Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
A Pi-ophecy of the End of the World. REVELATION VII. At Angel Sealeth the Servants of God.
67. 2; Daniel 12. 13. until their . . . brethren ... be ftilfilled—in number. Until their full number shall have been completed. The number of the elect is deflnitely fixed : perhaps to fill up that of the fallen angels. But this
CHAPTER VIT.
Ver. 1-17. Sealing of the Elect op Israel. Thb Countless Multitude of the Gentile Elect. 1. 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" maj' elsewhere designate the spiritual Israel, "the elect (Church) on earth" [Alfoed], here, where the names of the tribes one by one are specified, these names cannot liave any but the literal meaning. The secon(j|advent will be the time of the restoi-ation of the kingdom to Israel, when the times of the Oentiles 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 [Db Burgh], naturally mention of God's restored favour to Israel occurs among the events that usher In Christ's advent, eni-th
Is mere conjecture. The full blessedness and glory of all the s».ints shall be simultaneous. The earlier shall not aniii ipate the later saints. A, "C, read, "shall have been accomplished;" B, X, read, "shall have accomplished (their course)." 13. As v. 4, 6-8, the sword, famine, and pestilence, answer to Matthew 24. 6, 7 ; and v. 9, 10, as to martyrdoms, answer to Matthew 24. 9, 10 ; so this passage,
V, 12, 17, answers to Matthew 24. 29, 30, " the sun sliall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven; . . . then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming," &c. ; imagery describing the portents of the immediate coming of the day of the Lord ; but not the coming itself until the elect are sealed, and the judgments invokt-d by the martyrs descend on the earth, the sea, and the trees (ch. 7). and, lo—So A reads. But B, C, omit"lo." earthquake Greek, " shaking" of the heavens, tlie sea, and the dry land; the shaking of these mutable tilings being the necessary preliminary to the setting up of those things which cannot be shaken. This is one of the catchwords [WoRDSWOETH] connecting the sixth seal with the sixth trumpet (ch. 11. 13) and the seventh vial (ch. 16. 17-. . . sea . . . tree—The judgments to descend on these are in answer to the martyrs' prayer under the fifth seal. Cf. the same judgments under the fifth trumpet, the sealed being exempt (ch. 9. 4). on any tree— Greek, " agaimt any tree" (Greek, epi ti dendron : but " on the earth," Greek, epi tees gees), it. ftom the east Greek, "... the rising of the sun." The quarter from which God's glory oftenest manifests itself. 3. Hurt not—by letting loose the destructive winds, till we have sealed the servants of our God — Parallel to Matthew 21.31, "His angels . . . shall gather together His elect from the four winds."' God's love is such, that He cannot do anything in the way ofjudgment, till His people are secured from hurt (Genesis 19. 22). Israel, at the eve of the Lord's coming, shall be found re-embodied as a nation ; for its tribes are distinctly specified (Joseph, however, being substituted lor Dan; whether because Antichrist is to come from Dan, or because Dan is to be Antichrist's especial tool [Arethas, tenth century], cf. Genesis 49. 17; Jeremiah 8. 16 ; Amos 8.
21); also the seventh seal (ch. 8. 5). sackcloth—One kind made of the "hair" of Cilician goats, was called "cilicium," or Cilician cloth, and was used for tents, &c. Paul, a Cilician, made such tents (Acts 18. 3). moon—A, B, C, and oldest versions read, " the whole moon ;" the full moon ; not merely the crescent moon, as blood— (Joel 2.
