7:4-17

The Israel of God

 

Revelation 7:4:  And I heard the number of them which were sealed: [and there were] sealed an hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel

            This sealing represents the engrafting into the True Vine, Jesus, the true circumcision that was administered by Christ and made one a citizen of the True Israel, Jesus.  This is the sealing mentioned in Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30.  Christ was the “True Vine” of John 15:1-6.

            Moses had written of the backslidden Israel of his day:

For their vine [is] of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes [are] grapes of gall, their clusters [are] bitter: (Deut. 32:32)

 

            Jeremiah said:

Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? (Jer. 2:21)

 

            Hosea also said:

Israel [is] an empty vine; he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images. (Hosea 10:1)

 

            Christ is called “Israel” by the Psalmist:

Psalm 129:1-2 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say: 2 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me. 3 The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows.

 

            Other references to Jesus as Israel:  Matthew 2:15, referring to Hosea 11:1; Isaiah chapter 49, especially vss. 3, 6, 9, cited in Luke 2:32; 49:3, “my servant”= “O, Israel”, Jesus; Isaiah 52:13: “my servant” = Jesus.  See context of 52:14-15-53:12.  Jesus is The Kinsman-Redeemer of Zion, her Husband.  Jesus is the True Vine: John 15:1-6; The Branch; Isaiah 11:1; 60:21; Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15; Zechariah 3:8; 6:12-13.  All those grafted into the True Vine are “Israel”.

            Those who refused to believe in Jesus were “cut off”: Romans 11:17-23; Luke 20:9-19; Ezekiel 19:10-14; Acts 3:23.  Although they were all cut off because of unbelief: Romans 3:23; 5:12; 6:23; 11:32; Galatians 3:22; Isaiah 53:6; they who believed in Jesus were grafted back into the True Vine, Jesus. Romans 11:23.  Those who refused to believe withered and were cast into the fire and burned, John 15:6.  They were cut off because they did not believe Moses also: Deuteronomy 18:15; John 5:45-47; Acts 3:22-23; 7:37.

            Isaiah‘s chapter 53 describes Christ‘s suffering.  In verse 5 he mentions the scourging of Jesus, the stripes, which was the “plowers” who “plowed upon His back”:

But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

            The scourging of Jesus is mentioned in Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:5; John 19:1.  Matthew refers to Jesus as being Israel:

And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.” (Matt. 2:15.)

That “son” in the original passage is Israel: “When Israel [was] a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” (Hosea 11:1).  Those who claimed to be “Jews” but did not believe in Christ were pruned away, cast into the fire of judgment and were burned.  Those who turned from their unbelief were grafted back in to the True Vine.  The True Vine, however, continued to flourish.  The True Vine is Christ, the Israel of God.

 

Encampment of the Twelve Tribes

 

Revelation 7:4:  “A hundred and forty-four thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel”:  [See also through vs. 8; also 14:1-5.]

            The appearance of these one hundred and forty-four thousand is reminiscent of the encampment of the tribes of Israel as they journeyed toward the land of Canaan.  Each tribe was assigned a position in the encampment and this position was marked by their “standard,” that is, their flag or banner.

            Numbers 1:52-3 states the command for the ordering of the camps:

Every man by his own camp and every man by his own standard, but the Levites shall encamp around the tabernacle of the testimony. (RSV)

            Numbers chapter 2 gives the details of this order and the fact that it was by their order within the camps that each tribe was numbered and by which their order of marching was designated.  All of these positions were described relative to the position of the tabernacle which was to be in the very center of the encampment of all of the tribes with Levi immediately surrounding the tabernacle itself.

            The “standards” of each tribe are described by Rabbinical tradition[1] to have been: Judah, the lion; Ephraim, the ox; Reuben, a man; and Dan, an eagle.  The faces of the “four beasts” of Revelation 4:7 are the same as these standards.  The four constellations that marked the equinoxes and solstices in ancient times had the same name as these “four beasts.”  From this it is clear that the “standards” were representative of the constellations and that their order of marching represented the movement of these constellations, according to the Pattern of the Heavens.

            The animals probably derived their names from those of the constellations, and not vice versa.  The name ‘lion’ was given to the beast because he was higher, or superior to the other beasts; the name ‘eagle’ was given to the bird because of his superior strength and ability to fly high; the name ‘ox,’ or in Hebrew, aleph, was given to the leader of the flock, the oldest and strongest; but ‘man’ was given the name by his Creator and represented the head of all creation.

            We have seen that the “four beasts” around the throne actually are descriptive of the cherubim, or, from the way they appear from the perspective of the earth, constellations.

