Revelation 7

AND after these things The first Sufferings of the Church under the Roman Emperors that were Pagans, was fore-told under the first six Seals, as has been showed, but they had yet more, if not greater things to suffer, which are discovered to Iohn, as we shall see when we come to the opening of the Seventh and last Seal in the next chapter; only it pleaseth God by a Vision in this chapter to comfort his Church; so as tho this Vision relateth to the sixth Seal, and was before the opening of the seventh, yet it has a relation to that, to show the care that God would take of his Church under those great Evils that should happen upon the opening of the seventh Seal; or when the things fore-told upon the opening of it, should come to be accomplished., I saw four an gels standing on the four corners of the earth Four good Angels, God is called their God, v. 3., holding the four winds of the earth That is, to whom God had given it in charge, that they should inflict his Judgments upon all the parts of the Earth; for God often useth, by his Prophets, the Metaphor of Winds, to express stormy, troublesome Dispensations, as Jer. 49.36. & 18.17. & ch. 51.1., that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree This Phrase is interpreted variously, God making use of the Winds in a way of Judgment, to throw down Buildings and Trees. 2. In a way of Mercy, to purifie the Air, and by their gentle Breathings to cherish things. Some interpret this Command to the Angels, into a Command to these Angels to forbear a while those Storms of Judgment which were coming, till the Servants of God should be sealed. Others interpret them into a Command to bring Judgments, either corporal or spiritual, which they think is signified by the Winds not blowing. The first seemeth to be favoured by the the next Verse, To whom it was given to rt the Earth, and the Sea; which seemeth to me to interpret the blowing mentioned in this Verse, of an hurtful blowing. The Earth, the Sea, and the Trees, seem to signifie all the sub unary World, especially the Church..

And I saw another angel ascending from the east By this other Angel, some understand an Angel by nature; some, a Man, Elias or Constantine; others, Christ himself called an Angel, Exod. 23.20. It is not much material whether we by this Angel understand Christ, or some Angel, which he made his Instrument., 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, He gives a command to those four Angels, whom God had made the Ministers, or Executioners of his Wrath, and Justice in the World.

Saying Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God in the foreheads A Manifest Allusion to Ezek. 9.4. and, as some think, to the Usage of some Eastern Countries, for Masters to set their Names upon the Foreheads of their Slaves, by which they were known to be theirs, as we mark our Sheep, or other Beasts. Men as vainly dispute what this Seal should be, as what the meant in Ezek. 9. (the Mark set upon those that mourned for the Abominations of Hierusalem.) The Place where they were to be sealed signified the end of their sealing, not so much for confirmation, for which Seals are used, as Notification, to signifie to others they belong to God: So as it was of the same use as the Blood upon the two Side-posts, and the upper Door-posts of the Israelites in Egypt Exod. 12.13..

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 Nephthali were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Simeon mere 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 Zebulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand For the understanding of these five Verses, several things are to be noted. 1. That the whole number is 144000, which is the Product of 12, as the original Number, (setting aside the Cyphers) for 12 times 12 makes 144. The Number of 144, chap. 21.17. was the measure of the Wall of the new Hierusalem: Twelve, which is the root of this Number 144, seemeth to be God's Number, and used in Scripture about 144 times, and almost generally in things belonging to the Church, which had 12 Patriarchs, 12 Tribes under the Old-Testament, 12 Apostles (as its Head) under the New-Testament, and the new Hierusalem from Heaven, ch. 21.12. is said to have 12 Gates, and at the Gates 12 Angels, v. 14. the Wall had 12 Foundations, the length of it, v. 16. twelve thousand Furlongs. 2. That we must not by 144000 understand a certain, but an uncertain Number, which yet was very great. 3. That by the Tribes of Israel mentioned here, are to be understood the several Gospel-Churches of the entiles, who are now God's Israel ingrafted into the true Olive. 4. That the Tribe of Dan is here left out, and Ephraim is not named, (tho included in Ioseph) of the Tribe of Dan there were none sealed. Dan was a great Ring-leader to Idolatry, so was Ephraim; See the 17, and 18 Chap. of Iudges; and at Dan it was that Ieroboam set up his Calves. Levi is put in instead of Dan, and Ioseph instead Ephraim, by which means here are yet twelve Tribes, which teacheth us this, That Christians, if Idolaters, must not look for any special Protection or Favour from God in a day of evil. 5. These Tribes are not set in order, according to their Birth-right. 1. Iudah was Leah's fourth Son, Gen. 29.35. put first, because Christ descended from him. 2. Reuben her eldest Son is put next, giving place only to the Messiah's Tribe. 3. Gad, Iacob's Son by Zilpah, Gen. 30.11. is put next. 4. Ashur Jacob's Son by Zilpah, in the fourth place, Gen. 30.13. 5. Nephthalim is put next, who was Jacob's Son by Bilhah, Rachel's Maid, Gen. 30.8. 6. Manasses is put next, who was Joseph's Son. 7 Simeon, Iacob's second Son by Lea, Gen. 29.33. is put in the seventh place. 8. Levi, Leah's third Son, in the eighth place, Gen. 29.34. 9. Issachar, Leah's fifth Son, Gen. 30.18. is put in the ninth place. 10. Zebulon, Leah's sixth Son, is put in the tenth place, Gen. 30.20. 11. Joseph is put in the eleventh place, for Ephraim his Son. 12. Benjamin, Rachel's second Son, is put in the last place. If there be any Mystery in this Order, differing from all other Scriptures, where there is a mention made of the twelve Patriarchs, it is probable that Mr. Mede has hi upon it, in regard of the good or ill Deserts of these Tribes, some of which are mentioned by him; all may be learned from the History of the Jews recorded in holy Writ. Hence we may learn, that the summary Sense of all these Verses, is this, That altho within that Period of time, which is signified under the seventh Seal, there should be great Persecutions of the Church, yet God would preserve unto himself a great Number in all his Churches, which should not apostatize, and who in the Persecutions should not be hurt, so as his Church should not fail, tho the Archers should shoot sore at it; for tho Men raged, yet it was by Gods Permission; and his Angels over-ruled it, who should take notice of those Numbers that he had sealed, and marked in their Foreheads..