31.) 13. stars . . , fell ... as a fig tree casteth her . . . flgs—(Isiilah 34. 4; Nahum 3. 12.) The Church shall be then ripe for glorification, the Antichristian world for destruction, which shall be accompanied with mighty phenomena in nature. As to the stars falling to the earth, Scripture describes natural phenomena as they would appear to the spectator, not in the language of scientific accuracy ; and yet, whilst thus adapting itself to ordinary men, it drops hints which show that it anticipates the discoveries of modern science. 14. departed— GreeA;, "viaa teparaled from " its place; " was made to depart." Not as Alfokd, "parted asunder;" for, on the contrary, it was rolled together as a scroll which had been open is rolled up and laid aside. There is no " asunder one from another "
14 ; just as there was a Judas among the Twelve). Out of these tribes a believing remnant will be preserved from the judgments which shall destroy all the Antichristian confederacy (ch. 6. 12-17), and shall be transfigured ivith the elect Church of all nations, viz., 144,000 (or whatever number is meant by this symbolical number), who shall faitlifuUy resist the seductions of Antichrist, whilst the rest of the nation, restored to Palestine In unbelief, are his dupes, and at last his victims. Previously to the Lord's judgments on Antichrist and his hosts, these latter sliall destroy two-thirds of the nation, one-third escaping, and, by the Spirit's operation through al Hictiou, turning to the Lord, which remnant shall form the nucleus on earth of ^ the Israelite nation that is from this time to stand at the head of the millennial nations of the world. Israel'ssplritual resurrection shall be "as life from the dead" to all the nations. As now a regeneration goes on here and there of Individuals, so there shall then be a regeneration of nations universally, and this in connection with Christ's coming. Matthew 24.34, "this generation (the Jewish nation) shall not pass tfll all these things be fulhere in the Gi-eek, as in Acts 15. 39, which Alford copies, monntain . . . moved out of . . . places—(Psalm 121. 1, Margin ; Jeremiah 3. 23 ; 4. 24 ; Nahum 1. 5.) This total disruption sliall be the precursor of the new earth, just as the pre-Adamic convulsions prepared it for its present occupants. 15. kings . . . hid themselves—Wliere was now the spirit of those whom the world had so greatly feared ? [Bengel.] great men—statesmen and high civil officers, rich men . . . chief capt Alns—The three Oldest MSS., A, B, C, transpose thus, "chief captains . . . rich men." mighty—The three oldest MSS., A, B, C, read, "strong " physically (Psalm 33. 16). In—lit., into ; ran into, BO as to hide themselves in. dens—" caves." 10. from tlie face—(Psalm 34. 16.) On the whole verse, cf. Hosea 10.8; Luke 23. 30. 17. Lit., "the day, the great (day)," which can only mean the last great day. After the Lord has exbausted all His ordinary judgments, the sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts, and still sinners are impenitent, the great day of the Lord Itself shall come. Matthew filled," which Implies that Israel can no more pass away before Christ's advent, than Christ's own words can pas.i away (the same Greek), Matthew 24. 35. So exactly Zecharlah 13. 8, 9 ; 14. 2-4, 9-21 ; cf. 12. 2-14 ; 13. 1, 2. So also Ezekiel8. 17, 18; 9. 1-7, especially v. 4. Cf. also Ezeklel 10.2 with ch. 8. 5, where the flnaljudgments actually fall on the
24. plainly forms a perfect parallelism to the six seals, not only in the events, but also in the order of their occurrence : V. 3, the first seal ; v. 6, the second seal ; v. 7, the third seal ; v. 7, end, the fourth seal ; v. 9, the fifth seal, the persecutions and abounding iniquity under which, as well as consequent judgiaeuts accompanied with gospel-preaching to all nations as a witness, are particularly detailed, earth, with the same accompanlmenf, the fire of the altar cast into the earth, including the fire scattered over the city. So again, ch. 14. 1, the same 144,000 appear on Zlon with the Father's name In their forehead, at the close of the seotlon, chs. 12., 13., 14., concerning the Church and her foes. Not that the saints are exempt from trial : v. 14 proves the contrary; but their trials are distinct from the de-
V. 9-28; V. 29, the sixth seal, to stand-to stand Justified, and not condemned before the Judge. Thus the sixth seal brings us to the verge of the Lord's coming. The ungodly " tribes of the earth " tremble at the signs of His immeifroyingr Judgments that fall on the world; from these they are exempted, as Israel was from the plagues of Egypt, especially from the last, the Israelite doors havlnic the protecting seal of the blood-mark, forehemls—tlie diate approach. But before he actually inflicts the blow lu person, " the elect " must be " gathered " out.
