Why should we care about the twelve tribes of Israel? Turn over to Revelation 7 (read 7:1-8).
This is in the middle of the seven seals – in the middle of the sixth seal to be precise. Judgment is about to be done upon the earth. The souls under the altar (6:10) have asked God to avenge their blood. And so now we hear that this judgment will not come until the 144,000 are sealed.
But notice what 7:4 says: “I heard the number of the sealed.” Throughout Revelation there are several instances of “hearing” and “seeing.” In 5:5, he “heard” “Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah” and in 5:6 he “saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain.”
Likewise, in chapter 7 “I heard the number of the sealed” – 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel. And in verse 9, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.”
Revelation 7 helps us understand the importance of the 12 tribes. The 12 tribes have become a great multitude.
As we go through the genealogies of Chronicles, we need to see how the 12 tribes point forward to the great multitude from all nations. |