After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nation, and kindreds, and people, and tongues If we enquire who these were, we are told, v. 14. by the best Interpreter, These are they which come out of great Tribulation, and have washed their Robes, &c. So that they do not seem to be the 144000 mentioned for Preservation in, and from the Evil, v. 4. but such as had escaped, or were not in, or going into Tribulation, but come ou. The Number of the former was determined, it is said of these, it could not be numbred., stood before the throne, and before the Lamb There were glorified ones, not mil tant; they stood before the Throne, and the Lamb. Clothed in the Habits of such as amongst the Romans had fought, and conquered, and triumphed., clothed with white robes l, and palms in their hands And to this end they are said to have carried Palms, the Ensigns of Victory, in their Hands..

And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God They acknowledge their temporal, spiritual, and eternal Salvation to the gift, and free Mercy of God in whom they had trusted. which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb And to the Lord Jesus Christ, by whose Merits and Spirit they had got the Victory..

And all the angels The good Angels, who always in Heaven behold the face of their, and our heavenly Father. stood round about the throne, and about the elders And about the twenty four Elders mentioned, ch. 4.4., and the four beasts And the living Creatures mentio ed, ch. 4.6., and fell before the throne on their faces The Angels, Elders, and living Creatures, all fall down on their Faces in a reverential Sense of the infinite distance between them and their Creator., and worshipped God Thus paying an Homage to God itted to their glorified state, in consideration of his Excellency..

Saying, Amen; Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen These words only signifie the Union and Harmony of the Angels and Saints in praising God: See the Notes on chap. 5.12..

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they Not that he did not know, but to try whether Iohn knew, or rather to set Iohn upon enquiring.?

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest John confessing his own Ignorance, applies himself to this Elder for Instruction, who tells him,. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation These were the Souls of them that came out of great Sufferings and Persecution., and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb But he addeth, that they were such as were washed in the Blood of Christ. Suffering will not bring us to Heaven, without having our Souls washed with the Blood of Christ.:

Therefore are they before the throne of God Not that they by their Sufferings have mer ted Heaven, but because it pleaseth God of his free Grace so to reward them; therefore it was said, not only that they were such as came out of Tribulation, but that they had washed their Garments in the Blood of the Lamb, whose Blood had paid the Price of their Salvation., and serve him day and night in his temple By the Temple, some understand the Church in this Life, but it is foreign to the true Sense of the Text; for John saw only their Souls before the Throne, their Bodies were in their Graves. By the Temple is meant Heaven where God dwelleth, and is worshipped more gloriously and constantly than he was in the Jewish Temple, or in any part of the militant Church.; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them As God by his gracious Presence dwelt in the Jewish Temple; so God by his glorious Presence shall dwell amongst his glorified Saints..

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat This is taken out of Isa. 49.10. They are all Metaphorical Expressions, all signifying the perfect state of glorified Saints. They shall have no Wants, nor be exposed to any afflictive Providences..

For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne e shall feed them Shall take care of them to satisfie, and to protect them, and give them the best Supplies, and both make them to forget their former Sorrows, and prevent any further cause of Sorrow and Affliction to them. A perfect Description of the glorious and happy state of Saints in Heaven. For wherein lieth the Happiness of Heaven, but in a freedom from all the Evils that incumber us in this Life, and the Enjoyment of all Happiness we are capable of, and being ever with the Lord Jesus Christ under his Influence and Conduct? So as I cannot agree with Mr. Med, or any of those who think this Vision, and these Phrases describe any happy, peaceable state of the Church in this life, after the throwing down of Antichrist; but do think that Iohn was showed this great Reward of Martyrs, to encourage the Church of God under all those Evils they were to suffer under Antichrist and the Beast, in that Period of Time which is described mystically upon the opening of the seventh Seal, which we now come to in the next chapter., and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes g. Christ, the Lamb mentioned, chap. 5.6.