5G9
The Nwnher of them that xvere Sealed. REVELATION YII. Their Eobes Washed in iJiC Lamb's Blood.
means save us noxo ; taken from Psalm llj. 25, in which Psalm (14, 15, 22, 26) the same connection occui 3 between salvation, the tabernacles of the righteous, and the Jews' cry to be repeated by the whole nation at Christ's coming, " Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord." 11. The angels, as in ch.5. 11, in their turn take up the anthem of praise. There it was "many angels," here it is "all tho angels." stood—" were standing." [Alford.] 13. Greek, "The blessing, the glory, the wisdom, the thanksgiving, tha honour, the power, the might [thedoxology is *ei'en/oW, implying its totality and completeness], unto the ages of the ages." 13. anstvered viz., to my thoughts; spoke, asking the question which might have been expected to arise in John's mind from what has gone before. One of the twenty-four elders, representing tlie Old and New Testament ministry, appropriately acts as interpreter of this vision of the glorified Church. What, &c.— Oreek order, "These which are arrayed in white robes, who are they?" 14. Sir— Greet-, "Lord." B, C, Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic versions, and Cyprian read, " My Lord." A omits " My," as English Veision. thou kuowest—Taken from Ezekiel 37.
most conspicuous and noblest part of man's bodj- ; whereon the helmet, " thehopeof salvation," is worn. 4. Twelve
Is the number of the tribes, and appropriate to the Church :
3 by 4: 3, the Divine number, multiplied by 4, the number lor world-wide extension. 12 by 12 impliesfixity and completeness, which is laliena thousand-fold in 144,000. A thousand Implies the world perfectly pervaded by the Divine ; for it
Is ten, the world number, raised to the power of three, tlie number of God. of all tUe tribes—lit., "out of every tribe;" not 144,000 of each tribe, but the aggregate of the
12,000 from every tribe, children— Greet, "sons of Israel." Ch. 3. 12; 21.12, are no objection, as Alford thinks, to the literal Israel Jpeing meant; for, in consummated glory, still the ChuTcli will be that " built on the foundation of the (Twelve) apostles (Israelites), Jesus Christ (an
Israelite) being the chief corner-stone." Gentile believers shall have t?ie name of Jerusalem written on them, in that they shall share the citizenship antitypical to tliat of the literal Jerusalem. 5-8. Judah (meaning pmixe) stands first, as Jesus' tribe. Benjamin, the youngest, is last; and with him is associated second last, Joseph. Reuben, as originally first-born, conies next after Judah, to whom it gave place, having by sin lost its primogeniture-riglit. Besides the reason given above, anotlier akin for the omission of Dan, is, its having been tlie first to lapse into idolatry (Judges 18.); for which same reason the name Ephraim, also (cf. Judges 17. ; Ilosea 4. 17), is omitted, and Joseph substituted. Also, it had been now for long almost extinct. Long before, the Hebrews say [Grotius],
3. Comparatively ignorant ourselves of Divine things, it is well for us to look upward for divinely-communicated knowledge, came—rather as Oreek, "come;" implying that they are just come, great tribulation Oreek, " the great tribulation ;"' " the tribulation, the great one," viz., the tribulation to which the martyrs were exposed under the fifth seal, the same which Christ foretells as about to precede His coming (Matthew 24. 21, great tribulation), and followed by the same signs as the sixth seal (Matthew 24.
it was reduced to the one family of Hussim, which perished subsequently in the wars before Ezra's time. Hence
29, 30), cf. Daniel 12.1; including also retrospectively all the tribulation which thesaints of all ages havehad to pass through. Thus this seventh chapter is a recapitulation of the vision of the six s«als, ch. G., to fill up the outline there given in that part of it which aflfects the faithful of that day. There, however, their number was waiting to be completed, but here it is completed, and they are seen taken out of the earth before the judgments on the AntU christian apostasy; with their Lord, they, and all Hia faithful witnesses and disciples of past ages, wait for His coming and theircoming to beglorifled and reign together with Him. Meanwhile, in contrast witli their previous sufferings, they are exempt from the hunger, thirst, and scorching heats of their life on earth (t). lli), and are fed and refreshed by the Lamb of God Himself (ti. 17; ch. 14.
