Revelation 7:8 Kommentar

The things contained in this chapter came in after the opening of the six seals, which foretold great calamities in the world; and before the sound of the seven trumpets, which gave notice of great corruptions arising in the church: between these comes in this comfortable chapter, which secures the graces and comforts of the people of God in times of common calamity. We have, I. An account of the restraint laid upon the winds (Rev 7:1-3). II. The sealing of the servants of God (Rev 7:4-8). III. The songs of angels and saints on this occasion (Rev 7:9-12). IV. A description of the honour and happiness of those who had faithfully served Christ, and suffered for him (Rev 7:13, etc.).

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 7 This chapter contains a vision seen at the end of the sixth, and at the opening of the seventh seal, which expresses the security of the saints in all ages following, the praises of angels and men on that account, and the happiness of all the people of God in the millennium state. First, a vision of four angels is seen restraining the winds from blowing on the earth, sea, and trees, Rev 7:1; then of another angel, described by the place from whence he came, the east; by what he had, the seal of the living God, and by his cry to the four angels not to hurt the earth, sea, and trees, until the servants of God were sealed, Rev 7:2, and then follows the number of the sealed ones in general, Rev 7:4, and the particular number of them out of each tribe of Israel, Rev 7:5. After which is another vision of all the elect of God together, described by the numberless multitude of them; by their descent from all nations; by their position and situation before the throne, and the Lamb; by their habit and attire, and by their loud cry, ascribing salvation to God, and to the Lamb, Rev 7:9, who are joined by all the angels around them, worshipping God, and ascribing glory to him, Rev 7:11. And next is described the happiness of this numerous company, in the thousand years' reign, introduced by some discourse which passed between John, and one of the elders, Rev 7:13, who are said to be before the throne, to serve God continually, and to have his presence, Rev 7:15, to be free from everything troublesome and distressing, Rev 7:16, and to be fed by the Lamb, and to be led by him to fountains of living water, and to have all their tears wiped away from them, Rev 7:17.

Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand,.... Which signifies "dwelling", Gen 30:20; and was the tribe in which Christ had his dwelling, and where he much conversed; and may denote his gracious inhabitation, as well as that of God the Father, md of the Spirit, among the saints and sealed ones. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand; whose name signifies "adding", Gen 30:24; and may intend the additions both of numbers, and of gifts and graces to the churches of those times. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand; this word signifies "the Son of the right hand", Gen 35:18; showing, that these sealed ones are as a signet on God's right hand, and are as near and dear unto him as a man's right hand is to him; see Psa 80:17. Now twelve thousand out of each tribe make just the number of a hundred forty and four thousand, Rev 7:4; the tribe of Dan is not mentioned, it may be because of the apostasy of that tribe, one of Jeroboam's golden calves being set up there; showing that God had no sealed ones of that sort, and instead of him Levi is reckoned; though that tribe had no part in the division of the land of Israel, yet had a part in Christ, and is therefore mentioned in this mystical account. Nor is the name of Ephraim used, it may be for the same reason; there having been a great defection in that tribe from the pure worship of God, and instead of him the name of Joseph appears.

"And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God" He speaks of Elias the prophet, who is the precursor of the times of Antichrist, for the restoration and establishment of the churches from the great and intolerable persecution. We read that these things are predicted in the opening of the Old and New Testament; for He says by Malachi: "Lo, I will send to you Elias the Tishbite, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, according to the time of calling, to recall the Jews to the faith of the people that succeed them." And to that end He shows, as we have said, that the number of those that shall believe, of the Jews and of the nations, is a great multitude which no man was able to number. Moreover, we read in the Gospel that the prayers of the Church are sent from heaven by an angel, and that they are received against wrath, and that the kingdom of Antichrist is cast out and extinguished by holy angels; for He says: "Pray that ye enter not into temptation: for there shall be a great affliction, such as has not been from the beginning of the world; and except the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved." Therefore He shall send these seven great archangels to smite the kingdom of Antichrist; for He Himself also thus said: "Then the Son of man shall send His messengers; and they shall gather together His elect from the four corners of the wind, from the one end of heaven even to the other end thereof." For, moreover, He previously says by the prophet: "Then shall there be peace for our land, when there shall arise in it seven shepherds and eight attacks of men; and they shall encircle Assur," that is, Antichrist, "in the trench of Nimrod," that is, in the nation of the devil, by the spirit of the Church. Similarly when the keepers of the house shall be moved. Moreover, the Lord Himself, in the parable to the apostles, when the labourers had come to Him and said, "Lord, did not we sow good seed in Thy field? whence, then, hath it tares? answered them, An enemy hath done this. And they said to Him, Lord, wilt Thou, then, that we go and root them up? And He said, Nay, but let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, that they gather the tares and make bundles of them, and burn them with fire everlasting, but that they gather the wheat into my barns." The Apocalypse here shows, therefore, that these reapers, and shepherds, and labourers, are the angels. And the trumpet is the word of power. And although the same thing recurs in the phials, still it is not said as if it occurred twice, but because what is decreed by the Lord to happen shall be once for all; for this cause it is said twice. What, therefore, He said too little in the trumpets, is here found in the phials. We must not regard the order of what is said, because frequently the Holy Spirit, when He has traversed even to the end of the last times, returns again to the same times, and fills up what He had before failed to say. Nor must we look for order in the Apocalypse; but we must follow the meaning of those things which are prophesied. Therefore in the trumpets and phials is signified either the desolation of the plagues that are sent upon the earth, or the madness of Antichrist himself, or the cutting off of the peoples, or the diversity of the plagues, or the hope in the kingdom of the saints, or the ruin of states, or the great overthrow of Babylon, that is, the Roman state.

