northern part of all the Tribes (Judges 18). Also, in the book of Judges, we see Deborah admonishing the Tribe of Dan for not helping Israel fight the battle. The Tribe of Dan wouldn’t even get off the boat (Judges 5:17)!
- The Tribe of Dan is omitted from genealogies detailing the 12 Tribes of Israel in 1 Chronicles 1-8.
- The Tribe of Dan is not sealed in the Tribulation (Revelation 7).
- Dan is a tribe through which idolatry entered the land (Leviticus 24:10-16; Judges 18:1-2, 30-31).
- Dan is a tribe that led in apostasy under Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:28-30) and also again 100 years later (2 Kings 10:29).
- The Tribe of Dan was called the “Voice of Calamity” (Jeremiah 4:14; Amos 8:14).
- The Tribe of Dan was called a curse (Jeremiah 8:16).
- God has made it clear that idolaters, including tribes of idolaters, would have their names be blotted out (Deuteronomy 29:18-21). Perhaps the Tribe of Dan has been blotted out?
- However, the Tribe of Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel (Genesis 49:16) and will inherit land in the Millennium (Ezekiel 48:1).
- Hence, it appears that the Tribe of Dan will not be protected during the Tribulation, but those who survive the hard way will inherit these blessings.


The Tribe of Ephraim is also not included in the 12 Tribes of Revelation 7
- The Tribe of Joseph can be broken down to the Tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, because Jacob adopted Joseph’s two sons as his own. Since Manasseh is one of the 12 Tribes protected through the Tribulation, then one would expect Ephraim to also be represented (to fully represent the Tribe of Joseph). However, Joseph is another one of the 12 Tribes protected instead, leaving out Ephraim. Why?
- Ephraim was also associated with jeroboam’s idolatry (Hosea 4:17). The golden calf in Bethel was located in Ephraim.


The Tribulation Saints are not the same as the 24 Elders (Revelation 7:14)
- Both the Tribulation Saints and the 24 Elders are redeemed, but they represent two different groups.
- The Tribulation Saints are those who served the Lord faithfully and martyred for their faith in the Lord. Although the Holy Spirit will be removed upon the Rapture, these saints will still be able to do God’s work because the Holy Spirit work through the Two Witnesses and also the 144,000 Jewish remnants who will then become hot for Jesus.
- The 24 Elders include those who served the Lord faithfully up to the Rapture.


The Tribulation Saints
- Not crowned
- Palms in their hands
- Saved “out of” the Tribulation
- Stand BEFORE thrones
- Serve Him day and night
- Not recognized by John (one of the Elders had to explain to John who they were; this suggests that John is not among the Tribulation Saints—another nugget to support the pre-Tribulation Rapture theory)


The 24 Elders
- Crowned
- Harps, no palms, in their hands
- “Kept out of the Tribulation (Revelation 3:10)
- Sit on thrones (1 Corinthians 6:2-3; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6)
- Reign as kings and priests (1 Corinthians 6:2-3; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6)