Please read Revelation chapter 7.
God's People Will Be Preserved (Verses 1-8)
Verses 1-3: Do you believe this "seal of God" is something we can see in our earthly/natural realm? Or is this visible in the spirit realm only?
Verse 3: "on the foreheads of His servants."
Verse 4: This verse only mentions how many were sealed from the tribes of Israel. It does not mention anyone else. Do you think only Israelites are sealed? Or are the other tribes not mentioned because there are too many of them(see verse three quoted above)? Or is Israel mentioned to show how special they are/to set them apart? Or possibly to show how few of them will be marked/protected?
Verses 5-8: Notice in these verses that the tribes of Dan and Ephraim are not included... Joseph and Manasseh make it the complete twelve. After researching Dan and Ephraim, it appears no one (including myself) really knows why these tribes were excluded. I will list a few verses, which might shed a little light on the subject. But I want you to ask God, and let Him reveal the truth to you.
Dan: Genesis 49:16-17 Dan's "blessing" from Jacob before he died, Judges 18 talks about Dan's idolatry, Amos 8:14 "the god of Dan", 1 Kings 12:29-30 and 2 Kings 10:29 talk about sin in Dan. Also, in 1 Chronicles chapters 2-12 Dan is omitted completely.
Ephraim: Hosea 4:17 and 9:11 some translations read, "Leave Israel alone, because she is married to idolatry." But in Hebrew it says Ephraim instead of Israel meaning the northern kingdom of Israel.
Dan and Ephraim: Jeremiah 4:15 Mentions Israel's destruction from Dan to the hill country of Ephraim.
Praise from the Great Crowd (Verses 9-17)
Verses 9-10: That means everyone! Not just the Israelites!
Verses 11-12: The angels and elders praised God by saying "so be it!" Notice also, that wisdom is included in this blessing.
Verses 13-14: Who are these people clothed in white? Well, if you look back at 6:11 (6:9-11 the fifth seal) that is where the white robes are handed out! These verses explain who these people are: "These are the ones who died in the great tribulation." These verses in conjunction with 6:10-11 and 9:4 lead me to believe that at this point the martyrdom may be complete. Anyone left on earth whose name is written in the "Lamb's Book of Life" will live through the rest of the end times or live until the rapture.
Verses 15-17: The blessing/reward for those who die in the tribulation! Awesome!
Now, I am not claiming to have any or all of the answers here... But this is how I've been inspired to interpret these scriptures. I pray for wisdom when writing my blog, and I believe I will be blessed for taking the time to study His Word. (Even when I don't understand everything).
Thanks for reading, and I encourage you to study too! Look at a particular passage of scripture that God has brought to your attention, and dig deeper into what God is teaching you through it!
Blessings!
~ S*
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