CHAPTER VII. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having AND after these things I saw the seal of the living God; and 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. which we are now to consider. Other matters connected with the general subject are mentioned in subsequent chapters. Christ's judgment, it should be remembered, consisted of two parts, viz., 1st. To destroy the Jews; and 2d. To save the believing and faithful Christians. 1. Four angels. The description here is altogether scenical. Under chap. v. 2, we have given a classification of the angels mentioned in the Apocalypse; and, by a reference to that, the reader will perceive that the angels mentioned in the verse before us are to be reckoned among the "angels of the elements." The four angels mentioned above are the angels of the four winds; in Rev. xiv. 18, we read of the "angel who had power over fire;" in xvi. 5, mention is made of the "angel of the waters;" the sun also had its angel; xix. 17. "It seems probable (says Prof. Stuart, in his Scriptural Angelology) that the passage Psa. civ. 4, and Heb. i. 7, Who maketh his angels the winds, and his ministers a flame of fire,' i e., lightning, is to be explained in reference to the views of the Jews as connected with the subject of guardian angels over the elements." Holding the four winds. - After the general view of God's judgments which had been taken in the preceding chapter, the revelator descends to particulars; and the first thing represented by him was the great care exercised by infinite wisdom, that the faithful Christians, who were mixed up with the Jews at the beginning of their calamities, were he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, not to be hurt; that the judgments were not to be let loose until these were distinguished from the rest, and marked, (so to speak,) that when the judgments took place, they might not be harmed. The winds are the agents of destruction. God controls them. He "gathers the wind in his fists;" Prov. xxx. 4. He sends them forth at his pleasure. The winds in the passage before us are emblematical of the judgments of God. These judgments were to be kept back for a short time. Hence John says, he saw four angels, holding the four winds, that they should not blow, to hurt the earth, until the full time had come. 2. Another angel. - This was the angel who was supposed to have the custody of the seal of God. See the classification before referred to. ¶ Four angels. The same mentioned in the preceding verse. They were commissioned to destroy, but were instructed to withhold for a season. The first angel had the seal of the living God; and he cried unto the four angels, to whom the commission of destruction had been given, to forbear for a short time. Ascending from the east. How natural to those who looked on heaven as a locality, (and this the Hebrews did,) to suppose it was situated in the east, the source of light; the place whence the sun, moon, and stars seem to proceed. The angel, with the seal of God, comes as the companion of the heav enly bodies. 3. Till we have sealed. Commence not the final destruction upon the land till we have sealed the servants | and there were sealed a hunof our God in their foreheads. dred and forty and four thousand 4 And I heard the number of all the tribes of the children of them which were sealed: of Israel. of Judea, until the servants of God the members of spiritual Israel. If are sealed or marked for preserva- we look at the 24th chapter of Mattion. The Christians, who appeared thew, we shall find that the Son of to be in danger of being involved in man was to send his angels, with the the general calamities of the Jews, great sound of a trumpet, and they were wonderfully preserved. There were to gather together his elect from is something similar to this in the the four winds, from one end of ancient history of the Jews. When heaven to the other; Matt. xxiv. 31. the first-born of the Egyptians were These elect were saved from the slain, the houses in which the Israel- common destruction; Idem, 13, 22. ites dwelt were marked for preserva- The famines, pestilences and earthtion, and the destroying angel passed quakes, were the beginning of sorby them in mercy; Exod. xii. 21-30. rows; Idem, 8. After these things A similar procedure is recorded by came other dreadful occurrences; but Ezekiel, ix. 4: "Go through the from the great woes which fell upon midst of the city, through the midst the Jews, the faithful Christians were of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon delivered. They were gathered tothe foreheads of the men that sigh gether from all parts, and were wonand that cry for all the abominations derfully preserved from the dangers that be done in the midst thereof;" and woes that fell on the rebellious. i. e., set a mark upon the good men, As to the number of the Jews who that they may be saved in the time of were converted to Christianity, we the general destruction; see verses know it not precisely. And as we 5-11 of same chapter. This is the have said, it makes no difference same figure with the sealing the faith- what it was, for no set number is ful