            Now that the old “Center of the earth”, as Jerusalem was called, is being destroyed, the tribes are reminded of the ancient order as it was patterned on the heavens and the real “Center of the Universe”, Jesus Christ, remaining sure and solid in spite of earthly chaos.  God’s throne has not been removed nor changed.  2 Corinthians 5:1.  (See also WS at 7:4 ‘Standard(s)’, ‘Ensign(s)’.)

 

Remnant of Israel

 

Revelation 7:4:  “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: [and there were] sealed an hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”

 

            The Old Testament doctrine of the remnant allowed a peculiar conception of ‘Israel.’ 

 

“The figure of the servant of Yahweh in Deutero-Isaiah [Isaiah 40-66] points to the same belief that all are not true Jews who are born of Abraham but only such as are included in the personal bond with Yahweh.  Hence the problem arises that S.A. Cook has emphasized as to the meaning of the term ‘Israel‘ in the Old Testament.  In certain places, of course, it stands for the northern kingdom, it can also apparently stand for Israel and Judah; and again for the ‘ideal’ or ‘true’ Israel that has responded to God.  Cook writes: ‘The prophets virtually introduce a new conception: it is no longer the group’s god but the god and a new group, not Israel‘s Yahweh but Yahweh’s Israel.  It is as though Yahweh started afresh, replacing an old association, such as that to which Amos refers (Amos 3.2, ‘you only have I known’), by a new Israel.  We can easily understand why Paul could so convincingly appeal to the prophets in his interpretation of the Church.  He, like them, was rediscovering the meaning of the term ‘Israel‘.[2]

 

“The Jews would be singularly unlike other people if they had understood their prophets and accepted their teaching, i.e. if they had accepted the view that their relationship with Yahweh was not natural and national but ethical and personal…. In other words the conception of Yahweh as Israel‘s God rather than of Israel as Yahweh’s people persisted; Israel after the flesh is still unsupplanted by Israel as an idea, ([in their minds at least] ibid.).

 

Thirteenth Tribe

 

Revelation 7:9:  “A great multitude which no man could number.”

 

            There is an ambiguous number of tribes throughout the Old Testament history.  Jacob, Israel, had twelve sons from which was named the twelve tribes of Israel.  However, the twelve tribes actually were thirteen when the tribe of Joseph is counted as two tribes, that is, Ephraim and Manasseh.

            Then, in dividing the land of Canaan for inheritance, there were only twelve divisions of territories, but the tribe of Levi was not given an allotment of land.  Therefore, counting the tribal allotments and Levi, there were thirteen.  This ambiguous number of tribes points to the fact that there was this hidden tribe in every reckoning, the thirteenth tribe which became manifest in Christ and included the great mixed multitude from every nation, kindred, tongue and people, (Revelation 7:9).  This multitude could therefore include all of those who had been dispersed and assimilated by the nations in the centuries of their history, who would otherwise have been excluded.

            Josephus speaks of the “tribe of Christians”:

He was the Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day (Ant. 18.3.3).  [Underlines mine.]

 

Temple

 

Rev. 7:15:  “And serve him day and night within his temple.”

 

            In His temple” – this temple is before the throne of God.  This is the New Testament temple, not made with hands, not corruptible nor defiled.

            Eusebius says:

This temple built of you yourselves, a living temple of a living God, the greatest truly majestic sanctuary, I say, whose innermost shrines are hidden from the mass of men and are in truth a Holy Place and a Holy of Holies, who would dare to examine and describe (10.4.18).

 

The Good Shepherd

 

Revelation 7:17:  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

 

            The Lamb is the Good Shepherd, leading His sheep beside the still waters of the river of life, feeding them and healing all their hurts.

            This is the Comfort that Isaiah proclaimed, (40:1):  Comfort ye, comfort ye my people.”  The message of comfort is that, although the fleshly lineage must wither away, the Life-giving Spirit of the Lord will breathe everlasting Life into those who walk in the Spirit and let the Living Word burn up the Flesh.  The great “Comfort” was to come through the new Life in the Spirit:  (Isaiah 40:6-8):  All flesh is grass.”  The grass, (the Flesh) withereth … because the Spirit (Breath) of the Lord bloweth upon it.”  Verse 8:

The grass (the Flesh) withereth … but the Word of the Lord, (the God-breathed Word) shall stand for ever.

 

40:9: O Zion … O Jerusalem, (the Holy City, Bride of Christ) that bringest Good Tidings, (‘the Gospel‘), lift up your voice with strength … say unto the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’  (40:11):

 

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

 

We see this fulfilled in Revelation 7:17.


[1]. ZPBD 154, article ‘Cherub’.

[2] As quoted by Davies Paul, 78.

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