The equality is according to the number of those sealed and also those who have believed from each tribe. It hints at an equal zeal and a unanimous confession of faith, even if from this tribe more were saved and believed in Christ, and from another fewer, He who was dishonored by the Jews; but by us and indeed by all the heavenly creation is now worshiped, always and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

“From the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand.” Zebulun is interpreted “abode of power” or “fragrance,” through which are indicated those who by the indwelling of Christ have been made firm against sufferings and have become his sweet smell, as Paul says. “From the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand.” Joseph is interpreted “addition,” that is, those who in addition to the kingdom of heaven receive those things necessary for eternal life, as the Lord says. “From the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand.” Benjamin means “son of sorrow” or “son of day” or “son of my right hand” and refers to those with sorrow in their heart. This refers either to those believers from the Jews who fled the siege of the Romans and equaled this number, or, what is rather more likely, to those from the Jews who are saved at the consummation when, as the apostle puts it, after “the full number of the Gentiles come in, all Israel will be saved.” Either interpretation is acceptable. The exact equality of each tribe seems to me to show the utter fruitfulness of the apostolic seed, since twelve multiplied by twelve and multiplied by the perfect number of a thousand yields the thousands here indicated. For these were the disciples of that seed that out of love for humankind fell upon the earth and brought forth the various fruit of universal salvation.

