1. After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.
2. Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:
3. "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."
4. Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
5. From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6. from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7. from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8. from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
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Reflection |
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Boundary Lines (7:1–3)
There is some suspense in these verses (similar to that in Ezekiel 9:4–6): God’s judgment is about to be unleashed on the world like water bursting forth from a dam. In the Jewish understanding of the end times, the reference to the blowing of the wind was not taken lightly as if it were a warm, summer breeze, but instead it is a manifestation of God’s judgment. God’s judgment and wrath are about to be poured out upon the earth, but another angel suddenly comes to the scene and, speaking with God’s authority, stops the other angels from carrying out their task. This angel comes with a seal to mark those who belong to God. There will be a clear distinction between those who are God’s people and those who are not.
The Winning Team (7:4–8)
The list of the tribes in these verses is a fascinating inclusion by the author. The arrangement of the tribes bears some similarity to the census taken by Israel in Numbers 1:20–46. Any time a census was taken, it was usually for the purpose of determining military strength. This implies that the 144,000 in this list make up the army of the Lion of Judah (5:5), Jesus Christ. This is why the tribe of Judah is listed first, because He will personally lead His army to battle against His enemies—and He will be victorious!
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Application |
- Some people consider themselves independent and autonomous, but as we see in these verses, there is no neutral ground. You are either God’s, or you are not. Whose side are you on?
- Although there will be a final battle between the army of the Lion and the army of darkness, Jesus already won the war when He died on the cross. Do not be intimidated by the enemy.
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A Letter to
God |
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Father, thank you for saving me and bringing me to Your side through Jesus Christ. Please continue to give me the strength to persevere and resist the enemy and his many efforts to take me back to darkness. In Jesus’ victorious name. Amen.
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