it is omitted 1 Chronicles 4.-8. Dan's s.iiall numbers are joined here to Naphtali's, whose brother he was by tlie same mother. [Bengel.] The twelve times twelve thousand sealed ones of Israel are the nucleus of transfigured humanity [Auberlen], to which the elect Gentiles are joined, "a multitude which no man could number," v. 9
(f. e., the Church of Jews and Gentiles indiscriminately, iu which the Gentiles are the predominant element, Luke
21. 24. The word " tribes," Orcek, implies that believing
Israelites are in this countless multitude). Botti are in heaven, yet ruling over the earth, as ministers of blessing to its inhabitants; whilst upon earth the world of nations is added to the kingdom of Israel. Tlie twelve apostles stand at the hea<l of the whole. Tlie upper and the lower congregation, though distinct, are intimately associated. 9. no man Oreek, " no one." of all nations Oreek, "out of every nation." Tlie human race is one nation by origin, but afterwards separated itself into
1-4, 13); an earnest of their future perfect blessedness in both body and soul united (ch. 21. 4-6; 22.1-5). tva«hed. . . robes . . . white In the blood of . . . Lamb—(Ch. 1.
5; Isaiah 1. 18; Hebrews 9. 14 ; 1 John 1. 7 ; cf. Isaiah Ul. 10; Zechariah 3. 3-5.) Faith applies to the heart the purifying blood; once for all for justification, continually throughout the life for sanctlfication. 15. Therefore—Because they are so washed white; for without it they could never have entered God's holy heaven ; ch. 22. 14, " Blessed are those who wash their rubes (the oldi'st MSS. reading), that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city," 15; 21.27; Epheslans 5.
tribes, peoples, and tongues; hence, the one singular stands first, followed by the three plurals. Uindreda— Greek, "tribes." people— Ureek, "peoples." Tlie "first-fruits nnto the Lamb," llie 141,000 (ch. 14. 1-4) of Israel, are fol-
' lowed by a copious harvest of all nations, an election out of the Gentiles, as tlie 144,000 are an election out of Israel (Note, V. 3). M-Ulle rohea—{Note, ch. li. 11 ; also ch. 3. 5, IS;
4.4). paliiid In . . . Iinncln—the ant itypo to Clirlst's entry into Jerusalem amidst the palm-boaring multitude. This shall he just when He is about to come visibly and
20, '27. before Oreek, "in the presence of." Matthew
5. 8; 1 Corinthians 13. 12, "face to face." throne . . . temple—T'aese are connected because wo can approach the heavenly King only through priestly mediation; therefore, (Christ is atonce King and I'rieston His throne, day and nl}(ht i.e., perpetually; as those approved of as i)rlests by the Sanhedrim were clothed In white, and tak<: possession of His kingdom. Tho ]>alm branc/i Is the symbol of joy and triumph. It was used at the feast of tabernacles, on the rtlteenth day of the seventii month, when they kept feast to God In thanlcsglving for the Ingatliered fruits. The antitype shall bo the completed
Icept by turns a perpetual watch In the temple at Jerusalen\; cf. as to the singers, 1 Chronicles 9. Xi, "day and night:" Psalm 134. 1. Strictly "there Is no night" In the heavenly sanctuary (ch. 22. 5) In hm temple—in what is the heavenly analogue to His temple on earth, for strictly there Is "no temple therein" (ch. 21 22), "God and tiio Latnb are the temple" filling the wh de, so that (here is no distinction of sacred and secular p.aces; the city Is tlie temple, and tho temple tho city. Cf. ch. 4.8, "the four living <'realures rest not day and night, saying. Holy," gathirriiig in of the harvest of the elect redeemed hero described. Cf. Zecliariah 14. 18, whence it appears that the earthly feast of tabernacles will bo renewed. In commemoration of Israel's preservation in her long wllderness-like sojourn among the nations from which sho shall now be delivered, just as the original typical feast was to commemorate her dwelling for forty years In booths or talx Tnacles in the literal wilderness. 10. cried — Oreek, "cry," In the three oldest MSH., A, li, C, Vulgati',
Syriac, and ()u]>tic. It Is their continuing, ceaseless employ menl. Salvation — "TIIK salvation;" all the praise of our salvation bo ascribed to our God. At tho Lord's entry into Jerusalem, the typo, similarly «ait)a<io)i
Hhall dwell amonf( them—ral her (Greek scetiost'i ep' aulous), "shall be the tabernacle over them" (cf. ch. 21. 3; IjCvHIcus 2(1. 11; especially Isaiah 4.5,«; 8.14; 2i5. 4 ; Exeklel
37. 27), His dwellmg among them is to be understood M t to the ory of the palm-bearing multitudes. Hosanna 670