Of the tribe of Juda, were twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Ruben, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Aser, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Nephthali, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Manasses, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Zabulon, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand signed. If we go back to the story of Genesis, we find the names of these introduced according to the birth of each of them, not at all in this order: for Juda is there put in the fourth place, here in the first; Ruben there in the first place, here in the second; Gad there in the eighth place, here in the third; Aser there in the ninth place, here in the fourth; Nephthali there in the seventh place, here in the fifth; Manasses there in the ninth place, here in the sixth; Simeon there in the second place, here in the seventh; Levi there in the third place, here in the eighth. Only Issachar, Zabulon, Joseph, and Benjamin are put in the same place here as there. Dan, the fifth son of Jacob, is altogether excluded from this spiritual list. We easily find out why this was done if we stop concentrating on the birth of the flesh and search for their spiritual lineage in the names with their interpretations. So Juda translates to “confession” or “laudation.” What else does this name's interpretation indicate but the confession of sins and the praise of virtues? Though the word “confession” appears to be sometimes used for “praise,” whence the Lord, who had no sin whatsoever, said, I confess to thee, O Father, etc. [Matt. 11:25] By Ruben, which means “he who sees the child” or “they who see the child,” are represented the very works of virtues, for the fruit of good works is often symbolized by the word “children,” according to this: Mayest thou see thy children' s children, [Ps. 127:6] which means the virtues born from your virtues. Then since works of virtues must serve the progress of others, he is rightly called “he who sees the child.” This means that we should show others the things in which we see we have progressed, according to this saying of the Lord: that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. [Matt. 5:16] It is therefore right for Juda to be put first and for Ruben to follow, because if we do not renounce bad actions through confession, we cannot be instructed for right and prescribed actions. So who would not see now that if he had begun with the firstborn in the flesh and put Juda in the fourth place, he would have been bound to confuse the spiritual lineage of the Church? Then, since those who do good works are usually always tested by temptation, it is right for Ruben to be followed by Gad, which means “temptation;” and since those who are girded with divine strength prove to be strong against temptation, it fits them well because the same Gad also means “girded.” Since we ought to direct the end of our good struggles towards God rather than towards the facade of human praise, the aforesaid Gad also means “robber,” as if he acquired secretly the goods of the heart to offer them to God in order that they may be approved, rather than exposed them to human eyes in order that they may be exalted. So since the tribulation inflicted on them tests the elect and crowns them after the test, it is right for Gad to be followed by Aser, which means “blessed;” and since the warriors of the Church, strengthened by the promise of blessedness, are prompted by feelings of love to spread even among the wicked, it is fitting for Aser to be followed by Nephthali, which means “wideness.” Since when they run through this greatest commandment of love, they both forget the things that are behind and stretch forth [Cf. Phil. 3:13] to the eternal riches that are to come, it is appropriate for Nephthali to be followed by Manasses, which is taken to mean “having forgotten” or “necessity:” “having forgotten” because he has only let go of what was behind, and “necessity” because he has not yet reached what he is stretching towards. Since their desire is often put off for a long time, it is right for Manasses to be followed by Simeon, which translates to “I have heard sorrow;” but those who hear sorrow must necessarily also hear “the name of the dwelling,” which Simeon also seems to mean, so that those who mourn in the tabernacle of decay should rejoice in the dwelling of eternal rest. As for what kind of people all these are, it is indicated by the one listed next, Levi, which means “added;” for such people, going further than the general commandments, add many things that have not been ordered, like celibacy in holy virginity, and all other things of the kind: since these things are not ordered, but advised, it is necessarily the case that non-ordered things are being voluntarily added. It is quite fitting for these people that Levi is followed by Issachar, which translates to “reward,” because an exceptional and special reward is owed to those who do these things; whence Jeremiah says to one of them, Let thy voice cease from weeping, and thy eyes from tears: for there is a reward for thy work, saith the Lord. [Jer. 31:16] However, before people doing such things are rewarded, persecutions are usually inflicted on them, and test them, but do not overcome them. Therefore it is not without good reason that Issachar is followed by Zabulon, which means “dwelling of strength,” for any of these people becomes its dwelling when power is made perfect in infirmity. [2 Cor. 12:9] Then, since they freely expend the talent of the divine Word not only for their friends in time of peace, but also for their enemies in the very middle of persecution, it is fitting for Zabulon to be followed by Joseph, which means “increment;” for in order to make profit off the money they have received, they do not hesitate to expend it even for their enemies. Then, so that you should understand that all these are to be placed on the right hand of the eternal King, it is beautiful that Benjamin, which means “son of the right hand,” comes in the last place, as if he himself were the end of the sequence, where the happiness of the eternal reward is promised. Therefore the holy Church is clearly shown to be, in Juda, praiseworthy through confession; in Ruben, fruitful in good works; in Gad, tested by the trials of temptations; in Aser, blessed after overcoming the temptations; in Nephthali, widened by love; in Manasses, forgetting the things that are behind and stretching forth to the things that are to come; in Simeon, as if it were so far sad in the valley of weeping, but rejoicing in hope at the dwellings of heavenly citizens; in Levi, beautiful in virginity and extremely abundant in pious mercy; in Issachar, resting on the expectation of the future reward; in Zabulon, crowned with martyrdom; in Joseph, enriched with the doubled talent of spiritual substance; and in Benjamin it is demonstrated to have been allotted the right hand, which is eternal happiness. However, let no one think that there are twelve vocations in the Church, since there are only three, namely the virtues of virgins, celibates, and good married people. Among all this, we should by no means omit the question of why Dan, who is undoubtedly a son of Jacob, is, whether in Genesis or in Exodus, counted with all his brothers, but was rejected from the spiritual list in this Apocalypse, while Manasses, who was born among strangers, and was indubitably not his son although he was adopted as his son, [Gen. 41:50-51 and 48:1-5] seems to have been substituted in the sixth place. So, “Dan” translates to “the judgment” or “the judging one of the Hebrews who pass by.” What is this “judgment of the Hebrews who pass by” but the rejection of the old priesthood? Therefore Dan, rejected from the spiritual list, teaches us by the very interpretation of his name that in the sixth age of the world the perfidious Jewish people was, by a mysterious but just judgment, altogether expelled from its place and lost the dignity of priesthood, while Manasses, that is the people of the Gentiles, gained by grace to be substituted in its place.

The four angels holding the four winds of heaven, Rev 7:1. The angel with the seal of the living God, and sealing the servants of God out of the twelve tribes, whose number amounted to one hundred and forty-four thousand, Rev 7:2-8. Besides these, there was an innumerable multitude from all nations, who gave glory to God and the Lamb, Rev 7:9-12. One of the elders shows who these are, and describes their most happy state, Rev 7:13-17.

SEALING OF THE ELECT OF ISRAEL. THE COUNTLESS MULTITUDE OF THE GENTILE ELECT. (Rev. 7:1-17) And--so B and Syriac. But A, C, Vulgate, and Coptic omit "and." after these things--A, B, C, and Coptic read, "after this." The two visions in this chapter come in as an episode after the sixth seal, and before the seventh seal. It is clear that, though "Israel" may elsewhere designate the spiritual Israel, "the elect (Church) on earth" [ALFORD], here, where the names of the tribes one by one are specified, these names cannot have any but the literal meaning. The second advent will be the time of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, when the times of the Gentiles shall have been fulfilled, and the Jews shall at last say, "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord." The period of the Lord's absence has been a blank in the history of the Jews as a nation. As then Revelation is the Book of the Second Advent [DE BURGH], naturally mention of God's restored favor to Israel occurs among the events that usher in Christ's advent. earth . . . sea . . . tree--The judgments to descend on these are in answer to the martyrs' prayer under the fifth seal. Compare the same judgments under the fifth trumpet, the sealed being exempt (Rev 9:4). on any tree--Greek, "against any tree" (Greek, "epi ti dendron": but "on the earth," Greek, "epi tees gees").