Revelation 7

Revelation 7:1

After the general view and description of God’s vengeances on the Jews succeed now the particular executions of them; and therein the first thing that was represented to me was Christ’s peculiar care for the preserving of the true, penitent believers of them out of the common destruction, who are therefore first to be marked, (as the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, that the plague may pass over them,) and so secured before the vengeance break out upon them in common. This is here thus expressed in vision: I saw, saith he, four angels that had power to bring punishments, famine, &c. (foretold ch. vi.) upon Judaea, but making stay before they would do it, not permitting any of these mischiefs as yet to break out upon them.

Revelation 7:3

[a] the earth] That ἡ γῆ, the earth, or land, signifies not the whole world, but particularly the land of Palestine, in many places of the New Testament, according to the notion of יְהוָה, among the Hebrews, (see note [b] on Matt. v.) and so in like manner, the four corners of the land, Ezek. vii. 2, Thus saith the Lord God unto the land of Israel, An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land. And so sure it is very generally, almost constantly, taken in this book, and accordingly is to be rendered, the land, and not the earth, as in the fifth commandment, and in the prophets generally, the Hebrew is wont to be rendered; and in the latter part of this verse, where it is set opposite to, or distinct from the sea, &c. it may possibly signify Judæa, or that part of Palestine.

[b] the sea] If θάλασσα, the sea, here be taken for any part of Palestine distinct from Judæa, it may then seem to signify that part of the country which was near the sea, or lake of Gennesareth, (see note [c] on Luke viii.) as Capernaum, ἡ παραθαλασσία, by the sea-side, Matt. iv. 13, in the borders of Zabulon and Neplthali, ὁδὸν θαλάσσης, by the sea-side, ver. 15. This sea was the sea of Tiberias, John vi. 1 and 23, and ch. xxi. 1, the city Tiberias being by Herod built in the prime part of Galilee, saith Josephus, Ant. l. 18. c. 3. And so under this title of θάλασσα, sea, Galilee may be described, of which there was a tetrarch under the Romans, and that different from the procurator, or ἡγεμών, governor of Judæa, Luke iii. 1, as here ἡ γῆ, and θάλασσα, the land and the sea, are set differing one from the other, (see note [e] on Luke xxi.) And then for the πᾶν δινδρον, every tree, which is added, that also may signify that country wherein the trees did principally grow, and that may be the tetrarchy of Abyla, or Ἀβυληνὴ χώρα, the Abylene region, Luke iii. 1, for that, saith Josephus, and the region about that, which made up Lysanias’s tetrarchy, was situate in Libanus, which is so famous in scripture for trees. See Josephus, Ant. l. 18. c. 4. But the truth is, all these together, land and sea and trees, may perhaps signify no more but the whole people of the Jews, without any nicer consideration of different countries in it.

[c] sealed the—in their foreheads] This sealing in the forehead is the same that is mentioned in the prophet Ezekiel, ch. ix. 4, a π, as it

Revelation 7:4

[d] hundred and forty and four thousand] This number of an hundred forty and four thousand, or the proportioning it so equally between twelve tribes, must not necessarily be taken in a literal sense, that there were just so many Christians in Judæa, that went out and were delivered at the time of the approach of those judgments, or those so equally divided by tribes; but (as in prophecies it is ordinary) a certain number for an uncertain, and an obscure representation made. And perhaps all that is to be understood by or concluded from this number is no more but the demonstration of the truth of what Christ had said, in answer to the question, εἰ ὀλίγοι σωζόμενοι; whether the number of the Jews which should escape were, in proportion to the others, a small or great number. For there his advice to them of entering in at the strait gate; and so also the prophet’s frequent mention of the κατάλειμμα, the remnant that should escape, doth demonstrate, that of the Jews there should not be found many in proportion which should be delivered from this wrath to come, by escaping out of that wicked generation. For though Christ after his own ascent left his apostles to preach over all the cities of Judæa, (to rescue them yet, if it were possible,) before this vengeance should break out upon them; yet it seems by his own prediction, Luke xviii. 8, that after all this there should be found but little faith, that is, few believers, ἐν τῇ γῇ, in the land of Judæa, at the time of the Son of man’s coming in judgment upon this people; few of that nation would sincerely repent and come in and adhere to him. There were indeed many of that nation which received the faith, three thousand converted at one sermon of St. Peter’s, Acts ii. 41, and καθ’ ἡμέραν, (as it is there said, ver. 47,) every day there was a proportionable addition of them, and so the bishop of Jerusalem tells Paul, Acts xxi. 20, that there were many myriads of believing Jews there. And Eusebius, mentioning Justus, the third bishop of Jerusalem, saith, that he was one of μύριοι ὅσοι ἐκ περιτομῆς, the so many

Revelation 7:9

After this immediately I saw all the orthodox, pure, constant Christians, whether Jews or Gentiles, every where dispersed, of all nations, that had continued thus long under persecution of the Jews, (see ver. 14,) looking up with faith and constancy to Christ, attending this vengeance of God on the unbelieving Jews, and owned and acknowledged and rewarded by God as those that had stuck to the faith and persevered constantly, Matt. xxiv. 13, though they had not resisted unto blood, Heb. xii. 4.

Revelation 7:10

And these praised God for his deliverance, (as the martyrs called for vengeance, ch. vi. 9,) acknowledging all their delivery to be imputable, as a most remarkable act of mercy, to God the Father, and to Christ, on whom they have believed.

11, 12. And a multitude of angels stood waiting on God, and encompassing the bishops of Judæa, (which were, together with the apostles, to be gone out of the country at this time, and so to partake of this delivery,) and they joined with them in this rejoicing and blessing of God.

[e] Salvation] Σωτηρία, salvation, is the word which most properly signifies this deliverance of them that are said to be sealed, that is, of the penitent Jews, or sincere orthodox Christians, σωζόμενοι, the saved, or κατάλειμμα, the remnant, (see Rom. xi. 26, and note [b] on Rom. xiii,) and then the meaning of σωτηρία Θεῷ, salvation to God, will be obvious, the imputing this deliverance to God, acknowledging it his special act, giving him all the praise and honour of it.

Revelation 7:13

And the same was again signified by an appearance of falling stars dropping down as the withered figs, those that are of a second spring, and come not to be ripe that year, but hanging on the tree in the winter are frostbitten, and with a great wind are shaken down and fall from the tree, Isaiah xxxiv. 4.

And methought one of the bishops asked me, who I thought those were (or whence) that were in the white garments of unspotted innocence, ver. 9.

Revelation 7:14

And by the appearance of great, black, gloomy clouds, covering the whole face of the sky, not a star to be seen any more than the writing is discernible in a roll folded up, (see note [a] Luke iv,) and by the earthquakes, ver. 12, whereby many hills and islands were moved out of their places, Isaiah xxxiv. 4.

And I told him I knew not, desiring him to tell me. And he told me, saying, These are the confessors (though not martyrs), ver. 9, that ventured their lives for Christ in the confessing him constantly.

Revelation 7:15

And the governors and great ones, of several degrees of power among the Jews, the generals of the several factions among them, and every meaner person of all sorts, appeared in the vision to be in an horrible consternation;

Who shall therefore live to enjoy some tran-

Revelation 7:16

And the guilt of the blood of Christ and Christians which they had shed, and of which they wished that it might fall upon them and their children, now fell upon them, made them fly into vaults or caverns under ground, and into walls, (according as it really fell out, and as it was foretold by the prophets, Isaiah ii. 19, Hosea x. 8, and by Christ, Luke xxiii. 30.)

Revelation 7:17

As seeing this inevitable vengeance now falling on them. ### CHAP. VII.