CHAPTER XI.

THE SEALED.

The twelve tribes of Israel-the twelve thousand sealed out of every tribethe rest who are not sealed.

"AND after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 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. Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand."

The twelve tribes, out of each of which 12,000 are sealed, cannot be the twelve tribes, or the people of Israel, as they were

1 Rev. vii., 1, &c.

naturally descended from Abraham, for neither their names nor order are the same as in the Mosaic list.

The tribes of Dan and Ephraim, wherein idolatry commenced and was carried to a great height, are omitted in the Revelation, and Joseph and Levi are mentioned instead of them.

66

Joseph appears to be named because pre-eminent blessings were conferred on him when Jacob foretold the fortunes of his sons: Blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breast and of the womb; the blessings of thy fathers have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills." The blessings of the breast and of the womb, unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills, seems to be a promise that his name should be always remembered.

The Levites were not numbered in the Jewish dispensation among their brethren, neither had they an inheritance among the children of Israel;2 for the Lord was their inheritance :3 but as, under the Christian, there is nothing peculiar or exclusive, all having the same inheritance amongst them who are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus, they will be reckoned with the other tribes. Moreover, Levites are expressly mentioned in a remarkable gospel prophecy. Thus, in Isaiah,5 the Lord says, They shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.

66

And

I will also take of them for priests and for Levites." As this is a Christian prophecy, foretelling in the terms of the law, the conversion of the Gentiles and the state of the Christian church, it is only in analogy with this and like prophecies, to find the tribe of Levi mentioned in a symbolical vision of the Revelation, the subject of which is the Christian church.

The Apocalyptic order of the tribes, and the Mosaic, are different: for in the latter Reuben is first, but in the former Judah, from whom the Lord sprang, has the precedence: and in the Old Testament, the children of Leah and Rachel are mentioned before the children of their respective maids; but in the New, there being, under the Gospel, "neither bond nor free,"

1 Genesis, xlix., 26, 27; Deut. xxx., 13. 2 Numbers, xviii., 24. 4 Acts, xxvi, 18; Rom. iv., 12, &c.; 1 Cor. iii., 21.

3 Deut. x., 9.

5 lxvi., 18. 21.

the children of the bond and free are mingled; and Joseph and Benjamin are last of all.

Hence, it would appear that the twelve tribes out of which the 144,000 are sealed, represent the entire Christian people or church. And this is confirmed by the symbols and language of scripture. For in the Bible, there is only one1 church, though existing in two different states: before the publication of the Gospel, she is "the good olive tree," as yet without grafts; after the preaching of it and the accession of the Gentiles, she is still the "good olive tree into which the wild olive (the Gentiles) has been grafted:" therefore, as the grafts partake of the "root and fatness,” and so of the nature of the "good olive tree,” they will be considered natural branches, and be called by the same name. And, accordingly, all faithful believers are regarded both in the Old Testament2 and in the New3 as the progeny of Abraham; and they are called by St. Paul "the children of" Sarah, "the seed of Abraham," "the Israel of God;" and by St. John' Jews," and "the names of the twelve tribes of Israel are written" on the gates of the "Holy Jerusalem."

66

Twelve thousand out of each of the twelve tribes, or 144,000 from the whole mass, are sealed.

THE SEALED ARE THE SERVANTS OF GOD.

Sealing is used in the scriptures to denote safety, preservation from pollution and holiness. Thus in Solomon's Song,5 "A garden enclosed, is my sister, my spouse;" a "spring shut up, a fountain sealed." "Him hath God the Father sealed."6 Now He which establisheth us with you in Christ is God; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.7 Ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.8 Consequently, the sealed are

1 Rom. xi, 17; Gal. iv. 2 Isaiah, li.; liv. 5 Gal. iii. 29, iv. 31, vi. 16; Rom. iv. 4 Rev. ii. 19, iii. 9, xxi. 12. 5 Song of Solomon, iv. 12. 8 Eph. i. 14, iv. 30.

6 John, vi. 27.

7 2 Cor. i. 21.

those who are preserved in a state of Christian purity and holiness, and are saved from impending calamities.

But the meaning of the sealing and of the entire of this part of the vision will, perhaps, be best collected from Ezekiel, ix., to which there is a manifest reference.

The greater part of the inhabitants of Jerusalem had become gross idolaters; and God having determined to punish the guilty and save the innocent, His purpose is revealed to the prophet in a "vision, whereby is shewed the preservation of some and the destruction of all the rest."

A man is seen clothed in a linen garment, with an ink horn, who is commanded to set a mark on all who shall be saved; and six men, with slaughter weapons, who are commanded to follow and slay all who have not been marked. "And the Lord said

unto him, Go, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men, that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others He said, in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite; let neither your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children, and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark: and begin at my sanctuary."

Sealing twelve thousand out of or from every tribe in the Apocalyptic vision, and leaving the remainder unsealed, denotes (as interpreted by Ezekiel) a very general corruption in the church, and that calamities were impending. But as God has many servants, the apostacy is not total; and the sealing of them implies that notwithstanding these corruptions, He would always have many servants, who should be preserved in the midst of those evils which were ready to assail the church, both from within and from without.2

"The sealing of the servants of God in their forehead, (Rev. vii.) was the same token of the care God has of his own people with this here; only this was to secure them from being destroyed, that from being seduced, which is equivalent.”—

Mathew Henry on Ezekiel.

2 As the heads of the twelve tribes of the Jewish nation represented the whole body of that people, so these true and faithful Christians are here styled the true Israel of God, who are built upon the foundation of the twelve apostles of Christ, steadily

I have no observations to make on verses 9-17; because they seem to me to predict a state of things which has not yet come to pass.

We shall now proceed to the first part of chapter viii., and having explained it, return to the storm, chapter vii.

adhering to the doctrine and worship taught by them. The number here mentioned, 144,000, is not intended to signify an exact number, but, generally, to show the number of sincere and virtuous to be considerable, though small in comparison with the greater number of apostate and idolatrous Christians in the future times of the church. Pyle cited by D'Oyly and Mant. And see Vitringa on this vision.