in the seventh of Revelations. intended by the one hundred and The winds of destruction were not forty-four thousand, since in prophecy permitted to blow, the work of destruc- and parables it is very common to tion did not begin, until the faith- put a certain number for an uncerful were marked for preservation, tain one. Compared with the bulk "sealed in their foreheads." Not- of the nation, the Jewish converts to withstanding every arrangement Christianity were a small part, - a seemed to be made by the Romans remnant, — though it is probable there for the vigorous prosecution of the were many thousands. Besides such siege of Jerusalem, yet it was for as were converted during the persome reason delayed, until the faith-sonal ministry of Jesus, we know ful Christians had an opportunity of deliverance. God knew those that were his; and such were not doomed to destruction. This is another instance of the revelator copying his metaphors from the Old Testament. 4. An hundred and forty and four thousand. The number one hundred and forty-four thousand is of no particular account in the understanding of the passage. By the twelve tribes mentioned in verses 4-8, are intended there were three thousand converted in one day under the preaching of Peter; Acts ii. 41. On a certain occasion, after the conversion of Paul, there was a conversation among the brethren at Jerusalem as to the comparative success of their efforts in converting Jews and Gentiles. Paul "declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry." When the brethren heard these things, "they glorified 5 Of the tribe of Juda were | twelve thousand. Of the tribe sealed twelve thousand. Of the of Manasses were sealed twelve tribe of Reuben were sealed thousand. twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. In the revelator's classification of the tribes, the name of Dan is omitted, and that of Manasses put in its place. This is thought by some to have been done because idolatry broke out in the tribe of Dan; Judges xviii. 18— 31; 1 Kings xii. 25-33. Manasseh was a grandson of Jacob, by Joseph; see Gen. xlviii. 5. Were sealed twelve thousand. - There being twelve tribes, this fact gave occasion for the use of the number twelve, which occurs so frequently in the Apocalypse. The Christians being represented by the tribes, and being, in fact, called, metaphorically, "the twelve tribes of Israel," Matt. xix. 7 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. 28, almost everything appertaining to the New Jerusalem has the mark twelve upon it. There are twelve gates, and twelve angels to guard them; the wall of the city had twelve foundations, on which were engraved the names of the twelve apostles ; the wall measured twelve times twelve cubits, &c. &c. See under Rev. xxi. 12, 14. By the use of the number twelve thousand in reference to each tribe, it is not intended to intimate that just so many were taken from each, or even an equal number from each. The certain number mentioned is not to be understood definitely. We have suggested, under ver. 4, that one hundred and forty-four thousand was perhaps somewhat near the number of Jews that had been converted to Christianity at the time the Apocalypse was written; but whether this suggestion is correct or incorrect, is a matter of very small importance in the present case. We regard the twelve thousand converts from each tribe as a mere metaphor to represent those Jews who had been brought to acknowledge the Lamb. The sealing in the forehead, mentioned verses 3 and 4, shows that those who were to be preserved were "the elect," or the Christian converts. To place a name on a man's forehead, in the style of the Apocalypse, was to show what Master he served. Hence we read, "And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the Mount Sion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads;" Rev. xiv. 1. We read, also, that they who dwell in the S of the tribe of Zabulon | tongues, stood before the throne, were sealed twelve thousand. and before the Lamb, clothed Of the tribe of Joseph were with white robes, and palms in sealed twelve thousand. Of the their hands; tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. 9 After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and They stood before the throne, i. e., they worshipped God and the Lamb. ¶ Clothed in white robes.- These were signs of purity, and palms in their hands were signs of victory. On New Jerusalem shall see the Lamb's face, and “his name shall be in their foreheads;" xxii. 4. They wore the Lamb's name in the most conspicuous place; they were not ashamed of it. On the same principle the the white robes, see the notes on enemies of Jesus are said to "have Rev. iii. 4, 5, 18; iv. 4; vi. 11. not the seal of God in their fore- Palm branches were used by victors heads;" ix. 4. The idolaters or wor- to denote their conquests. This is shippers of the beast are said to have the only instance of the use of the received "a mark in their right hand, metaphor in the Bible. They had or in their foreheads;" xiii. 16; xiv. been everywhere dispersed; but from 9; xvii. 5; xx. 4. The sealing of all places where they lived, they looked the one hundred and forty-four thou-up unto God. They had been persand in their foreheads is a metaphor secuted; but they saw deliverance to show that they were known, and was nigh; for the Jews were the that they would escape the common instigators of persecution, not only in destruction, and would be passed over Judea, but in all other parts of the in the general visitation, as the houses world. And during the awful judgof the families of Israel were marked ments that were visited upon the and passed over, when the first-born Jews, the Christians looked with faith of the Egyptians were slain; Exod. and constancy to Christ. xii. 21-29. 9. Great multitude, which no man could number. - The persons mentioned in the preceding verses, and which probably represented the Jewish converts, had been numbered; there were one hundred and fortyfour thousand of them. But now we have come to a multitude which no man could number. Of all nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues. These represent the Gentile Christians, who were gathered from every nation. See Luke xiii. 29, where we are told they came from the east, and the west, and the north, and the south, and sat down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the kingdom of God. Stood before the throne.. 10. And cried with a loud voice, saying, &c.. They praised God and the Lamb for deliverance from oppression. The doxology in this case bears a striking resemblance to that in Rev. v. 13. The scene is represented as being in heaven; and there is a climax of praise very similar to that which occurs in the chapter last mentioned. There the cause of the praise was the fact that the Lamb had prevailed to open the sealed book; here it is the sealing of the one hundred and forty-four thousand for preservation, that fills all heaven with joy. It is imaginary; but it is beautiful. 11. All the angels round about the throne. - See v. 11. The rhetorical form is almost precisely the same in about the elders and the four 13 And one of the elders beasts, and fell before the throne answered, saying unto me, What on their faces, and worshipped are these which are arrayed in God, white robes? and whence came 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, they? and glory, and wisdom, and 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thanksgiving, and honor, and thou knowest. And he said to power, and might, be unto our me, These are they which came God for ever and ever. Amen. out of great tribulation, and have both cases. What are they? what body of men? what does their white dress purport? and whence came they? The elder himself is represented as knowing who they were, for he immediately described them." 14. Came out of great tribulation. Jesus told his disciples, "In the world ye shall have tribulation;" John xvi. 33. Paul had to endure great tribulation, and he bore testimony "that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God;" Acts xiv. 22. But the Christians were patient in tribulation; Rom. xii. 12; Christ comforted them in it; 2 Cor. i. 4; they were exceedingly joyful in it; 2 Cor. vii. 4; knowing that it could not separate them from the love of Christ; Rom. viii. 35. When their enemies, the Jews, were destroyed, they (the Christians) were represented as coming out of great tribulation. ¶ Blood of the Lamb.. See the notes 12. Blessing and glory, &c. - Under chapters iv. and v., we showed that the revelator gave a representation of the dwelling-place of the Most High. The verses before us seem to refer back to that representation, and show us all heaven worshipping God, and praising Him for his judgments, acquiescing in them, and blessing and glorifying God, and ascribing to him wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, forever and ever. A doxology similar to this is found in Rev. xix. 1-4: "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God; for true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. on Rev. i. 5; v. 9; and xii. 11. And again they said, Alleluia. And They had washed their robes and her smoke rose up forever and ever. made them clean; and that this And the four and twenty elders and washing represents Christian sanctithe four beasts fell down and wor-fication, is evident, for the robes were shipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia." 13. One of the elders. - One of the four and twenty elders mentioned in Rev. iv. 4, 10. He is represented as asking the questions, "What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?" in order to give an opportunity to say what follows. The inquiry is made concerning those who were mentioned, ver. 9, who were clothed with white robes, and who had palms in their hands. said to have been washed in "the blood of the Lamb." The blood of Jesus is made an emblem of his doctrine, which he sealed with his blood. In the outward, literal sense, the blood of Jesus can cleanse nothing. His flesh and blood represent his, doctrine; John vi. 63. It is his word, his doctrine, that washes away sin. "By mercy and truth iniquity is purged;" Prov. xvi. 6. The church was cleansed by the "washing of water by the word;" Eph. v. 26. |